"Welcome to the Chart Room"

I have been in the midst of the BRAVE journey with Crossroads and many other churches in our city.  Recently, I spent some time going through the BRAVE experience at CityLink Center.  This interactive prayer experience was one that provided some hands on tools to further explore the places in which God has been calling us as individuals to be brave.

***

I walk into the Chart Room not knowing what to expect. 

I am met by two huge wooden tables that look as though they have maps on them underneath a sheet of glass.  They are surrounded by well lit alcoves filled with messages inviting me to chart out a course. 

The track playing through the headphones I am wearing tells me to look for the message that connects with my heading.

My heading during this BRAVE journey has been: “Find a woman of peace.” 

I landed on this after reviewing a few things the BRAVE app pulled up for me to consider—where I want to be less stressed, where I need change, something I want to do, and looking at my “next spiritual step.”  It was this last area that really drew my attention, since all of these other items felt like areas where I have actively been make changes in my life recently. 

In looking at the spiritual progression—from seeking truth, to receiving Jesus, to focusing on obedience—I really am at the place where these are a part of my story, but I need to step towards replicating my faith in others.  This is something that I have been open to for a long time; and in some ways I think this happens on some level in snippets with many people I meet daily.  I am a teacher and love to share the things I am learning.  I also have the privilege of doing this daily with my Little Love.  However, I am constantly challenged by the stories I hear of others in our community at Crossroads who are actively and intentionally moving with a purpose to disciple others in their lives, encouraging and guiding them along as they seek Jesus in the midst of their life in a more disciplined and regular way. 

I don’t know how pursue this, really.  It doesn’t seem like something I can make happen.  So in some ways this brave challenge seemed to be the one that would require me to trust God to act most.  In the end, that is why I picked this heading. 

Truthfully, it feels risky to me, because I see no way of accomplishing all this on my own. 

However, after too many times of failing, I have learned that when I build up plans in my own way, they fall far short of what I hope for or expect.  God’s way is always better.  I sense that God has been in the midst of the formation of this heading, but nothing in my life at the moment really seems to suggest that this can be accomplished.  Certainly not in six weeks. 

Yet, I’m choosing to follow.  That’s what it is to be obedient, right?  I think of the disciples.   Jesus often asked them to go and do things that probably seemed a bit odd to them.  Yet,they followed and discovered things just as he told them they would be.  I wonder what I will find.

When I am asked to sum all this thinking up in six words or less, I remembered a phrase I have heard used around Crossroads to describe the way they encourage discipleship—“find a person of peace.” 

This phrase was meant to refer to the passage where Jesus sends out his twelve disciples in Matthew: 

^“ Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave.  As you enter the home, give it your greeting.  If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.  If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”  -Matthew 10:11-14, NIV

It is a phrase to express that our time is best spent sharing the good news and fostering growth in someone who is a willing recipient.  This person is a “person of peace.” 

I have all this in mind as I set my heading.  “Find a woman of peace.” 

I think about all of this in the Chart Room as I look around in these nooks trying to find a message that speaks to me. 

It is the sign that says   “I AM THE AUTHOR OF PEACE” that I keep coming back to.

There is something in this proclamation of God’s character makes me pause. 

I grab a brochure and sit down to consider this.

I am struck by the idea that in this journey to “find a woman of peace” it is God who is the author of peace.  He wants to bring His peace to my life.  I am also amazed by the thought that just as He brings His peace into my life I can trust He will prepare a person of peace for me; and as I consider this, I begin to think that perhaps this journey to find a woman of peace is not primarily an external thing.  I didn’t see that coming! 

As I Set Sail I am aware of God’s love for me.  I am aware of his provision.  I am aware that He wants my good, as I seek him and desire to be part of His vision, where disciples reproduce.  He wants me to be a woman of peace.

I step into the Storm Room and take a seat on steps.   I watch as people walk out on the water.  Like Peter, when Jesus says, “Come,” these people step out in faith.  The waves are churning and still they go.  I spy a spot high up and walk across the waters where I find a place to rest on the edge of a wave.

