Begrudgery

Posted on March 4, 2013 by themondayprayer

A happy and blessed Monday morning to you. We pray this will find you full of hope and joy, and eager to step into this new week. We’re halfway to Easter in our passage through Lent.

PRAYER: (from the United Methodist Hymnal, #268)

O God our deliverer, You led Your people of old through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide now the people of Your church, that, following our Savior, we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. AMEN.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

“The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’” (Luke 15:28-30, The Message)

QUOTES:

“Part of me is the prodigal; part of me is the other brother. But I think the heart of me is really somewhere between them…” —opening lyrics to Always Have, Always Will, by Avalon.

“Oh you can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need…” —The Rolling Stones

Begrudging God’s Grace?

Begrudge. v.tr. 1. To envy or resent the pleasure, possessions, or good fortune of another. 2. To look upon with disapproval. Synonyms: ache (for), covet, crave, desire, die (for), hanker (for or after), hunger (for), itch (for), jones (for), long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), thirst (for), want, wish (for), yearn (for).

Most of us will confess to being the prodigal at least once in our lives. We understand what it means to stand in need of mercy. Because we can relate, we know what it feels like to receive grace that we have neither earned nor deserve. All of us should come before God like this.

Yet we often gawk at the Prodigal’s brother. Who was this guy? Why was he so sullen? Why did he begrudge his father’s unrestrained joy over his brother’s return?

Should it surprise us to learn it is he, not the prodigal, who we are most like?

What is it in our human condition that inclines us to resent acts of grace bestowed on others, who, by definition, are undeserving? Let’s call this The Other Brother Syndrome, or TOBS. (In the interest of being fair and balanced, we can label the prodigal as having Wandering Son Disorder, or WSD—but it is upon TOBS we will focus this Monday.)

How many times have we witnessed an act of grace that benefitted someone we know, and instead of applauding with a grateful and generous heart, we turned our eyes towards heaven and cried, “Hey, what about ME???” (“You never gave ME a goat so I could celebrate with MY friends!”)

Jealousy. Envy. A latent, unrequited sense of justice. The Monday Prayer introduces a word that expresses this unbecoming emotion: Begrudgery. [We coined this ourselves, then discovered after the fact that the same word is used in Ireland in roughly the same context—TMP].

Maybe we don’t want what someone else got, necessarily. But we do begrudge them if they got something good that we feel they didn’t deserve, or if they didn’t receive something bad that we’ve decided they did deserve. Then we preen and ask—well, what about justice? (Read: what about ME?) Sometimes grace seems so—well, so unfair. Like with the prodigal.

In this parable, Jesus is addressing a group of people that included some Pharisees and Hebrew scholars full of begrudgery that Jesus was hanging out with “sinners and tax collectors”. If any of these esteemed religious leaders had ever had WSD, they were cured now. Wild living and cavorting with godless foreigners were for other, lesser, people, thank you very much. The Pharisees meant to keep WSD and anyone with it far away from their synagogue (you see, that just isn’t done in this synagogue…). In their quest for righteousness, they had become blind to the always-subtle sin of pride.

Jesus wasn’t trying to contradict or undermine the Pharisees’ desire for holy living. But He was trying to warn them away from their pride, to open their eyes to the full scope of God’s grace, to remind them not to resent grace meant for others.

TOBS is not limited to this parable.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells the Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Matt. 20:1-16). At sunrise, the landowner sends a group of workers into his vineyard to work for that day, and he agrees to pay them a full day’s wage for their labor. At 9:00 a.m., he hires some more laborers for the same wage. He hires more at noon, and still more at 3:00 in the afternoon. He hires some just before quitting time, at 5:00. When it’s time to pay the workers, everyone gets paid the same amount. And the early birds begin singing a tune of begrudgery:

“These who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.”

But the landowner answered one of them, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?

Or are you envious because I am generous?”

Even Jonah begrudged God’s mercy on the Ninevites. Jonah 3:10 says, “When God saw what the Ninevites did, and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.” Jonah replies in words that could have been uttered by The Other Brother (Jonah 4:1-4):

“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

The truth is, and our point today is, we are all tempted by the same begrudgery that The Other Brother succumbed to. Being gracious, or being generous about grace, just isn’t part of our human nature. But it is God’s nature, and it is part of the new nature He is laboring to build within us. In this week’s Prayer we ask God to, “Guide now the people of Your church, that, following our Savior, we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come.” Amen.

One of our first steps in this new nature, towards the glorious world to come, is to celebrate what God celebrates. Look at the Father’s response to TOBS:

1. “My son.” [beloved, trusted child in whom I take great pleasure]
2. “You have always been with me.” [It is not your work that I cherish–it’s you]
3. “All that I have is yours.” [I have made available to you all of my resources]
4. “You and I had to celebrate and be glad (the original Greek verb tense is imperative), because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” [The celebration is for MY joy, not for his benefit. Please share it with me…]

We repeat, for emphasis—it was the father’s celebration.

