Daily Devotional

PSALM  

 ¹Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

 ²Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

 ³They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

 ⁴Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

 ⁵O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

 ⁶Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

 ⁷I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

 ⁸I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

 ⁹Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

 ¹⁰With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

 ¹¹Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

 ¹²Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

 ¹³With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

 ¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

 ¹⁵I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

 ¹⁶I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

(Psalm 119:1-16, King James Version)

 

SCRIPTURE READING   

 ^1-2 At about this time, Herod, the regional ruler, heard what was being said about Jesus. He said to his servants, "This has to be John the Baptizer come back from the dead. That's why he's able to work miracles!"

 ^3-5Herod had arrested John, put him in chains, and sent him to prison to placate Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. John had provoked Herod by naming his relationship with Herodias "adultery." Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid because so many people revered John as a prophet of God.

 ^6-12But at his birthday celebration, he got his chance. Herodias's daughter provided the entertainment, dancing for the guests. She swept Herod away. In his drunken enthusiasm, he promised her on oath anything she wanted. Already coached by her mother, she was ready: "Give me, served up on a platter, the head of John the Baptizer." That sobered the king up fast. Unwilling to lose face with his guests, he did it—ordered John's head cut off and presented to the girl on a platter. She in turn gave it to her mother. Later, John's disciples got the body, gave it a reverent burial, and reported to Jesus.

(Matthew 14:1-12, The Message)

 

HYMN Your Love, O God

Tune:  Vicar

Your love, O God, is broad like beach and meadow, wide as the wind, and our eternal home. You leave us free to seek you or reject you, you give us room to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

We long for freedom where our truest being is given hope and courage to unfold. We seek in freedom space and scope for dreaming and look for ground where trees and plants can grow.

But there are walls that keep us all divided, we fence each other in with hate and war. Fear is the bricks and mortar of our prison, our pride of self, the prison coat we wear.

O judge us, God, and in your judgment free us, and set our feet in freedom’s open space; take us as far as your compassion wanders among the children of the human race. 

 

As we struggle with how to react to the earthquake in Japan please remember www.weekofcomapssion.org

 

Blessings on your journey, 

 

A Slight Change in Plans

PSALM  

 ¹Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

 ²Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

 ³They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

 ⁴Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

 ⁵O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

 ⁶Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

 ⁷I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

 ⁸I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

 ⁹Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

 ¹⁰With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

 ¹¹Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

 ¹²Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

 ¹³With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

 ¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

 ¹⁵I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

 ¹⁶I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

(Psalm 119:1-16, King James Version)

SCRIPTURE READING   

^53-57When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise, get such ability?" But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "We've known him since he was a kid; he's the carpenter's son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?" They got their noses all out of joint.

 ⁵⁸But Jesus said, "A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family." He didn't do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.

(Matthew 13:54-58, The Message)

HYMN Wellspring of Wisdom

Tune:  Wellspring

Wellspring of wisdom, hear our cry. The way ahead is parched and ry. We seek a source to satisfy, our thirst for sanctifying waters, wisdom for your faith-filled sons and daughters.

Dawn of a New Day, put to flight the terrors of a nuclear night. As bearers of your loving light, we huddle closer to your fire, lift the lamp of hope a little higher.

Garden of Grace, your gifts abound, the sacred signs are all around, the whole of earth is holy ground. We learn, from all of life expressing, how to grow in sowing seeds of blessing.

Call to Compassion, help us bring our burning need for nurturing, the emptiness of everything, to your embrace, as we endeavor to proclaim your holy name forever. 

 

Not quite the way I had planned to start the morning.  Thursday mornings begin with a quiet breakfast with friends at a local café.  This was one of those mornings when I really didn’t want to get going.  Maybe it was the rain coming down with the promise of yet another winter storm tonight.  Maybe it was all the running scheduled for the day – two visits in the office with folks, final day for sermon prep and turning in hymns for the bulletin, a trip to Ashland, and a trip to Canton.  Maybe it was just nice to be at home with a nice warm ‘banky’ and a cuddle cat.  At any rate, I was 10 minutes late for breakfast when the phone rang.  One of my breakfast partners was walking into the restaurant when she fell.  Her husband had taken her to the emergency room.  Bad enough – but her husband is battling cancer, so it’s even worse.  Off to the ER.  She didn’t look too bad this morning, but a broken nose and a goose egg on her head will translate into all kinds of lovely colors of bruising in about 24-hours. And Monday is their 57^th wedding anniversary!   And I thought my plans were off!!!!

So many times in our lives we don’t realize how nice it is for things to be like they are.  We always think when we are able to take a vacation, or when the weather breaks, or fill in the blank things will be good.  Just like the hearers of Jesus we often don’t realize just how good things are and we begin to take them for granted or even run down the things that are a part of our daily existence.

