Saturday, April 15 - Holy Saturday

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
(John 19: 38-40)

Loving Last Mitzvah

Some friends come out of duty to ask of need;

Good friends don’t wait to begin the giving.

Joseph and Nicodemus come out of the shadows

before the sundown doing one more deed of love.

Risking suspicion of being accomplices, they offer

to take Pilate’s trash out of sight and Jesus’

body out of slight by more scandal and abuse.

They warm the cold body with their hands

as they wipe the dirt, sweat and blood away

sacrificing their Sabbath purity giving honor

for the friend they lost, comfort to his family

and safety to hiding disciples. God alone knows

what kind of God friends we would be if it were

some danger to do a mitzvah before being asked?

Father Tom Wilson+ 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT7Z8yPT7t4 

Friday, April 14 - Good Friday

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19: 30)

The Gospel of John is not so much an account of the deeds of the life of Jesus as a meditation on his life and death. His words, “It is finished” (tetélestai) are meant to convey that he has fulfilled that for which he was born. Having come from God, as the Prologue says, he now consciously states that he has fulfilled his destiny and can therefore die. We know this because the Gospel clearly states that he realized that everything had been accomplished (John 19:28 – panta tetélestai), and therefore it was his decision to end. Paul implied the same when he said that he had “finished the race” (2 Timothy 4: 7 – tetéleka) and therefore was ready to depart from his life. John Stuart Mill told his stepdaughter as he died, “You know that I have done my work.”

But I am aware of the fact that there is an act of acceptance here: Jesus accepts his life as he has lived it, all of it, with its vicissitudes, rejections, acknowledgments, and humiliations. This was his life, and he is now ready to take possession of the whole of it, and to relinquish it. I sense a certain satisfaction in this. One cannot truly give what one does not possess. Oedipus, blind and despised by all, arriving at Colonnus, concludes, almost with joy, that “All is well!” And I ask myself, “Am I ready to look upon the whole of my life and rejoice in it? Am I ready to acknowledge it, to conclude that all is well? Am I ready to confess with Paul that I have played the game, and it’s now over”?

Many years ago I wrote how I wanted to be a goalkeeper, and what this meant:

That's what it meant to be a goalkeeper.  Wasn't the goal, everybody's goal, to merge, sooner or later, with the spirit of the universe?  And why not sooner?  Because it took some daring to let go the names and the distinctions, the forms that were imposed on ordinary existence.  It took some daring to delve into formlessness and to revel in it.  But that was the only way to be!  Existence was formless!  To exist was to be - formless!  That was the goal.  And the thing to do was to stick to this goal, to keep this merging as the goal; to be a keeper of the goal - the goalkeeper!  That's what he had always wanted to be, and he was finally realizing it now.  He was the goalkeeper!  The sound of the referee's whistle merged with the tumbling thoughts of his reverie.  The game was over.  They had won.  The stadium resounded with deafening screams and applause.  That, too, merged with the flow.

The game was over.  But this game was never over, this game of existing.  How could he explain it?  Yet that was the truth, only it had taken him so long to realize it.  And he could never explain it to anyone.  Some things you just couldn't explain; and this wasn't even a thing!

He was a player.  He was a goalkeeper.  That was all there was to it.  That's what he had always wanted to be.  And that's what he would always remain.

And have I been a goalkeeper? Can I grapple with the losses as well as the successes? And can I say now, “It is finished”?

Oh God of the universe, release me from the blindness that still prevents me from seeing that both life and death are grounded in you.


Ignacio Gotz 

Thursday, April 13 - Maundy Thursday

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. (John 19: 28-29)

And so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said “I am thirsty.“

Jesus cried out, “I thirst,” and I hear Him beg for our tears, for our burdens, for our sadness. If we give Him our tears, trust Him with our pain, know that in His hands life will never be the same, our lives could be more joyful. Each day under His reign our tears quench our Lord’s thirst. When the soldiers tried to quench our Lord’s thirst, they gave him on a hyssop stalk a sponge soaked in a bitter wine, their bitterness. If our Lord wanted water He could have just asked the angels to give Him some rain, but I think He had something else in mind. The pain of crucifixion would have blotted out all feelings and thirst; if ever you have been in severe pain, all you can think about is “please let it stop.” So I think His words, “I thirst” were a directive for us. It was a message telling us He could be a sponge for all our tears. We can thirst for a lover’s kiss; we can hunger to see the estranged. To rise above His pain and send a message of love, that He was only thinking of us lowly mortals. It makes me think, only God could be so loving, so thoughtless of Himself. Hard to believe that we might be worthy of such love.