The Gospel of Luke records three parables in quick succession where there is great celebration over something of value has been lost and is now found.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:4-7):

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’”

The Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10):

“Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’”

In the first story the lost item is a lamb; in the second it’s a coin. And then there’s the Parable of the Lost Son. The Prodigal Son.

You see, the Other Brother had everything in the bag. Fighter pilots use the expression “suitcased”. He had patiently waited for his reward while his impatient brother had demanded and then squandered his. He had been obedient where his prodigal brother had been disobedient, respectful and not disrespectful, faithful and not unfaithful.

And then he compared himself to his brother.

He was proud of his relative goodness. He became blind to anything but his own feelings. He justified that in the language of who deserved what. And anytime you start talking about what you deserve you exit the realm of grace. What a short step from patience to impatience, from respect to disrespect, from faithfulness to unfaithfulness. Who had WSD now?

TOBS Christians are big on keeping rules. They’ve been working hard in the church and think they deserve recognition or reward for their service. They don’t bring “sinners” to church. They don’t bring them into their home, either. They probably don’t even know any hard-core lost souls. But we should.

This is what Jesus was warning the Pharisees about. This is what Jesus is warning us about.

The Lectionary scriptures this week can be summarized in three short points.

1. We continue to misunderstand the nature of Grace.
2. Our struggle still boils down to pride vs. humility.
3. There but for the grace of God…

It’s Monday Morning. Our prayer for you this week—and we hope your prayer for us—is that you may walk through this wilderness free of begrudgery, with an attitude of joy. Be happy. Walk smartly into the new week with an expectation of celebration.

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Amusing or Amazing?

Posted on February 25, 2013 by themondayprayer

It’s Monday Morning. We pray that you have found rest and refreshment over the weekend, and we hope that you had a wonderful time of worship on Sunday. We are nearing the mid-point of Lent.

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves. Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever, AMEN.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9

“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’”

QUOTE:

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail…” —Overheard in church .

PRAYER FOCUS: Are You Amused or Amazed?

Moses was walking through the wilderness, keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Moses was almost out of cell range—like, forget about 4G and data—so he was, you know, totally bored. But he had enough of a signal he could still text with his wife Miriam, Jethro’s daughter. Ahead of him he noticed a burning bush, and the glare from the fire was making it hard to read the touch screen of his iPhone 5.

MIRIAM: How r u?
MOSES: Hey QT. I’m BRD.
MIRIAM: Me2…ZUP?
MOSES: I just saw a bush on fire…It’s not going out.
MIRIAM: For real?
MOSES: Just keeps burning…w8, I go C…
MIRIAM: Better not! If u lose 1 of dad’s sheep he’ll freak.
MOSES: Ha…BDTD.
MIRIAM: LOL <3.
MOSES: XXOO.

And verily Moses was too distracted to turn aside and behold such a great sight. The meaningless chatter on the electronic screen diverted his attention from the flaming angel rising from a blazing bush that would not be consumed. When the Lord called, Moses was starting to get data again so he could check his Facebook…

Amuse. v.tr. 1. (modern) To occupy one’s attention in an agreeable, pleasing, or entertaining fashion; to cause to laugh or smile from pleasure. 2. (archaic) To distract, delude, or deceive, often with pretense or illusion. [from Old French amuser, to stupefy; from Latin a-/ad-, to or towards + muser, to stare or gape at stupidly.] *

Amaze. v.tr. 1.(modern) To overwhelm with sudden wonder; to astonish greatly or surprise. 2. (obsolete) To bewilder; perplex. [from Old English amasen, to astound, stun or flabbergast.]

Stop, look and listen. It’s what our parents told us to do before crossing a road. It’s also good advice for a time such as Lent. We live in an age where we are greatly distracted by things of surpassing insignificance. We are far too busy being amused to be amazed. Did you notice the amazing sunrise this morning? How about the awesome lightning branching across the sky last night, the majestic way the thunder rolled? Were you too distracted to notice? Maybe the Lord your God is trying to speak to you.

Lent is the time to reflect and refocus. A reflective heart looks for the way home. We shift our focus away from our amusing-me-obsessed culture and back to the Holy Ground our Heavenly Father has lovingly prepared for us. What we focus our attention on shapes our perception of reality—what is and is not.

Stop. Power down. Go quiet. Let the silence settle in until it’s not uncomfortable.

Look. Shift your eyes from your work to God’s work. If you’re too hemmed in by your stuff, move to a place where you can smell a flower, hear a bird, watch a sunrise or a storm, feel the sunshine or the power of the wind…

Listen. This time, before you jump up on God’s lap and barrage Him with your list of prayer requests, sit quietly, like a contented and well-loved child. If you must speak, just say, “I love You, Lord”. Or perhaps, “Here I am”.

God had chosen Moses. It didn’t matter to God that the well-born Moses had fallen from his high place to such a low point that for the past forty years he had been an obscure, forgotten shepherd of another man’s flock. It didn’t matter to God that Moses felt himself unworthy and incapable.

God called Moses by name. God knew everything Moses had ever been through. And He knew those times of hardship had developed in Moses the attributes of character he would need in the days ahead. But God didn’t speak to Moses until He had his full attention.

