Christ is Risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
May God's peace and blessings be with all of you on this most joyous occasion.

Blessed Lord - Thank you for you sacrificial servitude. Remind us throughout the year what you first did for us and help us to show our love for one another through service. Amen.

And Now We Wait...

Christ has died. He has been buried. And now we wait. Each year, between Lent and Easter Sunday, we commemorate this state of waiting during the Tridiuum, or the three days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The Tridiuum is the most sacred time in the church year, marked by intense somberness and mystery surrounding the Lord's Passion and death.

In my church, Maundy (from the Latin mandatum meaning "mandate" or "command") Thursday is marked by a stripping of the altar. This is a symbolic remembrance of Christ's stripping and humiliation at the hands of the Roman soldiers. At the end of the service, we remove all ornamentation - paraments, banners, candles, the Bible, the processional cross, etc. - from the altar area of the sanctuary. As each item is removed, lights are turned off. Once all the items have been removed, our cross is draped with a black cloth, the only lights remaining are to light the cross. We're left to sit in silence, pondering Jesus suffering and humiliation.

Good Friday brings a Tenebrae (Latin for "darkness" or "of shadows") service. This service is a continuation of the Maundy Thursday service. It consists of a series of readings and further extinguishing of light - the light of a few candles. This gradual darkening symbolizes the flight of the disciples, the dark hatred of Jesus' enemies, the resentment of the world, and finally, Jesus utter isolation on the cross. At the end, we're left with a single lit candle - the Christ candle - pointing us ahead to a new dawn on Easter morning. Again, the service ends in silence with time for personal reflection and prayer - this time on Jesus' death.

And now we wait... As with the disciples in Jesus' day, we are left to ponder a life without Jesus. But we know His resurrection is just a day away. We place our faith in His overcoming death and escaping the tomb. As we wait, we pray. At my church we have a continuous prayer vigil - beginning after the Friday Tenebrae service and continuing until the Easter sunrise service. Members take shifts (30 minutes, an hour, perhaps more) praying in the sanctuary.

I've just returned from my turn at the prayer vigil - each year it is one of my most powerful experiences. Sitting or kneeling in a semi-dark sanctuary, the altar barren except for the draped cross, you are left alone at the foot of the cross to ponder what it means to you. Being quite tired, I found myself thinking of the disciples in the garden who could not stay awake a single hour while Jesus prayed. Physically, I remained awake, but mentally I could not. My mind drifted; I didn't seem to be able to focus. I thought of Jesus' death and then I thought of my family. I considered Jesus coming resurrection and then drifted off to work. I tried meditating on Psalm 46, verse 10 - "Be still and know that I am God." I read scripture in an attempt to regain my focus on God. But even as I read, my mind would drift. In the end, I was little different than the disciples; I just didn't seem able to fully focus for even one hour.

But perhaps something important happened in this mental drifting. Perhaps God was bringing to mind those with whom I need to share, those for whom I should pray. In its wandering, my mind thought of Christ and of others. I can't be sure whether God was directing my thoughts, but I can certainly follow through as I wait for Him.

Christ has died. And now we wait. For we know in a few short hours we will find an empty tomb. Christ will rise. And He will come again.

Gracious God - In this time of waiting we ponder all that you have done for us. You sacrificed your one and only Son on our behalf. He has died, but He overcomes death. Through His coming resurrection, we have the hope of eternal life. Send us your Holy Spirit so that as our minds wander, you might direct it toward those who need us most. Let us boldly share your good news with each person who comes to mind. We ask these things in the name of the one who is to rise, Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior. Amen.

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Note: Portions of this piece have been adapted from information in my church worship bulletins from this Holy Week.

Shout Outs and Holy Week Devotions

Tonight I'm taking a moment to give "shout outs" (perhaps that should be "shouts out") to several fellow bloggers. These are not only blogs that I follow and read; they are blogs that share something in common with Pew Ponderings (in my humble opinion). If you enjoy what you read here on Pew Ponderings, you may also enjoy these blogs. They are unique unto themselves, but something about each struck a chord with me.

