May Week 3

Virtue: Remembrance
Resolution: I choose to learn from the rich history of the Church and the mystery of the faith to hold me close to Christ.

Human Story: Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

Despite the medieval period being known as one of the darkest and most corrupt eras of Christian history, the light of Christ has always found a way to survive through the most unlikely of circumstances and characters. Hildegard of Bingen was such a figure. She was born into a large family, the 10th of many children, and her parents were unable to properly care for her. At 8 years old they sent her to live with a recluse named Jutta who was connected to a Benedictine monastery in modern-day Germany. Jutta was known as a strange but wise woman, knowledgeable of Latin and Christian philosophy, and many women were sent to her to study. Under Jutta's tutelage Hildegard became learned in the ways of the Lord. They spent almost 30 years together before Jutta passed away at which time Hildegard was elected the leader “abbess” of the convent which included around 20 women. 

Reflecting on the whole of Hildegard's life, many traits and testimonies are worth remembering. She spoke truth to power, possessing a boldness and willingness to speak out against injustices within the church. She was a composer of hymns, having a vast knowledge of and love for music and worship in the church. She is considered by some to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany as she wrote books on the properties of plants, animals, and living things that were particularly useful for healing. Hildegard is one of only 36 people and one of only four women in the history of the Catholic Church to be honored with the title "Doctor of the church” which is reserved for persons whose contributions were particularly important to theology and doctrine. She was the founder of two other convents and spoke out publicly for much needed monastic reforms. She has been called by many a "polymath," someone who has an unusually wide range of knowledge and learning. Undoubtedly, she is a Christian worth remembering. 

Perhaps the greatest legacy she left us were her recordings of deep mystical experiences describing her "Visions" of God. She remembers these experiences beginning in childhood, but she was too humble or afraid to share them with others. When she was 42, she received a vision instructing her to both write them down and share them with others.

Her visions, recorded and interpreted in her three books, will leave you feeling like you've been immersed in the life of one who has been deeply intimate with God, and compel you to pursue God more radically via all five of your senses.

Lesson: Joel 2:28-29 (NIV)

And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

After Christ’s resurrection, in Acts 1, he told the disciples,

Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised…When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them…Now there were staying in Jerusalem God fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Acts 2:1-6

This is known as the first Christian Pentecost.

This scene must have been pretty wild: rushing wind, tongues of fire hovering in the air, and strange languages that everyone could understand. Peter felt the need to clarify that people were not drunk since it was nine in the morning! He gave an explanation that God has poured out His Spirit. He then quotes Joel to give validity to this new appearance as a fulfilled prophecy. In the Old Testament, the Spirit was given for specific purposes to people like prophets and kings. Now it was to be for all people.

Peter goes on to speak of dreams and visions.  Both dreams at night and visions while awake are supernatural ways that God can speak to people. According to the verse in Joel and Peter’s account of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit is poured out on human flesh, supernatural things happen.  Specifically, dreams, visions, and prophecy. The proof of the Holy Spirit is in the change that occurs, becoming new.  Peter was a broken and scared man just 50 days before he stood up to address the crowd on Pentecost. He then went on to be an important part of the church, dying for his beloved Savior.  The other disciples did not stay in a locked upper room, hidden away; they all suffered, and most died a martyr’s death. That was just the start. The bible and history record many mysterious supernatural ways that God intervenes using our Helper, our Counselor, the Holy Spirit. Addicts have become missionaries, broken souls have gotten up to preach, joy has been traded for mourning, healing of emotions and body have occurred, and light has been given in the form of wisdom in dark situations.

Remembrance: The Ways of the Lord – Scivias by Hildegard of Bingen

When I was forty-two years and seven months old, Heaven was opened and a fiery light of exceeding brilliance came and permeated my whole brain and inflamed my whole heart and my whole breast, not like a burning but like a warming flame, as the sun warms anything its rays touch. And immediately I knew the meaning of the exposition of the Scriptures...

Challenge

Be intentional this week about asking for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill you. Then write down and maybe share with others instances where the power of the Holy Spirit is evident in your life.

Reflection

The Holy Spirit can empower and enable us to do things we never thought possible. Does this seem scary to you? Does this excite you? Like Peter, we may often feel inadequate or unqualified, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can find unexplainable boldness and confidence.

Further Growth

2022: 5th Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Leviticus 19:1-18
Psalm: Psalm 145
New Testament: Revelation 19:1-9
Gospel: John 13:31-35

2021: Ascension Sunday

Old Testament: Exodus 28:1-30
Psalm: Psalm 68:1-20
New Testament: 1 John 5:6-15
Gospel: John 17:11b-19

2020: Book of Common Prayer Proper 1

Old Testament: Ecclesiasticus* 15:11-20
Psalm: Psalm 119:1-16
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Gospel: Matthew 5:21-37

*apocryphal text

May Week 2

Virtue: Remembrance
Resolution: I choose to learn from the rich history of the Church and the mystery of the faith to hold me close to Christ.

Human Story: Phyllis Tickle (1934 - 2015) and The Divine Hours

Author and speaker Phyllis Tickle’s greatest contribution to our generation, and to the church, was to give back to us the concept of fixed hour prayer. In the non-stop pace of our 21st century lifestyles, her re-imagining of the medieval brevary in The Divine Hours has given a new generation a book containing prayers, hymns, psalms and religious thought for everyday use at the canonical hours. Many practicing daily prayer with the divine hours have rediscovered the richness of a deeply rooted faith and life of prayer reminiscent of monks, friars, and sisters from centuries ago.

Like a double helix rendered elegant by complexity and splendid by authority, the amalgam of gospel and shared meal and the discipline of fixed-hour prayer were and have remained the chain of golden connection tying Christian to Christ and Christian to Christian across history, across geography, and across idiosyncrasies of faith. (The Divine Hours)

Indeed, the Psalms were prayers which were used in Old Testament and New Testament time, and they continue to be used, prayed and chanted in monasteries to this day. Some say fixed hour prayer is otherworldly, but perhaps praying and singing the psalms is just one of those places where heaven meets earth.

