The Darkness of Holy Saturday

Saturday was a quiet day of religious duties no one really felt like doing. Their minds were not filled with the things of God, but of the horror men were capable of inflicting on another.  The One who was dearest to them, the One who they loved so much, the One who had changed their lives was gone.  They had watched in the greatest of grief as they saw His body empty of life's breath being taken down from the terrible cross.  The grief felt on Friday had not lessened in the heart of the mother of Jesus, the other women who were with her, and those disciples who had been so afraid for themselves that they had stayed hidden in the shadows.   

The Sabbath which had begun at sunset on Friday and which would end at sunset on Saturday kept them away from their desire which was to give respect to the body of Jesus by properly preparing it for burial.  Sabbath law prohibited such a thing and so they waited in the lonely silence of their grief to finish what they would have chosen to do.  Saturday of Holy Week was such a long day, a day filled with flowing tears and attempts to bring comfort to one another.  But, nothing changed anything.  Jesus was gone.  He was dead.  Hope  was gone. This was the message of that long Saturday and all they could do was wait for the sunrise of Sunday so that they could go back to the tomb and complete the unfinished burial preparations.

It is the kind of day so many of us have lived in our own life.  Like those mourners, we have mourned and grieved in the deep places of our heart to the point that we lost hope.  What those mourners forgot is something we often forget ourselves and that is one of the promises of Jesus.  Sometimes the darkness is too great to remember anything which might bring light.  In moments like Holy Saturday it is easy to forget that Jesus said, "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  (Matthew 28:20)  Even on a day as dark as Holy Saturday, we must not forget that the promise is being kept.     

'Twas Good Friday?

It is Good Friday, they say.

   Not everyone thought it good.

      Surely, not mother Mary.

         Surely, not John the beloved,

            nor did the shadow dwellers.

              A black day so horrible

soldiers were driven to drink.

No day ever dawned was so black.

    A swirling vortex from Hell

       rose and fell upon the earth

         screaming, "Evil has prevailed!"

           and those on that hill of Hell,

             bent over in its fury, 

felt the breath of blowing evil.

This, they say, was Good Friday.

    And, indeed, as angels say,

       "It was good, let trumpets sound!"

        The Son stood strong on the cross,

           sending evil back in its den,

             and making a way for all

to be done with guilt and sin.

Good Friday was a great victory,

     a day that shouted, "God reigns!"

       but, at a terrible price.

         Jesus, the Son, died for me.

           'Twas I who should have been there.

              'Twas I who nailed the nails,

Still my Savior ransomed me.

Holy Thursday

There are so many good texts embedded in the Thursday events of Holy Week that any preacher has to smack his or her lips at the variety of preaching opportunities.  On Holy Thursday it is not a question of finding a test, but of deciding which of the many will be preached.  The text abound:  the foot washing recorded by John, the last meal with the disciples, the betrayal of Judas and Simon Peter, the garden moments, the prayers, and the final teachings.  But, of course, there is more here than just something to help preachers on Holy Thursday.  Instead, it opens a window into the heart of Christ.   

It is a day of amazement.  Jesus not only gave the bread and offered the cup to the disciples, but He also offered it to Judas who he knew was about the betray Him.  He could recognize the evil, the injustice, and the self righteousness which was swirling around Him, yet, His heart stayed focused on loving those who meant Him nothing but harm.  His presence among us on Thursday enables us to see the spirit which would prevail in Him until He drew His last breath.    

It must not be lost midst all the stories and all the good preaching texts that Jesus did what He did for our sake.  To the very end He was teaching us and showing us where obedience to the Father's will takes the faithful.  In addition to lessons about obedience, He illustrated to us on Thursday what it means to flesh out unconditional love.  He went through all kinds of suffering as a part of the plan of God which enabled you and me to be free of the power and sin and the weight of guilt.  These are things we must not forget on Holy Thursday.

Wednesday Wonderings

If tradition is allowed to speak, it tells us that on Wednesday of Holy Week Jesus did not go into Jerusalem.  There are several things which point to this possibility although it must always be remembered that it is just a possibility.  There is one verse which suggests that He was in the city just as He was the other days. Luke 21:37 says, "Every day He was teaching in the Temple, and at night He would go and spend the night on the Mount of Olives..."  What might lead to a different conclusion are two passages which refer to Him being in Bethany two days before the Passover.  (Matthew 26:1-6, Mark 14:1-3)     

One other thing which gets thrown into the discussion is something which does not happen.  On Wednesday there is no mention of some major event or controversy.  It is a day empty of drama which suggests that it was a quiet day of prayer and reflection in Bethany. Of course, none of this is going to challenge anyone's faith.  We can embrace the tradition of it being a quiet day midst a week of hurricane like conflict, or we can figure that it was not mentioned, but still unending.   

Whatever place we land, it is clear that the ominous storm clouds are piling up above Jesus and that a violent storm is about to immerse Him.  He surely knew what was ahead. He surely was using these days before Friday to prepare Himself for what would soon be required of Him.  While He was fully divine and fully human, it is also true that to be fully human would lead Him to some moments when He might have wondered if He would be able to get through this final act of sacrifice and love.  

