Instead of Worrying, Pray

A few days ago I received a review copy of  a side-by-side Bible comparing the NIV, NKJV, NLT, and The Message. These happen to be the four translations* that I usually use to pull Scripture for the Jesus Boat Facebook page.   It's good to be a reviewer!

I've been thinking about my effort to really focus on the positive and on joy during this Lenten season.  So I was delighted to see that this week's daily scripture readings for Lent 2012 included Philippians 4:1-9 (Friday) and 4:10-20 (Saturday).  Having a comparative Bible has slowed down my reading, but enabled the Spirit to speak to me in fresh new ways.

I love this paraphrase of Philippians 4:4-7 from The Message:

"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! 

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

Shalom y'all!

*technically a paraphrase

Bless This Mess

Credit: Vincelli Designs  http://vincellidesigns.com

I rarely see this phrase anymore, but it was big in the 1970’s. It seemed like every mom had a kitchen wall plaque reading “Bless This Mess”.  Were we an incredibly untidy generation of kids? Or did this sentiment address feelings about the mess our country was in: the last big recession? 

I’m feeling deep in the midst of a mess right now.  The current recession has hit my family hard and we’re looking at some tough choices this year.  Things are getting messy and I approached Ash Wednesday with a heart loaded down with worry.

But something else has been tickling the back of my mind.  Over at the Jesus Boat Blog we’ve been writing about the Psalms this month.  Our bloggers come from different backgrounds, but several of us are battling the economy.  The Psalms are teaching us that God is our stronghold in the midst of trouble.  The Psalmists lay out their troubles (and they are many) but never fail to give praise to God.  It’s an incredible act of defiance against trouble. 

I’m going to try here (and over at my Frugal Family Friend blog) to consciously look for and write about things to praise during the Lenten season.  I need to fix my eyes and thoughts on something other than the ever present bottom line.

To my surprise and delight, one of today’s daily readings was from Habakkuk.  I needed this today and that’s my first praise:  God speaks to us through his word.  He comes to us where we are, as we are, and lifts us up.

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine;
even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength!
He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains.
(Habakkuk 3:17-19)

God Among the Dishes

Martha and Mary.  Mary listens; Martha is busy in the kitchen.  When Martha complains to him, Jesus tells her that Mary has chosen the better portion. [Luke 10:38-42]

My busy-mom mind plays a coda to this story.  

Martha settles down to listen to Jesus. She has completely forgotten about her preparations.  Sometime later, the disciples wander into the dining room, exclaiming, “Dinner’s not ready?”  Martha looks at Jesus and says, “See. I told you so.”

The Lenten season is a busy time in our household, but this season has been unusually hectic.  Take one round-the clock mom job, add the pleasures of potty training, mix in some soccer coaching, and a dash of part-time teaching and you have a recipe for chaos.  Lent is supposed to be a time for reflection and devotion, a time of meditation and listening to the Holy Spirit. Oh, that I could retreat to a quiet place and just sit at Jesus’ feet all day.

But who’s going to fix dinner?

A few years ago our women’s Bible study read The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. This 17th century Carmelite lay brother was in charge of the monastery kitchen, working full time so that the monks would be free to study, pray, teach, and copy manuscripts. He spent his days endlessly cooking and cleaning. At first he detested his menial job. Who wouldn’t? Then he had a breakthrough.

Brother Lawrence discovered that he was spending too much time worrying about himself, that he needed to get back to loving God.  He found that he could do this just as well in the kitchen as in the chapel.  He began to seek--to practice--the presence of God in each of his duties.  He used his time in the kitchen to focus his thoughts on God. After all, somebody had to get dinner on the table.

The most excellent method of going to God is that of doing our common business without any view of pleasing people but purely for the love of God.  (Brother Lawrence)

We ought not to grow tired of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.  (Brother Lawrence)

Jesus didn’t chide Martha for preparing dinner or tell her to forgo her responsibilities.  Luke 10 is not a denunciation of housework any more than Mark 7 advises against hand washing.  Jesus reminded Martha (and us) not to get so worked up about what needs to be done, but to seek and listen to Him, not the worries of a distracted mind. 