Of Daniel it was said “Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God.” (Daniel 6:10) Here is one of the earliest references recorded in scripture of praying at specific times of the day. Where might Daniel have gotten his idea for prayer? In the Psalms we see references to praying at specific times, here are just a few:

Morning Prayer: In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 (See also Psalm 55:17; 59:16; 88:13; 92:2)
Evening Prayer: On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6
Night Prayer: At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. Psalm 119:55
Even 3 times a day: Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice. Psalm 55:17

Set hours to pray intrigued me, so I became a student, and in the depths of inability to really want to pray at times, I found renewal in practicing rhythmic pauses during my day to refocus on God by praying the psalms, and also some prayers written by others who have gone before. Sometimes Saint Augustine, Francis, or Merton had thought and written already exactly what I felt in my heart.  Phyllis Tickle’s work on The Divine Hours has enriched my life. 

Lesson: Psalm 103 Of David. (NIV)

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.

Remembrance

One of the primary reasons for the psalms is for remembrance. In the psalms the Hebrews remembered their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, they remembered the parting of the Red Sea and walking to their freedom on dry ground, and they remembered God’s provision in the wilderness. Remembrance is central to the life of faith. 

What would happen if we sang a song of remembrance every day? Liturgy is a pattern of worship that becomes familiar enough to be employed over and over again. Liturgy is an act of remembrance in song, word, and prayer.

Psalm 103 is a remembrance of who God the Father is, and who we are. How do you think Psalm 103 shaped the hearts of those who regularly sang and prayed its words? How might it shape you? Try reading through Psalm 103 aloud every day this week.

Challenge

Seek to live a rhythm of daily prayer in an attainable way. Strive to keep two 10-minute times of prayer a day. Set your clock if you need to but try taking two prayer breaks during the day using a book or app, then go from there.

The Monastic times of Prayer were as follows:

Matins –Midnight       Sext -Noon
Lauds -3am                 None -3pm
Prime – 6am               Vespers -6pm
Terce -9am                 Compline -9pm

Reflection

Law is death, but freedom is life: The idea with fixed hour prayer is to develop your prayer life, not to meet a requirement. If you become a slave to the alarm signaling prayer time and feel condemned if you fail to pray, then you’ve missed the point. The purpose of fixed hour prayer is to practice, to be intentional, and to focus on your conversation, thanksgiving, and listening to God. If it’s feeding your soul, then you look forward to taking two or three short breaks during the day to refocus on God, and to be in His presence. That’s what it’s all about!

Further Growth

Daily office readings and audio recording of fixed hour prayer at www.missionstclare.com
The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle
Book of Common Prayer Daily Office at www.bcponline.org 

2022: 4th Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Numbers 27:12-23
Psalm: Psalm 100
New Testament: Revelation 7:9-17
Gospel: John 10:22-30

2021: 6th Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Isaiah 45:11-25
Psalm: Psalm 98
New Testament: 1 John 4:1-11
Gospel: John 15:9-17

2020

Old Testament: Genesis 1:1 - 2:3
Psalm: Psalm 150
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 13:5-14
Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

May Week 1

Virtue: Remembrance
Resolution: I choose to learn from the rich history of the Church and the mystery of the faith to hold me close to Christ.

Human Story: St. Benedict Of Nursia (480-547)

The early church was a radical and counter-cultural movement that is unmatched in human history. Its transition from an insignificant village in the Middle East to a globally known religion was due to the compelling message of Christ and how this message was lived out by His followers. The church was known for its compassion and dedication. Many scholars believe that the culture of Christianity began to change once Constantine declared it the official religion of the Roman Empire and began to conquer others in the name of Christ, flying in the face of Jesus’ instruction of peacemaking and gentleness in the sermon on the mount. A couple of hundred years after Constantine, the church was in the dark ages. The church lost its way and Rome began to crumble. Into this world, Benedict of Nursia was born. Galbraith and Galbraith wrote:

The vast Roman Empire was dying rapidly. The cities were in decay, the economy was in shambles, and the countryside was insecure. Roma was literally crumbling around the young Benedict as invading barbarian tribes and corrupt politicians jostled with each other for power. It was here, surrounded by the decadence of the pagan world, that the young Benedict found the desire to pursue a higher mission. (p. xvii) 

Benedict was born to a noble family around the year 480 AD and moved to Rome as a young man. Out of frustration for the state of the church and Roman culture, he withdrew from society and lived as a hermit in a cave for 3 years. During his time in solitude, which was broken only by occasional communication with the outer world, Benedict matured in mind and character. Others began to be drawn to him and his perspective on the church and the world. Many came to request that he begin a community for like-minded individuals. He eventually became a spiritual leader, establishing a series of 12 monasteries and a school for children. He also wrote his “Rule” that outlined how his communities would function. This is considered by many to be one of the most important works in the history of the Western hemisphere. 

Benedict is one example of an ancient leader who established a movement in the midst of a chaotic and tumultuous culture that not only grew but experienced longevity and success well beyond his lifetime. Thousands of Benedictine communities, schools, hospitals, homes, and organizations are still in existence – carrying out his counter-cultural, yet compelling, form of discipleship. 

In recent years, the book The Benedict Option, has once again popularized Benedict. The book has been tremendously well received in the Christian world because we find ourselves in a culture where many Christians have lost their way, become overly politicized, and have forgotten the model of Christ, especially, his instructions in the sermon on the mount.

References:
Galbraith, C., & Galbraith, O. (2004). The Benedictine rule of leadership. Classic management secrets you can use today. Avon, MA: Adams Media.

Dreher, Rod. (2017). The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in Post-Christian Nation. New York. Random House. 

Lesson: Luke 14:11

Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.