Tuesday Thoughts

When Jesus returned to Jerusalem on Tuesday, the chief priests and scribes had put their heads together and collectively agreed that something had to be done with Jesus.  He was not only a troublemaker, but what He did in the Temple touched an economic nerve.  Too many were getting money on the side for Jesus to be ignored.  When He arrived in the Temple on Tuesday, His enemies were no longer staying in the shadows.  They came out with questions which they felt sure would cause Him to lose the popular appeal He brought with Him to the city.   

Tradition calls it a day of controversy.  His authority was challenged as He was asked about the source of His authority. Then they sought to trap Him with the question about paying taxes to Caesar.  One answer would label Him a traitor to His people and the other would label Him as a threat against Rome.  No matter how He was challenged that day, He ended up with the upper hand.  His answers confounded His antagonist.  Instead of being put on the defensive, He challenged those who questioned Him.    

Not only did He handle all the verbal challenges, but He spoke against those who sought to get rid of Him by saying, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace...They devour your widow's houses..."  (Luke 20:46-47)  Even in the face of great danger, Jesus did not waver.  He did not try to find the easy way that would please everyone and make His life more livable.  The only place He stood midst the controversy was on the side of the Father in Heaven.  His bold stand points to where we should stand.

Sleeping in Holy Week

Not being able to sleep all night recently has given thoughts about how Jesus might have slept those nights of Holy Week. While He probably slept like the "proverbial baby," He certainly had plenty of things on His mind which could have kept Him awake.  He did not walk into that last week as One who was unaware of what was waiting on him come Friday.  As one who was human among us, He knew there was going to be terrible humiliation, agonizing pain, and finally death on a cross.  If anyone ever had reason not to sleep, it was surely Him.    

I cannot imagine Jesus suffering from such worry that He could not sleep.  He was, after all, the One who told His disciples and all of us, "...do not worry about your life...do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring worries of its own..."  (Matthew 6:25, 34)  I have always figured Jesus lived by the Words He preached and that He slept better than I sleep when I stay awake over far lesser things.   

There are many things which separate us from Jesus.  He was not only fully human, but also fully divine.  Here is a mystery all its own!  The thing which is no mystery is the way He stayed intimately connected to the Father.  The relationship He lived with the Father was not one based on convenience, but one based on His love, His desire to be obedient at any cost, and a commitment to take every breath inside the Father's will.  He, therefore, knew a peace unknown to most of us.  It is no wonder He could sleep and we count sheep.

Holy Monday Thoughts

Tradition remembers Monday as the day Jesus cleansed the Temple.  Of course, it was not just any Monday, but the last Monday of His humanly sojourn among us.  Another way of speaking of this Monday is that it is Monday of Holy Week.  Holy Week is the week of the cross and the last week before history was turned upside down by the Resurrection of Jesus.   With so many possibilities to consider in that last week of His life, it is significant that He would make His way to the Temple for this act of judgment and cleansing.   

What He saw that day in the Temple was something He had surely seen on other occasions.  It was likely something He had mulled over in His mind and prayed about in His times with the Father.  This moment of cleansing was one of those "Enough is enough" moments, or more likely, He knew from His praying that the time for such an act was now right.  The cause of the upstir was all the buying and selling which usurped the praying which was supposed to be happening in the Temple.  It was a kind of exploitation which took advantage of people who came to worship God.    

On that Monday merchants were overcharging the poor for sacrificial doves and forcing people who brought a lamb to be sacrificed to buy one sold at an excessive price from a Temple merchant who declared theirs blemished and unfit.  As our churches get bigger and bigger and demand more and more money to feed the institutional beast that lurk in its meetings rooms, it becomes easy to make profit a greater driving force than the soul work entrusted to it.  On this Monday of Holy Week, it is not hard to imagine that Jesus might have a mind to turn some things over in our midst as well.

Palm Sunday, 2024

 Would they?  Really, Lord?

     How would You do it?

       Make them speak, I mean.

         You made waters stand back

            and blind eyes to see, 

             but, really, my Lord, 

dirty stones shouting?

And, what would they say?

    How loud would they shout?

      Would the angels hear?  

         How 'bout the graves' dead?

           Silent stones shouting, 

             Who would have thought it,

surely not the stones!

Had folks been silent,

    what a sound would sound.

       Like what would it be?

         Jericho's trumpets?

           Elijah's sheer silence?

             Angels in the field?

How would glory sound?

Had those stones spoken, 

   what silence would fall

      over the noisy earth,

        and all upon it.

          No one would ask "how?"

            but, instead shout "Wow!"

and Hallelujah!

