Lenten Praise

 

As we enter this Lenten season, I will be focusing on the different symbols of Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday.  If there is a picture that I love to see in imagery, it is when Jesus rode in on the donkey into Jerusalem.  The connection to that and when Mary rode into Bethlehem on a donkey tells us so much of the humbleness of our Lord.  Coming into this world, lowering himself to be like us and to save us from an eternity of damnation, continues to move my soul.

A few days later, things will be VERY different during Holy Week, but as people laid palm branches down and shouted “Hosanna”, it finally seems that the Lord is receiving the praise and worship He deserves.  Fast forward to 2023, and I reflect on my own worship of our Lord and Savior – do I shout aloud – singing His praise and worship?  Not always.  Do I spend time each day thanking Jesus for all He has done for me?  Have to share not always to that as well.

These past two weeks, the world has been focused on a small Christian school, Asbury University, in the small town of Wilmore, Kentucky.  Here, it has been said that a revival has occurred -people praising and worshiping for almost 400 hours.  There is much discussion as to revivals, their purpose, whether it is ‘real’ or not, etc.  I am not here to debate any of that.  I revel in the fact that people gather to praise our Lord, and the goodness that comes from that.  As Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”  Matthew 18:20. Whether it is a small neighborhood Bible study or a large group of people from around the world, Jesus is pleased with praise!

In this tiny town, people gathered, and Jesus was there.  In the town of Jerusalem, people gathered, and Jesus was there.  In a small hospital room, people gather to lift the ill up for healing, and Jesus is there.  At a baptismal font, people gather and Jesus is there.  At the communion rail, people gather, and Jesus is there.  As people come together, over 2000 years ago or today, there is power in the praise to Jesus.  That power is what drives our faith, our simple faith, that Jesus is here with us each day.

Sharing praise and thanksgiving to those that make a difference around us is important.  Helping people to understand that they have positively impacted us drives those to continue their good work.  Yet, let us never forget that In Jesus’ case, He made the greatest difference for us all, He gave His life for our salvation.  What greater praise and worship should there be than to the One who saved us!  Remember the next time two or two thousand are gathered in Jesus’ name, it is cause for praise and worship.  May your Lenten season be blessed.

Dearest Jesus, help us to always be reminded to praise and worship you.  You gave the ultimate sacrifice to save us from the depths of hell.  May we always share with you, our thanks!  Amen.

Meal of Love

 

One of my many obsessions is cooking shows!  I could be playfully scanning the channels, but go past a cooking show?  Never!  I love to cook!  If I could have had a different career path, it would have been a breakfast/lunch spot.  People would come in and have to make a painful decision between their ‘regular’ favorite or the special of the day!  The wonder of dreaming.

I’m certain I received my love for cooking from my parents.  Many of the favorites we adored as children are still some of my favorites today.  Our family was a ‘have dinner together’ family and I tried my best to instill that in our family of today.  As lives became busier, the intent of sitting together at the family dinner table was important to me, and I hope that my family found it to be important to them as well.  Meals weren’t always fancy – either because of time or money – but the goal was to fill the stomachs and the souls.

As I watched this morning’s show (got to love a good Barefoot Contessa), she mentioned that when she cooks for others, it is a way for her to share her love for those sitting at the table.  How that resonated with me!!  That is exactly how I feel when I cook for others.  True confession – there have been meals that have adorned my table that haven’t necessarily resonated ‘love’ but were more ‘need to eat’.  Yet, I’ve tried to keep those meals to a minimum.

Searching for a verse to support my thought, I came across our verse for today and how very true the words of King Solomon ring!  Meals don’t need to be filled with extravagance.  In fact, many times, simpler is better (as with many things in life)!  What does matter are those that sit next to us and the love we can share with each other.

There is no greater place to look for evidence of that than at the altar for Holy Communion.  There, as we kneel before the cross to receive bread and wine, sitting next to us is our Savior, Jesus.  At the altar, we are able to feast on the forgiveness of our sins and revel in the promise of salvation.  We receive His love as he fills our souls with the promise of tomorrow.  There is no greater gift of love at a table than that of Jesus.

The next time you plan a ‘meal of love’ for family and friends, remember that the essence of the time spent together isn’t in the grand offering on the plate, but the simple love surrounding the table.  That is truly the greatest gift we can offer each other.

Dearest Jesus, thank you for the greatest meal we have ever enjoyed, the meal of Holy Communion.  May we remember the sacrifice you made for our place in heaven as we partake of the bread and wine.  May we humbly come to your table with repentance and lave.  Amen.