Jesus insisted on an upside-down view of power. In a culture that was obsessed with promotion (exaltation), Jesus says to view oneself soberly and accurately (humbly) and be content with God’s promotion. This theme introduced by Jesus carried over into the early church. In fact, many scholars note that humility became the virtue among all virtues for the early church. It was what kept unity among the diverse mix of early church leaders. 

This scripture was also significant for St. Benedict and the development of his communities. It is the first among many scriptures referenced in the chapter on humility in his Rule which most Benedictine scholars believe to be the most important section of this writing. To pursue and become saturated with humility seems to be considered the pinnacle of spiritual life for Benedict and the goal of Benedict’s community. 

He viewed the development of humility as a process that he described as climbing a ladder. A young disciple would start on the first rung and move up the ladder through a process of mentorship and eventually reach a point, late in life, of saturation of humility. The specific steps described by Benedict are in the Remembrance section below. Benedict believed that the principles of humility, if properly utilized, were the centerpiece to a thriving, long-lasting, and transformative community. 

A wonderful way to view humility is defined by one ancient Rabbi as “strength under control.” It is not becoming weak, but it is understanding how to control our strength and leverage it for others. This is, after all, the exact type of leadership Jesus demonstrated- the son of God, full of ultimate strength, controlled it to the point of vulnerability as an infant.

Remembrance

Benedict described the development of humility as a step-by-step process. Below is a re-wording/modernizing of his steps from the book by Galbraith and Galbraith mentioned earlier (pp.121-122) with additional editing for the purposes of this devotional. These steps were written for monastic leaders but contemplate how they apply to your relationships with others. 

1. Revere the simple rules: strive to obey and follow the basic rules of courtesy and the organization; model good behavior to those around you.

2. Reject your personal desires: curb your own desires for fame and achievement, ever aware of the possibilities of pride and arrogance.

3. Obey others: readily follow and obey those placed over you in positions of authority.

4. Endure affliction: willingly turn the other cheek in situations of conflict and work toward peace and harmony.

5. Confess your weakness: Be honest and transparent about your own limitations and weaknesses; communicate these regularly to those close to you.

6. Practice contentment: try to be content in your current positions, jobs and general situations in life.

7. Learn self-reproach: adopt the disciplines of internal reflection and do not seek to place blame on others.

8. Obey the common rule: obey all the organizational rules, not just in letter, but also in spirit.

9. Understand that silence is golden: control your speech and adopt plain and clear avenues of communication.

10. Meditate on humility: consciously seek to cultivate humility and seek to understand what this means in an organizational setting.

11. Speak simply: talk in a low voice, speak gently, and with kindness to others

12. Act humbly in appearance: act humble in appearance as well as in the heart.

Challenge

Think through your current definition of humility. Compare and contrast your definition with Benedict’s (in the Remembrance section) and see if there are some areas of your life where “false humility” has crept in.   

May we rediscover the Benedict option- a way of living that is separate from but engaged in culture, a way of interacting with the world that is simultaneously critical and compelling. May we listen to this ancient figure who calls us to authentic Christianity, humility, and love for others. May we be willing to incorporate ourselves into a community of faith in a very disciplined and strategic manner. 

Reflection

Like Benedict, we too may want to run away from what is currently happening in our country and world. How can we continue to engage culture and society in the midst of these frustrations?  What are some practical ways you can practice “strength under control” this week? 

Further Growth

2022: 3rd Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Jeremiah 32:36-41
Psalm: Psalm 33
New Testament: Revelation 5:1-14
Gospel: John 21:1-14

2021: 5th Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 4:32-40
Psalm: Psalm 66:1-11
New Testament: 1 John 3:11-24
Gospel: John 14:15-21

2020

Old Testament: Ezekiel 39:21-29
Psalm: Psalm 68:1-20
New Testament: 1 Peter 4:12-19
Gospel: John 17:1-11

May Introduction

May: Remembrance

Our identity as a person, a family, a faith community, an institution, a country, or a people group is rooted in knowing and remembering our history, the stories that brought us to where we are. Most holidays are a celebration to remember an event, a person or a group of people. The bible is full of statements urging us to remember:   

Deeds of the Lord
Covenants that have been made
To obey
That we were slaves 
Wonders God has done     
Judgements God has pronounced     
To extol His work
How fleeting is your life     
The chains of Paul
Jesus Christ, raised from the dead     
What the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold

Remembering what you believe and why you believe it is important for keeping your faith alive and active and strong. But, looking back in history to those who have gone before is an additional element that sends courage to your own strength. In times of doubt, reading stores of those who have suffered for their faith encourages you to remember that some things are worth devoting your life for.  

Resolution: I choose to learn from the rich history of the Church and the mystery of the faith to hold me close to Christ.              

May: Liturgy

Leader: Almighty Father, You remind us in Your word to recall Your miracles for our redemption; we remember the deliverance from Pharaoh’s army and Christ’s defeat of evil on the cross. Make us aware throughout the day of these mighty works, that they may give us confidence to boldly face the present. 

People: Father, help us remember the past and be transformed in the present. 

Leader: Lord Jesus, thank You for diligently spending time with Your disciples, instructing them in the faith, and modeling the way. Without this effort, the rich tradition of the church, passed down through the apostles, would not exist. 

People: Jesus, help us remember the past and be transformed in the present. 

Leader:  Holy Spirit, we see Your hand throughout history on Your people: from the apostles, to the apostolic fathers, to the monastic movement and reformers. Ignite in us a love for past wisdom. Help us to fight against the modern-day belief that newer is always better. 

People: Spirit, help us remember the past and be transformed in the present.

April Week 5

Virtue: Hope
Resolution: I choose to hope in God’s promise that all broken things will be made new.