Morning Glory

Those who steal forty more winks by hitting the snooze button miss the morning glory.  As is always the case with the revealings of God's creation, everything is here now and gone later.  There is but one moment when the day will awaken this day, stretch itself from one edge of the horizon to the next, and bring forth a canvas which would make any artist envious.  There is also only one moment in each day when the heavenly chorus sounds forth from the branches of trees with songs of praise which can never be duplicated by any musical composer.     

Indeed, morning glory is a glorious thing to know and it comes with divine uniqueness each time the darkness of night is slowly pushed away.  To truly see it and to truly know it is to be immersed in a moment which is not just seen with eyes, or heard with ears, but one that bathes the soul.  Morning glory cries out to us that here is where we belong.  The song it sings is one which invites us to sing along.  Morning glory shouts to us that we are a part of all that is coming to life.   

It is interesting to consider that the Word of God as we read it in Genesis speaks of first encounters as being in a garden so glorious that we want to speak of it as "The Garden."  In Genesis 3:8 we read about those moments of first encounters, "They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden..."  Perhaps, the snooze button which keeps us from standing in awe at morning glory is but an icon for the way we are experiencing more and more of a disconnect with the glorious creation and its power to reveal the Creator.  As the hand is reaching for the snooze button, let the heart remember a Word from God, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."  (Ephesians 5:31)

Reticent No More

So many of us are shy about our God talking.  We can talk about most any subject with ease and comfort, but when the subject of conversation shifts to God, we suddenly get tongue tied and confused about which word should come out of our  mouth next.  This does not happen for lack of belief, nor does it happen for lack of knowledge.  We have lived with both belief and knowledge since our first days at Sunday School.  

Part of the reason for our reticence is our fear that we fear someone might think we are one of those "goodie two shoes," or an even greater fear is that we might offend someone.  It is true enough that when we start talking in normal conversation about our belief that our life is directed by God, some folks start looking for the exit light.  We often let someone else's discomfort keep us from speaking the truth we hold close to our heart even those to whom we speak have no difficulty speaking of their belief that life is about chance and coincidence.  

It is our belief that we are who we are because of Christ and that we are where we are because His hand upon us as we go.  It is a word that speaks of something which is the core of life.  Why should we not be eager to speak of it, or Him?  Let us be reticent no more! 

Praise and Glory

 Praise be the Father,

       the Holy Father, 

         the Creator Father, 

          the Blessed Father,     

            Father of us all, 

Praise be and all glory.

Praise be the Son, 

      the Eternal Light,

       the Touch of Love,

         the Caring Healer,

           the Holy Begotten, 

Praise be and all glory.

Praise be the Spirit, 

     the Holy Spirit, 

       the Stand Alongside,

         the Wind and Fire,

          the Breath of God, 

Praise be and all glory.

Praise be the Trinity,

      the Holy Three,

        the Three in One, 

          the Indescribable,

            ever and always, 

Praise be and all glory.

          

Waiting to Unfold

The creation is mysterious and full of the invisible.  It is as Romans 1:20 says, "Ever since the creation of the world His eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things He has made."  What is now being seen was once invisible and equally so there are things unseen which are waiting to be made visible.  Thus, we hear also from Hebrews 11:3, "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible."  Every day the invisible holy mystery which speaks of the fabric of the created order is unfolding before us.    

None of what the New Testament writers tell us is a surprise for the very first book of beginning describes the unfolding nature of creation.  It tells us how the unseen was made visible. The opening words of Genesis speak of the earth as a "formless void and darkness." (Genesis 1:2)  The day and night, the sky and the water, the vegetation and fruit trees, the greater light and the lesser light, the living creatures of every kind, and men and women were all in that first moment of creation invisible and waiting to be seen.  One of the most descriptive and accurate words to speak of the Creator's work is unfolding.    

Even as the world was created in the beginning as an unfolding work of God, so is it true in the present.  It is surely true that the Creation is full of glorious things to be seen, but it is even more true that there is more hidden and invisible than the clearly seen and visible.  When we look at what has been revealed to us in our own lifetime, we are reminded that there is still more than can be imagined out there waiting behind the veil of the invisible waiting for its time.  The creative energy of the Creator is not limited.  His transcendent presence is always falling and ready to renew.  What has been seen and is being seen is like a half a drop in the bucket when compared to what is about to unfold before us. Wow!

Something to Ponder

Even though many of us pray "...Thy will be done..." at least once a week, understanding, accepting, and living within the will of God remains a hard thing for us.  However we might define it in Sunday School, too many times the will of God becomes what we think God should do, or perhaps, even something that is synonymous with our own will.  I often remember Wendell Berry's character, Jayber Crow, wondering how to pray after praying "....Thy will be done.." as the Sunday morning ritual taught him to do.  The question, "Is there any prayer after this one?" is a question worth pondering.    

