June Week 5

Virtue: Intentionality
Resolution: I choose to be mindful and responsive to God’s presence and the needs of others.

Human Story: Eric Liddell (1902-1945)

Thanks to the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell is known for being an Olympic champion. But there is much more to his story than forfeiting his best chance at victory because he would not compete on Sunday. Born in Tientsin, China to Scottish missionaries, Eric Liddell and his older brother left China at ages 6 and 8 respectively to attend boarding school in Britain. By the time Eric was eight or nine, he had already planned to return to Asia. While in school, however, Eric found that he was a good athlete, a very good athlete, and soon he was competing in both track and rugby for not only his school but also his country.

At a young age Eric’s father taught him that “winning a medal isn’t that important. What matters is how you run the race of life.” Eric never lost sight of that whether he was competing or ministering to others. Before every competition, Eric would shake each athlete’s hand and wish him well, and he truly meant what he said.

When Eric began competing for Edinburgh University and was assigned an athletic trainer, he wrote in a letter:

The exercises seemed unimportant at first, but later one finds out how useful they have been. He [his trainer] took me in hand, pounded me about like a piece of putty, pushed this muscle this way and that muscle the other way, in order, as he said, to get me into shape. Training is not the easiest thing to do. It is liable to become monotonous.

The results of Eric’s “monotonous” exercises ultimately won for him gold and bronze medals at the 1924 Paris Olympics. But because of his devotion to God, he refused to participate in his best event as well as several relay races because he would have had to run on Sunday (Sabbath). Even though he gave up the chance to compete in additional races, he was lauded throughout Europe, Britain, and especially Scotland and China, both of which credit Eric as their first Olympic champion.

Photo credit: https://www.ericliddell.org/

It is Eric’s faith, devotion, and humility, though, that set him apart from most other famous people. After graduating from Edinburgh University, he did return to China as planned since childhood and ministered to countless people in that vast land despite political unrest due to civil war, Japanese aggression, and world war. In his book titled Manual of Christian Discipleship, Eric shared six questions he would ask himself each morning as part of his exercises of “daily morning quiet.” Rather than becoming monotonous like his physical exercises, these gave him the courage and strength to face the ever-changing landscape of life in China with boldness and peace, even during his time in the Weixian Internment Camp where he died at age 43. The Challenge section below shows Eric’s six questions. May they challenge you to consider whether your daily discipline could use an adjustment.

Reference: Eric Liddell, Olympian and Missionary by Ellen Caughey

Lesson: 1 Samuel 2:30

…Those who honor me I will honor…

One of Eric Liddell’s Olympic trainers game him a folded note just prior to Eric’s first heat of the Games: “In the Old Book it says, ‘He that honors me, I will honor.’ Wishing you the best of success always.”

There are two lessons to be learned from this brief story. The first is to consider how we honor God. Jesus says it is through doing what we are commanded; and his commands to us were to love God and to love our neighbor. Eric demonstrated both these commands throughout his life, but he could only do so because he was disciplined to keep before him the word of God and to listen for God’s specific direction through prayer.

The second, and a bit more obscure, lesson is found in the action of the trainer who was prompted by God to encourage Eric before his race. There are times when God wants each of us to speak encouragement into someone else’s life. Are you listening to God well enough to hear His promptings?

Remembrance

The duty of a faithful missionary is to concentrate on keeping his soul completely and continually open to the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. The men and women our Lord sends out on His endeavors are ordinary human people, but people who are controlled by their devotion to Him, which has been brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit.    -- Oswald Chambers

Challenge

Listen as you read the challenge: Chariots of Fire

Eric Liddell asked himself the following six questions each morning. Write down these questions and ask them to yourself each morning this week. At the end of the week, reflect on how this discipline has made a difference in your life these seven days.

1. Have I surrendered this new day to God, and will I seek and obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit through its hours?

2. What have I specially to thank God for this morning?

3. Is there any sin in my life for which I should seek Christ’s forgiveness and cleansing? Is there any apology or restitution to make?

4. For whom does God want me to pray this morning?

5. What bearing does this morning’s Bible passage have on my life, and what does He want me to do about it?

6. What does God want me to do today and how does he want me to do it?

Reflection

It has been a wonderful experience to compete in the Olympic Games and to bring home a gold medal. But since I have been a young lad, I have had my eyes on a different prize. You see, each one of us is in a greater race than any I have run in Paris, and this race ends when God gives out the medals. – Eric Liddell

Further Growth

2022

Old Testament:
Psalm:
New Testament:
Gospel: 

2021

Old Testament:
Psalm:
New Testament:
Gospel: 

2020

Old Testament:
Psalm:
New Testament:
Gospel: 

June Week 4

Virtue: Intentionality
Resolution: I choose to be mindful and responsive to God’s presence and the needs of others.