There is a road our Lord walked on 
Carrying His cross I see Him 
Seeing Him in my mind, a song
Of pain, agony, love so strong

As I watch the nailing
Jesus, my Lord there crucified 
I died a little myself and so 
For my Lord I cried

How many tears have I shed 
I offer them up to Him
Only God knows my pain
It helps to sing my hymn

“There is a green hill far away” 
And I pull down my walls
Do my tears quench His thirst 
When this is what I give, my all

Jane Williams 

Wednesday, April 12

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19: 25-27)

There are so many ways to think of this incredible and gentle passage from the Gospel of John. My mind went back to many years ago when our son-in-law Mark faced his own death. Trained as a marine, one of his most remarkable comments came as he lay in his chair two days before he died. "I am glad that I am the one going through this and not anyone else in the family. I have been trained and I am ready." With that statement he gave every one of us permission to let him go, although we were all devastated and anything but ready.

For Jesus to have the care, the presence of mind and the strength to take care of his mother as he was being tortured, mocked and near death, are hard to process. Facing the terror of his own present moment, his thoughts were beyond himself. Mary, facing her beloved Son's cruel death and a not-so-good future for herself as woman without power or money staying near her Son, John standing near and with Jesus in His struggle, they all faced the danger of the moment.

Our Mark had all the comforts of family, hospice, medication that could be afforded to him, and still he endured pain and death. Jesus had no earthly comforts. All that was done to him was designed to increase his pain, isolation and shame. Yet he took time to give his mother into his good friend's care. In doing that, I believe, he gave his followers into each other's care. That is all of us. We, too, are given into each other's care.

Life has a way of making sure each of us comes to that place of reckoning where we are not sure if we can take the next step. How precious are those who walk with us, and what a privilege it is, because of Jesus, to walk with our friends during difficult times - and extremely difficult times.

What we know is what the disciples did not yet know at that day of the Crucifixion - that Jesus rose again. The Holy Spirit has been sent to us so that we might know strength, comfort and wisdom. God, our God, has all power and loves us infinitely.


The Rev. Fran Peel 

Tuesday, April 11

“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (John 19: 10-11)

This is a multi-faceted passage, but for now I note only its first impact on me: the impression that Pilate’s anger is actually masking fear and bewilderment. He is thrown off guard because somehow, in the presence of this man Jesus, the “power” he has grown accustomed to suddenly feels lacking in substance – and so he resorts to threats. I want to smirk at his blustering, but Pilate merits compassion and grace as much as any of us. Though Jesus maintains a completely vulnerable position, he actually holds the real Power - and Pilate, even if he doesn’t understand it, senses this to be true.

What do we recognize as bestowing power? Is it wealth, an impressive job title, a fancy academic degree? Being in a position to direct other people? As with all else, Jesus turns our definition of power upside down. Perhaps true power arises from a genuine connection with God, as well as to the humans and other creatures we share life with, and manifests when we dare to be vulnerable, open, a servant, a channel. It is then that we recognize the true Source of our security, and it has nothing to do with the things of this world.

That’s easier to pay lip service to than to truly believe and live into. We want to feel financially secure, enjoy perfect health, and sport impressive resumes – all good stuff. Ironically, it can be a blessing to struggle through the absence of such things, finding through that process the real Source of Power, which alone is secure from loss and provides all we really need.

How do we personally define Power, and how does that shape our lives? Our answers likely change over time. This is one of the Big Questions we must engage throughout our time on earth.


Leckie Conners 

Monday, April 10

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18: 36-37)

The reflection is written in the form of a Haiku which is a Japanese poem. The first line contains five syllables, the second line seven syllables, and the third line five syllables.

Jesus is the truth

The truth He shares is divine

as is His kingdom 

Marcia Brooks

Palm Sunday, April 9

Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18: 7-11)

Jesus and his disciples had just left the last supper and headed to the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas and a large cohort of police awaited to arrest him. This is the interchange between Jesus and his arrestors. Perhaps the lesson from this is the peaceful manner in which Jesus accepted what was about to happen: he did not argue; he did not fight. The impulsive Peter was not so calm and in the face of this arrest, he drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus. Jesus immediately admonishes Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Jesus’ calm prevailed and he went quietly.