I sit and think about the storms that have been raging in me during this BRAVE journey.  Fear is something I have battled again and again in my life.  This time fear comes in the form of a full life.  How does this challenge fit into it?  I am not sure I see that yet.  I am afraid of being overwhelmed.  Yet, I realize, Jesus knows my capacity better than I do. 

I keep coming back to that chart room message: “I am the author of peace.”

All I can think is that God will take care of finding a woman of peace.  He wants me to concentrate on the internal journey of finding my peace in Christ.

With this revelation I move into the sanctuary.

I move through in the sand up to the front and find a spot to sit on a wooden bench.

I sit and listen to the music.

I lift up praise.

I thank God for speaking to me.

It is good to rest here in His presence.

In His presence I find peace.

As the minutes pass and I finally stand to leave.  I leave knowing that I do not go alone.

The peace of Christ goes with me.  He is with me wherever I go.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  -John 14:27 NIV

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we seek Christ and step boldly into the plans He has laid out for us—especially when they seem bigger than we can handle.  May we find that He is the peace in the midst of the stormy places.  May we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.  May we discover that He never leaves us or forsakes us.  May we come to know His faithfulness anew.

Jessica :)


A big thank you to my dear husband for capturing some photos of the prayer experience for me.  It wasn't until long after I returned I wished I had thought to pull out my camera!

Isaiak!

I pull her out of her seat at the table and set her on the ground as the next song begins to play off my phone. 

My Little Love runs into the next room as the words begin, “Isaiah 6:1-3.” 

“Isaiak!” she squeals, running back towards me. 

(She may or may not have Isaiah the prophet crossed with baby Isaac who we read about last night.  Or perhaps, it is Isaiah 6 she is trying to say.  I am not totally sure.  I smile at her.) 

“Yes.  Isaiah 6,” I affirm. 

I run downstairs to move some laundry over while she runs around on the wood floors—exploring, dancing, repeating the location of the verses in the song over and over.  “Isaiak.  Isaiak.  Isaiak.”   

The song plays on. 

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, sitting upon a throne high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him stood the seraphim, each had six wings: With two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

-Isaiah6:1-3 (ESV) 

When she hears the word “Holy” she stops. 
  

It has been a word that she has been using for weeks or maybe even months now.  Holy and beloved.  Silent night, holy night.  She hears it and usually enters into her own moment of calling out, “Holy.  Holy.  Holy.” 

She sings “holy" at the table.

She sings “holy” while she plays.

She sings “holy” in her car seat.

She sings “holy” in the middle of the grocery store.  (This one surprised me.  But sure enough, the words to the music, as we rolled through the baking aisle in Meijer searching for food coloring, were saying just that.)

She sings “holy” as she lies in my arms before bed. 

I am amazed by this Little Love.  The way she is so observant and attentive causes me to pause.  As she begins to sing “Holy,” once again, with such earnestness and joy, I stop.  I don’t want to miss it! 

The God she sings about is holy.   

This moment we are living right now, holy.  It is a chance to live worship. 

And this holy God?  He calls me his chosen one, holy and beloved. 

Something in my heart changes in these moments.  I can’t help but think of Moses standing before the burning bush as God says, “Take off your sandals, for where you are standing is holy ground”(Exodus 3:5).

I can’t help but smile.  I can’t help but join her in this chorus:   

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.” 

Because He is holy.  This is a moment to worship.  This moment is one in which I am invited to put on love. 

And so I do. 

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we stop to embrace each moment as one to be lived worshipping the Holy One,  humbled to be called God’s holy and beloved children, and standing on holy ground. 

Jessica :)  

P.S.  Family Seeds Worship is wonderful.  It is Scripture set to music.  We usually listen at breakfast to begin the day off with God's Word.  We do more if my Little Love asks throughout the day, which she often does.  By listening she is memorizing Scripture and she doesn't even realize she is doing it.  I love that she is hiding God's word in her heart with such joy.

Knots*

Thinking of this poem after choosing to walk into fear and out in freedom on the other side this week.  Giving thanks for moments like these as tough as they are.