Human Story: Charlotte “Lottie” Digges Moon (1840-1912)

Charlotte Digges Moon grew up on her family’s ancestral plantation in Virginia. She had a privileged childhood and was able to forego an early marriage and instead attend college at Virginia Female Seminary (later named Hollins Institute), receiving one of the first master’s degrees for a woman from a southern college. At eighteen, she had a radical spiritual awakening that prompted her to open a school for girls and minister to the poor families in her hometown. During the Civil War, she remained close to home and went on to teach school in Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia.

In 1873, soon after the Southern Baptist Convention allowed single women to be missionaries, Lottie moved to China where her sister was also a missionary. Although she was assigned as a teacher to young girls, she began making trips into the villages to reach out to others. Seeing tremendous needs, she began writing letters home to ask for funds and more missionaries to serve. At four feet, three inches tall, she adopted the traditional dress of her new country, learned the language, and plugged away for four decades in China.

Lottie Moon lived an intentional life: as a product of the South, she worked to reform her own views of slavery and prejudice. She ignored the southern way of marriage and homemaking and chose to pursue higher education. She was a reformist in her confrontational letter writing and journalism regarding the way the missionary board viewed women in the field. She was a teacher to young girls both in the States and China.  She was an entrepreneur, starting schools where there were none, and raising funds for more workers. She was also innovative, baking cookies for the children to find a way into their hearts.

After 20 years in the field she changed the focus of her ministry to evangelism, going house to house and village to village, sharing her faith with women and children.  This was not a job normally given to women, requiring special permission from the mission board. She faced loneliness, opposition, hardship, famine and loss all for the sake of showing the light of Jesus. In solidarity, Lottie died as a result of a nationwide famine, truly exemplifying sacrificial living.

Lottie Moon is an example of a life of clear focus and goal setting that builds slowly with hard work to an apex of worldwide evangelism, breaking the barriers of gender, culture, and social class. The facts of her life show her as a pioneer of intellect and resilience.  Over one billion dollars have been given to international missions due to her efforts, among others. 

Lesson: John 3:30

He must become greater; I must become less.

Often our efforts, especially in the Western hemisphere, are for selfish purposes. This pursuit of personal greatness is not necessarily wrong, but it can become an unhealthy trajectory if we become consumed with a constant desire for more. In the human story above, Lottie Moon did become great – but for all the right reasons. She sought to become more Christlike.

As we look around the Christian landscape in America, we can see vividly what happens when there is no intentional effort to make Christ greater in our lives. If we simply coast along, we will gravitate more to the American dream that is presented to us in culture rather than the dream of connection with Christ. We must be intentional if we are going to continually be disciples of Christ.

G.K. Chesterton tells a story of two brothers who were playing in a field and encountered a magic milk man. The man offers each brother one wish. The first chooses to be a giant. He is instantly granted his wish. He is able to travel the world easily due to his large strides. He walks to Niagara Falls and they appear to be small- like a bathtub spigot. He walks to the Himalayan mountains and they appear to be like nothing more than hills. He returns to the field and lays down and falls asleep- bored and disappointed.

His brother takes note of the outcome of that wish and chooses the opposite. He wishes to be tiny. Instantly he shrinks and that field becomes a wild adventure. The blades of grass look like an unending forest. The dandelions, with the sun shining through them, appear to be massive balls of fire. Chesterton concludes, “Humility is the luxurious art of reducing ourselves to a point so that to it all the cosmic things are what they really are – of immeasurable stature.”

We have a similar choice. We can choose to be intentional about making ourselves greater, and in turn all other things smaller. Or we can choose to be intentional about making Christ greater and all other things become larger and more glorious.

Remembrance

Grant, O Lord, that the course of this world may be
peaceably governed by your providence; and that your
Church may joyfully serve you in confidence and serenity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
                  -Book of Common Prayer, p.229

Challenge

Lottie Moon regularly wrote home from China with appeals for more money for missions efforts and more workers for the mission field. The needs are no less today. How is God asking you to participate in His mission work? Give? Go? Or both? Once you hear His directions, make specific plans for doing it.