Often, we are faced with very troubling situations and more often than not our first reaction is a violent one, such as Peter’s, not a peaceful one. In our lifetimes we have seen the value of non-violence that Jesus exemplified in many of the most courageous moral stands for freedom and justice in our country. Hopefully, in these challenging times, during this penitential Lenten season, we will be guided by our Lord to follow His words and actions.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is giving that we receive; it is pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. AMEN

(Prayer attributed to St. Francis)

The Rev. David Feyrer 

Saturday, April 8

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” (John 17:3-4)

THE RESURRECTED CHRIST

When we talk about resurrection in Church, our minds and thoughts are drawn to our Savior Jesus Christ as ‘he rose from the dead’; the Resurrection of Christ.

As I prepared for this exercise, I began to see resurrection as an ongoing occurrence; one that is not just a single event in time and in our faith. Certainly our belief and faith are rooted in the words of Christ, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

In no way is my reflection meant to take away from the power of Christ’s words and the deep meaning of those words. However, Jesus and the Bible have always told me a story, and the story always has a message and the message is timeless. My belief in God is strengthened when I can apply everyday experiences to what we learn and study in Church. I see resurrection in my life every day, sometimes it is personal, sometimes in my family, and sometimes I observe it in our Community. Jesus rose from the dead to be ‘with us’ and by being with us, by holding us in his arms, we are given the strength to serve Him and our fellow man. Look around in our own Church, Room at the Inn; we are led to this ministry because of God, because of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead to be with us, his resurrection assures us of our faith and we serve. I see outreach every day in our Community, scores of organizations, hundreds of people all coming together to serve the less fortunate. I believe it is through Christ’s resurrection, that we have our faith and our calling to help those in need. Personally, I pray every day and wait for a resurrection in my own family, bringing my Prodigal son home.

The resurrected Christ is in each one of us. I feel a Resurrection and a rebirth in times of great adversity and challenge. As I work for the people of this great County and we experience a disaster of some description, I am blessed by the two events I witness. First the unselfish out-pouring of love and support from our Community to those that have been affected, secondly those who are affected by disaster have a great strength. When faced with the challenge, it is they who give comfort to those of us who gather to comfort them. God is good! As one of God’s children walking on this earth, I experience a Resurrection every day, and you can too.


Warren Judge (1951-2016)
(This was written by Warren for the 2014 Lenten Meditation for the same date of April 8.) 

Friday, April 7

“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16: 31-33)

LENTEN HAIKU 

Have courage act now

Live with intention my dears

You are not alone

Lord Jesus Christ, you have said wherever we go and regardless of the circumstances we face, we are not alone, you are with us. We thank you for the greatest of gifts, life everlasting. Dear Lord, grant us grace, confidence and open hearts as we live in this world.


Brooks Sutton 

Thursday, April 6

“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16: 22-24)

The darkness of pain and grief from the loss of a loved one can paralyze you both physically and spiritually, making it difficult to ask for help or even pray. As time slowly passes, the grief will ebb like a tide but it always comes back as sure as the waves in the ocean. Sometimes those waves and memories bring calming and peace, and other times they can come crashing in, angry and overwhelm you.

It is at those times, I turn to a prayer Jim taught me, and as I whisper the words, I feel God’s and Jim’s calming presence wash over me.

Oh Lord.

Another day... I am not sure I am ready.

I am afraid, please be with me.

Your love gives me comfort.

Take my woes and hurts from me and leave your strength

so that I can help someone who hurts.

Erase my pains and worries.

Fill that void with joy and lead me to celebrate this life you’ve given me. 

Amen

Deb MacDonald 

Wednesday, April 5

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15: 12-13)

This scripture speaks about God’s unconditional love for all beings. And asks that we love one another as we love God.

We are all divine beings created by God, if we are unkind to others then we are unkind to God. To honor the divine in each living soul is to honor God, the creator of all beings.

Live each day with an open heart, to love all that God has given life; we are all part of the divine, see the light in all.

Prayer of devotion: Heavenly Father, I am called to walk in the light of Christ, your Son, and to trust His wisdom. 

