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Day 20 (March 31, 2011)

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Lenten Meditations 2012

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Downtown Holy Week Services

During Holy Week, churches in the downtown area will hold a mid-day service and lunch. Except on Friday, services begin at noon with lunch following. The suggested donation for lunch is $5.

Monday, April 2: First Baptist - Noon

Tuesday, April 3: First Presbyterian - Noon

Wednesday, April 4: Central Christian - Noon

Thursday, April 5: Maundy Thursday evening services at various churches

Friday, April 6: St. Paul’s Episcopal - 11:30 a.m. lunch, Noon worship service

Day 20 (March 31, 2011)

Psalms 42, 43, 83, 85, 86; Jer. 10: 11-24; Rom. 5:12-21; John 8:21-32

In Psalms 42 and 43, the writer expresses a strong sense of despair, perhaps fear or abandonment: "My soul is downcast within me," he writes (42:4 NIV). But in the last verse of Psalm 43, he advises, "Put your hope in God." In Psalm 86 (still part of my assignment), we learn that our God "is not like other Gods (86:8). How so? Jeremiah 10:11-13 tells us how so, at least in part. Our God is the God of the universe. "When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain, and brings out the wind from His storehouses." Is that so different from the gods of ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia?

Ah, but Jesus also controlled the forces of nature. He calmed the winds and walked on water. But Jesus, besides being God [In my Gospel assignment (John 8:21-32) the writer records Jesus making a series of "I AM" statements, words used by God to identify Himself as God.], is also human, fully human. And that's the difference! He is so human, albeit for the briefest moment just before He died on the cross, He too felt despair, a sense of abandonment: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" But with His last dying breath, He submitted to the will of God. Jesus, Himself, relied on the Father: "I do nothing on my own…the One who sent me is with me" (John 8: 28-29). God chose to become human to restore us to the full humanity that He created us to be, by submitting to His will and relying on His loving grace. Jesus shows us how to do it. We are called to try to follow that example.

Posted on Thu, March 31, 2011 by Lenten Meditations filed under

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2012 Lenten Series

Our Lenten observances this year include daily Morning and Evening Prayer and Stations of the Cross. I encourage you to deepen your Lenten experience by participating in these worship services as you are able. The heart of our Lenten observance is the teaching series on Wednesday evenings. This year's series is entitled "Finishing Well."

This year's series focuses on the questions: What does it mean to finish well? What steps must we take to prepare for our deaths? These are important questions for Christians to ponder -- both young and old.

The first two weeks (February 29 and March 7) will be led by Dr. Cynthia Crysdale, Professor of Christian Ethics and Theology at the School of Theology at The University of the South in Sewanee. Dr. Crysdale will teach us about the theological underpinnings of Finishing Well.

Week three (March 14) will be led by Jim Dooley, Director of Concord Baptist Senior Adult Program and founder and director of Senior Connections. Mr. Dooley will give us an overview of caregiving for our loved ones and a program he is developing entitled "It's about Time."

Week four (March 21) will feature two of our bright young attorneys, Theodore Goodman and Jeremy Cothern, who will lead us through the legal essentials of finishing well.

Fr. Polk and Fr. Colin will finish up in week five (March 28) as we plan our own funeral services.

The series will begin on Wednesday, February 29 and run for five consecutive Wednesday evenings. A soup supper will be served beginning at 5:30 pm. There is a small charge for supper. A brief liturgy begins at 6:15 p.m. in St. Andrew's Chapel followed by the teaching series. We will be finished no later than 7:15 p.m. Child care is available.

While we often put off or resist thinking about our mortality, Lent is an appropriate time to learn, both theologically and practically, how to "Finish Well."