Reflection

Reflect on the Chesterton quote found in the lesson above: “Humility is the luxurious art of reducing ourselves to a point so that to it all the cosmic things are what they really are – of immeasurable stature.” Journal or discuss some concrete steps to reduce yourself in your current life situation.

Further Growth

2022: Book of Common Prayer Proper 8

Old Testament: 1 Kings 19:15-21
Psalm: Psalm 16
New Testament: Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Gospel: Luke 9:51-62

2021: Book of Common Prayer Proper 8

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 15:7-11
Psalm: Psalm 112
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Gospel: Mark 5:22-43

2020: Book of Common Prayer Proper 7

Old Testament: Jeremiah 20:7-13
Psalm: Psalm 69:1-18
New Testament: Romans 5:15b-19
Gospel: Matthew 10:16-33

June Week 3

Virtue: Intentionality
Resolution: I choose to be mindful and responsive to God’s presence and the needs of others.

Human Story: Bob Goff (1959 - )

Bob Goff’s story played out as many do: go to college, choose a successful career, make money and try to make the most of it. Bob is no ordinary person though. Perhaps the thing that makes Bob stand out is his unabashed tenacity (i.e., intentionality). An example of this comes from Bob getting into law school. Bob didn’t have the required grades, so he sat outside the dean’s office for 7 days, each day telling the dean he had the power to admit him if he wanted. Bob’s persistence paid off, as the dean eventually succumbed to Bob’s persistence. The dean’s words to “Go get your books” had a profound impact on Bob, filling him with awe and hope that we have the power to launch someone into a new future with nothing more than a verbal expression. Bob was a successful lawyer for 25 years.

Eventually, Bob was ready for another adventure, and as he takes his faith very seriously, he wanted to do something that exemplified a true, active, and intentional love. And so, after quitting his job, he founded the organization that is now known as “Love Does”, an international non-profit committed to fighting for justice for children in conflict zones (e.g. Iraq, Somalia, Uganda). To Bob, a life of faith and love involves risk, adventure, and a rejection of the cultural obsession of one’s own self gain.

According to Bob, being mindful to both God’s presence and the needs of others requires availability. To be intentional, he would say, is to be present and available to others. Don’t let the phone call go to voicemail; don’t let the text message go unanswered; don’t let the Saturday night be spent alone watching a television show; don’t make appointments for the future that could be handled in the present; live your faith a little more like Jesus and with a little more freedom. In doing this we mimic the Master of all intentionality.

Lesson: John 4:4 (NRSV)

But he had to go through Samaria.

Sculpture above the entrance to The Church of St. Elizabeth in Basel, Switzerland

This verse begins the story of Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well.  Jesus and the disciples were on their way to Galilee from Jerusalem, but the gospel writer emphasized that Jesus “had” to go through Samaria.  Going through Samaria is the most direct route from Jerusalem to Galilee, so why wouldn’t Jesus and the disciples want to go that way anyway? Most Jews would ordinarily avoid Samaria and extend their travel several days to go around Samaria because of a racial prejudice. The Samaritans were the mixed race of northern kingdom Jews and the conquering Assyrians.  They held only to the Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament) and were considered heretical by the pureblood Jews. The Samaritans were so disliked by the Jews that Jesus used them as the farthest fetched example of who the Jews should love as their neighbor.

In the story, when Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink, the Bible states he was weary, yet His weariness did not keep him from engaging with the woman.  In fact, Jesus was energized by sharing the good news, such that He was no longer hungry when the disciples returned with food. 
Throughout his ministry, it was to the outsider that Jesus ministered most. Whether it was the Samaritan woman, the leper, the tax collector, the lame and blind, the poor, or the woman with the bleeding disorder. These people were not considered “blessed” by their culture. These were people rejected by their culture, but who were sought out and blessed by Jesus. Perhaps it was Jesus’s own intentionality that he “had” to go through Samaria. Even in Jesus’s last words to His disciples, He specifically included Samaria as a place for the disciples to go be a witness.  And of course, in Acts 8, they did just that.

Remembrance

Anointed by your morning light I lift my spirit to receive the gift of this new day. Open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me that I may walk through this day with the kind of awareness that calls forth grateful living. In all of creation let me see the brightness of your face. Shine in my heart and in my life, filling me with joy, creativity, hope, and laughter. Draw me into the radiant glory of your presence and into the small lights of those with whom I live and work. Inspire me to take time for those who are discouraged. May I live with the kind of presence that enables others to feel at home. Great Dawn of God, hear my prayer. - Macrina Weiderkehr (in Seven Sacred Pauses, p.59)

Challenge

Pick one person this week you might consider an outsider (e.g. widow, elderly, disabled, etc.). Perform an intentional act which demonstrates the love of Jesus for all peoples.