The first is "Devotionals for Bloggers" owned by Christine M. Miller-Ramey. Christine enjoys sharing her faith through the written word. With a desire to have a devotion for each day, Christine has gathered other writers to help fill one or more days per month. I feel privileged to be included among this group. If all goes well and I fulfill my obligations, you'll be able to read a devotion from me on the 5th of each month. But don't stop there! Read the encouraging words of the other writers as well. It's a diverse group with a variety of life experiences and perspectives - a joy to have that variety with each new day. So, this "shout out" goes to Christine and each of my fellow writers at Devotionals for Bloggers.

For Holy Week, because the 5th fell on Maundy Thursday, Christine accepted my offer to write a series of devotions. So this week, you will find three devotions - "The Last Supper" on Thursday, 5 April; "Sacrifice of the Forsaken" on Friday, 6 April; and "Christ is Risen" on Easter Sunday, 8 April. My heartfelt thanks go out to Christine for giving me the opportunity to write this series and sharing in the monthly writing for her site.

In addition to the blog itself, you can follow Christine and "Devotionals for Bloggers" on Facebook and Pinterest.

My second "shout out" goes to Marti Pieper and her "Read. Write. Pray." As I read about her love for reading, passion for writing, and thanks to God for the gift of each, I felt a certain kindred connection. As the home page of her website suggests, she hopes to "share [her] passion for reading and books of many kinds; for the craft and business of writing; and for prayer, the living expression of relationship with an all-loving, all-powerful God." Not only is there good reading available on Ms. Pieper's site and blog, they are very well done sites. (As a software developer specializing in professional web sites, I appreciate a clean, well-designed site.)

After taking a moment to read here, please take the time to support these other fine bloggers.

God Saves Red Green

A bit of humor to lighten the somber mood as we head into Holy Week. I'm a big fan of The Red Green Show on public television. At the end of each show, it's "meetin' time" and all the men of Possum Lodge gather, in part, to recite the man's prayer. While the lodge members' prayer may epitomize the plight of modern men, I've morphed the original prayer into something a bit more positive. (The words of the original man's prayer are in bold.)

I'm a man

But I can change

If I have to

I guess

 

I'm a man - You are God
But I can change - with Your help
If I have to - because I must
I guess - I am certain.

You are God
And with Your help
I can be changed
to be more godly
because I must
I am certain.

Lord - With your help, I am certain that we can each be changed to the men you want us to be. You can touch our hearts until there is no need to guess. Thank you for having provided the perfect example. Amen.

His Crown For My Soul

"When I was sinking down, beneath God's righteous frown, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul." (from the hymn "What Wondrous Love Is This")

If you're not familiar with the hymn, this YouTube video provides a wonderfully original arrangement.

I recall a conversation with a wise pastor who recognized that the scripture readings and sermon may not be what reaches a specific worshiper on any given Sunday. Some Sundays we may be "touched" by a prayer, the sharing of peace, a moment of silence, lighting, or perhaps a hymn.

This past weekend, I had just such an experience. Had I not jotted a few notes on my bulletin, I would have little recollection of the sermon. (Sorry Pastor!) But I remembered the above line from our opening hymn.

In so very few words, the hymn writer paints a glorious picture. There we are sinking, one might imagine, under the weight of our own busyness, our broken relationships, our sins. Sinking, I imagine, in sand because we've not based our lives on the firm foundation, our rock.

God the Father frowns on what he sees. This version of the hymn calls it a "righteous" frown; others refer to it as an "awful" frown. Either way, we are compelled to recognize God's deep disappointment and sadness. It is indeed an awful thing for us to face God's holiness. Like Peter, after just a step or two on the water, we are scared and sinking.

Thankfully the story does not end there. Just as we are about to go under, there is Jesus, setting aside his crown, rolling up his sleeves, and holding out a scarred hand to us. All we need to do is reach out, take his hand, accept his help. He lifts us up! He saves our souls!

On every Sunday, every day, Jesus reaches out to us. It may not be through scripture or a sermon; it may be a hymn or a friend that reaches you. Look for his presence, listen for him, and when he offers his help, reach for it. He lays aside his crown for us. What will we lay aside for him?

*****

While most devotions are based on a piece of scripture, this experience helped me to realize that a devotion can also be based on a hymn, which was almost certainly based on scripture itself. God has many ways to reach us.