The will of God is another thing that causes a lot of pondering to rise forth from our souls.  Like the folks who so easily proclaim "God is good!" when their loved one comes home from the hospital instead of being carried to the funeral home, it is easy to think that we are in God's will when life is full of fragrant roses and aromatic coffee. It is another thing to consider that we are deeply inside God's will when we walk in troubling and dark times.  The Apostle Paul understood that the will of God is not determined by circumstance as he wrote to the Philippians, "I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty."  (4:11)  In another place he spoke of the trials of his life through witnessing, "Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning.  Three times I have been shipwrecked...in danger from rivers, dangers from bandits, danger from Gentiles...hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked."  (II Corinthians 11:24-27).  

These words do not speak of a man walking down a smooth path in a rose garden, but they do speak of a man who knew his life was being lived inside the will of God.  This will of God thing truly is something to ponder.  God sometimes puts us in places and situations we would not choose.  Why this happens when the way is almost too hard to walk, I have often struggled to understand.  Maybe the will of God is less about circumstances and more about faith.  Maybe it is not so much about our ability to walk the easy path, but to walk the unseen path with obedience and trust.  Again, something to ponder.

A Personal Word

I am always grateful at the end of the day for those of you who read this blog.  In more ways than you will ever know, you keep me writing these daily posts which I pray provide spiritual nourishment and a pause for reflection.

For those who might be interested in reading something beyond JourneyNotes, I want to announce that I have a few months ago published my first novel.  It is entitled "The Last Supper."  It is not a theological treatment on the holy meal which Jesus brought into existence through His ministry, but a piece of fiction which tells the story of four friends who show up at their closed down and about to be bulldozed church at the invitation of an old pastor and friend.  Their journey to the place of their past is filled with memories, tragedy, and the resolution of some of the struggles of living.  It is a book filled with strong and powerful characters who are caught up in this journey back home and the way that journey changed all their lives.  

Those who might be interested in reading the novel can order it from Amazon.com.  Look for "The Last Supper" by William L. Strickland.   

Preservation or Sacrifice

Churches come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are known as mega churches and will provide spiritual care for thousands of people.  These churches refer to their spot on the globe as a campus and so many cars are coming and going that law enforcement shows up to direct the traffic after the benediction.  Some churches are very small and may be hard to find in the neighborhood, or the countryside they serve.  These small churches take up the space of a stamp on a postcard; and yet, they survive and serve.  

It is tempting sometimes to wonder if a church can be too big, or too small.  Are the massed gatherings at the larger churches there to be entertained by the holy glitz and are the few who gather in the small gatherings not much bigger than family just getting by until closing  time?  The only thing certain is that the folks in the larger church and the folks in the smaller church will declare their choice is best until Jesus comes.  The important thing, of course, is the way the church, large or small, stands in its space without being so married to it that it cannot sacrifice itself in behalf of the Christ who gave Himself up so willingly on the cross.  

One of the most dangerous dangers of any church is becoming institutionalized.  What is of first priority to any institution is the preservation of itself.  This is a danger for the large and the small church.  The spiritual community Jesus brought into being is not one turned toward preservation, but sacrifice.  The church of the day struggles in knowing and fleshing out the difference.  

Helping Others Survive

One of my favorite books on prayer is entitled, "Prayer."  Written by a saint who survived the Civil War and lived long enough to see the next century, E.M.Bounds has inspired me and put me to praying during many a dry spell.  I am reminded of him as I sit here in the silence of the hours normally spent in sleeping.  There is a story he told in his book that defies finding and is only remembered partially, but it is one about a man whose wife finds him up in the middle of the night praying and he tells her to leave him alone that he must be praying for there are too many souls in need of his prayers.    

Unfortunately, I cannot confess to that kind of spirit in praying, but I do know what it is to have a list of those who have been promised prayers than I seem to have time to pray. Tonight as my sister who lives in Texas told me of a friend's struggle, I told her to tell him I would be praying for him and his wife.  Some months ago an old roommate from college who lives in Missouri called asking for prayers for a friend.  And, so it has been in these recent days   

I find myself moving more and more into this kind of ministry.  I do so not just because the Word of God says, "...pray for one another..." (James 5:16) and "Bear one another's burdens..." (Galatians 6:2), but, perhaps, even more so, because I have lived through a time when I lived as dependent on the prayers of others, as we all are, for air to breathe.  While we may not know how to help those who walk the hard path of dark times, we can pray for them.  It may be what enables them to survive.    

Never Too Inconvenient

An evening chore around here on the farm, or maybe it is a part of the ritual of the day, is shutting up the chickens.  There are three laying hens sharing life on the farm that put eggs on the breakfast table when they have a mind to do so.  They roam the place during the day and around sunset they get shut up in a pen and house that is somewhat, though not completely secure from predators.  It was something I forgot to do earlier in the evening and it was a tad after ten tonight when I remembered so I went out and completed the day's stuff even though I was actually on the way to bed when memory carried me elsewhere.  

Taking care of animals and livestock on the farm is not something done when it is convenient.  Earlier in the day the cows needed some hay at the same time I wanted a nap.  I went to to the tractor, got the hay on the spear to take to the pasture, and it started to rain.  It was not just a sprinkling rain that felt refreshing, but one steady enough to be a soaker.  By the time I got three bales out there for them to eat, I was wet enough not to need a shower.  Well, almost.  The lesson learned here again and again is that if you have animals, they depend on you and the care you provide for them.  

