Holy Wednesday Meditation John 13.21-32

There it sits on the table, the meal is ready for us to eat. All twelve of us have been working hard to prepare this meal and now there he comes, the Messiah himself. Smells good in here, doesn’t it?

Yet as we sit here with each other, we sense a bit of tension in the air, especially since Jesus is talking about how he will die and how he will soon enter into his glory. He has been acting strange lately and I must admit that I was a little uncomfortable at first with Jesus washing my feet. I had not a clue what was going on and did not expect that. He really wants us to understand that there is a cost to the last three years of following him. However, the most bizarre thing he has said is that one of us is not clean? Who can this be? I wonder if it is Peter. I mean, he is always jumping to conclusions trying to outdo us it may seem and he would be the least likely. Surely it isn’t John is it? Either way, Jesus has taught us to love one another and to wash one another’s feet regardless, so this I must do.

Oh He is speaking again, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” What! Again with this betrayal deal, none of us will do this to him. We respect and love him too much. Who can it be? Surely it isn’t I, no way. I will not believe it. Everybody is bewildered and confused. Someone needs to ask him who it is. Ah, I knew the one who Jesus loved would. Yet he did not say it loud enough for it to be heard, “It is the one whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl. Now hurry and do what you’re going to do.” Why would he tell Judas to go and pay for the food now, right in the middle of his teaching? This all just does not make any sense!

I wonder what else he will say now that Judas is gone. “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son.” May I one day glorify the Father like Jesus is explaining.

The mood around the table begins to grow even gloomier as Jesus tells his disciples that his time is coming. But this time we see that the one who will betray Jesus is revealed, yet the other eleven did not understand, but Judas did. Imagine the troubled heart of Judas as he comes face to face with the very one who chose him to be his friend says, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” Fear and probably much trembling overcame his body we can imagine as he ran to turn Jesus over for few silver coins. Yet greed and jealousy is still much apart of our lives and culture today. How often do you feel this tension pulling at your heart, the greed or the desire to want more, to push yourself to the point where you question your morals and end up crossing the line?

May today we find ourselves approaching the cross, asking God to relieve our heavy hearts and the burdens on our backs that are weighing us down. May we come to realize that living a life of Christ does indeed require a cost but the result is something more beautiful than we can imagine. May we cast our care and our feelings onto the Lord and share our deepest feelings to Christ. We have one to turn to, even when we miss the mark greatly!

Peace to you on this Holy Wednesday!

A Lenten Meditation

"There are many times when I cannot pray, when I am too tired to read the gospels, too restless to have spiritual thoughts, too depressed to find words for God, or too exhausted to do anything. But I can still look at these images so intimately connected with the experience of love."
~Henri J.M. Nouwen~
Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying With Icons

Tuesday Holy Week Meditation over John 12.20-36

It is 2 am and you just woke up because you have just spent the last five minutes coughing and you need a drink to satisfy the tickle in your throat. Darkness has overtaken your room and you cannot seem to find your way smoothly. Bumping into your bedpost you stub your toe and mumble a few words under your breath out of frustration. Finally, you arrive to the kitchen and you flip the switch only to feel as if you pupils have just exploded. Light now surrounds your self and you can see again, although it causes you to squint. You can find your way now as you navigate through the light to the sink, then as you leave your turn the light on in the hallway and finally you return to your room, where you climb back into bed and sleep.

Christ tells his disciples that his light is soon to be put out as he approaches the cross and essentially his death. This comes after a confused crowd looks around and is puzzled over how the messiah, if this Nazarene really is the Messiah, can die because the Scriptures say he will live forever. Ignoring these questions Jesus simply explains that his light will shine for only a little longer. Imagine some are looking intently while others still scratching their heads, Christ tells them that if you walk in the light, darkness will not overtake them. Finally Christ says, “put your trust in the light while there is still time, then you will become children of the light.”

Staying in the light is difficult at times. Yet what is this darkness that Christ teaches and warns us about? Satan’s name is thrown in the mix earlier in the text, yet we are afraid to mention this man. We tell our selves that we need not worry about the darkness for it has no control over our lives now and that Christ spoke symbolically. Are we afraid to follow Jesus? Are we afraid of putting our trust in this light and to be recognized as a child of the light?

"Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”

May we come to realize that our life’s are indeed corrupted and consumed by darkness and that our hope lies in the Light of the world himself who during this week, walks in the darkest of places for us, providing us a path that is and will be lit until he comes again. Today, light a candle in a dark room, meditate on the dancing flame and allow Christ to come to you with his light and teach you what it means to be his servant. Awake in the middle of the night and give thanks for the light that encompasses your life! Peace to you.

Not Afraid to ask Questions

Community.

What is true community?

What is community?

What is required in a community?

What makes a community a community?

A question that has been long pondered by many a persons. As i continue to think about sacred space and sanctuary, I cannot help but to talk about the word that i often times find myself saying, probably too much. Yet, it is a deep hope for me that one day I may rest at ease with fellow people and be an authentic commune. Yet I find myself saying words like authentic and rest, commune and sanctuary and I begin to question myself of if I really know what these mean. Well friends, thats why I love blogging and our newsletter and being in conversation with each other for we will take on this dialogue into community and hopefully stumble into it.

Approaching this with particular stories of Scripture in mind, let us think of the disciples. It is an interesting string of events that led these 12 men (and other men and women who found themselves flocking to this group) to come together and follow Jesus. Accounts of how these disciples came to follow the one who is called Christ are recorded throughout the Gospels. Many of the disciples were fishermen, others tax collectors and others came because their brother did. Nonetheless, these men all came with this idea that they would follow this rabbi, teacher, and they would learn from his teachings.

Yet my amazement does not stop there. No, you see what I love about the 12 disciples and Jesus is there authenticity with each other. Granted, Jesus knew everything about them, even those who did hide behind a mask (referring to Judas). However, it was for this very reason I find comfort amidst these 12 men who often times wondered around, as I picture it in my head, aimlessly except with one thing on their minds, follow this guy and try and pay attention. Throughout the Gospel accounts we see Jesus will be teaching, he will teach through a parable or a story and then the disciples ask questions that gets Jesus to respond in a way that seems to be frustrating him. To get a better peek into the lives of these often time disciples, Mark would be a good source to look to as he does not show much favor for these students of the Christ. We see the disciples wrestling with the parables Jesus told and would wait until they were with him alone until they would ask to have it explained. Plus, they were not very good picking up on details of the prediction of Jesus' death (8.32-33; 9.32; 10.32-41). In other Gospel stories they would ask things like, "May we sit at the right and left side of you on your throne? Who is the greatest?" Some, according to the Gospel of Matthew, have their mother ask Jesus questions.

"If your going to mess up, do it big," a quote I once heard in a local bowling alley as a man was attempting a spare to save his team from ending their season. Maybe the disciples too had this thought in their mind when they were with each other. If we are going to follow this guy, lets be ourselves even if that requires extra explanation or even, humility and embarassament. Yet these things are too important to overlook as we evaluate the disciples community. As they wrestled and doubted even this mans divinity, they did not care as to how silly they were and were themselves. They asked the question that the guy next to them was afraid to ask or they did things that were not the best things to do by accident, like falling asleep in the garden. Yet these things played a key role in the development of the community. Everyone had a place and purpose in the 12, even Judas as we see him as the drama unfolds cling tighter to the moneybag and complains when a woman cleanses Jesus feet with perfume, for he knew that it could have been used for the poor. All 12 disciples were called, chosen and sent out for a reason and all needed each other.

Another key point to focus on is the way the disciples went out. You see, they went out not alone but in pairs, covering less ground maybe, but going with each other for support and encouragment we can assume. Never did they do anything alone. Together, always, eating, sleeping, walking and even asking Jesus how to pray. Together, all for one and one for all. No individuals, all striving to be a community.

Take some time to read these times when Jesus and the 12 gathered together. Place yourself in the story and listen to Jesus talking. Look around and look at the faces of those who would be surrounding you and see if you can listen as intently as they are. But if the times comes we you simply do not know or understand, don't be afraid to ask for the guy/gal next to you probably is wanting to ask the same thing. As M. Scott Peck says (who is guiding me behind these posts), "No one could exist without the other." (A Different Drum M. Scott Peck pg. 61.)