The knots in my stomach—

Tighten and Constrict.

On and off.

Again and again.

All. Day.

As the thought of tonight’s event

Forms in my mind—

Drawing closer and closer,

Minute by minute.

A knot is added to a lengthening chain—

New people—new knot.

Alone to navigate a new place—another knot.

And it feels like I’d rather not go.

I’ve a swirled chain rattling my interior.

And I think I just might be sick.

So I gasp air and grab hold of Truth—

“God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity.”

Deep breath.  Relax.  Believe.

“The spirit God gives is power, love, and self-discipline.”

My mind assents.

The knot remains.

So too, the Truth.

Two forces battling—

One solid rock.

Other shifting sand.

I breathe deep and go forth clinging to Truth.

I walk in the reality of the moment—

One step in front of the other—

Anxiety is quelled.

 

Taking one moment at a time.

Immersed in that solid Truth.

The Spirit God goes with me.

Giving courage to tackle

One obstacle at a time.

His presence near.

The knots relax—slow.

Truth has won.

Peace reigns.

And the joyous glow of His victory

Burns brightly in my heart.

Sometimes discipleship is like this--clinging tightly to Truth and trusting God one step at a time.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we cling to Truth and push through fear trusting God, one step at at time.  May we discover that He is able to walk us through more than we think we can handle.  May we find joy in the freedom that follows obedient faith.

Jessica :)

*Reposted from the archives

The Good Life

It has been quiet around this space the last few weeks. 

In my home the days have been full of celebrations, decisions, viruses, prayer, people and life as usual.  The thoughts have been many.  Even so, the words have not come clearly or easily.  I’ve left this space to live life.  I return as the thoughts settle and the work of putting them into practice begins.

In the midst of a lot of reading I have been seriously thinking about the way we are to live out our relationship with God and what that means in the context of family.  

“This is the commandment, the rules and regulations, that God, your God, commanded me to teach you to live out in the land you’re about to cross into to possess. This is so that you’ll live in deep reverence before God lifelong, observing all his rules and regulations that I’m commanding you, you and your children and your grandchildren, living good long lives.

Listen obediently, Israel. Do what you’re told so that you’ll have a good life, a life of abundance and bounty, just as God promised, in a land abounding in milk and honey.

Attention, Israel!

God, our God! God the one and only!

Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!

Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:1-9 MSG

A few things stand out to me.  This is about the good life God wants us to live with Him.  It begins with me loving God first.  It is about my husband loving God first.  Out of that love we lead our child to love God.  This makes sense.  I cannot pass on what I do not have.  All of this is an all day every day, in every way you can, every chance you get way of life.

Along with this, I have been struck by the sensory nature of the symbolic elements and celebrations in Scripture.  We are made with bodies—able to see, smell, touch, taste, and hear—for a reason.  

With all of this in mind, I have been considering what it looks like to live mindful of these things.  I have to say I have a long way to go!

In the midst of all this, I am very aware that kingdom life is not about right actions, but allowing God to cultivate in me a right heart that leads to them.  This good life is what I want to be cultivated in me and around me (my family, my neighbors, my friends). 

I hope to be sharing more soon.  

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we seek to live the good life God has for us when we trust him.  May we discover that as we get his love and his commands inside our hearts it leads to transformed lives. 

Jessica :)

A New Variation

The beat goes on.

But the rhythms—

they’re changing.

So I pause…

in pregnant

Rest.

Preparing for a new movement,

a shift in life’s seasons.

Embracing the gift of what has been,

while looking to intentionally step into what will be.

It will be a new variation.

Its core Essence the same

As Jason and I explore rhythms with Crossroads I find myself wondering what rhythms of life will be like with the addition of a Little Love.  Maybe it will look a little like this?

I think of how I have taught and read about spiritual rhythms.  I think of how during pregnancy I have been trying to be open to changing rhythms while still keeping Christ central to them.  I think of our family rhythms—the ones we have followed well and the ones where we have sometimes skipped a beat or two.  I think about the patterns worth holding onto and others that can be let go.  I think about others that are, as yet, unknown and untried. 