God knows we’re distracted. And He won’t speak to us until He has our full attention.

In a little less than four weeks, the sun will rise on the celebration marking the highest holy day in Christianity—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Start preparing now to be amazed on that day.

It’s Monday morning. How much amusement can you live without this week? How much amazement are you ready for?

[*TMP Note: the Latin verb muser is not to be confused with the Greek noun muse, referring to the mythological nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, each of whom ruled over a particular art or science, and from which we get the current expression of the word that refers to the source of an inspiration or idea.]

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Praying Through Tears

Posted on February 18, 2013 by themondayprayer

Happy Monday. We pray your week will go well, that you are ready and eager to walk this week in the light of the Lord. Today begins the second full week of Lent. It is a time of preparation before Easter, the highest holy day in the Christian calendar. Lent offers us an opportunity to clean our spiritual house and strengthen our faith in the Lord and His promises.

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary) [Go ahead and pray these words, even if it is in a whisper]

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Psalm 27
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 13:31-35

QUOTE:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” —Jesus of Nazareth

PRAYER FOCUS: Repentance—Praying Through Tears.

Have you ever been caught with your hand in the cookie jar? You know the feeling. You’re 100% caught. You’re holding the evidence. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t know the jar made noise. There’s no one else to blame it on, no lie good enough to get you out of it. You’re busted. And you own whatever punishment is coming.

You probably felt bad about yourself.

What about a more serious situation—let’s say you’ve done something that you know is very wrong, something with consequences. Maybe you hurt someone very badly, perhaps someone you love, and the consequences were permanent. Once again, you’ve been caught with no escaping accountability. You face certain consequences; feeling sorry isn’t enough.

You stand in need of mercy.

This week’s Lectionary Gospel passage portrays our Lord crying out over the city He loves and longs for. Like the prophets murdered within its walls, Jesus expresses great sorrow for their sins, and for their unwillingness to turn away from them. The scriptures do not record whether He wept, but it’s easy to imagine (Matt 23:37, Luke 13:34). He was cut to the heart. Our sin does that to Him.

There’s actually a word for this kind of heart-cutting sorrow. The ancient Greeks called it Penthos. The church has traditionally used the word compunction. The dictionary defines it as

1. A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad.
2. A pricking of the conscience.

Synonyms are: remorse, regret, repentance, penitence, contrition. The word comes from the Latin compungere, meaning to prick hard, or sting.

Compunction is not a popular concept in church today. Neither is feeling bad about ourselves. But then Jesus never set out to teach us how to be popular.

What if Jesus cried out to you, “O _____, ______, the one who ignores and punishes the messengers I have sent to you! How often I have wanted to gather you to Me like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…but you were not willing”.

Compunction means being cut to the heart over our distance from, and offense to, the goodness of our Father-God. It is being stung in our soul for what we’ve done, and for what we’ve left undone. It is shedding tears of sorrow over our sins, and over the sins of the world. Here, in the cleansing flow of our own tears, our prayers of true repentance are born. Like the tax collector in Jesus’ parable, we pray, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13).

Repentance makes us real again. Repentance makes us whole again. We open up to the God who made us, the God who knows what we’ve done and still loves us. In an intensely personal and emotional act we connect with a Holy Love more pure, more powerful, more perfect than anything in the universe. It goes like this:

1. We give God permission to show us our sin. We pause long enough to see the pain it has caused Him.
2. We confess. The whole thing. This is for our benefit, not God’s. God knows where our hands have been. Lay the burden down.
3. We receive God’s mercy and His forgiveness. Again, we linger long enough to experience His Love and His delight in us.
4. We pray for strength to obey. It is one thing to be sorry, even to the point of tears. It is another to be sorry enough to not do it again. Habitual sins are usually the hardest to overcome. That’s why God reminds us His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). We need His help to turn away from and overcome these old habits.

It was not by accident the Psalmist wrote, “May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy” (Ps. 126:5).

In our present day, Lenten fasting is likely to be a time when we aim to lighten our load of calories and body weight. This isn’t a bad desire, but it is an incidental benefit to what should be primarily a spiritual exercise. Let’s not confuse our priorities. Lighten the spiritual load first. Repair the spiritual habits first. Remember Lent is a season of both fasting and prayer.

It’s Monday morning. Are you feeling burdened by something you’ve done (or not done)? Take a moment and let the Lord gather you under His wing. Lay it down. Let it go. Be willing. Be free. Hold fast to God’s unchangeable Word, Jesus Christ. And have a great week.

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Am I Imposing?

Posted on February 12, 2013 by themondayprayer

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Like Advent before Christmas, Lent is traditionally a time of preparation and reflection. During Lent, many Christians commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of self-denial. The Monday Prayer strongly encourages the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting, and there is no better time to begin than this day.

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever, AMEN.

SCRIPTURE: (from the Lectionary)

Matthew 6:1-21

PRAYER FOCUS: IMPOSITION.

