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On April 17, 2019 By In Scribblings, Wisdom

Lenten Journey, Day 37, True Worship

Some refer to the Wednesday of Holy Week as a “Silent Day” or “Holy Wednesday.” Much of it depends on how one puts together the Gospel chronology. Still, it appears that after Judas decided to betray Jesus, Wednesday is spent conspiring for how this would occur. Jesus is in Bethany throughout the day and stays there during the night.

There is one remarkable scene that takes place in Bethany:

One of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered into the Pharisee’s house and sat at the table. Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of ointment. Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment (Lk. 7:36ff).

On Thursday, at the Last Supper, there is another table set. But on Wednesday Jesus receives one of the most splendid displays of worship in his earthly ministry. A woman, of immoral reputation, anoints our Lord. Kings are anointed. Unlike the traitorous leaders of the day, this woman wasted no time in submitting to the Lord of Glory.

She wet his feet with tears–a symbol of casting her cares on him. She wiped her tears with her hair–a symbol of casting her sins on him for hair in the Bible is often associated with weakness and uncleanness (Lev. 13:40). She kisses his feet–a symbol of loyalty. Unlike Judas whose kiss meant death, this woman’s kiss meant allegiance.

On this Holy Wednesday, while Jesus’ ministry may be relatively silent, the angels in heaven are not; the Father and the Spirit are not, and this true worshipper in a Pharisees’ home is loudly worshipping the Second Adam.

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On April 12, 2019 By In Scribblings, Wisdom

Lenten Journey, Day 33; Patience

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…”

Impatience stems from thinking that everything and everyone needs to follow a great script written by you and when people don’t follow the script as you wrote, then you are justified to show a director’s fury.

But you see, you don’t write the script for your children and friends. God is the director of our lives. His script for our lives is from everlasting. And when we rush to anger with our fellow actors and actresses, we are acting as if we are self-creators of our own stories. We are supplanting God’s function in our stories as the great writer. On the other hand, patience treats others with the dignity of fellow travelers in this great cosmic narrative.

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On March 26, 2019 By In Wisdom

Lenten Journey, Day 18, Crucified Lives

Mark 15:21: Simon from Cyrene happened to be coming in from a farm, and they forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.


We live crucified lives. To live crucified lives is to live the life of Simon of Cyrene who was compelled to bear the cross and later joined the mission of the Kingdom. We must bear the cross with integrity in this world. It is our calling. You do not need to be perfect to carry the cross, but we must be willing to bow before the cross to bear it. Sometimes we are first compelled to bear it before we humbly submit to its beauty and grace. Bearing the cross is no easy task. It is draining, tiring, exhausting and humbling. And this call is what makes the Lenten journey so compellingly engaging.

Lent drains our dependence on self and calls us to look to Another for aid. As Watts so powerfully reminds us:

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.

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On March 22, 2019 By In Wisdom

Lenten Journey, Day 15; Confessing before pointing fingers

Genesis 3:12: The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

The first duty of a Christian is to confess his own sins before pointing the finger. All of us bring something destructive into our relationships—our sin. And if we think blaming others or our circumstance is the answer, we have deceived ourselves. Maybe we are the problem. Maybe we don’t see ourselves with clarity. Maybe we love ourselves more than our spouses. Maybe we love our little kingdoms more than God’s cosmic kingdom. That’s the level of honesty that God expects from us. The other person may be guilty. He/she may be the cause of your pain, but at some time you must realize that shifting the blame on others is not the solution to your own problems.

The Gospel imperatives are clear: Admit. Confess. Renew. Restore. You cannot help others unless you have been helped by the Gospel truths. Do not allow the pain inflicted upon you by others to keep you from doing and living the way God intends you to live; to know and to love those God calls you to know and love. Do not allow the sin of others to paralyze you from living your Christian confession.

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On March 19, 2019 By In Wisdom

Lenten Meditation, Day 12; Biting and Devouring One Another

Galatians 5:15 “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

It is interesting that the law of mutual destruction is a consistent biblical doctrine. Sometimes we think we gain by devouring others with our words. After all, we certainly don’t want others to escape true justice. Of course, we happen to be the devout judges in this affair.