Why do we segregate ourselves into groups? Our tendency is to like those who are “similar” to us and to not like (even hate) those who are “different.” These feelings are rooted in fear – a fear of the unknown. How can you move beyond this fear and embrace relationship with those who you perceive to be different than yourself?

Reflection

Who are the outsiders in our culture that Jesus is calling us to minister to and share the good news? Brainstorm and discuss this with others.

Further Growth

2022: Book of Common Prayer Proper 7

Old Testament: Zechariah 12:8-10, 13:1
Psalm: Psalm 63
New Testament: Galatians 3:23-29
Gospel: Luke 9:18-24

2021: Book of Common Prayer Proper 7

Old Testament: Job 38: 1-18
Psalm: Psalm 107:1-32
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

2020: Book of Common Prayer Proper 6

Old Testament: Exodus 19:1-8
Psalm: Psalm 100
New Testament: Romans 5:1-11
Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:15

June Week 2

Virtue: Intentionality
Resolution: I choose to be mindful and responsive to God’s presence and the needs of others.

Human Story: Brother Lawrence (1614 - 1691)

In today’s increasingly fast-paced and demanding culture, few people live every moment in God’s loving presence with the consistent intentionality as that of Brother Lawrence. Lawrence was a seventeenth-century Carmelite monk known among his peers for his deep yet simple spirituality. He is famously quoted for praying things such as, “Lord of all pots and pans and things…, make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates!”, and “It is not the greatness of the work which matters to God but the love with which it is done.” His life was driven by a singular motivation - to commune with God in every moment and in everything.

How did he get this way? No doubt with a special measure of God’s grace. Brother Lawrence possessed a holy internal compass that pointed directly at the love of God. Because of his heart's understanding of this truth, he cultivated what he called "The Practice of the Presence of God," which was posthumously transposed into a book of the same title, containing his writings and conversations with others. Here are a few notable quotes from his book:

Men invent means and methods of coming at God's love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God's presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?

Do not be discouraged by the resistance you will encounter from your human nature; you must go against your human inclinations. Often, in the beginning, you will think that you are wasting time, but you must go on, be determined and persevere in it until death, despite all the difficulties.

Brother Lawrence found God everywhere.  He chose to take the most menial and mundane tasks and turn them into opportunities to find God's love. Lawrence's life points to a path that leads to deeper communion with the Father, and he fervently assures that "there is no spot where we cannot draw near to Him, and hear Him speaking in our heart, with a little love, just a very little, we shall not find it hard".

Reference: The Practice of the Presence of God, and The Spiritual Maxims

Lesson: Isaiah 58: 1-9a (NIV)

Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high... Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Movies, television shows, and other media often portray religious people as hypocrites, those who do not practice what they preach. Religious people are stereotyped as hypocrites. In the United States, this is especially true of how Christians are portrayed. When tragedy strikes, Christians offer you their “thoughts and prayers,” but not much beyond this. They pray, preach, attend church, go to Bible studies, read books, memorize scripture verses, and quote scripture. Many Christians block hours out of their days for silence or solitude, and some study church history to learn more about their faith. If they are really serious, they may also fast. One could go on and on with examples of what Christians do that may be personally enriching but don’t necessarily produce virtues that manifest in relationships with others. All of these things should produce virtue and result in a more Christ-like person engaged in the world, but each of us can admit areas in our own lives and in others where, despite these practices, we are as far away from the character of Jesus as a person who doesn’t know Him at all.

The Jewish people had been forcibly removed from their homeland due to centuries of disobedience to God, and now in Isaiah 58 the exile had passed. However, the disobedience still remained, rebellion persisted, and prosperity was far from reach. The Israelites had many practices that were supposed to lead to virtuous living and a love for God and neighbor. The truth is, they performed the religious practices, but their lives did not reflect the discipline they practiced. Fasting is pointless if you take advantage of people and are manipulative. Praying doesn’t do much if you’re a mean and violent person, lacking compassion for human life. Bible study is vanity if you gossip about others. One’s inward disposition is naturally reflected in one’s outward practices, but it is obvious from our text that if there is no outward effort, all of our internal work is merely ceremony that produces hypocrisy. Virtuous character, defined as an increase in love for God and neighbor, only comes about through intentionality. So mindfully allow your religious practices to refine and shape you as it will direct you to the deeper concerns of God’s heart, as One who loves the burdened and oppressed and who actively seeks justice on their behalf.

