Lenten Meditations & Reflections 2007

Luke 13:1-9

Jesus clearly tells us that calamity is no respecter of persons. But such tragedies do serve to reinforce the fragility and finite nature of our earthly life. Such events give us startling pause to examine our own lives and our relationships with God. Just as the gardener pleads with the landowner to spare the barren fig tree, so too does Jesus seek to spare our spiritual lives with a call for us to return to God’s love as revealed by Him.

Psalm 42

“As the deer longs for the water-brooks,” so longs my soul for you, O God.

The stained glass window over the choir loft is lovely and rarely seen or looked at because of its location in the Nave. It sits behind the congregation at they face the opposite direction. It appears wonderfully peaceful and vibrant as the late afternoon sun illuminates its beauty. God is also peaceful, yet vibrant in our times of trouble and suffering. To quench our thirst is remarkable. He cannot answer our questions at the time of our despair or grief because we are too deaf to hear. He can, however, fill a void with love. He can be turned to with our needs and will return our anger and sorrow with love. He will soothe our thirsting soul.

Matthew 18:21-35 • Sally Chapple

These words in Matthew are challenging. How can I forgive from my heart? I have found a solution: pray and keep praying. I ask for recognition of my own contribution to discord. I ask for acceptance of the action, or inaction, of others and of myself as well. I pray for forgiveness.

Slowly, quietly, in solitude comes the gift of forgiveness. Gone are anger, resentment, and guilt. Present are peace, joy and love.

God’s grace: mysterious and amazing.

Matthew 5:17-19 • John and Jo Stueve

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares his beliefs with the crowd. He assures the masses that he supports their laws, commandments and teachings, affirming that they serve as a solid foundation for their spiritual journey. Just like people of those ancient times, many of us accumulate beliefs, beginning with the religious foundation of our childhood through the various aspects of our life. GHTC is rich in its diversity – with members coming from different denominations and religious experiences bringing distinct perspectives and experiences. Just like the crowds listening to Jesus, we all, with our individual backgrounds and theology, have an opportunity to build on our beliefs and discover something new in our faith that will bring us closer to God.

Luke 11:14-23 • Michael and Elizabeth Simms

Jesus gives us three examples of God’s superior power over evil. Having become a “global community” we are overwhelmed by the problems the world faces. Therefore, it is essential today to trust in Jesus’ message and to become not “a house divided,” but a house united. How can we achieve this? By holding to our faith in the promise of Jesus and the grace of the Holy Spirit, to live with love, prayer and good works the example of Jesus Christ.

Mark 12:28-34

Love God and love thy neighbor. These two commandments that Jesus gave the Sadducees sum up the Christian responsibility. Amidst the thousands of rules in which the Jews found themselves, Jesus stated the simple, but oh, so difficult, condition in which Christians must live. The second part of the statement, to love your neighbor, springs from the first, to love God. For when we acknowledge God’s love for us and respond to that awesome, unconditional gift, we reflect that love in our treatment of one another. Jesus himself showed in his life and death the quality of this twofold love. Pray that we may follow His example, that we accept God’s love for us and live in response to it.

Hosea 6:1-6 • Meribeth Risebig

The entire book of Hosea exhibits frequent and sudden shifts in mood and subject. As is the case with this unit of verses. Verses 1-3 is a call to repentance from the people of Israel, and in 4-6 God warns the two nations to repent and keep the law. They depict God as both loving and just. The prophet Hosea places the blame for Israel’s (Ephraim) eclipse on her failure to live up to the obligations in her covenant with God. These warnings were to show the people that Israel’s downfall was due to the failure of the people to abide by the pact that God had made with them on Mt. Sinai during the time of Moses.

 So it goes in our lives today – the prevention of war, alleviation of hunger, civil rights – are still issues that have existed for centuries. They do not exist because God is weak, but because there is lack of real repentance and restoration. Only then can healing begin.