Perhaps Martha looked back at her kitchen, thinking a cold buffet supper would be just fine and sat down to listen.  After all, Jesus was an expert at feeding crowds without much fuss and preparation.  Later, as she washed the dishes, she reflected on his words.  I’m guessing that no meal at her house was ever the same.

Lent is our time to practice the presence of God in order to carry on that practice throughout the year. I am challenged to do this. There’s a time to sit and listen, but the dishes won’t wash themselves.  God is everywhere. And when I seek Him, I will find Him, even among the dishes.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Col 3:23-24)

Giving Up

“What are you giving up for Lent?” 

I haven’t heard that question as much this year as in years past.  The practice of giving something up, of fasting, is what most people associate with Lent.  It’s a practice that I grapple with each year.  Should I fast from something?  What would it mean spiritually?  Would I fast alone--since it’s not a communal practice in any of the churches I’ve attended?

I never want to fast for the sake of fasting.  To do that would put fasting into the same category as New Year’s resolutions: easily made, easily broken. I don’t want a fast to become just a Lenten diet--abstaining from sweets and hoping to lose a pound or two.  I don’t have a good background in the spiritual discipline of fasting, so I’m unsure of how to fast so that it helps me grow closer to God.

So I did a little research.

Fasting is grounded in the scriptures that are read during Lent.  In liturgical churches, the verses read on the first Sunday of Lent are all from the story of Christ’s temptation.  After his baptism, Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights. (Matt 4:2) Jesus experienced deprivation, hunger, and temptation.  We identify with Christ’s suffering through fasting.

Food fasts are the most common type.  My Catholic friends don’t eat meat on Fridays and some parishes hold a “fish fry” fellowship on Friday nights.  Believers who fast from food--sweets, snacks, or entire meals--often donate the money they would have spent to charity.  

A second type of fast is to abstain from something that is done purely for pleasure, such as watching TV or clothes shopping.  Unlike food fasts there’s no physical reminder of the fast, which practitioners use to help them grow spiritually.  Therefore the choice of fast needs to have meaning.  Would I fast from TV to see if I could do it--to develop self-discipline?  Or would I just record the shows on my DVR to watch after Easter?  What’s tricky here is that Lent shouldn’t be something that causes Jesus to become the spoilsport or believers to grumble like a kid on 40-day restriction. The idea behind this type of fast is to eliminate some of the clutter from the schedule--to allow more space for the Sprit to move.

The most important component to fasting, and one that can be overlooked, is to find out what has power and authority in our lives, what causes us to sin.  A mom and local blogger has declared a fast from yelling at her kids.  Some bishops have advocated giving up texting, social networks, and online gaming--getting out of the virtual world and reconnecting with the self, with God, and with those physically present in our lives.  The concept here is to identify, confess, and root out sin in our lives so that the Lenten fast will continue past Easter and become part of our Christ-filled lives.

So what am I giving up for Lent?   I’m taking aim at one of my gluttonous habits.  I’m a habitual evening snacker, eating for no reason other than the pleasure of eating.  So I’m giving up my post-dinner handfuls of whatever I can root out of the pantry.  When I get the urge to chew I’m reminded to be thankful for ways that God has blessed me and conscious of those who have little to eat. I read my Bible.  I even write about fasting.  And hopefully, I won’t give up giving up when Lent is over.  The next step in this process is to decide how to turn my fast into a blessing for someone else, perhaps a donation to our local food pantry or Salvation Army.

So how about you? Are you ready to give up?

Ash Wednesday Reflections

When I was single, my friends and I would attend Ash Wednesday services at church, then go out for something to eat.  [Clearly, I did not belong to a church that emphasized fasting.]  As we sat around the table at Village Inn, we’d remark that perhaps we shouldn’t be sitting here, with our ash-marked foreheads, eating pie. Ash Wednesday seemed to call for something more somber. But there we were, marked for Christ, yet celebrating.

But that is what Ash Wednesday is all about.