Remembrance

by Frederick Buechner in Celtic Daily Prayer, Book Two, p.900.

Listen to your life.
See it for the fathomless mystery that it is.
In the boredom and pain of it
no less than in the excitement and gladness:
touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it
because in the last analysis all moments are key moments
and life itself is grace.

Challenge

In the spirit of Brother Lawrence’s life mission, find one menial task this week (e.g. washing dishes, mowing the yard, changing a diaper, taking out the trash), and do it in love. Practice intentionality by joyfully performing this menial task, reminding yourself of God’s presence in it and give Him thanks for such a gift.

Reflection

Christians are very good at practicing personal enrichment activities that may feed the soul but are less attentive to the needs of others. What cultural dynamics are at play that cause us to focus more on ourselves and less on the needs of others? What are the reasons you think this happens? What habits can you change that will help you focus more on others?

Further Growth

2022: Trinity Sunday

Old Testament: Isaiah 6:1-7
Psalm: Psalm 29
New Testament: Revelation 4:1-11
Gospel: John 16:5-15

2021: Book of Common Prayer Proper 6

Old Testament: Ezekiel 31:1-14
Psalm: Psalm 92
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

2020: Book of Common Prayer Proper 5

Old Testament: Hosea 5:15-6:6
Psalm: Psalm 50
New Testament: Romans 4:13-18
Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13

June Week 1

Virtue: Intentionality
Resolution: I choose to be mindful and responsive to God’s presence and the needs of others.

Human Story: Walden & Rowan Tommey

This is a story about children, my children specifically, but more deeply of all children and how they so effortlessly connect to the nature of our Father with joyful intent.

Both of my boys entered this world wide-eyed and keenly aware of their foreign surroundings, whereas I wanted to just close my eyes and rest. They were too engrossed in the visual and audible stimulations of a new reality to relinquish their recent discoveries.  These commencement experiences have uncovered a spiritual truth for our family: where I am eager to shut out or even remove myself from the earthy, guttural challenges of life, children are intent upon plunging face first into these mysteries without shame. This is a gift from God, a reminder that to experience the fullness of our Creator we must slow down, look past the mess, and sit in the discomfort. We must be intent upon embracing joy. And in so doing, we become like children – the type Jesus counter-intuitively described in Luke 18:16-17: “Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’”

Walden, our ardent adventurer, doesn’t hesitate to take every opportunity given to dig in the dirt, hoping to expose juicy earthworms or fascinating rocks. As far as rocks go, gravel of any variety will suffice and is still seen as a rare and exciting treasure. In the eyes of a child, dandelions can make the most beautiful bouquets and animals are worthy of intrigue and affection. One summer evening, Walden said confidently that he was talking to the cicadas. As I took a moment to listen to the deafening insects and the awful noise he was making, I discovered that he was very much in harmony with them! My heart was filled with joy and humility to witness his connection with creation and ultimately our Creator. The earth constantly and emphatically declares the glory of the Lord.  When we quiet ourselves and acknowledge His presence, we can return to our childlike hearts and joyfully participate in the glorious racket.

Rowan, our miniature musician, is only in the throes of infancy, facing sheer awe and wonderment at every turn. He is entertained simply by his own physical design, be it the movement of his fingers one at a time or simultaneously or the feeling of his tongue in his mouth as he rolls and twists it in every way possible. Sounds, whether of his own conjuring or from some external source such as dad’s guitar, are meant to be explored. In an effort to communicate, he might growl, grumble or even shriek.  Inevitably, those laryngeal vibrations gain momentum as he moves through different scales and pitches, determining how they feel in his throat. He is enraptured by sound. Strumming an instrument while lacking rhythm, banging on piano keys, and slobbering all over a harmonica yet producing no sound is the joyful way of a child.  There is an eagerness to explore, to participate, to respond. He is intent upon using all of his senses to absorb mounds of information and relish in the bliss of it all.   

The point of this “human story” is not to highlight my children as exemplars of this month’s virtue - intentionality, but rather to draw our attention back to the beauty, purity, and imago dei of the little ones around us – who with their whole heart long to feel, know, and experience more of God and his creation.