Human Story: John Croyle

A modern story of hope can be found in the dream and calling of John Croyle, a former football player with The University of Alabama. At the end of his college football career, he met with Coach Bear Bryant and talked about playing in the NFL or pursuing a calling he felt to build a place for boys who needed a forever place to call home. He decided to forgo playing professional football and give children who were hurting a chance. In 1974, John Croyle founded Big Oak Boys’ Ranch. Today, the Big Oak Ranch, serving both girls and boys, continues to meet the needs of over 100 children per year and has served over 2,000 kids through the years. The concept is based on providing a solid Christian home with a chance to go to school, experience everyday family life, and discover God’s plan for their lives. The strong sense of family gives a foundation for children to spread their wings to go on to live independent productive lives. The home gives hope to young people when all hope is lost. The name of Big Oak Ranch, has remained fundamentally rooted in Isaiah 61:3, “And they shall be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified.”

The ranch is a family affair involving John’s wife as well as his son and daughter who are gradually taking over the reins.  The ranch becomes home to children who have been raped, beaten, ignored and neglected.  Some have been found in places not habitable for the living while others have been dropped off at the gate of the ranch. A child moves into a 6-bedroom home with siblings and godly parents. Big Oak Ranch’s foundational tenets are simple and few:

1.     We love you. (demonstrates love and emotional support)
2.     We will never lie to you. (demonstrates truth and honesty)
3.     We will stick with you until you are grown. (demonstrates security)
4.     There are boundaries; don’t cross them. (demonstrates discipline)

John is a father to so many children who are now vital members of society in almost every walk of life.  Many come home for the holidays. They have been given a view of God through this man, who simply answered a call in his life and was shown a path to give hope to the hopeless.

Lesson: 1 Peter 1:3

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Peter was writing to a group of churches in modern-day Turkey that were suffering at the hands of their Greek and Roman neighbors.  He was reminding them of the hope we have through the resurrection of Jesus.  Peter begins his letter addressing the gentile Christians in these churches as exiles. Their new life in Christ is so foreign to the culture, it’s as if they were exiles in a foreign land even though they lived in their own county.

We feel heartache at injustice, violence and calamity in the world today.  We long for a time of peace and shalom. The apostle Paul refers to it as groaning in ourselves and in all of creation.  In a way, all of humanity is in exile because this world is not our own. Just as the Israelites’ hope was in their restoration in Jerusalem, our hope is in our own reconciliation to God through Jesus, who has defeated sin and death, offering life to all.  We have begun our renewal and restoration with God, which will be complete at our own resurrection into the new Jerusalem.

We have a God that understands our sufferings.  Jesus was misunderstood, abandoned and betrayed by his friends.  As a parent might grieve over a child’s errant ways, Jesus cried: Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. (Matthew 23:37) 

How should we live as exiles, when we are feeling troubled by our surroundings?  Daniel shows us that we can live in the culture without being defined by it.  Jeremiah tells us to live life and pray for peace.  Jesus tells us to love our neighbor, who may be our enemy.  Peter tells us we are blessed when we share in Christ’s suffering.  We can take heart in Psalm 22, which Jesus quotes on the cross, that God hears our cries of forsakenness, that Jesus did not remain in the grave, that we have a living hope in his resurrection.    

Remembrance

Living Hope by Phil Wickham

How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation, I turned to heaven
And spoke Your name into the night
Then through the darkness, Your loving-kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished, the end is written
Jesus Christ, my living hope

Who could imagine so great a mercy?
What heart could fathom such boundless grace?
The God of ages stepped down from glory
To wear my sin and bear my shame
The cross has spoken, I am forgiven
The King of kings calls me His own
Beautiful Savior, I'm Yours forever
Jesus Christ, my living hope

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope

Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Jesus, Yours is the victory, whoa!

Challenge

John Croyle had a desire from a young age to bring hope to kids at risk.  Consider ways in which you can encourage and give hope to others this week.  Your gift of hope could be encouraging words, offering a meal, gifts of time or money to ministries, blood or organ donation, babysitting for a single parent, or something else God may lay on your heart. Be open to His leading this week as you seek His direction for ways to offer hope to others.

Reflection

Evaluate where you have your hopes and dreams.  Your hopes may include your career, your family, your health.  These are all good but consider if they were lost or taken away.  Is your hope also anchored in something everlasting?

Further Growth

Old Testament: Isaiah 41:17-20
Psalm: Psalm 148
New Testament: 1 Peter 3:8-18
Gospel: John 15:1-11

April Week 4

Virtue: Hope
Resolution: I choose to hope in God’s promise that all broken things will be made new.

Human Story: Frederick Douglass (1818 – 1895)

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a 4th of July speech to a sizeable gathering of abolitionists. He was baffled by what he felt was blatant support of slavery in the church:

We have men sold to build churches, women sold to support the gospel, and babes sold to purchase Bibles for the poor heathen!... The slave auctioneer’s bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in religious shouts of his pious master.

He was just as maddened by passive support of slavery in the silence of the church. If Christians were not directly involved in savage acts of slavery, they were, by and large, standing by in silence. Douglass rightly observed that the American church could, by herself, overthrow the terrible system of slavery:

Let the religious press, the pulpit, the Sunday school, the conference meeting, the great ecclesiastical, missionary, Bible and tract associations of the land array their immense powers against slavery and slave-holding; and the whole system of crime and blood would be scattered to the winds; and that they do not do this involves them in the most awful responsibility of which the mind can conceive.

Douglass, born the son of a slave and her white master, became both a voice of hope and fear. He eventually escaped slavery and taught himself to read and write. He became a voice of hope for the millions suffering under systemic oppression and a voice of fear to those who were perpetuating it. He was one of the most visible and outspoken leaders in the abolitionist movement, a leader in championing women’s rights and the first president of the Freedmen’s Savings and Trust Company. Before the end of the 1800s he became known as the “lion of black America.”

Douglass’s faith in Christ led him to be bold and outspoken and to bring hope to thousands and possibly millions. D. H. Dilibeck said of Douglass, “Yet there’s a side of Douglass that’s not often remembered or celebrated: his radical Christian faith. Douglass was a kind of prophet crying in the wilderness of Christian slaveholding America.”