I want to be intentional in the way I live as a person, a wife, a parent.  I want to be intentional about the way we live as a family.

I think this is the most important thing—to let Christ shape the rhythms that form and change as life does too. 

So I’m waiting in this pregnant pause...

…and choosing to trust the One who will pick the variation for the next season in life.

I know Him.  His Essence is will permeate whatever it holds.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we step into each new season of life surrendered to Christ and allowing him to lead us to the rhythms of abundant life.

Jessica :)

P.S.  Just in case you were curious about the rhythms series this was the video portion of a video/live rhythmic immersion.  Enjoy!

Wholly His, Holy Life

“John is seeing the holiness of God manifested in the life of the church as it lives in the world.”

When I read it in the Revelation study I’ve been working my way through something is stirred—a memory opens up. 

Didn’t I pen something like that—living holy and others seeing God?  I wonder as I run to the kitchen for an ice pack.

When I finish reading, I search through files of poetry from a few years back and find it—a few untitled lines, written in June 2011.

As I read them, I begin to remember something else.  These lines were inspired by Scripture and I was stirred enough to encourage my small group with the thoughts I had been thinking about. 

I wonder.  What was that Scripture?

I think I was reading through Hebrews or James about then.

I pull up my email and go searching through old sent mail.  After a few dead ends, I find it, a line of Scripture and a few wonderings.

  

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many”  Hebrews 12:14-15

I wondered to my friends. 

Is it when we live life wholly His that we live holy lives?

And in living this way, wholly His, that through the things we say and the things we do, we pour forth the grace of God so “no one misses the grace of God”?

I read it and smile.

This.  This is the way we are meant to live in this world.  The more I read through Revelation, the more I become convinced of this.  When we live wholly His, we live manifesting the holiness of God to the world around us.

The words of Robert Mulholland, about the bowl imagery I’ve been reading through, come to my mind once again:

“To be part of the community of God’s people means—to become part of God’s response to the rebellion; to be drawn into the very being and nature of God so as to be shaped in the image and likeness of God; to be thrust out in the midst of Fallen Babylon to participate in God’s costly, redemptive response to the rebellion.  The vision portrays this meaning in the bowls, which, on the one hand are the prayers of the saints that open them to the shaping presence of God, and, on the other hand, being filled with the presence of God, are then poured out into the life of the world” (p.97)

I am struck by the way the lines I penned two years ago are in such alignment with what I’ve been reading about today, the bowls.  I would never have imagined it.

When I am wholly given to God

A life of grace pours forth—

Light, a shining beacon in this dark world

Mirror spilling out radiance

Present reminder of His glory.

A surrendered vessel

I live holy

And the world sees the Lord.

What a gift He has given to me by leading me back to these words of poetry today.

They are a gift He is reminding me to live--wholly His, a holy life-- as a surrendered vessel (a bowl filled with the presence of God and poured out) so others around me do not miss the grace of God.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we live wholly God’s.  In this may we find that we live holy—pouring out the grace of God on everyone we meet.  When they encounter us may others see the Lord.

Jessica :)



Scripture Reads

It is an activity I have often led in leadership trainings and participated in while on retreats. 

Often it is called lectio divina. Yet, tonight as I sit at Last Wednesday, Chuck and Andrea don’t call it that.  Instead, they strip the practice down to its core and call it what it is—listening to God through His Word.

They teach.

He is always speaking through His Word. 

“For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

As we read Scripture, Scripture is reading us, they say.

They challenge.

Do we take time to stop and listen to God in His Word?

They lead.

As an auditorium of many, we stop to practice. 

We read and listen for God to speak.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25

As I read, it stands out to me like words bolded on the page, calling out to my heart: 

“Hold unswervingly to the hope” and “he who promised is faithful.”

In the minutes that follow I am invited to consider what God might be trying to say to me.  I read the passage again and the context provides the key to what I think God is trying to tell me.