With love and Light,
Diane Mauceri

Tuesday, April 4

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” (John 15: 7-9)

I honestly do not know how to interpret these words that Jesus is to have spoken. When I sit with them, I am reminded of the following words in Matthew which Jesus is also to have spoken.

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown in the fire, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:28-31, 33-34)

If I “seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness,” these words of Jesus indicate that God’s kingdom is already here. For me it is a spiritual place where I am learning to surrender and trust God’s love to take care of me. This new place for me becomes more alive and surprising with each day. I see the physical world with its amazing diversity with more appreciation now. I hear music inspired by God’s gifts to creative composers and performers. I feel the compassionate actions of other people. Now that I am learning to live in “His Kingdom,” as my faith increases so does my ability to follow His guidance.

I pray that by remaining in God’s love, I will be able to “bear much fruit” in whatever form it may take.


Fran MacEachren 

Monday, April 3

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15: 4-5)

What kind of fruit? Sweet, sour, or bitter - and what color and shape I wonder? The fruit of love, compassion, wisdom, and even fun surely must be bright and burley. Maybe not; perhaps unimportant. Are you a soft fig, a glowing apple or a cluster of grapes?

One gets carried away, over analyzing, creating nonsense where there is only beauty:  You are never alone when you abide in Me.

When Jesus insists, “apart from me you can do nothing,” He invites us to join in the chlorophyll fest of abiding with Him and all the other branches and leaves. What a green tangled mess!

Ever tied up grape vines? My dad did in Tacoma, Washington, on our old clothesline. Couldn’t keep up once they took off... and then the magic fruit appeared, grew and dangled in luscious clusters. And this in a cloudy climate where they said it couldn’t be done.

My dad knew things and though he’s more years gone than I want to count, I still think of him out there with his tangled vines, alternately laughing and cursing as he wound and tied.

Ain’t it the truth that growing and producing fruit is an arduous task, and that’s just the human part. The sun has to do its bit along with rain and under-earth water tables. A cosmic task, impossible to do alone. I believe this is why Jesus says, “remain in me and I in you,” if we want the doing of growth and fruit with our vine companions. Amen.


Sharon Keene 

Sunday, April 2 - Fifth Sunday in Lent

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the people, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13: 33-35)

Love one another – that’s easy. As long as you root for my team, vote for my candidate, or go to my church. But, what if you don’t cheer, vote or worship like I do?

How do I love my neighbor? Not as well as I’d like. But lately, I’ve tried to be more focused on the following:

Everyone is part of Creation – an equal part.

Everyone has a story to tell. Just because it isn’t my story, doesn’t mean is not meaningful. I need to listen to them with attention.

Most people are worse off than I am. I was born into and have a wonderful, supportive family. I have been relatively healthy and economically comfortable. I didn’t “deserve” that. I need to do my part to make their life better.

But, who is my neighbor? Only a few people are given to me by my God. Not that I don’t love all of Creation, but, my God has brought certain people into my life with a clear understanding that I am to be more intimately involved in their lives and they in mine. I can feel grief for the child in Africa stricken with malaria; but not to the same extent that I can grieve over one of my children, grandchildren or god-children. I can empathize with the people of New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy; but not with the intimacy that I can feel for those who have suffered on the Outer Banks. It is not that these “other” people are less important or less deserving; it is simply that they have not been chosen for me. It is important for me to listen to my God and appreciate this dynamic.


Gary Kimmel 

Saturday, April 1

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.  I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.“ (John 14: 27-29)

So many times Jesus gives us His peace. Do we ever receive it? What does it mean to have “peace” with us?

Jesus says not to be troubled - but then He says he is leaving. Then He says He is coming back. That does not sound like a source of peace! Is he leaving or not? Why is Jesus leaving? Why cannot He stay with us? Does He not love us? Wow - something is going on here.

Jesus said if we loved Him we should be glad He is leaving. As we know from other scripture, His leaving involves dying a criminal’s death. That is hard to accept. What loving Father would allow such a thing to happen to His son?

I do think Lent is the time of testing - of Jesus, of and for us. After His last meal, His trial and sentencing, and then an ignominious procession through Jerusalem to Golgotha - and then, the crowning blow - He dies.