I am not sure if the God who takes care of us ever feels like it is an inconvenient task, but my understanding of Who He is tells me that He is always present, working to bring good things into our lives. I have experienced that unending care and constant love so many times across the span of years given to me.  He really is the One who in every circumstance of need in my life has been working for good.  It is as Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purposes."  (Romans 8:28)   

A Word From Mad

For those who are losing sleep over the future of the church, or even worse, losing friends because of some of the controversies of separation, it might be good to remember a verse from Matthew.  In the 18th verse of the 16th chapter, we hear Jesus saying to Simon Peter, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."  Sounds like it has a future despite our efforts to undermine and create something compatible with what we want it to be.  If the gates of Hades, or as some translations would have it, the gates of Hell, cannot stand against it, why should we worry and lose friends over its future?    

There are a few things that are easy to overlook with this verse.  One, Jesus speaks of the church as something He is going to build.  He is not going to be dependent on folks like us to build a building, create a denomination, or figure out what it should do.  He is the Great Architect who laid the foundation and Who continues to design it according to His specs.    And, secondly, the church which Jesus builds is not a church on the defensive, but one on the offense.  No bastion of evil will be able to stand against it for it has prevailing power.    

So, as  Alfred E. Neuman would say, "What, me worry?"  It surely seems that these days are full of chaos and confusion and concern over the future of the church, but the Word of God gives us every assurance that this spiritual community birthed midst the fire and wind of the Holy Spirit is not going anywhere.  Folks like me and you may think we can shape it and determine its future, but no matter what we think we are doing, in the end this spiritual community centered on Jesus and the power of the resurrection will be left standing to accomplish whatever it is that God has planned for its future.  

A Personal Re-Write

Today I spent some time re-writng a poem which never got off the ground. Though the lines seemed to have some possibilities, they never passed the personal quality control manager who put them into ink.  Back and forth and up and down the words went, but still they never seemed to fit.  I was tempted a time or two to give it up and push the delete icon which would have resolved my dilemma forever; however, the images and the hope which birthed them would not let me make such a drastic move.  So, at the end of the hour, I left the printed words scattered across the white space of the page for another day.    

At the end of the writing session I remembered a saying that made the rounds some time ago which told us, "God is not through with me yet."  I am glad such is true.  I am not sure what my writing dilemma is called, but I know what God's incomplete work with me is called.  John Wesley spoke of it as sanctification.  Sanctification is such a scary word for most of us who seek to understand how God works in our life.  We are tempted to think it refers to some advanced degree of sainthood when it actually speaks of the way the Holy Spirit seeks permission to work miracles of grace in our life.  

The miracle speaks of a deep awareness of holy presence and an inner desire to live under the authority of the Spirit who seeks to transform our heart so that it bears a resemblance to the heart of Christ.  At one time long ago, I thought of sanctification as a completed event which was good for the duration of life, but later came to realize it was not about an event but about a life, not about something accomplished but about something in progress.  When we hear the word it enables us to remember that God is still out there bringing together what is scattered and out of sync into an inner wholeness which makes our heart fit for the Kingdom to which He leads us.  

Opening the Hand

After my mother was sure I had memorized the 23rd Psalm, she taught me John 3:16.  Slow down and say it aloud with me, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life."  Some say it is the gospel in nutshell and, perhaps, it is.  What I know is that I learned it almost before I have memory of having memory and it still lingers around in the memory that brings back memories to me again and again.  It is, indeed, a powerful and life changing verse of Scripture.    

What I also remember is the discovery of the verse which follows it.  John 3:17 says, "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him."  John 3:16 might well be the most memorized verse of Scripture in the Bible and John 3:17 might well be one of the most forgotten and ignored.  It is always easier for us to point a finger at what we regard as someone else's indiscretion, or sin, without ever looking in the mirror long enough to see our own.  The letter to the Romans helps us in this matter as it says, "...all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) and "There is no one who is righteous, not even one..." (Romans 3:10)  It seems we need to open up the hand that points so it can be a hand that receives.   

Jesus did not come for the business of condemnation, but for the business of salvation and deliverance.  He did not come to point out our failures, but to point out our possiblities.  He did not come to trap us in the sins of our past, but to deliver us into the hope of our future.  After Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He said to them, "...you also should do as I have done to you."  (John 13:16)   As Jesus has given us grace, so are we to give grace to one another.

Smoky Remembrances

When you have pecan trees on a farm, there is always something to do.  Pecans fall on the ground for a few months late in the year, but limbs are always falling.  There are always limbs and branches on the ground needing attention.  These early Spring days have been spent cleaning up, gathering some of those limbs, and putting them in a burn pile.  This afternoon while cleaning up some of the raised beds in the garden, I caught the smell of smoke from the burn pile, looked over in the direction of the fire, and thought of Simon Peter.   

