The First Week of Lent – 2014
March 10th reflection by Jason Byassee
March 11th reflection by Elizabeth Clark Carpenton
March 12th reflection from Seeds of the Kingdom
March 13th reflection by Jeff McClain
March 14th reflection by Ralph Jacobs
March 15th reflection by Ed Brewer
Boone Area Missions
March 10th reflection by Jason Byassee
Lev. 19:1-2 & 11-18; Mt 25:31-46
John Wesley had the gall to suggest that when scripture tells us to do something, we should do it. No evasion, no excuses, no reason to do otherwise. You’ve seen the bumper stickers, “God says it, I believe it, that settles it?” Usually those stickers are thinking about science vs. theology, or why somebody else is sinning (not us, of course). Wesley believed (with the bumper sticker) in verses like our Leviticus 19:2, “be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” He read Matthew 25, where Jesus identifies with the poor, the stranger, the sick, the imprisoned, and equates the good we do to them with the good we do to Jesus. And Wesley said, yes, that’s right, we should meet Jesus in our most vulnerable neighbors.
And that makes me a little nervous.
Wesley actually taught we could be made wholly perfect in this life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be enabled to love God and neighbor fully right now. This is Wesley’s most distinctive teaching, the place where other Christian churches get off the train we’re on. But he had his reasons. Jesus quotes Lev. 19:2 and seems to think we can do it (Mt. 5:48). This is not confidence in our abilities, a can-do spirit, ignorance of human frailty and sin. It is a confidence in the power of God to do what he says he’ll do: fill us with the Holy Spirit and make us fully alive, entirely like Jesus.
I love this teaching. Give me the weird stuff any day. Christianity takes a dead man rising from the grave to work.
The problem is, in our aggressive, striving, ever-upwardly mobile society, the doctrine of Christian perfection can sound like another achievement. Get a degree. Check. Ideal spouse. Check. Climb the career ladder. Check. Become perfect. Check.
But becoming perfect isn’t climbing the ladder. Unless it’s climbing down. It’s more like becoming less than becoming greater. With my back injury this spring, I’ve been attentive to how I can do less. And I’m impressed that many of you facing older years struggle with this every day. Like it or not, if we become older we’ll become less, physically-speaking.
I was amazed when our SPRC recently listened to Brandon Wrencher, an intern at the Blackburn House who will replace Lindsey Long as pastor of Blackburn’s Chapel on Boone Methodist’s staff. He and his wife Erica gave us a six-figure lifestyle in Chicago to make . . . wait for it . . . $600 per month as interns at Blackburn’s. Why? Because they think Jesus asks more of us. Or less, depending on how you do your figures.
Paul describes Jesus’ life as a becoming less (Philippians 2:6-11). So this Lent let’s put away striving up, and strive down instead. In God’s upside-down kingdom, with a king who reigns from a cross, the way to perfection is a way into dust.
Wendell Berry puts it perfectly, poetically, this way,
If there are a “chosen few”
then I am not one of them,
if an “elect,” well then
I have not been elected. ҬI am one who is knocking
at the door. I am one whose foot
is on the bottom rung.
But I know that Heaven’s
bottom rung is Heaven
though the ladder is standing
on the earth where I work
by day and at night sleep
with my head on a stone.
March 11th reflection by Elizabeth Clark Carpenton
Isaiah 55:10-11, Psalm 34, Matthew 6:7-15
When people ask me how my first year of seminary is going, I half-jokingly say, “I’ve become much more Christian since being here.” Because Union Theological Seminary is an inter-faith seminary, there are many people here who do not identify as Christians. This has made me all the more aware of my Christian beliefs and how important they are to me. The birth, life and teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus are more important to me now than they ever have been.
Psalm 34 offers so much comfort to me. It is so easy to feel as if God doesn’t hear us, doesn’t answer us. It is these times that I am angry with God for not being there when I need God most. But God is there, God does hear us, and God does answer us. These are not empty words. Since being in seminary, I have heard the voice of God more than ever. I have heard it and felt God’s safe embrace through my professors and peers here at Union. We have so much to learn from those around us. There is always a new way to think about a situation, relationship, worship, etc. For me, new ways of thinking have calmed my fears and made me realize that I don’t need to be afraid. God does hear me, and will use those around me for my good, and will use me for the good of those around me.
Isaiah 55 echoes these sentiments. It is so easy for me–particularly in seminary, but really all the time–to make promises I can’t keep. It is easy for my words to set out to do good, but the rest of me falls short, especially when it comes to serving others. Words can also be dangerous, and cause more harm than good to those around us. As we live lives of service, and as we are in relationship with one another, let us pray that our words, chosen carefully and intentionally, are like the rain in Isaiah–that they serve their purpose and do good in the world.
Though I am rarely at a loss for words in my everyday life, it is a different story when it comes to prayer. So many times I come up empty, not even knowing where to begin. It is times like this that the Lord’s Prayer comes to me (Mt. 6:7-15). These words are so rooted in tradition that they are never empty for me. While I love saying the Lord’s prayer in community with others in church on Sundays, there is something about saying it alone that brings a sense of peace and calm to me that other prayers do not. May it bring you the same peace during this season of Lent.