Ash Wednesday services are sobering.  The ashes remind us of both our mortality and our sin. Play time is over. It’s time to sit up and pay attention. We’re taken back to the Garden of Eden--to man’s fall.  “From dust you are and to dust you will return,” Genesis 3:19 reminds us. With bluntness, scripture tells us that our earthly life is finite. 

Ash Wednesday services are honest.  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” cried John the Baptist in the wilderness of Judea. (Matt 3:2)  Jesus preached this very same message throughout his earthly ministry. (Matt 4:17)  The ashes we wear are an echo of the sackcloth and ashes worn in repentance. (Job 42:6, Matt 11:21) Ash Wednesday causes us to be honest with ourselves, to face our sinful nature and admit our need for a Savior.  With the imposition of ashes on our foreheads, we publicly proclaim this fact.

Ash Wednesday services are hopeful. In her book The Liturgical Year, Joan Chittister writes, “Clearly, the voice of Lent is not a dour one. It is a call to remember who we are and where we have come from and why.  The voice of Lent is the cry to become new again, to live on newly no matter what our life has been like until now and to live fully.”  While we have sinned, we are not without hope. As believers we are saved through Jesus, who forgives our sins and redeems us through his death and resurrection.  At the end of the service, everyone in the sanctuary bears the mark of hope, the ashen cross on our brows.  

Ash Wednesday services are joyful.  Because of Christ’s death on the cross, we have new life in Him. Scripture remind us that God remembers His people, that he will forgive our wickedness and remember our sins no more. (Heb 8:12)  Ash Wednesday causes us to confess, to turn away from sin.  We hear the good news. We wear the cross. Easter is coming.

We silently exit the sanctuary, foreheads cross-marked for Christ, hearts sweet with celebration.

Lent: Spring Training for the Soul

Lent--the very name conjures up images of self-denial, of giving up chocolate or television.  Perhaps it evokes memories of fish sticks served in the school cafeteria on Friday.  Perhaps it means nothing at all. 

What is Lent?  Who celebrates? Where did it originate?  And does it hold any relevance at all for Protestant Evangelicals?

Lent--the 40-weekday period preceding Easter--begins on Ash Wednesday. Catholics traditionally celebrate Lent as a time of penance and fasting, a time of self-examination and recommitment.  Protestants, on the other hand, are mixed in their observance of Lent. Some attend Ash Wednesday services and observe Maundy Thursday with communion.  For others, it’s merely a passing reference to the days before Easter.

There’s no scriptural command to observe Lent.  It developed from three traditions. Early Christians observed a brief fast in the days before Easter, a fast that lengthened over time to 40 days.  The second tradition included a period of intense preparation that new converts underwent before baptism on Easter Sunday.  The third tradition involved welcoming back penitent sinners who had fallen away and wished to rededicate themselves to Christ. Lent, therefore, became a time of dedication, of self-scrutiny,  and of bringing oneself under the Lordship of Jesus Christ once again.

Evangelicals are mixed in our feelings toward Lent.  Scripture tells us that we don’t need to observe special days or seasons. (Gal. 4:10)  Yet Paul allows that some may consider one day more sacred and regard that day as special to the Lord, while another considers each day alike, but still gives thanks to God. (Rom 14:5-7) There is room for the work of the Holy Spirit in each heart.

So why should we care about Lent?

Perhaps the best analogy I’ve heard this year is that Lent is a Christian’s “Spring Training.”    Each spring professional baseball players come together to practice as a team, to work out the problems of last season, and get themselves into shape. Everybody’s supposed to report-- eager, young rookies, seasoned players, out-of-shape nobodies and sleek superstars. Everyone needs to prepare for the regular season.

Likewise we can use Lent to get ourselves into spiritual shape.  We come together as a community of faith--from the weakest sinner to the prayer warrior. We examine ourselves and strengthen our souls through Bible study, prayer, and worship. We pray for the Holy Sprit’s guidance. We renew our commitment to Christ.

Lent commences on February 17, 2010 with Ash Wednesday.  Interestingly enough, this year it’s the same day that pitchers and catchers begin reporting for Spring Training.  

Are you ready to report?