Ash Wednesday is a tradition in the Catholic Church. In recent years these services have become increasingly popular among Protestant denominations (in the United Methodist Church since 1979). We’d like to share some related discussion we’ve overheard, especially as it pertains to the placement of ashes on the foreheads of those who will attend today’s special church services.

Some people have argued against the practice, claiming that it could promote holier-than-thou attitudes, or smugness amongst the faithfully smudged.

Others have worried that the aftermath of the ritual would look a bit too much like a public display of piety–the kind that the Gospel of Matthew cautions against (Matt. 6: 1-8).

A third group counters the ashes could be a powerful symbol of how we grapple with our mortality, to participate in a sign of humility, to mark the traditional beginning of Lent. What is Ash Wednesday, after all, without some oily soot on one’s brow?

In our curiosity, we did some research on Ash Wednesday:

Ashes serve a dual purpose. First, they remind us of our mortality as we begin the Lenten Fast. Second, throughout the Bible, ashes serve as a symbol of repentance, sorrow, and humility. There are many cases in the Scriptures of people wearing ashes as a sign of penitence, often while also wearing sackcloth. In 2 Samuel 13:19, Tamar puts on ashes and tears her clothes as a sign of sadness and repentance. In Esther 4:1-3, after learning of the king’s decree to kill all Jews, Mordecai tears his garments, and puts on sackcloth and ashes. His fellow Jews do the same thing, as well as commencing a corporate fast. The prophet Jeremiah (6:26) urges his people to “gird on sackcloth and roll in ashes.”

The liturgical use of ashes is not a sacrament, even on Ash Wednesday. However, the ashes may be blessed according to various traditions, sometimes involving the use of Holy Water or Anointing Oil. Application of the ashes is usually called “imposition.”

Merriam-Webster gives the modern definition of this word as “something imposed, such as a levy or tax; an excessive or uncalled-for requirement or burden.” However the original meaning comes from the Middle French word “imposer” which, in turn, comes from the Latin “inponere”, meaning, quite literally, to put upon. To impose a mark upon another, such as ashes, marks the recipient as a slave or servant. In receiving the ashes, we agree to be put upon by Jesus Christ who died for us and become His servants.

And that seems fair to us.

It has become unacceptable in our modern culture to be put upon. It is even less acceptable to be seen as a servant. We see this expressed in our everyday language when we say “thank you”. The common response is no longer “you’re welcome” (acknowledging a debt of gratitude), but “no problem” (meaning, you didn’t impose on me, no need to feel indebted or guilty). We can’t imagine Jesus responding with the latter phrase when we thank Him in prayer. We were certainly an imposition to Him, and we certainly owe Him an eternal debt of gratitude. He just as certainly assures us, “you’re welcome.”

Receiving the imposition of ashes on Wednesday is an outward mark of an inward debt of gratitude. Like any ritual, we should be aware of its meaning before we undertake it. By receiving ashes on our forehead, we are declaring to the world that we are servants of the King of Kings, and eternally in His debt.

Praise God. He loved us before we knew Him. And it cost Him everything to redeem us.

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Winning in the Wilderness

Posted on February 11, 2013 by themondayprayer

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, AMEN.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13

This week’s Lectionary readings are rich with meaning and encouragement: Giving our first fruits to God (Old Testament); Trusting God during times of trial (Psalm); Who may be saved (Epistle). But we zoom in on this week’s Gospel passage–the Temptation of Jesus Christ. Tuesday is Mardi Gras. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, when we transition from Epiphany to Lent. The great lesson of Lent is the lesson of spiritual warfare, and how to win it.

QUOTES:

“And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure;
God’s word shall overthrow him.”
—third verse to the traditional hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” lyrics by Martin Luther (1483-1546)

“Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy, but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.”
—Sun Tzu

PRAYER FOCUS: Trials, Tests, and Truth (Winning in the Wilderness)

Everyone gets to have a wilderness experience. Everyone goes through times that try their very souls. Some may spend more time in the wilderness than others, but sooner or later everyone goes there. Perhaps you’re there now.

During one such time, a German philosopher named Nietzsche wrote, “What does not kill me makes me stronger.” Many of us can relate to that sentiment. But it may not be a true statement. And if it is not true, it may not be helpful.

A wise king named Solomon wrote, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” We know this popular saying is absolutely true. Why? Because we found it in the Bible (Eccl. 1:9).

Just before Jesus went to the Cross, Pontius Pilate asked Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Even though The Truth, the Word of God made flesh, stood right before his eyes, Pilate could not recognize it. How terrible for him.

Likewise for us, not knowing the truth, or not recognizing it, can have terrible consequences. Especially when we’re in the wilderness.

On the other hand, knowing the truth, and that there is absolute truth, will keep us from being persuaded to follow a path that is false. The truth is our reference by which we navigate right and wrong. Truth sets us free. It keeps us free, and moving in the right direction. All truth originates from Almighty God. Unlike Pilate, we can find the truth between the covers of our Bibles. For Christians, this should not be a complex issue.

We will all face trials in life. No exceptions. No waivers. We will all be tested. But what if we knew, in advance, what the tests would look like? There is no new temptation under the sun, either (1 Cor. 10:13).