There were two significant moments when Peter could smell the smoke from a fire burning near him.  Both are a  part of the narrative remembered in the Lenten and Easter season.  When Jesus was led away on the night of betrayal, Peter followed and found himself with others at a courtyard outside the high priest's house.  One of the details of the night is found in Luke 22:55: "When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them."  While Peter was sitting there smelling the smoke which was washing over him, he three times vehemently denied knowing Jesus.   

The second significant smoke story is told after the resurrection when the risen Jesus fixed breakfast for the disciples on the beach.  When they got out of their boat that morning, the story says, "When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it and bread."  (John 21:9)  With the taste of cooked fish in his mouth and the smell of smoke in his nose, Peter later walked down the beach with Jesus where Peter was asked three times about his love for the One whose arm rested on his shoulder as they walked.  Whenever Peter smelled smoke again, he must have remembered the smoke of sorrow and denial and the smoke of forgivenss and love.  These days of Lent cause us to remember with sorrow our own moments of denying the Christ and as Easter dawns we will once again be reminded of how we are loved and forgiven by the One who has died and risen for us.  

Morning Worship

I do not know that I had ever seen what I saw this morning in worship.  Was it six, or eight, or more?  It was more, more like ten or twelve, or more who came forward one at a time for the water.  Some came  to sit in a big tub and then laid back in the water until they disappeared underneath its shimmering suface.  Others came and stood before the preacher and were sprinkled lightly from the baptismal font.  As each one moved from this moment which belonged to each one of them in such a unique way, the whole congregation applauded  It was not light, polite, socially appropriate hand clapping, but boistrous and enthusiastic, the kind which belonged to a celebration.   

After all the baptisms came moments for large groups of people, some very old and some very young, some alone and some as whole familes, and as each group came they confessed their faith in Christ, their desire to be a  part of this newly formed Methodist Church, and then more clapping.  The worship service started at 9:30 and ended around 11:30 and no one stirred to move out of that place before the benediciton.  It was a couple of hours which stirred this old worn out Methodist preacher with a hope not felt in a long time. When I finally left the fellowship table, I wished that I could go back and do the whole thing again.  

I had no idea such was going to happen when I made the decision to say "yes' to an invitation of a cousin to attend worship at his church.  I am grateful for his invitation.  I am grateful for an opportunity to stand in the midst of so many people so excited about professing their faith in Christ.  I am grateful for the memory those folks will have of this day.  I am grateful, too, for my own memory of the baptismal waters touching me, for my memories of being blessed to baptize so many through the years of my ministry, and most of all, grateful for the Christ who is still calling folks like you and me to step forward in faith into the stream of His grace for a life changing moment.                                                        

The Gift of Silence

The loudest sound here at the farm is the silence.  It is like a running stream of water racing over rocks and makeshift dams caused by falling limbs.  It is constant.  Steady.  Overwhelming.  Once you have stood in it, felt its refreshing power moving all around you, and know its moods, it becomes an unmistakable memory to which you are forever drawn.  

There is no getting away from the silence that envelopes this part of the Creation.  It is the first thing which greets those who arrive from the busy world at the other end of the dirt road that goes from here to the paved road and the last thing heard before the eyes close in sleep.    When I arrived here after nearly four decades in the pulpit, I could not see it as a gift from God.  It was just a farm.  I was happy to be here, but my eyes were closed to the way being surrounded every day by the stillness of Creation would change forever my view of myself and my perception of God.  

As I moved away from a ministry of preaching and doing the work of the church to a ministry of being and writing, I slowly discovered that the muse which inspired me was the Creation itself and the silence that filled it.   It was, and is, a Holy Muse.  Truly, the silence here is like the silence Elijah heard on Mount Horeb  After a great wind came, after the mountains and rocks split in the earthquake, and after a great fire, Elijah heard in the sheer silence the voice of the Lord. (I Kings 19:11-14)  I never expected it to happen here on this simple farm.  I never expected to find myself in a place so filled with a silence which would enable my spirit to hear that small unmistakable voice of God speaking through every part of the Creation which surrounded me.  It is most assuredly a gift of grace.

A Bit of Advice

Some days difficult things and difficult people just seem to race to be at a place just ahead of us.  Faster than we can absorb what is happening, we find our emotions overrun, our minds losing the capacity for being rational, and our spirit crying out, "Not one more thing!"  But, of course, that does not stop the one more thing from coming.  It still comes and usually one more thing behind it.  On those days we find ourselves wondering why we even got out of bed.   

If there is any comfort in having company, such days come to all of us and with more frequency than we care to admit.  There are, of course, many folks out there who give the impression to be in the know when it comes to handling life's difficult days, but it is often true, too, that what works for one will not work for another.  And, having offered such an opinion about the advice of others, I will take a moment to offer some of my own.  It is not that I am any wiser than the experts, but that I have lived long enough not to care what the experts say when what they say goes against the grain of decades of experience.   

