Gazing on the Cross: Part Two

Challenged to do more than gaze-
(Part Two of the Lenten experience at Park Street Church)

Scriptures, in the form of the cross, loom over worshipers. Drawn into the truths
of the crucifixion, all sat quietly-- a reverent awe passed from person to person.

"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14

A station set up to nail our sins to the cross sent metallic sounds of sacrifice
throughout the repentent crowd.

Our sins, His wounds


Traditionally, lent is a time of abstaining, fasting, and repentence. The body was asked to fast yet we hungered not for food, but forgiveness.

"If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9






An opportunity to express what the cross means to us-- Brown sheets of paper are covered with messages to Jesus that begin "because of the cross . . ."

 

Thus, one church's via dolorosa-

How will you walk the path of the cross this week?

Pictures courtesy of Heidi Weller, a faithful servant of Jesus Christ

Anatomy of a Care Ministry: Prayer

We meet around a cozy fireplace, coffee and bagels in hand. As we engage with one another, we soon learn everyone in the room has a back story to share. It drives our  personal vision for a care ministry to the forefront of  mission. We go around the room, listing our spiritual gifts and holy calling. We explain what brings us to this gathering in this particular point in time.

Dialogue is encouraged and we slowly get a glimpse of each others' journeys. Passion to help others from brokenness to healing is deeply expressed. By the time the circle of sharing is complete, my heart fills with gratitude for this new connection to people I've just met.

I wonder, how often do we rush by getting to know someone for the purpose of knowing something is getting done?

Talk ensues, not about developing a plan, but about the need for prayer; prayer for leadership, prayer for the next step, and prayer for the ministry. On paper, it may appear that not a lot was accomplished.

But by the end of our morning together, an intercessory prayer ministry is birthed! Two volunteer to gather intercessors to pray for God's leading, his covering, and his will. We leave with the charge for prayer to be our focus as well.  Prayer becomes the bones, the infrastructure of ministry. Prayer bones become the anatomy of this new work for the church.

Since our "organizational" meeting, I've been asking some questions. What is the anatomy, the shape and structure of my ministry of care to others?

Is prayer the skeleton, the bones that provide for the structure to stand and live?

I believe the challenge God is speaking here is to dissect the anatomy of our ministries, our work, our care and our relationships. When the "body" is examined, is it prayer that we find?

donna

Gazing on the Cross

The theme of our worship experience this morning was "Gazing on the Cross." From the beginning of the service, it was a formative time of reliving Mark's Gospel account of a day in the life of  Jesus and his disciples. That was a day like no other day, for it was a day of walking the  "via dolorosa;" where Jesus walked along the path of suffering.

 It wasn't easy, walking this way this morning as the story got ugly while the sun streamed through the stained glass windows and the promise of a day of warmth and beauty lay before us.

And, with dread, we knew where the path led. The cross. Jesus begged the Father for another way. I found myself pleading as well as the pastor spoke of the torment Jesus endured.

So what do you do with a story of 24 hours, a day in the life, when it ends this way?

We stay with the story. We stay in the moment with the cross. "Oh, the wondrous cross," we sang out with torn hearts.

Pastor Bill noted that so many times we want to skip over this "way of suffering" and get to the victory of Easter. But the power of the cross is what brings us to that victory. So, he closed our worship with an encouragement to spend time gazing on the cross this week, letting it speak to us, and then engaging in spiritual conversations with each other about what we are hearing. I immediately knew what cross I would gaze upon, a cross brought to me by my precious friend, Ruth, from her trip to Croatia. A perfect choice for me because Jesus is on this cross. Perhaps I can stay in the story at least until next Sunday.

A Surprise on the Trailcam

I think our property looks most beautiful in the winter. I love how the snow provides whitecaps for our rocks in our creek.

Speaking of  beauty, Scott's trail cam caught a good look at a most lovely couple, Joe and Karen Borst, as they walked through our woods for a little retreat time. Scott was a little surprised to find a photo shot of people while he was tracking the movements of deer!

FYI-- Joe and Karen were visiting on a non-hunting season day. The trailcam happened to be recording on the day of their walk.

Fortunately, the only thing shot on our property was a deer. Congrats Scott Burns!

What Are You Seeking? Part Two

"People are basically always seeking themselves rather than God." This lament from  Bonhoeffer is found in his reflections of Luther's concern for sin in the body of Christ. A doctoral candidate at Ashland seminary writes, "when circumstances get challenging they [the body of Christ] begin to move their focus from serving the mission of God to one of survival."

I don't know about you, but I have a battery of survival techniques. It's difficult to stay God-focused rather than self-focused, especially when life gets difficult. I'd rather default to what is comfortable. I'm wondering how often the church body does this as well.

To help center myself on thinking more about God, I've been memorizing the book of 1Peter. It is a slooooooow process, but profitable nevertheless. Listen in: "So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."*

Well, I've got it memorized, but not conquered. Like memorization, it's a slow process. But there is hope.

Embedding God's word in my heart and mind is helping me. Meeting with other women on the journey is a great motivator as well.

How are you seeking God rather than "slipping back into your old ways?"


* (1Peter 1:14-15, New Living Translation--A note for you hermeneutic nuts:  I appreciate the integration of formal and dynamic equivalence. In 2004, the translators published a new edition in order to provide an additional investment in scholarly review and text refinement. The translation committee hails from a broad range of  theologians and Biblical scholars.)

What are You Seeking?

My best friend of thirty-five years buried her father last week. My Aunt Marion (of whom I am extremely fond) is dying of lymphoma and old age (she's 96). I have conjunctivitis. My yard needs a major Spring clean up before we host a retirement party for my husband. Some of my students are struggling more than usual with academic demands. My son just left for Japan.

Yesterday I needed a word from the Lord and turned to one of my favorite spiritual directors, Henri Nouwen.

Nouwen writes that we are not to move away from these things that cause distress. Jesus , Nouwen explains, "asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move away from the 'many things' to the 'one necessary thing.' It is important to us, Nouwen continues, to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to leave our many-faceted world. Rather, he wants us to live in it, but firmly rooted in the center of all things. Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart. This change of heart makes everything  different, even while everything appears to remain the same. This is the meaning of  'Set our hearts on his kingdom first . . . and all these other things will be given you as well.'  What counts is where our hearts are." (Nouwen in Making All Things New)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God . . . Relocating the center of my attention

How are you focusing your attention on the Kingdom? What scripture verse, Holy Spirit inspiration, reading or studying has been helpful to you?