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Lent

Stepping Forward

Dear friends, we know God will make a way where it seems there is none. What will define us? What will shape our witness and way ahead? Real people will know we are Christian by our love! Jesus’ love defines us more than domination; guides our witness in all situations!

We step forward as one together in the Spirit, giving our heart to love God in Jesus Christ, as much as giving the hats of gloves and coat off our back, walking for homelessness or hunger, marching into Bronson Park for every cause symbolized in our waving palms.

holy spirit as lens to see Jesus

Seeing Jesus

I firmly believe that Christians of good will can disagree on many issues. I will, however, say, as it is written in the Theological Declaration of Barman – one of the confessional documents of the Presbyterian church – that I reject the idea that there are areas of my life that do not belong to Jesus. I reject the idea that I can talk about the life and witness of Jesus, the death and resurrection of Jesus without talking about how it is relevant in every aspect of my life today. And I will suggest that seeing Jesus as Jesus defines himself forces us to ask some difficult questions.

Participating in the Parade

Sixth Sunday in Lent Matthew 21:1-11; Philippians 2:1-11 Participating in the Parade – I saw a sort of parade in our nation’s Jerusalem. On my way to a church conference about this time last year, I borrowed a car from a friend in D.C. I flew to Baltimore and arrived by train at Union Station with a little extra time. So I headed toward the Capitol, about to cross Constitution Avenue … helicopters arrived overhead and sirens blared down the hill toward the Washington Monument and the White House.

Me, Repent? What For?

Fifth Sunday in Lent; Daniel 9:3-10; Mark 1:9-15 – How we are doing in this holy season of Lent, now that we’re more than half way through? Perhaps not a bad time to pause and ask ourselves, “How’s it going?”, it being the spiritual and moral spring cleaning appropriate to the season.

callout - Seth

Seeing Clearly

Fourth Sunday in Lent; 1 Samuel 16:1-13; John 9:1-41 – We try to see what God sees and wants for our world. In Lent we try to focus the eyes of our hearts even more. In this story, Jesus heals a man who’s physically blind. And like all of the gospels, it’s really about Jesus, how people see him. Through John’s literary development and theological revelation, notice where Jesus is or not in the story, and when the man who is healed actually sees him.

Thirsty

Third Sunday in Lent; Exodus 17:1-7; John 4:5-42 – Hebrews on Exodus through the desert, Jesus and the woman at the well … they seek H2O. And these stories are really about the Holy One without whom we cannot live. What truly nourishes us for a good life and a strong faith? What makes our hearts thirsty for God, for a libation of love, a gulp of grace?

Cleaning the Mirror

First Sunday in Lent; Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11 – The Bible tells stories of vulnerable people in difficult circumstances, and sometimes particularly blessed and powerful situations; decisions they face and make; ugliness they uncover or beauties they discover. Hear what the Spirit may say.