I don’t really like it.  This is about my attitude, my bad attitude.  I can hold to it or I can hold unswervingly to my hope trusting that he who promises is faithful.

I sit in the midst of an unwelcome confrontation.  Will I receive what I think God is speaking to me?

At the moment, I think I am very happy with my bad attitude.  Will I let it go?

Chuck challenges us to “share what you think you heard with someone from your tribe and act on it” before we go to bed tonight.  He has already shared that it is often in sharing what we think we hear that we receive confirmation (“Yes that sounds like God based on His Word and character"), correction (“No that’s not God” or further insight), and encouragement.

I am not looking forward to this sharing, but I am determined to do it. 

On my way home, I try to brainstorm ways of avoiding this assignment altogether.  However, in the end, I realize I will either do it or not, with this task there is no half-way.

When Jason asks about Last Wednesday I dodge, preferring to listen to him share why he wasn’t able to come late like he hoped.

We carry on with what is left of our evening—comparing baby items online—until I finally work up the courage to share what I think I heard God say to me.

In this, I pour out what I’m ashamed to admit to him—my bad attitude spilling out real and ugly.  Somehow it seems even uglier when it is out in the open.  I think I’m beginning to recognize this attitude for what it really is—toxic.  When I think of this, I’m not quite so happy with it anymore.  

Still, I hold to it defiantly—waiting. 

I am waiting for the words of correction to painfully whip across my heart. 

Instead, my husband gracefully draws me close and speaks.  Far from stinging censure, his words are gentle, but pointed.  His words bring the perspective I need.  They help me see what I could not see before.  What he says changes everything.  

All at once, I am broken for the way I have been rigid, inflexible and critical.  I have been trying to control this situation and in doing so I have been everything but loving. 

After I take it all in, I turn toward Jason and apologize for how I have made things difficult for him.  The tears trickle as I tell him I want to be a helpful partner in the midst of this situation.  I tell him I want to respond compassionately and live trusting the Faithful One to work out all I hope for in the midst of something I am unable to control.

In the midst of this, he affirms me and gives me encouragement.

I look into his kind eyes and realize that my dread is gone.  The toxins have been drawn out.  I feel free somehow.  I find I am softened at heart and ready to respond to all that God has spoken to me.

I wonder at it all.

I walk upstairs to get ready for bed thankful and lifting up praise for the beginning of His transformation in me.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we listen to God—in His Word—seek counsel from our tribe, and follow where He leads.  May we find that He is good and works for ours.

Jessica :)

Excited

It has been a week full of the unexpected.

Because of this I am going to enjoy a little rest today and leave you pondering the quote I have been thinking about since I read it earlier this week in Reliving the Passion.

“Always, always he is manifest in those whom he has excited.”  -Walter Wangerin Jr.

***

Grace and peace be ours in abundance as we are daily excited by Christ.  May we find that He is indeed manifest in our lives.

Jessica :)

Ash Wednesday: A Prayer Space

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10

Today is Ash Wednesday.  Here at A Becoming Life I am setting aside space for us to mark the beginning of Lent well.  Today's post is a  prayer experience. It is based on a time of prayer I designed in 2011 using Phyllis Tickle’s Lenten book, Eastertide.  You may notice the post is significantly longer than usual due to the reflective way it will guide you through a time of worship designed for Ash Wednesday.  Please take your time and linger as the Holy Spirit leads.

Things to know:

There will be seven points where you are asked to pause and consider something.  Notice the Scripture first.  It will set the tone for reflection.  Next, take a look at what you are being invited to consider.  These are meant as conversation starters between you and God.  You may find that at some places you will linger long and others you will move through more quickly.  This is to be expected. 

You might find it helpful to have a journal or something to write on as you go through the post. 

Take a moment to grab a black marker, a couple of slips of paper you would like to post around your home, and an object that is beautiful or pleasing to you.  By doing this now, you can fully participate without having to go in search of something a bit later.

Acknowledgements to be given:

All Scripture (except the Jonah passage), the Litany of Penance, the Concluding Prayer of the Church, and the Appointed Prayer of the Week appear in this post as they do in Eastertide.  They have been used with permission of the author.