What is so very important is what we take into the day with us.  Being quiet somewhere in the beginning of the day is important.  There is always a need to be in touch with who we are and, if we are those who live trusting in God, it is also important to align our spirit with His Spirit.  Being in sync with the Creative Spirit who brought us into being will enable us to respond to life, not according to its difficulties, but according to the One who seeks to express His love and grace through us.  When the Apostle Paul wrote, "I have learned to be content..."  (Philippians 4:11), he was declaring that he had learned to live well despite the difficultes of the worst days.  His testimony can be our reality.   

No Hurry

Things do not happen in our spiritual life with breathtaking speed.  God is not in any hurry to get things done which we figure should have been done yesterday, or last week.  Look at how long it took for Abraham and Sarah to have a child.  Consider the time between Elijah drinking water from the Wadi of Cherith and the cloud of rain which settled over Mount Carmel.  By the time Jesus showed up in Bethlehem, the ancient story of a coming Messiah was mostly an asterisk in the Hebrew narrative.  Over and over we find examples of the way God takes His time in getting His things done.  Unfortunately, we do not work that way.  

Years ago a popular singing group called "Alabama" sang a song with lyrics which said, "I'm in a hurry to get things done, I rush and rush till life's no fun, I'm in a hurry and I don't know why."  We are more like the Alabama song than the models set forth in Scripture.  When it comes to prayer we are more into instant gratification. We are short of patience when it comes time to sit in silence so that we might hear the quiet voice of God stirring in our heart. He says, "Wait," and we say, "Hurry."  

When we take a serious look at what is behind us, we are able to see the plan of God unfolding to bring us to the present moment.  It may be a way that takes us to some mountain like the one in Moriah where Abraham felt that he should offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God.  When God begins to move us in our journey, or bring us to some place we have never been, it is not usually like going from Point A to Point B, but a circuitous way which takes a while to navigate.  The challenge He offers to us is not a challenge of speed, but one of obedience and trust, one that knows He will get us where He wants us to be in the time He deems necessary to get us there.

A Laughing Faith

There is often a disconnect between what we say we believe about God and how we actually live in a relationship with God.  In a phone conversation with a friend from long years ago, I heard him saying,  "There I was," he said, "worrying about how God was going to do something when He is the God of the universe."  And then the phone was filled with a kind of wild exuberant laughter.  He was not asking for a mountain to be moved.  He only wanted some way to help a colleague in ministry who needed some help.   

Is it not true that we often forget to Whom we are praying?  Is it not true that we have many times decided God cannot do what we are asking even as we ask it?  How many times have we prayed, doubting that God is really able to make a difference?  Maybe, we need to take a good look at what we are praying and then take a good look at what the Word says about the power of God.  To do so would likely put us in the boat with my friend, laughing at the absurdity of not believing God can handle the simple stuff!    

Honestly, not many of us have seen any mountains moving, but we have seen the sparrow flitting around inside the care of God.  Maybe our toothache was not removed without going to the dentist, but many a cancer patient has walked away from a treatment room free of that disease.  We might say that not all our prayers have received the answer we sought, but if we were keeping records, we would have a long list of moments when this God of the universe did what we did not think He would, or could do.  When we ask, seek, and knock, and then live with doubt, we need to step back and remember Who it is that is hearing our prayers.  Maybe even laugh at ourselves, too.

Rotten to the Core

I saw a picture of a tree about to be chopped down.  The comment underneath the picture said, "It is rotten to the core."  It caused me to think about problems that are bigger than trees.   Everywhere we turn these days, there is dysfunction and confusion.  Our culture no longer seems to be anchored to unchangeable core values, but instead, is constantly being swayed to embrace a changing set of mores.  We see a reflection of this in our churches, our political processes, and even in the most integral of all institutions which is the family.    

As I watch the unfolding of all these changes, I have come to a place of being convinced that the core issue facing us is not a sociological one, but a spiritual one.  More and more we are losing our basic spiritual mooring.  We have forsaken the absolutes for the variables.  There was a time when it seemed that some great spiritual revival was needed, but I have come to a place of believing that "revival" is too weak a word.  What is needed is not just a spiritual revival, but a spiritual revolution.    

Of course, such conclusions are based on an assumption that the critical problem in our churches, our political world, and even in our homes is a spiritual issue.  It is a spiritual issue because we are slowly but surely losing our sense of connection to the Creation, to one another, and to the Creator God who spoke it all into being. We have wandered a long way from our roots.  Hopefully, there is time in God's plan for us to return.

Energy in Worship

One of the things enjoyed during my time of ministry was planning and leading worship.  There are things which might be regarded as the basic elements of worship which need to be included in any service.  Things like praise and prayers and confession and affirming faith and giving and preaching and responding to what God is doing are some of the things we should experience in any worship experience of the gathered community.  Of course, all these things can be included and the worship service still never seems to get off the ground.    