Once Jesus had been baptized He was led by the Holy Spirit “into the wilderness” to be tested by the devil himself. For forty days. The Bible emphasizes that our Lord ate nothing during that time, and He became hungry.

Actually it was worse than that. There is a special place of weakness beyond hunger (just try fasting for that long). Satan, our enemy, knows where and when we are weak. And he was waiting for Jesus to come to that place. Satan is always looking for an opportune time.

But Jesus was ready.

Pay attention to what the Enemy says to Jesus:
• “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
• “If you, then, will worship me, all of this (all the kingdoms of the world) will be yours.”
• “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

Very crafty. Very subtle. But once again, there is nothing new. This is the same deceitful ruse Satan the Serpent employed against Eve in the Garden of Eden. First he questions the truth. Next he fashions a personal appeal to our vanity, our pride, using any-and-every dishonest pretense this father of lies can muster. Then, once he sees us waver, he offers an alternative version of the truth, which is, in fact a lie, and asks us to believe it—then to act on it.

It’s a good strategy, a winning strategy. It’s been winning for thousands of years. It works against individuals. It works against nations. It works against churches. And that’s a terrible truth.

But Satan’s stratagem of deceit is easily defeated, provided we can identify it. That requires us to know the truth. Look at Jesus…

Jesus answered,
• “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
• “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
• “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Say it out loud: “It Is Written.”

We cannot overstate the simple elegance of this defense. The Word of God is our sword (Eph. 6:17). Faith in that word is our shield (Eph. 6:16). God has many ways of providing for his people, and indeed He has been exceedingly generous. He also expects us to do our part. God can and will show us how to train for these battles, but He cannot train for us. We must learn, and know, what is true. Or we will be deceived into believing what is not true.

Like Jesus, we must constantly guard against any abuse of Scripture by Satan—or by men. By twisting Scripture into a lure of unwarranted confidence in his Father’s protection, Satan was tempting Jesus to his own destruction. Our enemy preys on ignorance (1 Pet. 5:8). God’s people are destroyed by lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). Paul warned about it. So did Peter. And John. And most of the rest of the Bible’s Divinely-inspired writers.

Therefore let us resolve to read God’s Word, to study it, to meditate on it. His Word is more than our defense, more than our way, it is our life. Maybe we, like Jesus, would also share it.

This week marks the beginning of Lent, traditionally a season of fasting and self-denial. Whether or not you personally observe fasting during this season, we pray you will use it to feast on God’s Word. This week, let us pray for ourselves, and for each other, that we may not be deceived.

It’s Monday morning. Have you studied for your test?

A mighty fortress is our God,
A stronghold never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Conspires to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with bitter hate,
On earth is not his equal.

—First verse to “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

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Glory and the Veil

Posted on February 4, 2013 by themondayprayer

It’s Monday Morning. We pray that you were encouraged and strengthened in worship yesterday. You’ve been in the presence of the Living God and you’ve sung His praises. When you walked out of the sanctuary you were aglow with God’s love and glory…

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm 99
2 Corinthinans 3:12-4:2
Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]

This week’s Lectionary Scriptures have one strong and common theme: God’s glory. They reveal some key characteristics that we are well-advised to remember:

1. If we draw near enough to God, we will radiate His glory (Ex. 34:29).
2. God’s glory is more awesome than we can handle (Ex. 34:30, Ps. 99:1, Lk. 9:34).
3. As long as we intentionally press in and contemplate God’s glory, we will be increasingly transformed into His image (Ex. 34:30, 2 Cor. 3:18).

QUOTES:

“For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.” —General George C. Patton

Sic transit gloria mundi —A Latin expression meaning “Thus passes the glory of the world” (or, more loosely, “All glory is fleeting”).

PRAYER FOCUS: God’s Glory and our Veils

How sad it must have been for Moses!

Moses had been in the presence of the Living God. He had been conversing directly with El Elyon, the Almighty, the Ancient of Days, with the familiarity of a beloved and trusted child. He had become God’s friend. Moses was the first man since the Garden of Eden to behold God’s Own Glory at a nearness that would have consumed another human (Exodus 33:12-23). When Moses came down from the mountain, his face shone with the radiance of God’s glory. People were amazed.

And then it faded.

With God’s glory fading, Moses put on a veil to hide his face from the Israelites. But he didn’t wear it to protect them–he wore it to hide the fact that with the passage of time God’s glory was fading from him.

How very much like Moses we are.

Fortunately, the story doesn’t end there. Moses continued to climb the mountain of God, continued to meet with the LORD face-to-face, until God sent him out on the next phase of his journey. The radiance of God’s glory waxed and waned on Moses in proportion to the time Moses spent with the LORD. It has ever been thus.

This week’s Lectionary Epistle is taken from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, using a Bible translation called The Message (2 Cor. 3:12-18):

(But) unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn’t notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice it then and they don’t notice it now…only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there’s nothing there.

Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit…we’re free! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

The New King James (and the King James) Bible translates verse 3:18 as, “changed [transformed] into the same image [God’s likeness] from glory to glory.” This is clearly a process and not an event. It suggests the presence—not the absence—of struggles, temptations and trials.

No matter how hard we may try in our own strength, unless we regularly turn to face our Father-God, His glory in us will fade with time. As triumphant victors have noted for thousands of years, all earthly glory is fleeting. Such is the nature not of God’s glory, but of our tragic human condition.

How long does it take before we begin to put on our veils, our masks, to conceal the fading of God’s glory?

Once the veils come up and the masks go on, we become the caricature that too many non-believers are happy to point to. How sad for us. The Ancient Greek word for “an actor on stage playing a role behind a mask” was hypokrites. In the lyrics of a recent song by the Christian music group Casting Crowns, we hear the cry of one who wears the mask…

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay,
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Moses wore a veil. We wear masks. With walls around our weakness and smiles to hide our pain.

But what if the whole purpose of your current inglorious situation is so that someone else can see how God, in His glory, is working to transform you? Would you deny them that view?

The most powerful breakthroughs in Christian community often come through the removal of these cloaking devices. The authors of TMP recently received a letter from a missionary, who after serving well and faithfully in the field for many years was returning home seeking healing, and asking her community for prayer. A pastor we know recently dropped all pretense and solicited prayer for himself and his family. Both events triggered amazing ripples of mask-dropping response. Healing love flowed from generous hearts as others unmasked and stepped up to minister God’s love, and to testify to God’s work in them. With the masks down, all involved were blessed—not just the one. And God’s glory shone through the exchange.

Before we submit community prayer requests, perhaps we should begin with, “pray for me…I’m struggling with…”

Whatever our circumstances—in spite of our circumstances—if we continue to meet the LORD face-to-face, on the mountain, i.e., in prayer and reflection, we will continue to radiate His glory. There we begin the transformation that leads us from victory to victory. The prophet Isaiah declares, “[If you do this] then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard (Is. 58:8).

The Monday Prayer grew out of an effort to encourage an individual and community discipline for regular prayer and Bible study, to build the habit of turning to face the LORD who showed His glory to Moses. Our prayer is that we, and you, “may be strengthened…and be changed into His likeness, from glory to glory”.

It’s Monday Morning. Spend a moment with the LORD being strengthened and changed. Don’t let Sunday’s afterglow fade behind the veil.

Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God (2 Cor. 4:1-2, The Message).

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Being Known and Loved

Posted on January 28, 2013 by themondayprayer

Happy Monday to you. This is a day unlike any other. It is full of hope and rich blessing just for you. And when it is gone, it will never come again. Spend it well, for spend it you will. Take this moment to draw near to the God who knows you and who loves you.

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)
Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30

Three of this week’s four Scriptures mention prophets and prophecy. Three point out that our Father-God has known us, chosen us, nurtured us and strengthened us from before we were ever born. And one reveals the centrality of love to what we are called to do in this short space we call life.

Together they form a continuum of when, how, by whom, and why we are called to ministry and service.

QUOTES:
“The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don’t swear, and good church attendance.” —Francis Chan

“This may rock your theology, but people do not go to hell because of sin. People go to hell because of unbelief.” —Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs

PRAYER FOCUS: Being Known and Loved

God sent prophets like Jeremiah to speak truth to a world that was hard of hearing. Whether by sin or by stubbornness, God’s people had stopped listening. They had stopped loving Him. The prophets were God’s messengers. They called the people back to the God who had chosen and blessed them, back to the God who loved them and whom they had abandoned.

But the prophets were also mediators. They interceded between a sinful people and a holy God. They uttered the cry of humanity before the heart of their Creator, asking Him, in His love, to forgive them.

Francis Chan is an evangelist, pastor and author. He and his wife Lisa founded the Cornerstone Church in Ventura, California. In 2008, Chan wrote Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. We recommend his work highly.

In preparing this week’s Monday Prayer we discovered two passages from Crazy Love that very nicely captured our intended message. Chan invokes both the prophet Jeremiah and the personal, powerful love of our Heavenly Father:

“After reading [Jeremiah 1:4-5], I meditated on it for the next four days. It spoke of God’s intimate knowledge of me. I had always acknowledged His complete sovereignty over me, but these verses took it to another level:

“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’”

In other words, God knew me before He made me.

When I first digested this, all of my other relationships seemed trivial by comparison. God has been with me from the start—in fact, from well before the start. He determined what Jeremiah would do before he was even born…I questioned whether that was also true of me. I remembered Ephesians 2:10, which tells us that we were created “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” That meant…my existence was not random, nor was it an accident. God knew who He was creating, and He designed me for a specific work.

God’s next words to Jeremiah (vv. 6-10) assured me that I need not fear failure:

“Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

When Jeremiah voices his hesitation and fear, God—the God of the galaxies—reaches out and touches his mouth. It’s a gentle and affectionate gesture, something a loving parent would do. Through this illustration I realized that I don’t have to worry about not meeting His expectations. God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine.