Elizabeth Clark Carpenton was a volunteer in our youth ministry at Boone Methodist while she was a student at Appalachian State. She is now studying at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
March 12th reflection from Seeds of the Kingdom
Learning a Lesson from Jonah
Reading the story of Jonah recently struck me forcibly of the possibility that we could develop Jonah’s attitude toward others.
The opening verses tell how God spoke to Jonah the message He wanted declared to the Ninevites. But Jonah was not prepared to go. We aren’t told what it was that Jonah had against the Ninevites. He obviously considered they were worthy of God’s punishment and didn’t want to see them escape. He didn’t want to give them the opportunity to repent, so he determined to go to Spain instead of Nineveh.
When we’ve come into the blessing of God’s grace and mercy through receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we’ve also come under His commission to ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’ (Matthew 28:19-20).
Have there been times when we’ve acted like Jonah? Have we felt smugness and comfort with our experience of God? Maybe we’ve been aware of the wickedness of others but we’ve considered they deserve God’s judgment for their sinful ways? If that was in Jonah’s thinking, didn’t he need to understand something of the grace of God? God doesn’t wish the death of any sinner, but longs for their repentance? God longs for sinners to turn to Him for forgiveness.
How about those who’ve experienced God’s grace and mercy, and been brought to repentance and forgiveness? Aren’t they the ones God wants to take the Gospel to others needing salvation? The lesson from Jonah to us is that when God has blessed us with His Salvation He’s given that saving message for us to take to others. He wants us to tell others what God has saved us from and what He’s given to us. He wants us to be His witnesses, taking the Gospel to others.
God, in grace and mercy, didn’t let Jonah escape from His commission. The experience in the stomach of a big fish brought Jonah to repentance. Then he witnessed the salvation of the Ninevites.
Let’s learn from the lesson of Jonah, and seek God’s forgiveness for the times we’ve failed to share the Gospel with others. Then let’s go and tell them what God has provided for them in Jesus.
Prayer: O Lord God, thank You for Your grace and mercy in saving me. Thank You that this is good news for others too. Help me to be faithful in sharing the good news of Jesus, and help others to come to know Him as their Saviour too. Amen.
Used with permission from Seeds of the Kingdom: www.seedsofthekingdom.com/devotionals/0395/learning-a-lesson-from-jonah.php
March 13th reflection by Jeff McClain
Esther
The book of Esther is a beautiful and interesting story, even if slightly controversial. It’s the only book in the bible that doesn’t mention God directly, which caused Martin Luther to say he wished the book had never been written! But Esther does provide us with a model for leadership and spiritual discipline, and it’s a good text for Lenten reflection.
As the book progresses, Esther moves from a somewhat passive figure to a bold and strong leader. In the beginning it’s her good looks that catch the king’s eye and allow her to become the new queen. But even as queen she’s only allowed to approach the king if the king requests her presence. Violation of this law was punishable by death. When Mordecai learns of a plot to destroy the Jewish people, he challenges Esther to entreat the king on behalf of her people. “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this” (4:14). Esther accepts the challenge and eventually saves her people, but first she orders all Jews to fast on her behalf.
Fasting is a longstanding spiritual discipline. Intentionally skipping a meal is one way of making ourselves more open to hearing from God. From the Israelites (Judges 20:26) to Esther (4:16) to Jesus himself (Matthew 4:2), God’s people have engaged in the practice in order to draw nearer to God and more fully understand their own participation in God’s mission.
Recently our Stephen Ministry team and our Prayer team began the practice of First Friday Fasting. On the first Friday of the month, we’ve been forgoing one meal. During the time we would have eaten (and every time we feel hunger pains), we spend time in prayer lifting up our life and ministry together, our church, and our community. I challenged our Disciple bible study to engage the practice throughout Lent as well. They upped the ante at Pastor Jason’s suggestion and decided not only to fast and pray but also save the money they would have spent on food and donate it to a local nonprofit.
I wonder what God might reveal to us if our entire church became more intentional about seeking God’s wisdom and guidance? How might we more powerfully live out the vision God has already given us? At Boone UMC we’re about “Loving our community and inviting all to discover life in Christ.” What’s your role in that vision? Who knows? Perhaps God has brought you to this church for such a time as this! Together let’s pray, fast, listen, and respond to God’s direction this Lenten season and always.
March 14th reflection by Ralph Jacobs
Forty
“Immediately the Holy Spirit urged Jesus into the desert. There, for forty days, alone except for desert animals, he was subjected to Satan’s temptations to sin. And afterwards, the angels came and cared for him.” (Mark 1: 12 & 13 – the Living Bible)
Forty Days. In the Old Testament God spoke to Noah and told him to build an Ark to save his family and lots of animals because God had become disgusted with the way His world had degenerated into its sinfulness. As God does, He kept His word and flooded the earth and killed all its inhabitants except for Noah and his “ark mates”. If you remember the story, it rained for forty days and forty nights and the earth was flooded.