 

Rooted in Love

 

As a child growing up, Valentine’s Day was a special day!  It wasn’t always focused on my parent’s love; it was focused on our family love.  It was purely meant to celebrate the love we all had for each other.  My father and brother would spend weeks selecting the perfect dinner menu and even put together a menu we would receive when we sat at the table.  Gifts were exchanged, a wonderful meal was prepared and enjoyed, and there was always dessert.  Some years it was a twinkie with whipped cream on top or a chocolate chip cookie that ended up a shape of a circle vs. the intended heart.

When I fast forward from that memory, I think about the love of my husband and love of my friends.  I think about showing love and receiving love – and even times when love felt absent.  Those times, when love wasn’t there, are the most painful.  I am certain we have all experienced those moments – when our significant others/spouses didn’t show us love, when our children seemed to hate us, when our parents were disappointed in us and shunned us, when our friends disowned us.  Upon reflecting, those moments could yield agonizing hurt and despair. 

This verse, from the famous 1 Corinthians 13, is by far one of my favorites.  It has been in those times of hurt and despair that I have wrapped myself up in this chapter of God’s word.  The three words I cherish – faith, hope and love. 

·         Faith begins with God.  For us to have faith, simple faith, where do we focus our faith?  God is there to receive our faith.  He is there to let us know that our faith is rooted in His Word – the Word that focuses us on the One that made heaven and earth, sent His only Son to deliver us from our sins, and faith that we will see Him again!  Simple faith!

·         Hope begins with God.  We can hope for many things.  We can hope for a problem-free life, for better health, for love to come into our lives.  Yet, the hope for all those things can only come from the One we have faith in – God.  Hope is rooted in His Word.  Hope for a tomorrow where we will see God face to face.  Hope that God’s will strengthens our lives.

·         Love begins with God.  He shows us how to love.  It is impossible for us to fathom the unconditional love God has for us – that He gave His only Son to die for us.  It is in the loving arms of God where we can rest, have peace, and bring our faith and hope.  It is God’s love that permeates our lives when others may turn their love against us.  Love is rooted in His Word.  Our faith in God, the one that brings hope to our lives, is the one that covers us in a blanket of love each and every day – with no judgement, no disappointment, no hate regardless of our sins.  It is simple, God loves us!

Heavenly Father, let us fall into your loving arms EVERY day.  May we realize when we feel a void of love in our lives, that you are ALWAYS there to fill that void.  You love us every minute of every day, holding us close to you.  May we have the simple faith that your love will never fail us and the hope that we will one day be loved by you in paradise.

Iced Over

 

Negative 12!  That is what registered on the thermometer yesterday morning.   Add in the wind chill factor and it felt like negative 20!  To say it was cold would be an understatement.  Yet, one of the true benefits of this kind of weather is the river.  The river that runs behind our home begins to freeze.  Ice forms and you can watch, and hear, as the ice-covered river continues to move.  I could watch it for hours.  What used to be a free-flowing river seems to come to a crawl.

As I watched the ice move past me, I thought about the ‘coldness’ in my life.  There has been a time in my life when someone hurt me, sinned against me, and I felt myself move from someone who was carefree like the river in summer to becoming cold and hardened, like the river in winter.  As each day passed, resentment grew and the ice-covered ‘me’ became hardened.  It was hard to imagine my life prior to this resentment for this person, and I found the ‘coldness’ of my life permeating every part of me.  It was almost as if I had a hard time moving forward, much like our ice-covered river.

God brought this verse to me – helping me to see that forgiveness could break the hardness and have me flowing like the river in summer again.  Friends, it was not easy.  I had many conversations with God along the way.  Why should I forgive this person after all the hurt and destruction?  I kept coming back to the last part of this verse, “As God in Christ forgave you”.  It’s hard to argue with the true God Almighty!

Forgiving does not mean accepting.  Forgiving does not mean, “Please, use me as a doormat”.  Forgiving means letting go of the hurt that you have and praying for the person.  You read correctly – pray for the person!  Yes, ensure you continue the prayers for you to forgive, but also pray for them, that they may turn away from a path of hurting others. 

·         Forgiveness is powerful!  As one forgives, the ‘ice’ that has covered begins to thaw, and the real person begins to flow. 

·         Forgiveness is healing!  The heart moves from resentment to openness and healing.

·         Forgiveness is God!  God sent His only Son to die on the cross so our sins will be forgiven

Take the step of forgiveness.  Don’t let resentment cover you like ice.  Let forgiveness flow like the river and bring your heart peace.  Simply have faith that God sees all and will bring you the peace you deserve.

Heavenly Father, bring me a forgiving heart.  Let forgiveness flow from my ice-covered heart and help me to be kind to all, even those who hurt me.  In your forgiving name I pray, Amen.