We, no less than Francis Chan, are loved by the God of the galaxies. We, like Jeremiah, are known from before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs. We, like the prophets of old, are called to deliver God’s message to a world that isn’t listening to Him. We respond in love, with love, because we have His love.

As we meditate on our Father-God this week, and seek Him in prayer, remember that this is primarily a love relationship. Prophecies and knowledge will end. Tongues will cease. But love never ends.

For now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:12-13)

It’s Monday Morning. Will you speak words of love—a message of truth—to your world this week?

MORE PRAYER:
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the landmark U.S. case, Roe v. Wade, that legalized abortion. Let us note this milestone with great sorrow and sadness. May we pray for the Lord’s mercy on a society that could somehow confuse this murder of innocents with health care. Let us also pray for women who have had abortions, and for those who are now contemplating it. God loves them and knows them, even as He grieves the lost children.

Some abortion facts to ponder and pray about: (source: U.S. Center for Disease Control)
• Since 1973, there have been more than 50 million abortions in the United States.
• On average, women having an abortion list three main reasons for choosing abortion: 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities; about 3/4 say they cannot afford a child; and 1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner.
• Approximately 12% include a physical problem or their health (not necessarily severe) among reasons for having an abortion.
• Less than 1% report being made pregnant by rape.

“The right of the unborn not to be killed and the right of a woman not to be pregnant may be at odds, but they are not equal rights. Staying alive is more precious and more basic than not being pregnant.” —John Piper

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The Tension Between Grace and Holiness

Posted on January 21, 2013 by themondayprayer

It’s Monday Morning. And what a blessing! An entire week lies before you, ready to take shape and become part of your history. Let’s begin with prayer…

PRAYER: (From the Lectionary)
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; in Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN.

SCRIPTURES: (From the Lectionary)
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21

This week’s scriptures are excellent. Psalm 19 is one of the Bible’s best known songs of praise (The heavens declare the glory of God)—one of our personal favorites. The passage from 1 Corinthians 12 describes the body of Christ. And in Luke 4:14 Jesus begins His public ministry. The Monday Prayer, however, will focus on what is probably the least known of the Lectionary readings, from the book of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 8:9-12 (NIV):

“Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.’
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.”

QUOTES:
“The world thirsts for grace. When grace descends, the world falls silent before it.” —Philip Yancey, American Evangelical Christian author.

“Stand upon the old paths and find from old scriptures they right way, which is the good way.” —John Wycliffe (1320-84), English philosopher, theologian, reformer and Oxford University professor.

PRAYER FOCUS: The Tension Between Grace and Holiness
As the acting governor of Jerusalem and the direct representative of the King of Babylon, Nehemiah has just overseen the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. The first groups of Israelites are beginning to return from exile in Babylon. They gather in the square. Ezra the scribe, who is also called a priest and teacher of the Law, reads the scriptures to them. It is the first time in several generations that the Word of God has been read publicly to the children of Israel. The people were so moved that they fell to the ground and burst into tears. But Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites spoke words of encouragement to the people, directing them not to be sad, but to rejoice and be happy.

Perhaps you’ve felt like one of the people in Nehemiah 8. You’ve been gone from the holy land for a while, in exile. But you’ve returned. You’ve opened up your Bible and let God’s words of love and grace wash over you. In response, your emotions surge. You repent. You weep at your sin, for the things that were lost. You feel clean again—restored and renewed. So you resolve to change your ways. You get serious about being good. Just like the Israelites.

And just like them, you’ll need to be reminded: “Do not grieve…the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Otherwise, somewhere between the easy joy of receiving God’s grace and the hard personal choices that produce holy living you will lose both your joy and the strength that flows from it.

Next time you’re in church, look around. How many faces express joy? We’re not talking about the happy-in-Jesus-my-life -is-perfect-masks they wear at church, or the I’m-under-control air that people exude the rest of the week. How many Christians are actually joyful about their struggle with holy living?

When you decide to turn from worldly ways to godly living don’t expect the world to applaud and encourage you. You’ll be called a hypocrite. There will be new interest in your old deeds. You’ll be accused of being “holier than thou.” Some of those barbs will be slung by fellow Christians, and they’ll hurt. It’s not like your chosen road wasn’t tough enough already. Now you’ll have to contend with temptation, tribulation and ambushes by friendly forces.

And one other thing: No matter how hard you try, you will fail. We all do.

Are you losing your joy yet?

In the space between grace and holiness you are confronted with your true motive: Who are you doing this for?

If you’re doing this to please others, or to prove something to yourself, the reality of your failure will likely cause you gloomy feelings like embarrassment and guilt. These, in turn, could drive you back into exile. Or, if you hang around pretending all is well, maybe you’ll learn how to hide behind the false mask of church-happy you’ve seen through so many times before. Why yes, my life is perfect and my joy is around here someplace…

The alternative is to live for love. If you have been saved by God’s grace through the suffering and sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, you are the recipient of a Love that surpasses human understanding. This amazing, life-changing love is deeper, higher, wider, than anything. And it expects a reply.