Forty Years. God heard the cries of His people when they were in slavery in Egypt and He empowered His servant Moses to perform the Exodus that took them eventually to Canaan, “the Promised Land” in keeping with God’s Covenant with Abraham many years before. However, God’s people were not ready, not properly prepared to enter the land of Canaan so they wandered in the desert for forty years; a time of preparation and drawing closer to God.
Forty Days. In the New Testament, in Mark as in the Scripture reference above, after Jesus was Baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus went into the wilderness for a preparation time prior to beginning His three year ministry here on earth. How long did Jesus take for His preparation? Yes, forty days.
Our Christian Lenten tradition starts a devotional time of reflection, fasting, prayer & penance on Ash Wednesday and continues to Easter Sunday. This space of time is forty days not counting Sundays. This time of preparation is not unlike the previously mentioned time periods where forty is noted. We all know that possibly the actual time that elapsed might not have actually been exactly forty days/years but it was the exact length of time for the necessary preparation to take place to fulfill God’s plan.
No matter how we arrived at the forty days for Lent, that is the length of time (plus Sundays) we now have as our preparation time. Easter Sunday is April 20th, the day we remember and celebrate the miracle of all miracles, Jesus’ Resurrection from the Dead, a very basic tenant of our Christian Faith. If we really do prepare our hearts, minds and spirits when Easter comes we will be able to see and hopefully understand just how much God loves us.
March 15th reflection by Ed Brewer
Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. — Matthew 7:1-5
A number of years ago, in a house we were living in, we had a fly problem. There were hundreds . . . no thousands of them in our living room! I couldn’t seem to get rid of them. There was also an odor I couldn’t seem to eliminate, though I could mask it temporarily with various air fresheners. We thought there might have been something in the flower box outside of the bay window that was drawing them, but I couldn’t find anything. It was months before we finally discovered the source of the flies. Shortly before winter began, we had our chimney swept. The chimney sweep found a dead raccoon stuck in the chimney!
The season of lent is an excellent opportunity for us to examine our lives to see if there is any old, decaying baggage we are holding onto that is attracting flies. It is so easy to see the flaws in other people, but we sometimes have difficulty identifying our own faults. We can hide them, and sometimes even convince ourselves that we have gotten rid of them. We can deny their existence, but denial doesn’t mean they aren’t there. What are “they?” They could be wrongs we have done to others, hatred we are holding onto, self-doubt, anger, an addiction, or an unforgiving heart. It is so easy to convince ourselves that we are justified in our responses to others and to life in general . . . and sometimes maybe we are. However, holding onto grudges, hurting others or ourselves never makes things better. Usually it just eats us up inside.
Lent offers us an opportunity to focus on growing in our relationship with God and to reflect on the patterns and experiences of our lives. It is so easy to see what others are doing wrong. Perhaps taking time to sincerely examine our own lives, we will find some unnecessary baggage that has gotten stuck in the recesses of our being. Perhaps we will then be motivated to get rid of some of the “stuff” that has been making us spiritually sick (kind of like a mild cold we just can’t seem to get rid of) . . . and, perhaps, we will be able to better see the good in those around us.
Prayer: Gracious and loving God, help me to examine my life and identify those areas that need attention, that need to be cleaned up. Heal me and help me to accept your unconditional and unfailing love so that I can better love others. Amen.
March 16th
Boone Area Missions
Lynn is an elderly Christian woman that was referred to us from WAMY Community Action. She had a branch come through her roof and some con men charged her to fix it, but they did an awful job and it was leaking just as bad. Their cell phone was deactivated and they were gone. Our first interactions will Lynn were awkward and almost painful. She was the stereotypical cranky lady. She was short in conversation, had no trust in us and was difficult to get a hold of. There were many times when I was ready to give up on the relationship. However, every time I wanted to quit I received encouragement to continue to love her. We finally got the roof fixed and the leak stopped. She was grateful. It would have been really easy to say that our work was done and wish her luck, but she still had needs. Lynn was bitter and cranky because she felt forgotten by the world, her family visits her twice a year, her kids forget to call, her neighbors think she is mean, she feels scared and alone. For her own protection she resorts to being cranky, keeping people at a distance so that they too wont forget about her. How can she be forgotten if she is never known.
Well instead of leaving her, we now visit her once a week and bring her a meal, spending time with her, remembering her, loving her. One day we sat with her for over two hours, just talking. As we motioned to leave, she asked as if it was the most important question in the world, “Why are you doing this? Why are you nice to me? Why?” I was floored by the question, but I managed to say. “Lynn we come here and spend time with you because we care about you. We want you to know that you are not alone. We want you to know that the church is here for you just like it should be.” She responded, “Well thank you so much, I am so grateful.”
I heard from one of our volunteers that Lynn told her that she loved her. Imagine that, the cranky woman, melted by sacrificial love.