What are we to believe? Why is this happening? Is that all there is? Why does this happen? God wants us to know in a very real, a very human, way that we are loved. God does love us - He shows us that, even as He allows His own Son to pay for our sins. After all, as Richard Rohr says, “God does not love us because we are good, but God loves because God is good.“

Lent helps us learn an answer. Lent leads us to the profound event:  Jesus is raised from the Dead.

Dear God, please allow us to know, to try to understand, the cornerstone of our faith:

Jesus is risen.  Alleluia!

That brings peace to us, through Faith.  Thanks Be To God


Charles A. Strauss 
Roman Catholic Church of the Incarnation 
Charlottesville, VA 

Friday, March 31

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14: 18-20)

Do you know the saying, “My life has a superb cast but I can’t figure out the plot”? It’s a funny way to appreciate your friends and family while facing surprises that bring big life changes.

Major choices - education, children, mortgages, and jobs can define life as “points of no return.” Other plot twists are unwelcome - think addiction, living with chronic pain, or losing a house to catastrophic weather. Life can feel like it happens “to us” with turns like financial windfall, relocation, or falling in love as big points of no return.

Let’s think about how the author of the Gospel of John elucidated a point of no return for all mankind.

John recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus so carefully it leads us to see a startling new reality – an inseparable Holy Trinity. In the telling, Jesus is a sacrificial lamb offered the afternoon before a Passover holiday. It is different from other Gospels as a first-hand version of the Crucifixion. Surely, the life of Christ had major plot twists.

Seriously, God now dwells inside - n o t  j u s t  v i s i t s – believers? Did you say not just one believer like a king, a priest or a prophet, but ALL believers? Can you imagine having to explain that concept to the world for the first time? I believe they would still be scratching their heads and trying to defend such an outrageous idea if it were not simply true.

To people of faith it is self-evident, the indwelling, as we know a holy presence totally not of our making. The Holy Spirit keeps us inseparable from God. To believe in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is to believe in a point of no return for all mankind.

A life of faith is a game changer because from that point on, come what may, you are never alone. Think about how a loving God allows us to see ourselves in our own children as a beautiful demonstration of being inseparable. Life is good.

God’s Peace,

Vickie Schreffler 

Thursday, March 30

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14: 15-17)

God’s life-plan led me down the pathway of becoming a professional educator. So the role of Jesus as a teacher has been a focal point for much of my Biblical reflections. What does this verse from the Gospel of John teach me? How can my actions positively impact others and me?

The Gospel of John shows through Jesus’ teachings and actions that He is the Christ, the Son of God. John 14:6 states: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.“ This Gospel emphasizes individual relationship to Jesus rather than the corporate nature of the church. John 14:15 challenges us to show our love for Christ by keeping His commandments. While John 14:16-17 reassures us that although we cannot see or know him, Christ’s love always abides with us through the Holy Spirit, for generation through generation.

With that thought in mind, here is my “teacher” story. Teachers have classes, but teaching is about individuals. God’s plan seems to be for us to connect with certain individuals. I had a student, Courtney, whom I have remained in contact with for over 15 years now. She decided to become a teacher, and then God called her to enter a community of religious sisters in Tennessee. When I received her 2016 Christmas card, she told me she had been called to a parochial school in Virginia. The school, St Thomas of Aquinas, is the same school where my granddaughter, Katie, is a third grader! Wow - small world!! She is not Katie’s teacher (yet??), but they have connected. Katie says: “Grandma, she makes my day every morning when she says hi.” And Sister Mary Agatha says: “Katie makes my day every morning when she gives me a big smile.”

So how does this story connect to John’s Gospel? Jesus taught that His love and His advocate - the Spirit of truth - live within us and guide us. Whenever we share our love, we advocate for Christ; and even our simplest actions of love (something as seeming so small as a hi or a smile) are passed on generation through generation.


Sylvia Wadsworth
"Love takes up where knowledge leaves off." - Thomas Aquinas 

Wednesday, March 29

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14: 12-13)

When Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you,” He means listen up and pay close attention. He is speaking the truth. What a fantastic blessing to us to be able to do the work of Jesus because of our belief in the Father. Take the risk, God will be with you. We need to strengthen our belief in God to do greater and greater good works. Pray to Jesus for strength so that through Him the Father’s name will be glorified.