The “biting” can be a reference to offensive language, false accusations, slander, etc. To “devour” someone is to consume their well-being leaving them defenseless and ashamed. These methods vary significantly from the biblical remedy of speaking the truth in love. Love protects one another. Yet, according to Paul, when church members engage in such activities, they are digging for themselves their own graves.

The end of devouring someone is that you are consumed by your own appetite. It is a profound idea to remember this Lenten Season that Jesus could have easily devoured those nearest to him, but yet, he fulfilled the commandments (Gal. 5:14) and loved them even to the point of death.

As the Lenten Season carries its blow to our pride, let us repent of biting and devouring one another. May we rightly repent and turn from the addiction of destroying others for that addiction leads to death.

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On March 14, 2019 By In Scribblings, Wisdom

Lenten Journey, Day 8

Galatians 6:14: But far be it from me to boast [in anything or anyone], except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

We are told not to boast. Boasting assumes our excessive trust in our own achievements. It’s the talk of pompous and powerful men. Yet, the Apostle Paul urges us to boast. For Paul, our boasting is not in our own conquest, it’s the conquest of Another. We boast in a tree that was cut down to save us. We pride in a tree, shaped in the form of a sword where our Savior hung.

Jesus died to become the sword of salvation to all who believe; the protector of all those born anew. In him, we are rescued, restored, and redeemed. We boast in a Savior who conquers by dying.

In these remaining thirty-three days, let’s boast! Let us proudly exalt the cross of Jesus. Let’s show Christian pride in a bloody cross bearing a beautiful Savior.

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On March 14, 2019 By In Culture, Family and Children, Theology, Wisdom, Worship

Lent as Subtraction by Addition

Guest post by Rev Sam Murrell 

The liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues for forty days (not counting Sundays) up until Easter. It has traditionally been regarded as a time of reflection, introspection and personal renewal culminating in the celebration of the resurrection at Easter. By observing the forty days of Lent, Christians (in some sense) replicate Jesus’ time in the desert for forty days before He began His ministry. The Lenten season is a time to open our hearts to God’s sanctifying grace through the use of prayer, confession of sin, fasting, and alms-giving (Matthew 6:1-10).

Lent is one of my favorite times of the year because it forces me to take a close look at myself and my relationship with Jesus Christ. Lent reminds me of my need to rely on Christ’s grace and that I shouldn’t think too highly of myself.

When I first began to follow the Church calendar I simply mimicked what was modeled for me by my church. Over the years, however, I have come to realize that the Lenten season has the potential to be a season of great spiritual impact in my life and in the life of a congregation. Unfortunately, we have trivialized Lent by the way we choose to celebrate it.

In preparation for Lent, worshipers are exhorted to fast and abstain from things that hinder their walk with the Lord. It should be a season in which we attempt to lay aside every weight and the sin that too easily captivates our hearts and distracts us from running the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1). Hence, we are encouraged to die to self and symbolically ‘give up something for Lent’.  Most Christians who acknowledge the season of Lent make vows that ultimately have little to no impact on their spiritual growth. They vow to give up such trivial things as chocolate, caffeine, a favorite show or some other soft habit. All the while, looking forward to the next Sunday when they will be able to suspend or take a sabbatical from their vow for the day (Sundays are feast days, therefore one should not fast or abstain from God’s good gifts on the Lord’s Day). This approach to Lent is not spiritually healthy, nor is it beneficial. It is my contention that we should reevaluate the way we celebrate Lent in order to better align our focus with Scripture. And how do I propose we do that?

I propose that instead of subtracting something trivial from your life like caffeine or candy, consider subtraction by addition. What do I mean? Consider temporarily adding something to life that requires you to give up some of your time in order to pursue it. For example, this year try to do something that will bring glory to Christ for the full forty days. Something with a kingdom focus. Specifically, I recommend you consider adding a daily, structured time of prayer to your schedule for Lent.  I have decided that I will pray the office of Evening Prayer with my family as much as possible with my family this Lenten season.