Maybe on this first full day of the Lenten journey it’s good to reflect on the mornings when we don’t fall when we’re walking into the restaurant.  Maybe it’s a good time to think about all the blessings in our life that sometimes we don’t recognize as blessings.  Maybe on this day as those of us in north-east Ohio are getting ready for another 10 to 12 inches of snow it’s a good day to remember how blessed we are – even though some days it doesn’t quite feel that way.

Maybe if we begin to recognize our blessings then more will come our way.

Not the way I had planned to start my day – but is that really the most important thing???

Blessings on your journey,

 

Getting Our Noses Out of Joint

PSALM  

 ¹Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

 ²Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

 ³They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

 ⁴Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

 ⁵O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

 ⁶Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

 ⁷I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

 ⁸I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

 ⁹Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

 ¹⁰With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

 ¹¹Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

 ¹²Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

 ¹³With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

 ¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

 ¹⁵I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

 ¹⁶I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

(Psalm 119:1-16, King James Version)

 

 

SCRIPTURE READING   

 ^45-46"Or, God's kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

 ^47-50"Or, God's kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That's how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won't do any good."

 ⁵¹Jesus asked, "Are you starting to get a handle on all this?"

   They answered, "Yes."

 ⁵²He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it."

 ^53-57When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise, get such ability?" But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "We've known him since he was a kid; he's the carpenter's son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?" They got their noses all out of joint.

(Matthew 13:45-53, The Message)

 

HYMN

 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Tune:  Hamburg

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord that I should boast save in the death of Christ my God; all the van things that charm me most I sacrifice them to his blood.

See from his head his hands his feet sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine that were a present far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

Sacred Heart University Concert and Liturgical Choirs 
March 27, 2010
Chapel of the Holy Spirit, Sacred Heart University
Dr. John Michniewicz, Conductor; Galen Tate, Organist

I love Eugene Peterson’s translation The Message!  When talking about the leaders of the meeting house Gene says ‘they got their nose out of joint.’  That happens sometimes when we really listen to what Jesus tells us.  Everyday I’m reminded that God’s ways aren’t our ways and that’s not something we like to hear.  When we remember, on this Ash Wednesday, that the way of Jesus leads to the cross it gets our noses out of joint.  We want Jesus to be triumphant like he is on Palm Sunday not hung like a thief on Good Friday. 

And, again, I love Gene’s translation!  He translates one of the previous verses by saying a well-trained follower of God knows just what needs to be found.  Sometimes we need that joy of Palm Sunday.  And sometimes we  need the imposition of the ashes on our foreheads and the reminder that ‘from dust we have come and to dust we shall return.’

As we begin this Lenten journey, if we’ll listen – really listen – to what God calls us to do and be we might get our noses out of joint but we’ll also discover that God’s way is far superior. 

Blessings on your journey,

 

Searching for Treasure

PSALM 116:1-6 (King James Version)

 ¹Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

 ²Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

 ³They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

 ⁴Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

 ⁵O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

 ⁶Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

 ⁷I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

 ⁸I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

 ⁹Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

 ¹⁰With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

 ¹¹Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

 ¹²Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

 ¹³With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

 ¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

 ¹⁵I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

 ¹⁶I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

(Psalm 119:1-16, King James Version)

 

SCRIPTURE READING  Matthew 13:44 (The Message)

⁴⁴"God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

(Matthew 13:44, The Message)

 

HYMN Living for Jesus

Tune:  Living for Jesus

Living for Jesus a life that is true striving to please him in all that I do yielding allegiance glad hearted and free this is the pathway of blessing for me.

CHORUS: O Jesus Lord and Savior I give myself to thee for thou in thy atonement didst give thyself for me; I own no other master, my heart shall be thy throne, my life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for thee alone.

Living for Jesus who died in my place bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace; such love constrains me to answer his call follow his leading and give him my all.

Living for Jesus through earth’s little while my dearest treasure – the light of his smile; seeking the lost ones he died to redeem, bringing the weary to find rest in him.

Hymn sung by Cedar College of Education Choir at KwaSizabantu Mission in South Africa.

 

What an appropriate reading the Gospel for today is for Ash Wednesday.  Finding a treasure beyond any price – isn’t that what the journey to Easter is all about???  I’ve talked with several people who are giving up all kinds of things for the Lenten season – some of them Facebook, some of them broccoli – but it’s all the same thing, recognizing a treasure beyond anything we could ever hope to have or be and willing to make a sacrifice to obtain it.  What’s the treasure that’s motivating you today?  Somehow, when I ask myself that question, I don’t always like the answer.  The treasure we’re seeking should always be those things that money can’t buy.  My friend and colleague Allen Gibson talks about just such a treasure in his blog today – you can read it at http://bit.ly/hBQlMt  My hope and prayer for you today is that you can find your treasure and that it is a treasure worth spending your life to pursue.

Happy birthday today to Christian Board of Publication http://www.chalicepress.com/ which was founded 100 years ago on this date.

Tonight is our Official Board meeting at the church at 7:30.  Hope that all of us, as we go about the church’s business, can see in that more than just business but truly the work of God.

God’s blessings on your journey,

 

 

 

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