Dear Lord,
Help me to increase my faith in you with each day. Help me to know that with your guidance, I can listen for your direction for the opportunities to do good works that will glorify your name. I pray this to you, Jesus, as my advocate to the Father. Amen.


Ellen Strickland 

Tuesday, March 28

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14: 6)

Dear Heavenly Father,

Remove all doubt from me of your steadfast Love, and provide me the courage and faith to follow you.

Protect me from temptation, so that I may keep your commandments.

Allow me to become a person of the beatitudes, so that I can see your son in others, not just those who I know, but especially those I do not know.

Empower the Holy Spirit in my heart and open my eyes so that I can see you in the leper, tax collector, prostitute, non-believer, down trodden, sick, hungry, disenfranchised; those souls who yearn for your blessing.

Protect me from indifference and provide me the strength to leave the fold, to reach out to the one who is lost, so that their heart and eyes are opened to your truth and life.

Use me in the name of your Son, to be a glimmer of light which shines in the darkness, countering the divisiveness, anger, hate, and sin which is so prevalent in this world.

I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, Amen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.


Ken White 
St. Andrew Apostle Church 
Silver Spring, MD 

Monday, March 27

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14: 1-5)

In my traveling, I know where I am going but often have to depend upon other devices such as GPS, maps, or road signs and can get quite mixed up as on the trip I have just returned from. With our Lord’s guidance we will get to the place He has prepared for us without any trouble.


Ruthie Charlton 

Sunday, March 26 - Fourth Sunday in Lent

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
(John 9: 2-5)

The two things that seem to be most evident in this verse are first, the question of whose sin is to blame for the man’s blindness, and Jesus answers, “Neither,” but his affliction allows the “works of God to be displayed in him.” Don’t we all look for someone or something to blame in times of strife? It seems to make the “bad” things that happen to us easier to bear. Maybe I need to try to see how God is using me to show His works through me even in times of strife.

The second thought I gathered from this scripture is that we should use our “day” to do God’s works. I believe this means that the “day” is actually our life and we should be working for God our whole life long. Then, at the end of our life (in the evening), we will no longer be able to work and can rest.

This reminds me of one of my favorite prayers in The Book of Common Prayer:

O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy work is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in thy mercy, grant us a safe lodging, a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.


Jeanne Pool-Coppage 

Saturday, March 25

“I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” (John 13: 19-20)

This passage is taken from the Farewell Discourses in John’s Gospel and is recorded after Jesus’s washing his disciples’ feet and before he declares that one of them will betray him. The word “accepts” (some texts say “receives”) is repeated as part of the logic presented. But accepting anyone? Accepting where or what? Accepting into one’s home? Accepting into one’s life? Accepting into one’s heart?

As part of our Baptismal Covenant we are asked if we will “...seek and serve Christ in all persons.” I invite you to see a direct linkage between these two phrases. To seek and serve Christ in all persons is also to accept and receive Christ in all persons. When a gift is given us, we accept and receive that gift. And to do so, requires trusting in the giver or the sender of the gift. The gift of God’s love is ours to accept and receive. And it most often comes from others.

Lord, on this Saturday help me to accept and receive Christ in all I meet this day. Help me to accept and receive this gift in love, trusting in the giver, and serving you. Amen.


Tom O’Brien 

Friday, March 24

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” (John 13: 12-14)

The story about the washing of the disciples feet by Jesus is found only in the Gospel of John.

Jesus, by His actions, sets a clear and laudable example for all of His followers, including you and me, to honor and respect everyone. Washing the dust and grime of the road off tired and weary feet is basic first century hospitality. If Jesus does it, how can we, in our own day, do less? How can we not join with Jesus in leveling the “Heavenly” playing field, treating everyone we meet along the Way with dignity, respect and the tenets of the Golden Rule?

Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices: Direct in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (From the Book of Common Prayer)


Joe Beckett 

Thursday, March 23

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12: 46-47)

Live not in darkness, believe in me 
and see my face.
Know that I'm
your saving grace.

I come as light
to inform the night.
Not to judge you 
but to woo!

To save the world
planets, stars and sun.
All the people
every one! 

Great creator of earth and sky
Purge the darkness from my eye. 
Let not me judge
But make me light 
That I, too,
might save the night. 

If Christ came to the world as light, then I, too, am called to be light.

If Christ came not to judge, then I too, am called not to judge. 
If Christ came to save, then should I be saving, too?