Simply stated, holy living is part of our response to God’s love. Sure, we will still stumble, and occasionally we will fall. But God’s love for us will never fail. And His grace is always sufficient. If we continue to respond to Him in the power of His love, we will be able to pick ourselves up, time after time, and move ahead without negative baggage. There’s joy in that.

It’s Monday morning. This day is holy to the Lord your God. Don’t mourn or weep. Enjoy it. Enjoy Him. Remember, the joy of the Lord is your strength.

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Celebrating Church?

Posted on January 14, 2013 by themondayprayer

It’s Monday morning. We pray that you have had a blessed Sunday of Sabbath rest and now find your spiritual batteries fully charged for the week ahead.

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)
“Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the Light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that He may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN”

SCRIPTURE: (from the Lectionary)
John 2:1-11 (NIV) Jesus Changes Water Into Wine
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

QUOTE: “To turn water into wine, and what is common into what is holy, is indeed the glory of Christianity.” —Frederick William Robertson (19th Century Anglican Preacher)

PRAYER FOCUS THIS WEEK: Celebrating Church.

Does your church celebrate? Is there joy in the gathering, or is church just something you “do” on Sundays?

This week’s Lectionary Scriptures are quite different—even divergent—from each other (see the list of four, with links, below). We do discern, however one common thread: celebrating fellowship with other believers.

Isaiah prophesies that “you shall be called My Delight Is in Her” and God will rejoice over you “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride”. The Psalm sings of how God’s people “feast upon the abundance of your house”. In his first letter to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul explains gifts of supernatural power to individual Christians for their common good. And John describes Jesus’ first “official” miracle while celebrating at a wedding in Cana.

It is upon this last passage we draw our focus.

Let us begin with full disclosure: The authors of The Monday Prayer appreciate good wine, and we love a good celebration. We can easily relate to this account of Jesus in Cana, having fun at a wedding with his friends and family. We note with respect that the party had been in progress for three days before they ran out of wine. We note further that when Mary asks Jesus for help, he miraculously provides six 25-gallon stone-pots filled to the brim with very high quality stuff. FYI, 150 gallons would yield close to 760 of our modern bottles (750 mL). That’s a lot of wine! The wedding revelers’ cups were literally about to “runneth over”. (Recall the “feast upon abundance” passage from Psalm 36:4.)

If the effect of Jesus’ very first recorded miracle was to upgrade and extend their celebration, why aren’t we having a better time in church? Have we no cause to celebrate? Have we no wine? (NOTE: In Jesus’ day, to an even greater degree than today, wine was an essential component of hospitality; to run out of wine was to exhaust one’s hospitality).

In our time, in our culture, according to some recent surveys, both non-believers and Christians have a generally low opinion of church. Some may argue over the reasons why that is so, but there isn’t much point in debating whether it is true. Regular church attendance has dropped to all-time lows, especially in Europe and Canada, where the survival of whole denominations is now in doubt. The Gospel message has been marginalized, if not made irrelevant, in these communities, and it shows. Clearly lots of churches are failing at something fundamental.

On the other hand, the global church is certainly not dying, nor has the message of God’s Love become irrelevant. Church congregations are growing in many places around the world, even in some of the blighted countries. Some are growing very quickly indeed. Most of these are planting new churches, and transforming whole communities in the process. Their numbers expand weekly. Lives are being changed. People are being healed, some miraculously. Relationships are being restored. Others are realizing freedom from bondage. Miraculous or not, these are all reasons for celebration.

What are these churches doing right? Mary’s words give us a clue: “Do whatever He tells you…” (v.5). Another term would be obedience.

This week’s Prayer asks that God’s own people, “illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine…that He (Jesus Christ) may be known, worshipped and obeyed to the ends of the earth.”

In order to be illumined by God’s Word, you must first read it, regularly and with intention. Similarly, we must understand the Sacraments and their meaning (Quick Hit: How many are there, and what are their names?). The point, and our purpose in prayer, is that Jesus Christ may be known and worshipped—and obeyed—to the ends of the earth.

Never mind the ends of the earth for a moment: What about your church? Is Jesus Christ known, worshipped and obeyed? We suspect there is a strong correlation between church success and the illumination of its members through obedience to the Word and Sacraments. Followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to gather in order to encourage one another (Heb. 10:24) and to make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20). Doing what Jesus says will bring great joy as well as abundant cause for celebration.

It’s Monday morning. How can you contribute to the success of your church this week?

Coffee With Jesus

Lectionary Scriptures for the Second Week of Epiphany:
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10 [By the way, these are also the lyrics to “Your Love O Lord” by Third Day.]
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11

In case you were wondering. There are seven Sacraments historically recognized by the Church:
• Baptism (Christening)
• Confirmation (Chrismation)
• Holy Eucharist (Communion)
• Penance (Confession)
• Anointing of the Sick (known prior to the Second Vatican Council as Extreme Unction)
• Holy Orders
• Matrimony (Marriage)
The Roman Catholic Church still honors all seven traditional Sacraments, although many denominations do not. For example, the United Methodist Church recognizes only Baptism and Communion (the others are considered “rites”).

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