References:
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july
Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass 1854 by Frederick Douglass

Lesson: Isaiah 50:4 (NRSV)

The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens – wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

If there is a word to describe much of our world today, it could be “weary.” People are busy, stressed, cynical, and separated on virtually every topic. In America the response to the question, “How are you doing?” is often “Busy.” The truth is that we are a weary people.

The world of Isaiah was no less weary. The people of Israel were exhausted, living in exile, and trying to make sense of their circumstances. This passage was promising a “servant” that would eventually arrive and be able to sustain the weary with a word. They wanted someone who could deliver a message of hope in the midst of their situation. Jesus eventually came as the ultimate servant predicted in Isaiah and delivered the ultimate message to the weary: I am the resurrection and life! As His followers, Christians must now carry the mantle of pedaling hope in our world. If we don’t, who will?

The world is in desperate need of people who can simultaneously learn humility and speak hope boldly. This rare combination of attributes can be like water on a dry desert, especially in our cynical and polarized country. This balance of humility and hope can be seen in this passage, in Christ, and in healthy Christ followers throughout history.

This passage says that the servant awakens every morning determined to listen. This is a posture of humility, listening and learning. As a result of this posture, the listener has been given the wisdom and ability to speak a word that sustains the weary.

In our human story, Frederick Douglass is a great example of this process. He listened to his people and he listened to God. He spoke out powerfully on behalf of those being oppressed by the evil system of slavery. He delivered a message of hope for hundreds of thousands which resonated with the weary. He spoke up against injustice with boldness and humility which ruffled the oppressor and was a balm to the oppressed.

In many instances, when we speak hope, it won’t resonate with everyone. When we speak hope to the weary, it may agitate others. May we be Christians who mimic the servant in Isaiah by daily listening and learning so that we can understand the world and our culture to such an extent that we can speak words of hope that sustain those who are weary.

Remembrance

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 – 1906) was a brilliant author and activist who was a close friend of Douglass. Dunbar wrote this poem to eulogize Douglass after his passing.

A hush is over all the teeming lists,
   And there is pause, a breath-space in the strife;
A spirit brave has passed beyond the mists
  And vapors that obscure the sun of life.
And Ethiopia, with bosom torn,
Laments the passing of her noblest born.

She weeps for him a mother’s burning tears--
   She loved him with a mother’s deepest love.
He was her champion thro’ direful years,
   And held her weal all other ends above.
When Bondage held her bleeding in the dust,
He raised her up and whispered, “Hope and Trust.”

For her his voice, a fearless clarion, rung
  That broke in warning on the ears of men;
For her the strong bow of his power he strung,
   And sent his arrows to the very den
Where grim Oppression held his bloody place
And gloated o’er the mis’ries of a race.

And he was no soft-tongued apologist;
   He spoke straightforward, fearlessly uncowed;
The sunlight of his truth dispelled the mist,
   And set in bold relief each dark hued cloud;
To sin and crime he gave their proper hue,
And hurled at evil what was evil’s due.

Through good and ill report he cleaved his way.
   Right onward, with his face set toward the heights,
Nor feared to face the foeman’s dread array,--
   The lash of scorn, the sting of petty spites.
He dared the lightning in the lightning’s track,
And answered thunder with his thunder back.

When men maligned him, and their torrent wrath
   In furious imprecations o’er him broke,
He kept his counsel as he kept his path;
   ‘Twas for his race, not for himself he spoke.
He knew the import of his Master’s call,
And felt himself too mighty to be small.

No miser in the good he held was he,--
   His kindness followed his horizon’s rim.
His heart, his talents, and his hands were free
   To all who truly needed aught of him.
Where poverty and ignorance were rife,
He gave his bounty as he gave his life.

The place and cause that first aroused his might
   Still proved its power until his latest day.
In Freedom’s lists and for the aid of Right
   Still in the foremost rank he waged the fray;
Wrong lived; his occupation was not gone.
He died in action with his armor on!

We weep for him, but we have touched his hand,
   And felt the magic of his presence nigh,
The current that he sent throughout the land,
   The kindling spirit of his battle-cry.
O’er all that holds us we shall triumph yet,
And place our banner where his hopes were set!

Oh, Douglass, thou hast passed beyond the shore,
   But still thy voice is ringing o’er the gale!
Thou’st taught thy race how high her hopes may soar,
  And bade her seek the heights, nor faint, nor fail.
She will not fail, she heeds thy stirring cry,
She knows thy guardian spirit will be nigh,
And, rising from beneath the chast’ning rod,
She stretches out her bleeding hands to God!

Challenge

1. Read slowly and intentionally Douglass’ speech about the 4th of July and open your heart to new insight. http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth of-july/

2. Choose to allow God to awaken your heart to be taught by Him. Select a passage to meditate on, asking God to help you listen to His teaching. Write down what He says to you. Here are some suggested passages or choose your own:
            Psalm 103:13-14                     Romans 12:2                1 Corinthians 1
            2 Corinthians 5:21                  Philippians 4:8            1 Peter 2:16-17 

Reflection

What does weariness look like for you? When you feel overwhelmed by circumstances or the state of the world around you, how do you process these feelings? As Isaiah 50:4 states from our lesson, morning by morning God will waken our hearts to listen to Him. May we invite Him into our weariness, and may we continually awaken to His goodness. 

Further Growth

2022: 2nd Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Job 42:1-6
Psalm: Psalm 11
New Testament: Revelation 1:1-19
Gospel: John 20:19-31

2021: 4th Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:1-10
Psalm: Psalm 23
New Testament: 1 John 3:1-10
Gospel: John 10:11-16

2020

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 6:20-25
Psalm: Psalm 66:1-11
New Testament: 1 Peter 2:1-12
Gospel: John 14:1-14

April Week 3

Virtue: Hope
Resolution: I choose to hope in God’s promise that all broken things will be made new.