Pat Wilson 

Wednesday, March 22

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (John 12: 27-28)

Over the years I have learned a great deal about people and their families by being with them as they talked about dying or their beloved’s dying. Our dying has a way of focusing and revealing the parts of our lives we consider important and how well we have met hardship and failure.

Our Lord in his Gethsemane wrestled with dodging his “hour” or being faithful to his Father. As we do, he weighed avoiding approaching pain and isolation. He could have sidestepped it to our everlasting harm.

“Hour” has much meaning in John. This is not clock time. “Hour” means Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. John will spend chapters 13 to the end of his gospel talking about the “hour.”

Jesus’ sorrow around his approaching hour involves the need for his death. He carries the weight of all our sins - since the beginning of time - every human failure to place God ahead of ourselves in his “hour.” Jesus carries the burden of every cruelty - all human disobedience of God.

Jesus also experiences the unimaginable wrath of God upon the sin Jesus carries for us. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” At Jesus’ Cross God takes seriously our sin and wrong. Jesus’ cross overcomes the separation from God that our sin deserves. Here we see the tremendous cost of God’s grace - the death of His best Lamb.

Jesus asks, “Father, glorify your name.” “Glory” over and over in the Old Testament shows God’s presence. God’s glory descended upon Mt. Sinai and came to the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Scholars have called John chapters 13 to 21, “The Book of Glory.” Jesus asks that we see God’s presence in His death.

And God said, “I have glorified it.” I will be with you and the world will come to know that I am with you.

As we approach Jesus’ Last Supper, his Cross on Good Friday, and his Resurrection of Easter these words deepen our love for him and show us how to move toward death and be with others when death draws near.

Thank you, Lord for “this reason that I have come to this hour” - to show the Father’s glory - God’s presence in your dying, being raised on Easter.


The Rev. Spottswood Graves 

Tuesday, March 21

“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:25-26)

The Message Bible (Peterson) translates this chapter in a way that is more understandable to me: “anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.”

This reminds me of the bumper sticker: DO RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS! In other words, if we hold onto the things we value in the world and put all our hope and faith in that, it will eventually leave us lonely and alone. But if we let those THINGS go, and live recklessly in loving each other, we will receive the eternal love and happiness that Jesus was offering to us.

Prayer: Creator Spirit, help us to divest ourselves of the things that we try so hard to hold onto and instead follow Jesus’ example of loving God and our neighbors as ourselves. Help us to act with kindness and unconditional love whenever we have the chance and not worry about the consequences!


Carole Kimmel 

Monday, March 20

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12: 23-24)

Death and Glory

If you look at the narrative in John’s Gospel, these words follow Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, the acclamation of the crowds, and inquiries from Greek seekers. As we know, the political situation is also brewing. Jesus chooses to accept the course that leads to his death. Moreover, he predicts resultant glory, which seems unlikely at the outset, given the charges.

Jesus uses this teaching moment and gives us a metaphor of the kernel of grain, which must die in order to yield seeds and produce new plants. And, indeed, the metaphor illustrated Jesus subsequent death, resurrection and the spread of the Gospel by the dispersion of his followers.

How do we explicate this metaphor for ourselves? I benefit from this lesson in this way. Each of us is born as individuals into our moment in history. We can choose to further that individualistic trend, guarding our rights out of fear, separating ourselves from other creation, engaging in right-wrong “dualistic” thinking, etc. OR we can realize those moments that come to us, moments to challenge ourselves to reach down within ourselves, and choose the “higher way” of creative problem solving, understanding, respect and dignity for all creation.

Flowers will come. Grain will grow.

My God, I welcome your Spirit. May I discern my teaching moments and choose the better way. Thank you for your continuing presence with me. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Jane Welch 

Sunday, March 19 - Third Sunday in Lent

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11: 25-26, 40)

John’s Gospel, I believe, is to assure us that eternal life is for everyone who believes. John makes reference to eternal life and life over 30 times in his Gospel making it a central theme. More so, than any other gospel, John seeks to show that John the Baptist came to baptize Jesus and reveal that Jesus was the Son of God. To believe in Jesus is to believe in God. Jesus came from heaven to give life now as well as eternity. What does this “eternal promise of life” mean to me? Since with God all things are possible, the mystery of life after death is yet to be revealed. By faith I can believe in a new life here on earth, and after this part of my journey ends, a continuation of a new and different life with God and Jesus.