Will God Answer My Prayer?

I've heard it said that God always answers our prayers, but sometimes His answer is "No" or "Not yet." This sounds good and may even be true most of the time. I've probably even provided such an answer to others. But I need to correct that and be very clear here - God does not answer every prayer.

We certainly want to believe that God will answer our prayers. But can we be assured that He will? If we pray within His will, He will undoubtedly answer. Consider one of my favorite passages of scripture:

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

So, why then do I suggest that God will not answer every prayer? When answering this question, let's consider two groups - first unbelievers and then believers.

Some may question whether an unbeliever ever really prays. Fair question, but if you ponder this for a while perhaps you'll recall someone saying "If God really exists, He'll do _____ for me." This is, in essence, a malformed prayer. We might instead rephrase it as "God, if it is within your will, please help me with _____." It is not for us to test God, but to ask Him. But there is a prayer from the unbeliever that God will answer. Wayne Mack, in Reaching the Ear of God, writes, "Jesus was not teaching unbelievers to pray because the only prayer that God will hear from unbelievers is a prayer for mercy and forgiveness." This may sound harsh, but what more do any of us need than God's mercy and forgiveness?

Perhaps more surprising, however, is the notion that God will not answer all prayers of the believer either. What makes me so sure? Consider these scripture verses:

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." (James 4:3)

"If I had cherished inequity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." (Psalm 66:18)

If our heart is not properly aligned with God, if our motivations are inequity, selfishness or otherwise self-serving, God may simply not answer. Some of you may be thinking, "But I know there is a passage that suggests God will grant all that I ask for." True, but we must always remember the full context of the passage. Consider this from 1 John:

"Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." (1 John 3:21-22)

The middle of this verse does say "whatever we ask we receive from him." But look at the conditions that surround this - our hearts must not condemn us and we must keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

Take heart, my friends. God desires to answer our every prayer. He only desires that our hearts are aligned with His will. If our motivations are true and we are praying to do God's will, God will certainly answer those prayers.

Most gracious God - I trust that you will answer each prayer that is within your will. I pray that through these simple thoughts, your Word reaches many and you are glorified. Help us all to ensure our prayers will be answered by our remaining true in heart. We ask these things in the name of your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[Note: There is so much more to be said about prayer. I intend for this to be the first in a multi-part series.]

The End of the World ... And I Feel Fine

Will 2012 be the last year of planet Earth as we know it? Frankly, I don't know. But you would have to be living under a rock not to have heard the possibility.

As a result of an end in the Mayan Long Calendar, there is a definite fervor surrounding the possibility of this year being our last. Books have been published, movies released, and all variety of news media have covered this "potential" event ad nauseum. (When searching for basic information, I found that USA Today covered this as early as March 2007.)

I imagine that there are some who are concerned about this possibility. There are certainly others who have and will continue to scoff. After all, apocalyptic predictions have occurred in many years, including at least twice in 2011 (see ABC News' "2012 End-of-the-World Countdown Based on Mayan Calendar Starts Today"). So far, none has been correct. And since I have no prophetic ability myself, I won't be making my own guess. My purpose here is merely to offer an alternative thought process.

In a recent Lutheran Hour Ministries Daily Devotion, Pastor Ken Klaus recalled the words of Colonel Abraham Davenport, an American politician who served in the Connecticut legislature during the American Revolution. As the story goes, on New England's Dark Day (19 May 1780), the sky became so abnormally dark that candles were required from noon until midnight. The Connecticut State Council, fearing the darkness might be a sign that the Last Judgment was approaching, called for adjournment. In response, Colonel Davenport responded:

"I am against an adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause of an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought."

Perhaps Colonel Davenport was familiar with the Gospel of Matthew. In chapter 24, we find these words from Jesus:

"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. [...] Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:36, 42-44, NIV - bold emphasis is mine)

No one knows but God, so it is pointless for us to fret over when. Of critical importance to us: What will we be doing when the time comes? If, like Colonel Davenport, we are going about our duty, then we can say (with all due respect to R.E.M.) "It's the end of the world as we know it and [we] feel fine."

Question(s): If you knew with certainty that this were the last year, would you change the way you live? If so, will you consider making these changes today?