My dear mother-in-law has put together the downloadable prayer for us to use this week.  I am extremely thankful that she has been generous with her time and talents.

Have a wonderful time connecting with God.  May you find that as you spend time in God's presence He leads you to mark this Lent well, walking it with Him. 

Grace and peace,

Jessica :)

***

“All your works praise you, O LORD, and your faithful servants bless you.

They make known the glory of your kingdom and speak of your power.” Psalm 145:10-11

Ann Voskamp writes: “We give to God when we give thanks.”

Begin this time of worship by lifting up specific things that you give thanks to God for in your life.  These items might be events, actions, or people in your life that come to mind.  They may be something that happened today, this week, this month, or more generally. 

Take a moment to write them down or voice them aloud. 

As you do so you “make known the glory of God’s kingdom and speak of His power.”    

***

“Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies.” Psalm 28:2

Psalm 26:2  says: “Test me, O Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind.” 

Make this cry your own. 

Take some time to be introspective.  What might God discover in your heart* and your mind if He were to examine them. 

Take note of the things that come to mind—both positive and negative.  Voice these to God.  Perhaps you would like to stand and lift your hands as you do, asking God to “Hear the voice of your prayer as you cry out.” 

*If you are wondering about what the heart is exactly, Proverbs 4:23 says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence for from it flow the springs of life."  Additionally, Dallas Willard writes that, “The heart is where the decisions and choices are made for the whole person.” 

***

  

“But now—declares Yahweh—come back to me with all of your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.  Tear your hearts and not your clothes, and come back to Yahweh, your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love.”   Joel  2:12-13

God is good.  He does not leave us in a place of recognizing the dark places of our heart, only to despair.  Instead, He invites us to come to Him, to lay these unsavory qualities, attitudes, and things we have done at His feet.  He invites us to confess and to repent of our sin.  To repent means to turn away from and begin walking in a new and opposite direction, towards Christ.

Read the Litany of Penance; and make this prayer your prayer.  Read it in the way that seems natural to you—quietly or aloud.  When you have finished move on to the next reflection.  (If you need some time to really feel in an authentic attitude of repentance wait a bit before you read the prayer.) 

Litany of Penance

Most holy and merciful Father:

I confess to you and to the whole communion of saints

In heaven and on earth,

That I have sinned by my own fault

In thought, word and deed;

By what I have done, and by what I have left undone.

I have not loved you with my whole heart, and mind, and strength.  I have not

Loved my neighbor as myself.  I have not forgiven others, as I have been forgiven.

Have mercy on me, Lord.

I have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us.  I have not been true to

The mind of Christ.  I have grieved your Holy Spirit.

Have mercy on me, Lord.

I confess to you, Lord, all of my past unfaithfulness:  the pride, hypocrisy, and

Impatience of my life

I confess to you, Lord.

My self-indulgent appetites and ways, and my exploitation of other people,

I confess to you, Lord.

My anger at my own frustration, and my envy of those more fortunate than I,

I confess to you, Lord.

My intemperate love of wordly goods and comforts, and my dishonesty in

Daily life and work,

I confess to you, Lord.

My negligence in prayer and worship, and my failure to commend the faith

That is in me,

I confess to you, Lord.

Accept my repentance, Lord, for the wrongs I have done: for my blindness to

Human need and suffering, and my indifference to indulgence and cruelty,

Accept my repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward my neighbors, and

For my prejudice and contempt towards those who differ from me,

Accept my repentance, Lord.

For my waste and pollution of your creation, and my lack of concern for those

Who come after us,

Accept my repentance, Lord.

Restore me, good Lord, and your anger depart from me,

Favorably hear me for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in me and all of your church the work of your salvation,

That I might show forth all your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son, our Lord,

Bring me with your saints to the joy of His resurrection.