Community. A journey we will begin, an ending we hope will come true.
Grace, peace and love to you this day and may you seek the face of Christ in all you meet.

It Gets Sweeter In Time

Invitations have been sent out. Everyone of your close friends will be coming. No one was left out for this party is going to be one you will never forget. It is a celebration in fact. A wedding feast. A dear friend and their new spouse will celebrate the beginning of their lives together. Make sure you come prepared and trust me, there is going to be this one guy there who you don't want to miss.

Indeed this party is great. You reconnect with many of your old friends as you celebrate this wedding. Much laughter is taking place and the wine is flowing. You are glad you came if not for the merry making with friends but for this guy that someone heard something about from some guy who went fishing with this other guy whose brother first saw this man. Yet so far in the party, he has sat there with his mother and brothers and sisters, not really doing much. However you are keeping an eye on him right? You are paying attention because again, he did tell some of those friends he is with that they haven't seen anything yet.

Things are getting out of hand now as people are getting a little anxious waiting for the wine to come around again. Man what they served you first was great huh? Nothing like some great grape juice to go along with your dinner. But for real, when are they bringing out the next...wait, did you just see that? That lady they call Mary just leaned over to him, her son that is, and said something. Well, whatever it was, must not have settled right with him for the look he gave her was one of disgust. I wonder what he said.

You've seen nothing yet friends.

What are those servants doing now? Where are they taking those jars? Is that water going inside of them? Did He tell them to do this? Oh boy, this could get ugly if the host drinks this water. He was right, I haven't seen anything yet, nothing like a brawl that will soon take place. Yet he shows no signs of worry. There he sits, calm and collective, continuing his conversation with those 12 men.

The host is getting up to say something and the servants are squirming, "Usually a host serves the best win first and then brings out the less expensive one next. But you bridegroom have saved the best for last."

What? Did he just say wine? I thought it was water? What just took place? And it is the "best" wine? What did that Man do? Maybe what Nathaniel said was true. Maybe he is...the Messiah?

Drink deep friends of what Jesus can fill your life with. Place yourself in the party. Which table are you at? Who are you sitting by? What makes this party a good one?

Important to note how the tradition of a ceremony such as this would be to serve the better wine first and then the cheaper wine next, so that behind their drunkenness they would not be able to tell the difference. Yet the wine the drink last at this party is better than the best wine they served first. What does this say about Jesus? More than just a miracle happened here in Cana, we are exposed to what Jesus can provide for us. Their best wine was fine because the partiers never had anything better until Jesus came and provided more than they expected.

So why should we settle for less? As life goes on, as we continue to discover our lives in the life of Christ, we may begin to see that much like wine, our life in Christ will indeed begin to taste better.

Quietly He sat, replied hastily to His mother, yet life changing that party was for some. Where are you in this party?

May your cups of life be filled with the wine of Christ, a wine that gets better as time goes on. May you drink deep from it and come to the party with your lives ready to be transformed. Your invitation has come and a party is waiting for us. Drink deep of Christ and taste the richness of his love!

Peace and love to you this day.

d365

I wanted to give you another link for you to visit to hopefully help you take a moment of rest from the busyness of life.
http://www.d365.org/todaysdevotion/

It is another daily prayer opportunity for you. Again, my hope is that you would find time to settle down and take 10 minutes to do pray and meditate.

I am thankful for all of you!

Peace of Christ to you!

Adam

It'll take but 10 minutes...

Greetings friends! I hope that all of you are having a good, fresh start to this new semester and new year. We are almost done with January with only 7 more days to go. It is incredible how fast time can fly and to use a quote from the movie Ferris Bueller's day off, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." I post this blog in hopes that we may be able to stop every once in a while, a breathe, pray and contemplate God's movement. So I am posting this link where you can do all of that.

I encourage you to visit the Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project website and click on the tab entitled prayer. There you will begin a prayer session that takes 5-10 minutes and I encourage you to simply rest and pray. Not much is required for they post the prayers, questions and Scripture for you, so all you need to do is sit and be still before God.

Take some time and do this. Get comfortable, quiet yourself, close the door, turn down the lights, and begin to follow the instructions. Rest and pray, develop a new discipline that enriches our lives!