One of the things often missing is energy.  Too many worship services die almost as soon as the first hymn.  The old timers might have called this missing energy "unction."  Others might speak of it as the Holy Spirit at work within the worship.  Whatever we might call it, worship without some spiritual energy is a dead thing.  Some may leave when they encounter this kind of worship, but others get so accustomed to it, they become content and think everything is exactly as it should be.   

It has always seemed that if we are worshipping the God of the universe who chooses to be among us, there would be some excitement in the room.  This is not to say that everyone needs to be hollering "Amen" or "Praise the Lord," or raising their hands, but instead, it points to some intangible spiritual energy which draws people deeper into an attitude of worship regardless of their posture and expression.  It is either present, or it is not.  When it is experienced, everyone recognizes it and finds their hearts warmed by it and when it is absent, folks tend to leave as asleep as they were when they arrived.  

Bearing Burdens

Our stories are sometimes difficult memories and hard to tell narratives.  It is not that life is not good and full of good things, but that they are real stories.  Unlike Hallmark movies, they do not always move to a happy ending in a couple of hours.  Actually, sometimes they do not ever move to a happy ending.  As we tell our stories we often do so through a veil of tears brought forth by emotions which both surprise us and cannot be understood.  Life is filled with laughter and tears.  Our stories tell of the laughter and tears.

It is not always our story which breaks our heart, but the stories of others whose sadness and struggle is still spilling over into words that are faltering and stumbling as they are remembered.  When we find ourselves in the presence of a broken heart, there are few words which can be said that are truly comforting primarily because it is their story and not our own; therefore, try as we might, we cannot understand.  In those moments of wanting to help and comfort, we are mostly left with our prayers.  A verse often remembered in these heartbreaking encounters is Galatians 6:2 which says, "Bear one another's burdens."  

It is truly all we often can do.  We may not be able to walk away carrying some of the emotional load another is carrying, but we can come before the Father with intercessory prayers.  Intercessory prayer of this kind is not "the thought and prayers"  idiom we are quick to say as we part, but is instead the kind of praying which takes time, brings us to our own tears of grief for a friend, and seeks to see the one for whom we are praying through the eyes of God.  It is not prayer for the faint hearted, but the prayer of one seeking to have a heart fashioned after the loving and caring heart of God.  We can bear the burdens of others not with our quick prayers, but with our sitting still before the Father until His grief for them becomes ours.  It is then that we can bear their burdens through our praying.    

Seeing God

If it ever seems that God is absent and is nowhere to be found, we need to look into the eyes of the people whom God has put in front of us.  Or, if it is at the end of the day, look back over it and remember the ones with whom a conversation, or a greeting, or an act of kindness has been shared.  If we look closely enough with eyes that are open to see what God is about in our lives, we will surely see His presence.  Each of us is like a sunset.  We see the glorious sunset and it seems that we have experienced the presence of God in the world.  We, too, are each glorious evidences of His presence in the world.   

Unfortunately, we do not always see one another in such a way.  Sometimes we have been guilty of seeing others as steps for us to use to get to the top of whatever ladder we are climbing.  Sometimes we have looked only for signs of things bad in those around us.  It always seems easier to judge than exalt.  When the Scripture is taken seriously, we are led to a different place in our shared life with one another.    

As surely as that evening sun is an expression of the glory of God, so are each one of us.  In the book of Genesis we are told that we bear the imprint of the Holy.  It is His image that we bear.  We are marked with the essence of the Holy God and Creator who brought us into being.  And  then, in I Corinthians 6:19 we hear the Word of God saying, "...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?  If we want to see where the Holy Spirit has been dwelling and where He has been revealing Himself to us in those days when He seems absent, look and remember the eyes of those we have seen, and know that in those eyes we have seen evidence of God's presence in our lives.

Still Useful

When I first started ministry back in 1971, I started a writing ministry that has continued until the present moment through this blog.  Back then no one used the word "blog."  Like the internet, it was something which did not exist.  This morning as I was moving stuff around, I found a couple of copies of some newpasper devotionals that I wrote weekly for the local county paper.  The heading for these weekly articles was "A Different Perspective."  I wrote under this heading in every church I served except for the years I was in Columbus.    

When I was just a couple of years away from retiring, I started writing "JourneyNotes" which I can now see as a way the Lord enabled me to continue with a ministry given to me from the beginnning.  The preaching part of that ministry is no more, but still I am still writing.  I have learned in these years of retirment that the call to ministry has never been lifted, but that its focus has changed.  I am grateful that the Lord still looks at me as useful for what He is about where He has put me in this world of His.    

It is something we all need to remember with gratitude.  No matter how old we have become and even though the world rushes by us and often puts us in the not so important category, nothing has changed for the One who died for us on the cross.  We are still loved by Him.  He did not just offer Himself for the young and vigorous, the ones with a long productive future ahead of them, but for folks like the thief who died alongside Him on the cross, Judas and Peter who denied Him at the end, and folks like you and me who have a history of faithfulness and not being as faithful as we intended.  I often remember an old saying from long ago which declares. "God don't make no junk."  I reckon that includes all of us in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.