***

“The Ninevites believed God.  They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.  When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.  Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: 

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.  But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth.  Let everyone call urgently on God.  Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.  Who knows?  God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.”  Jonah 3:5-10

In ancient times, ashes were used to symbolize mourning.  Dusting oneself with ashes was a symbol of expressing sorrow for sin and faults, a way of pleading to God in an act of repentance.  In the Old Testament, Job says to God: “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”  When you understand the symbolism of ashes in this context, it may not surprise you that Ash Wednesday is traditionally a day of repentance and remembering.

On the cross, Jesus took upon himself the sin and pain of the world, including the things you spent time confessing just a few minutes ago.  Pick up your black marker* or take some time to find one now.  Use it to draw on your hand or on a piece of paper the symbol of a cross as an act of repentance and recognition that when “we confess our sin Christ is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9.  As you look at the symbol of the cross on your hand throughout the rest of your day, be reminded of what Christ has done for you.

*Sadly, I have no way of providing ashes across this digital medium. This marker will be used in lieu of ashes and not on the forehead.  If you plan to attend an Ash Wednesday service today you will likely have ashes marked on your forehead in the shape of a cross.  The ashes are made of the palms used last Palm Sunday and are usually mixed with oil to form a paste for use on Ash Wednesday.

***

“Weigh my heart, summon me by night, melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.

I give no offense with my mouth as others do; I have heeded the words of your lips.

My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; in your paths my feet shall not stumble.

I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me; incline your ear to me and hear my words.

Show me your marvelous loving-kindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand from those who rise up against them.

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me under the shadow of your wings.”   Psalm 17:3-8

Ash Wednesday is the day which begins the 40 days of Lent.  Emilie Griffin describes Lent in this way: “Externally Lent is a time of doing without.  It is a time of self-denial, a penitential time, a time of repentance.  But inwardly, Lent is a time of drawing closer to Jesus.” 

As you move forward into this season of the Church liturgical calendar I invite you to participate by surrendering something and by intentionally making time and space to connect with Christ.

Take some time to talk with God.  Consider what you might surrender to Christ during Lent.  Also consider in what ways you might intentionally set aside time and space to spend with Christ in this time leading up to Easter.  Take a moment to write down what you will surrender and what you will commit to.  Consider writing it on a slip of paper and posting it somewhere in your home where you will see it each day between now and Easter.  Consider sharing with the community here by posting in the comments section at the end of the post the way you will be moving into this season “surrendered” and  “making time and space.”

A few ideas to consider surrendering: Fear, Need for approval, Facebook, Television, Criticism

A few ideas to consider for making time and space: Reading through one of the Gospels, Something related to one of your spiritual pathways, Serving someone who crosses your path each day, Counting the ways God is good in a gratitude journal

***

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.   Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

Take a few moments to think on these words from the Lord’s Prayer.  One thing that is comforting in them is that it is God who is acting.  It is His kingdom come; His will to be done; His provision for bread; He that forgives; He that leads and delivers; and it is for His glory.  We are only responsible to forgive others. 

Take heart and know that as you surrender and as you create time and space this Lent, it is “not by might nor by power, but by the Lord’s spirit” that you will have the perseverance and endurance to complete the task you have committed to. 

And do you know what God will do with this offering of repentance, surrender, and time?  He longs to make something beautiful.  Isaiah 61:3 says He will “bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes.”  He will make something beautiful from our humble offering.

Pick up the item that was beautiful or pleasing to you.  If you did not pick one out, go do that now.  Let this object be a symbol for you reminding you that Jesus will take that which you offer him and make it beautiful—beauty for ashes.  Place it somewhere where you will look at it regularly and be reminded of His promise.

***

“Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord.  Amen.”   - The Concluding Prayer of the Church

Take a look at the graphic image of “The Appointed Prayer for the Week ” below. 

Read it. 

Take a moment to print out a copy here. 

Place it somewhere where you will continue pray it during your times of prayer for the remainder of the week. 

You will not be praying it alone.  It is a prayer you will be praying with the greater community of the Church.  It is a symbol of our unity just as we are unified in this season through prayer and seeking the Lord and by walking with Him intentionally during this time of Lent. 

Blessings as you walk forward into Lent well. 

Go in peace.