I have just finished re-reading our Lenten booklet for 2014 on “Reflections on Resurrection.” What awesome testimonies of “resurrection stories” appear there. I hope you all still have that copy. It is filled with belief, love, faith, and joy. It makes my heart leap for joy to know that so many experience daily “resurrections” in this life. That’s what John is stating over and over again as each story told lets us believe in the life Jesus came to show us with His love. The Samaritan woman believes, a man born blind sees, Lazarus lives, people filled at the wedding feast, sick healed, five thousand fed, an adulteress forgiven; is this not resurrection for those that believed?

Jesus’ message lives on in John:
I am the Bread (John 6:35-51)
I am the Light (John 8:12; 9:12)
I am the Door (John 10:7)
I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25) I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) I am the True Vine (John 15:1)


I AM THE LIGHT

Light led wise men
To the Light of the world 
And that life was the Light.

John bore witness to the Light
The true Light which gives light to all 
To have the light, believe in the Light.

I am the Light, He said, follow me 
You will not walk in darkness
But have the light of life.


Kaye White
I dedicate this to my mother, Daisy Ward Milleson, (March 19, 1913 – July 13, 1989) who knew and taught me that God’s love is for all who believe. 

Saturday, March 18

“Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
(John 10: 37-38)

John’s gospel, (often called the “spiritual gospel”) is quite different from the three earlier synoptic gospels, being written in beautifully poetic and symbolic language. Its message was/is to encourage readers to believe Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.

What could this passage from John be saying to us today?

Part of what I hear in this passage is “Hey, open your eyes. Look around you at – the intricacy of nature, the beauty of a sunset, the change of the seasons and the accompanying change in flora and fauna, “the vastness of interstellar space, this fragile earth our island home” - see the works of the Father even if you don’t believe Jesus. As for the second part of this passage, if as we have learned we are all united, all children of God, then surely, we are in God and God is in us.

Mary Lou Beckett

HYMN OPEN MY EYES

Open my eyes, that I may see 

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me; 

Place in my hands the wonderful key 

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Refrain

Silently now I wait for Thee, 

Ready my God, Thy will to see, 

Open my eyes, illumine me, 

Spirit divine!

Open my mind, that I may read 

More of Thy love in word and deed; 

What shall I fear while yet Thou dost lead? 

Only for light from Thee I plead.

--Clara H. Scott, pub. 1895 

Friday, March 17

To the people who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8: 31-32)

There is a descriptive phrase here that occurs only once in Scripture: “the Jews who had believed in him.” When the author of this gospel refers to “the Jews” he is speaking about a group within the group. (Painting all Jews with the broad brush of unbelief has unleashed bigotry and denies God’s saving power among God’s chosen.) In this instance, the description appears to refer to a subset of Jews who had hoped Jesus was a particular kind of Messiah, only to realize Jesus was not the Messiah they had created in their minds. Perhaps that is why that grammatical tense leaves me feeling that their belief in Jesus is not so strong anymore.

The truth can set us free, but only if we are willing to hear it. This group who “had never been slaves to anyone” clearly forgot (denied) the reality of their time of servitude in Egypt. But more than that, they were trying to play a mind game with Jesus by speaking about literal slavery - when I’m pretty sure they just didn’t want to own up to a bondage of their own making: slavery to sin.

By trying to assert that they weren’t enslaved by any one, they were also refusing to admit that they could be enslaved by any thing. That’s pride gone bad: a refusal to acknowledge the need for God’s saving power (“grace”) in one’s life. No doubt this group felt that if they followed the letter of the law, they had done all they needed to do. Reformer Martin Luther had a lot to say about the problem of believing that we accomplish our own salvation.

The discipline of Lent can serve as a corrective mirror: to help us see our true selves with our shortcomings and failures, and to help us learn of our need for redemption. That’s a necessary dose of reality if we hope to truly be the people we are called to be. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9). Once we acknowledge our weakness, God in Christ will help us become strong - in witness, service, and love.

Lord Jesus, help us to see ourselves as we are, so that, with your guidance, we might become the people you know we can be. Amen.


Pastor Keith Dey 
Emanuel Lutheran Church 
Southern Shores, NC