I suspect I will miss a few nights, but I suspect I will pray more consistently with my wife during these days, as well. Lent allows us to start simple. We all can make one adjustment for forty days. You too may want to try to pray one portion of the Daily Office (found in the Book of Common Prayer) every day (Morning Prayer, Noon Prayer, Evening Prayer or Compline), except Sunday for the duration of Lent. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Noon Prayer can be done in as little as five to ten minutes. While that may not sound like much, the discipline of regularly praying the office will function as a daily “re-set” or reminder that God is an ever-present help throughout the day.

Lent is a great time to intentionally draw near to the Lord, using the ordinary means of grace (prayer, sacraments and the Word). Think about how you can add a more biblical focus to your life during Lent this year. Commit to reading the Gospels during Lent; if the Lord’s Day attendance has been an issue, commit to attending corporate worship all during Lent. If your church has an evening service that you rarely attend decide to attend every evening service during Lent. Make choices that will have a lasting effect on your life. Stop making trivial vows to the Lord. Eat your candy bar, after all, you’re going to go back to eating it on Easter.

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On March 13, 2019 By In Scribblings, Theology, Wisdom, Worship

Herbertian Lessons for Lent

Guest post from Brian G Daigle, Headmaster of Sequitur Classical Academy

I live in an area where Mardi Gras is in full swing, and I can remember from my upbringing that Fat Tuesday was a last-ditch effort at debauchery before the pseudo-spiritual practice of “giving something up for Lent” really began. In my youth, I would give up some kind of chocolate or candy, something that appeared to be a fast, and I would join others around me in sharing with friends and family what I’ve given up and why. Around day thirty it would turn into some kind of joke about how long I’ve been able to go without this first-world luxury. My aristocratic sacrifice was hardly creating in me a clean heart. Those imaginings still haunt me and each year I must consider anew why this kind of extended fast ought to be recognized. (more…)

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On February 27, 2019 By In Wisdom

Slow To Speak

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Proverbs 17:27–28; 18:1-4

If I think about the number of hours I have watched sitcoms, it explains a lot about what kind of speech I have encountered (and practiced, I’m afraid) and why it has often not worked out that well for me.

The essential feature of many sitcoms for every age is that someone outwits someone else. As a person encounters a situation he says something, on the spot, that is really clever. When he has an argument, he makes a smart if insulting response that seems funny. This goes on and on.

What is true in every case in a sitcom is that no one is actually thinking up anything to say on the spot. No one spontaneously comes up with a witty comeback. It is all script. It was all written beforehand by a team of writers and memorized by the actors.

So a system of writing, memorization, and rehearsal is used in our culture to produce an ideal of how people should talk to one another in a quick, witty, and often insulting manner.

(more…)

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On February 6, 2019 By In Wisdom

Prayer as Partnership

I’ve written two posts on the possibility that we shouldn’t always (or as often) pray for release from our circumstances (here and here). So now I want to suggest a way to think about prayer that will lead us into better practices, and show some (more?) Scriptural support.

The central issue, in my opinion, should be settled by the account of the creation of mankind. Quite simply: God created humanity to rule—to subdue the earth and to multiply to fill the earth. Humanity was not created primarily to ask God for things. We were created to actually do something ourselves for God. While this activity had to be performed as subordinate creatures to the Creator, and thus entailed prayer as part of that relationship and mandate, it still doesn’t change our purpose. God didn’t make us to ask but to act.

Additionally, the creation story tells us that we are dependent on God but it doesn’t seem concerned with our asking for things. Rather, God gives before we can ask. While that doesn’t mean we aren’t supposed to ask for help, again the emphasis of creation lies elsewhere.

To repeat: none of this is meant to say we should not ask for things we need or want. Obviously, we should do so (Matthew 7:7). But such prayer is supposed to fit in the context of us as God’s vicegerents who are ordered to take dominion.

(more…)

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