Lesson: Matthew 18:1-6

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Although children can be annoying, frustrating, and challenging at times, they have qualities that are clearly valuable to Jesus and the building of His Kingdom. Children exhibit qualities such as trust, vulnerability, wonder, etc. They can’t “do” much for themselves, being heavily dependent upon caregivers to provide for, nurture, protect, and guide them along a good path. Jesus states in verse 4 that children also exhibit humility. Children, unlike adults, have no real reason to compete with one another for status, position, and fame. Instead, they choose to collaborate with other playmates in creating skits, digging in the mud, swimming in the creek, and imagining wild adventures –pure simplicity.

Even though the disciples had been following Jesus for some time in this passage, they still succumbed to the bondage of comparison amongst one another. Instead of fixing their eyes on what is above and on whom is standing before them (Jesus), they chose to look side to side at one another to find their worth and value by being “better” and “outdoing” them.

Unfortunately, isn’t this what we do so often? We get so obsessed with prestige that we resist living with others in mind, causing hurt and destruction to further our own gain instead of living in harmony with others. May we take Jesus at his Word and look to the children in our lives to learn how to be Kingdom-minded, Kingdom-centered, and Kingdom-focused, cultivating lives of simplicity and genuine humility. Our lives depend on it, for Jesus says if we don’t become like children, we “will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Remembrance

You see, Jesus’ friends had started thinking they had to do something to make themselves special to Jesus - that if they were the cleverest or the nicest or something, Jesus would like them best. But they had forgotten something. Something God had been teaching his people all through the years: that no matter how clever you are, or how good you are, or how rich you are, or how nice you are, or how important you are - none of it makes any difference. Because God’s love is a gift and, as anyone will tell you, the whole thing about a gift is, it’s free. All you have to do is reach out your hands and take it.

                                -Sally Lloyd-Jones (in The Jesus Storybook Bible on Matthew 18, p.256-257)

Challenge

Take some time this week to observe a child playing. Study their movements and notice the focus and devotion given to the task at hand.

Reflection

Think of all the distractions you have in your life, the things that keep you from focusing on the task at hand. Name all of these distractions to someone else and brainstorm ways to limit these in your life to increase intentionality. How can you invite others to join in the activities of your life? How can you join the activities of the lives of those close to you to promote their wellbeing?

Further Growth

2022: Pentecost

Old Testament: Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm: Psalm 104:24-35
New Testament: Acts 2:1-21
Gospel: John 14:8-17

2021: Book of Common Prayer Proper 5

Old Testament: Genesis 3:1-21
Psalm: Psalm 130
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 4:13-18
Gospel: Mark 3:20-35

2020: Book of Common Prayer Proper 4

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 11:18-32
Psalm: Psalm 31
New Testament: Romans 3:21-31
Gospel: Matthew 7:21-27

June Introduction

June: Intentionality

Resolution: I choose to be mindful and responsive to God’s presence and the needs of others.

As we move into “ordinary time” on our church calendar, we celebrate the story of the people of God. We all have a story, both individually and as the Church body. We can allow that story to just happen as it may, or we can choose to shape the story into something that is meaningful.  

God is always near, but we often neglect to pay attention to His presence. Likewise, every person we encounter has a story, a need, a reason why they are acting the way they are. But we are often to focused on ourselves or our to-do list that we don’t even consider these other people. It’s easy to just go through our days living life the way it comes and goes, acknowledging God and others only when it is convenient for us.

There is a richness and fullness to living with intentionality. We can choose to be intentionally aware of God’s presence in us and around us. He is working in hearts, lives, relationships, and circumstances. Can you see it? He might want you to be the one who helps out someone else. Can you hear Him asking you to do that?

Intentionality means that you are living life and doing things on purpose. You are being deliberate in the way you live, parent your children, spend your money, use your time, invest in relationships, and interact with God.

This month we are focusing on intentionality. What do you intend to make your story?

June: Liturgy

Leader: Almighty Father, You are majestic, holy and awe inspiring.

People: Father, help us be mindful of Your presence.

Leader: Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your incarnation and Your willingness to leave glory to dwell among humanity. You chose to be present with us, prioritizing our need for freedom from sin above Your comfort and glory.

People: Jesus, help us be truly present with others by prioritizing their needs above our own.

Leader:  Holy Spirit, we thank You that You are presently working in our midst. May we be attentive to Your voice and sensitive to Your guidance in our daily lives.

People: Spirit, help us be responsive to Your guidance in our daily lives.