Human Story: Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983)

Corrie ten Boom demonstrated hope in the face of adversity. She was born into a Dutch Christian family who believed their faith compelled them to serve others in need. For them, serving others was a natural expression of their faith and a way to share with others the hope they had found in Christ. Among the recipients of their kindness included displaced Germans at the end of World War One, numerous foster children, and members of the Jewish community in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

During World War Two, when the Nazi Holocaust began to persecute Jews, Corrie and her family secretly opened their home in Amsterdam as a hiding place for those in danger. Although this act of Christian hospitality placed their own lives at risk, the ten Boom family helped Jewish refugees find other safe houses in an effort to flee the Gestapo. Some estimate that the ten Boom family rescued more than 800 Jews during that time.

In 1944 the family’s home was raided and all ten family members were imprisoned for their efforts. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, were sent to Ravensbrück, a German concentration camp near Berlin. It was during their time at the concentration camp, disconnected from their family, that Corrie and Betsie demonstrated the power of hope in their lives.

Despite rapidly failing health, Betsie maintained a hopeful outlook that encouraged Corrie and, together, they encouraged other prisoners. Betsie also began to make plans for their life outside the camp, even though their release seemed impossible. Among those plans included a home to help rehabilitate former prisoners and even to turn a concentration camp into a mission where they could minister to their German captors and help them learn how to love again. It was Corrie’s and Betsie’s strong faith in God that kept them hopeful even in the midst of their suffering. 

Betsie died while imprisoned at Ravensbrück, but Corrie was released from the camp twelve days later due to a clerical error, which she believed to be God’s providence. Freed from the suffering of the camp, Corrie did not forget Betsie’s plans and returned to the Netherlands. There, after the war, she set up a rehabilitation center for former prisoners and even cared for those who had cooperated with the Nazis. Her hope and faith were greater than any hatred she could have chosen instead. Two years later, she began a ministry which opened doors for her to share her faith and hope in Christ in more than 60 countries over the next 30 years. She also wrote several books, including her autobiography, The Hiding Place, based on Psalm 119:114: “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.”

When thinking about Corrie’s trials—being taken from her home, separated from most of her family, imprisoned at a concentration camp, and watching helplessly as her sister became sick and died—one might consider it reasonable for Corrie to lose hope. Yet, undaunted, she experienced the power of living hope through her faith in Jesus Christ. It was this hope that compelled her to look beyond her circumstances and trials and to continue sharing God’s love with others in need until her death at age 91. It was this hope that allowed her to proclaim, “With Jesus, even in our darkest moments the best remains and the very best is yet to be….”

Lesson: 1 Peter 3:1-9 (NRSV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

These words of hopeful admonition were commissioned by Simon Peter, an early church leader in Rome, and written by his co-worker Silvanus to Christians scattered throughout modern-day Turkey. Peter reminds his readers of the new life and identity given through the resurrection of Christ, and he offers encouragement that faith in Christ brings protection and salvation for one’s soul despite the suffering one may encounter. For followers of Christ, this offers not only hope for our future eternal reward, but also an active hope for each day in the here-and-now. 

Faith in Christ does not exempt us from trials and difficulties. Relationships and possessions may prove to be temporary, and we may suffer because of the actions of others or even from consequences of our own actions. Even then, we can have hope because our souls are safe in Christ who will keep us as we trust in Him. Remembering that Christ rose from the dead and has promised to come again with full victory over evil can fill us with hopeful anticipation.

One way to live out this hope is to pray how Christ taught us—asking for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven so that his kingdom will be established among us. These are more than words we recite as we corporately invite God to allow us to be vessels through which His kingdom principles are realized in our community. It reminds us our hope is not in the systems and structures of this world, but our hope is in Christ. This active hope reminds us that all is well with our souls despite what might be happening around us, and it compels us to share Christ with others through our words, our witness, and our actions. 

Remembrance

A Liturgy for the Ritual of Morning Coffee – Every Moment Holy: New Liturgies for Daily Life

Meet me, O Christ
            In this stillness of morning
Move me, O Spirit
            To quiet my heart.
Mend me, O Father, 
from yesterday’s harms
From the discords of yesterday,
            Resurrect my peace
From the discouragement of yesterday, 
            Resurrect my hope.
From the weariness of yesterday,
            Resurrect my strength
From the doubts of yesterday,
            Resurrect my faith.
From the wounds of yesterday,
            Resurrect my love
Let me enter this new day,
Aware of my need
            And awake
To your grace, 
O Lord
Amen

Challenge

Reflect on the situation of Corrie ten Boom and how distant hope could have seemed. Consider people you know in your community that lived in eras when hope would have also seemed distant (World War II, health issues, financial crisis, death of a child, etc.). Ask them how they found hope during such difficult times and ponder in your heart what they say.

Reflection

Corrie ten Boom was in her 50’s when she was sent to Ravensbrück. Think about how many lives she touched for Christ in the second half of her life because she chose hope instead of anger or bitterness. No matter what your current age, think about how different your life will be in 5, 10 or 20 years based on your choice between hope and bitterness.

Further Growth

2022: Easter Day, Evening Service

Old Testament: Daniel 12:1-3
Psalm: Psalm 136
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Gospel: Luke 24:13-35

2021: 3rd Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Micah 4:1-5
Psalm: Psalm 98
New Testament: 1 John 1:1 - 2:2
Gospel: Luke 24:36-49

2020

Old Testament: Nehemiah 9:6-15
Psalm: Psalm 23
New Testament: 1 Peter 2:13-25
Gospel: John 10:1-10

April Week 2

Virtue: Hope
Resolution: I choose to hope in God’s promise that all broken things will be made new.

Human Story: Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498)

Hope, though a concept which dreams of a better future, is never true hope unless it aims to make the present a better place to be. Hope is expecting new creation to be finally realized as God has promised. Being a person of hope means bringing foretastes and signposts of that new creation in the present. One such individual who did this was Girolamo Savonarola. Born to a wealthy family, Savonarola went against his family’s wishes for him to become a physician and instead became a Dominican friar.

Savonarola was a mature believer. He knew one didn’t have to choose between being academically rigorous and working for justice. He was known for educating others in the deep truths of Scripture, and his preaching attracted people by the thousands. He was also known for his service to the poor and for calling the church to renewal. He taught against luxury, secular art, secular culture, church corruption and exploitation of the poor. He organized periodic “burnings of the vanities,” giving others an opportunity to burn “stuff” that may have been idolatrous in their lives, for he firmly believed that the purpose of life was not in the accumulation of things. His hope for a better day in the future factored into his decision to sell most of the property of his convent and give the proceeds to the poor. His hope for a better future gave him the courage to preach about the evil of luxury and how a life of excess indicated a person’s Christian faith was not truly Christian at all.

Early Protestant reformers including Martin Luther read some of the friar’s writings and praised him as a martyr and forerunner whose ideas on faith and grace informed Luther’s own doctrine of justification by faith alone. The larger Reformation would have been much smaller had it not been for men like Savonarola, whose hope for the future made him work for reformation in the present.

Lesson: Isaiah 40:27-31 (NIV)

Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah’s hope was for a new Jerusalem, and the future hope would come about through a Messianic king. This new Jerusalem was not solely for the benefit of Israel alone, but for all nations. God always chose Israel for the sake of blessing other nations. Israel’s disobedience features prominently in the prophets, as the prophets are calling them to repentance and warning them of what life will look like if they continue on their current path. Isaiah has been warning them of this but then begins to give them a message of hope as seen in our lesson text.

Although some like to speak as if the days keep getting worse and worse, one only has to read a history book to find out that evil has reared its ugly head in every era. Though looking to the past or our current news headlines could lead us to despair, our faith demands that we hold out hope that God will renew all things. As Christians, we know how it all ends. We do not have to despair over uncertainties! Our God is the creator of the universe, and we cannot grasp His wisdom. He works through the powerless and those we typically see as weak. It is this God who will right all wrongs. He sees the oppression taking place. He is aware of the perversion of justice. He will destroy all evil, and this fact should spur us to desire that future fact in the present time. It should also spur us on to devote ourselves to love and good deeds, bringing God’s will to our lives and our community.

Remembrance

After the Last Tear Falls – Andrew Peterson

After the last tear falls, after the last secret's told
After the last bullet tears through flesh and bone
After the last child starves and the last girl walks the boulevard
After the last year that's just too hard

There is love, Love, love, love, There is love, Love, love, love, There is love

After the last disgrace, after the last lie to save some face
After the last brutal jab from a poison tongue
After the last dirty politician, after the last meal down at the mission
After the last lonely night in prison

There is love, Love, love, love, There is love, Love, love, love, There is love

And in the end, the end is oceans and oceans of love and love again
We'll see how the tears that have fallen
Were caught in the palms of the Giver of love and the Lover of all
And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last plan fails, after the last siren wails
After the last young husband sails off to join the war
After the last, this marriage is over
After the last young girl's innocence is stolen
After the last years of silence that won't let a heart open

There is love, Love, love, love, There is love

'Cause after the last tear falls there is love

Challenge

As the human story stated, hope is not true hope unless it aims to make the present a better place to be. Most of us won’t be civic authorities with power to change legislation to aid the oppressed. However, we do have power over a small sphere of life, such as our children, our co-workers, and those who look up to us. If sin didn’t permeate this life, what would look different in how those people live? Take steps to implement the vision that may come as a result of this exercise.

Reflection

Virtues cannot be divorced from one another. As our story indicates, Girolamo Savonarola required love, courage, and hope to make meaningful change in his culture. When you consider broken things or people that need renewal, what are the main virtues that come to mind for that dream to become a reality? Share examples with others as they arise.

Further Growth

2022: Fifth Sunday in Lent, Passion Sunday, Palm Sunday

Old Testament: Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm: Psalm 126
New Testament: Philippians 3:7-16
Gospel: Luke 20:9-19

2021: 2nd Sunday of Easter

Old Testament: Isaiah 26:1-19
Psalm: Psalm 111
New Testament: 1 John 5:1-5
Gospel: John 20:19-31

2020

Old Testament: Isaiah 43:1-12
Psalm: Psalm 116:11-16
New Testament: 1 Peter 1:13-25
Gospel: Luke 24:13-35

April Week 1

Virtue: Hope
Resolution: I choose to hope in God’s promise that all broken things will be made new.

Human Story: Melody Green (1946 - )

Today I have more faith in God’s goodness and ability to provide than ever before. Even when terrible things happen He can turn those things towards our good…but only if we have the patience to wait while we are hurting. –Melody Green

Melody Green, writer of the beloved song “There is a Redeemer”, is not a stranger to grief. Melody had a simple and quiet upbringing near the beaches of California. For lack of a safe place to play as a child, she became well acquainted with nature: the sand, ocean, and sunsets. Although born into a Jewish family who believed strongly that there was a God, Melody’s interaction with nature helped her to believe even more deeply that there was a Creator behind it all. 

In her twenties, Melody dabbled in the hippy drug culture; she studied philosophy, astrology, even Buddhism in order to “find” and connect deeply with God. However, she did not find what she was looking for until years later after she married aspiring musician Keith Green. In 1975, Keith and Melody were invited to a bible study that changed both of their lives forever. It was here that Melody found what she was looking for: Jesus Christ, and her life’s trajectory immediately changed. She and Keith began opening their home to struggling adolescents as a form of ministry, and they hosted dinners with neighbors in their community. Their ministry grew quickly and was established as LDM, Last Days Ministries. They were thriving as a family, both with their ministry and Keith’s music until it all came to a screeching halt. 

In 1982, Keith and two of their young children boarded a small plane for a quick trip, but it crashed only 20 minutes after taking off, leaving no survivors. Melody was left with their one-year-old daughter and she was six weeks pregnant with their fourth child. Speaking of this time in her life, Melody says, “The rug was yanked out from under my whole world that day…Without the Lord and the support of my friends and the LDM community I never would have made it.” 

In spite of this tragedy, Melody went on to continue leading LDM, which has become a large international ministry serving disaster victims, the sick, the needy, and those in need of rehabilitation. In 1985, she rose to the forefront of the Pro-Life Movement, receiving death threats and even being arrested once during a peaceful protest. She also established the Good Neighbor Mercy Fund which has served victims of the Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and others in need.

Today Melody resides in Hollywood, CA. Her daughters are married and follow Jesus, lucky to have a mother who set an example as one who was able to grieve with hope in her Savior.

Lesson: (NIV) 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Some of the Christians at Thessalonica had recently died (most likely due to persecution), and some of the believers there were concerned that those who had died would be at a disadvantage when Jesus returned, possibly missing out on something. Paul reassures them in our text that this is far from the case.

Any notion of the afterlife was a minority opinion amongst the populace in ancient Greco-Roman society. Death was considered final. Archaeologists have uncovered tomb inscriptions in Thessalonica which reflect this hopelessness, with sentiments of death being the end. There was certainly no concept of an afterlife. Paul is telling believers to grieve differently than “the rest who have no hope.” Grieving is assumed. We grieve because sin and death still permeate life, but we grieve knowing that sin and death have been defeated. We grieve knowing that death and evil will finally be eradicated at the consummation of the kingdom, when our hope is fully realized.

Life is full of heartbreak. Grief will most certainly come. When it does, don’t repress your grief; don’t try to explain it away or justify it or pretend you aren’t hurting. Just grieve. But grieve with hope, being assured that, though death may have won the battle, it has most certainly lost the war.

Remembrance

Death, Be Not Proud by John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee 
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; 
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow 
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. 
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, 
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, 
And soonest our best men with thee do go, 
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. 
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, 
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, 
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well 
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? 
One short sleep past, we wake eternally 
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. 

Challenge

We all know people who are hurting. Reach out to someone you know this week who has experienced the death of a loved one. It may be a neighbor, family member, or church member. Let them know you care about them and are remembering their loved one. It just might mean the world to them.

Reflection

Have you had circumstances in your life that have caused you to doubt God’s goodness and despair of hope? Think back to Melody’s story. How do you think she was able to continue in whole-hearted ministry after the death of her husband and two of her children? Remember that she acknowledged it was through her faith in the Lord and her community of friends and co-workers that she was able to carry on. Do you have a faith community you can turn to in times of doubt or struggle or crisis?

Further Growth

2022: Fourth Sunday in Lent

Old Testament: Joshua 5:1-12
Psalm: Psalm 34
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Gospel: Luke 15:11-32

2021: Easter Day

Old Testament: Daniel 12:1-3
Psalm: Psalm 136
New Testament: I Corinthians 5:6-8
Gospel: Luke 24:13-35

2020

Old Testament: Genesis 8:6-16, 9:8-16
Psalm: Psalm 111
New Testament: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Gospel: John 20:19-31

April Introduction

April: Hope

Resolution: I choose to hope in God's promise that all broken things will be made new. 

April is the season on the church calendar when we are in the midst of Lent and move into Easter. This time period is marked by remembrance and contrition and it is somber to be sure. Yet, because of Easter we are not left in despair; in fact, we are given the very opposite habit of the heart: hope. Our resolution for this month captures the Easter vision: I choose to hope in God’s promise that all broken things will be made new.

In Jesus’s resurrection we are caught up in God’s cosmic work of restoring all things to the way they are supposed to be. This is why Paul includes hope among the three elements that remain when all others pass away (1 Cor. 13.13)—hope (along with faith and love) is a central marker of the Christian life. To be a person of hope, in the theological sense, means to have a positive expectation and belief that Jesus will be true to his promise to give life to those who believe in and follow Him. A hopeful person rests in the knowledge that in following Jesus he or she has been marked by the Holy Spirit as God’s own. On that basis, we are given the very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and that shall raise us from the dead. Resurrection is a central aspect of hope in the Christian story. But this concept is broader than merely transcending death. 

Our Easter hope of participating in the resurrection of Christ also calls our attention to the whole of creation. In the Letter to the Romans, Paul lets us know that all of creation awaits redemption (Rom 8.22). We find that the brokenness of the Fall is not limited to humans alone but also extends to all creation. The glory of Easter is that in Christ all brokenness is repaired. Our Advent longings (“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”) and cries for Christ to come and “Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace,” have their initial affirmative deposit in the resurrection. The hopeful Christian, then, expects with sure trust and eagerness God’s good, gracious, and enlivening work to restore to life and wholeness all that is dead and broken. Although we may at times or for seasons struggle with doubt (how will this be made right? how could God repair this?), it does not mean we have lost hope. The opposite of hope and faith is not doubt, but rather despair which is when we have lost all sense of God’s goodness and ability to redeem. Even then, though, God is working to make all things good and to restore even lost hope to those experiencing brokenness. In the season of Easter, we look with hope to God who will restore and repair all brokenness and make all things new.

April: Liturgy

Leader: Almighty Father who miraculously delivered Your people Israel from slavery to Egypt, remind us of our baptism, reassuring us we are no longer enslaved to sin but have been cleansed and forgiven.

People: Father, set us free from things that enslave us.

Leader: Lord Jesus who defeated death by Your resurrection, help us frame death as it truly is – a power that will one day be destroyed, and one that has no final authority over us.

People: Jesus, resurrect Your people and dwell with us.

Leader:  Holy Spirit, the source of all light, give Your church power to restore the broken systems and people of this world. Empower Your people to create beauty in dark spaces and bring new creation to our city, our country, and our world.

People: Spirit, Flood our imaginations with dreams of new creation.