On the road to tomorrow
Take one step at a time.
Live in the moments;
Don’t wait for the sublime.
Life flies by too quickly
The days become a blur.
What might be someday,
Quickly becomes yesterday.
Live and embrace your span
Don’t dream your life away.
Do dream, but don’t delay,
Embrace your journey today.
In these bewildering times have you ever felt like all things sane have taken a turn for the worse? What with a politicized medical pandemic, a rise in racial hostility, a bitter division within families, churches, neighborhoods, relationships, and every other group in which people are involved it seems that life has taken a devastating blow to all things normal, if things have ever been normal.
The condition of our world makes me think of something the humorist, Will Rogers, once said, “If you find yourself in a hole quit digging.” Sadly, not too many people these days seem to know how to “quit digging.” In a world where everybody is right and everybody else is wrong, it’s hard to find a way through the maze.
Maybe it takes a plague to awaken us to a true self-realization. Maybe there are broken issues deep down inside each of us that stay hidden until they are forced to the surface. Maybe we are not as civilized as we would like to think we are. Maybe racism is a very real thing. Maybe everyone of us needs a reality check. Maybe all of us need to take a class on ‘How To Live Together On This Planet.” Truthfully, speaking the right words without the internal moral foundation to live out those “right words” is an exercise in futility. It was Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Speaking of a moral foundation, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “ If there is to be peace on earth and good will toward men, we must finally believe in the ultimate morality of the universe, and believe that all reality hinges on moral foundations.” If my heart isn’t right I certainly can’t fix your heart if it needs fixing. If my culture is broken, and I’m not dealing with the brokenness in my own heart, I really have nothing to contribute to the healing of my culture.
The problem goes deeper that self, however. Robert Kennedy said something that resonates in my heart concerning things like this. On the morning after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, Kennedy gave a speech at The Cleveland City Club, in Cleveland, Ohio. It was not the speech he had intended to make. In dealing with the murder of Dr. King, Kennedy spoke of the violence in the world and said,
And this too afflicts us all. For when you teach a man to hate and to fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies that he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your home or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies–to be met not with cooperation but with conquest, to be subjugated and to be mastered.
In the opening words of his speech Kennedy said,
It’s not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. They are, most important of all, human beings whom other human beings loved and needed. No one–no matter where he lives or what he does–can be certain whom next will suffer from some senseless act of bloodshed. And yet it goes on and on and on in this country of ours.
In his speech, Kennedy added these potent words: “Some look for scapegoats; others look for conspiracies. But this much is clear: violence breeds violence; repression breeds retaliation; and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our souls."
“Only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our souls.” This is a probing and powerful admission. Something is wrong in society. Could it be that societies are simply the macro of the micro? Enough human hearts gone bad will, eventually, work themselves into the whole.
Our culture is not well, and we all know it. We need a “cleansing” of some kind. We are in a hole, and we had better stop digging. And perhaps, in the words of Jesus, we all need to take the log out of our own eyes before we seek to take the speck out of somebody else’s eye.
The Titanic is sinking and it is no time to rearrange the furniture on the top deck.
Hallelujah! He is risen. “Thanks be to God!”
That Jesus lives, Heavenly Father, is enough for Me.
Blessed be His holy name. Amen.
A Resurrection Thought
As the Easter season begins and the church moves into resurrection life, may we remember the victory that Jesus brings into the world. By the grace of God may we live out the meaning of defeat overcome by victory. May we live in the powerful and life-transforming truth that JESUS IS LORD..
“'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." Forgive us, too, because they only acted on our behalf. We would like to blame ‘them,’ but we can't. We know the truth’” - Unknown
“In the old rugged cross,
stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross
Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me.
-From "The Old Rugged Cross," by George Bennard, 1913
I adore you, O Christ, and I bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Amen. - A prayer prayed at each station in the liturgy of praying the Stations of the Cross
Almighty God, Your name is glorified even in the anguish of your Son's death. Grant us the courage to receive your anointed servant who embodies a wisdom and love that is foolishness to the world. Empower us in witness so that all the world may recognize in the scandal of the cross the mystery of reconciliation. Amen.
- Revised Common Lectionary
I am bending my knee in the eye of the Father who created me, in the eye of the Son who purchased me, in the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me in friendship and affection. Through Thine own Anointed One, O God, bestow upon us fullness in our need, love towards God, the affection of God, the smile of God, the wisdom of God, the grace of God, the fear of God, and the will of God to do in the world, as angels and saints do in heaven.
- A Celtic prayer
God of steadfast love, light of the blind and liberator of the oppressed, we see your holy purpose in the tender compassion of Jesus, who calls us into new and living friendship with you. May we, who take shelter in the shadow of your wings, be filled with the grace of his tender caring; may we, who stumble in selfish darkness, see your glory in the light of his self-giving. We ask this through him whose suffering is victorious, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. - The Revised Common Lectionary
Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
- The Collect for Palm Sunday from Lay Anglicana, the unofficial voice of the laity throughout the Anglican Communion
"Jesus, Lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly;
While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still is high!
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, Till the storm of life is past,
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last!
- Charles Wesley, 1740
Almighty, eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Creator of heaven, earth, and humanity, together with Your
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Word and Image, and with
Your Holy Spirit: Have mercy upon us and forgive us our sins
for Your Son's sake, whom You have made our Mediator
according to Your wonderful counsels; and please guide and
sanctify us by Your Holy Spirit, who has been poured out upon
Your Church. Grant that we may truly know and praise You
today and throughout eternity! Amen.
- based on a prayer of Philip Melanchthon,
Reformer, 16th century
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Amen
- Robert Robinson (1735-1790)
You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.
But I’m in the very presence of God—Oh, how refreshing it is!
I’ve made Lord God my home.
God, I’m telling the world what you do!
- Psalm 73: 25-28, The Message
O Lord my God, I believe in you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Insofar as I can, insofar as you have given me the power, I
have sought you. I became weary and I labored. O Lord my
God, my sole hope, help me to believe and never to cease
seeking you. Grant that I may always and ardently seek
out your countenance….Enable me to remember you, to
understand you, and to love you. Amen. - Augustine, Late Fourth, early Fifth century
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. - From Psalm 63:1
God of the covenant,
in the glory of the cross
your Son embraced the power of death
and broke its hold over your people.
In this time of repentance,
draw all people to yourself,
that we who confess Jesus as Lord
may put aside the deeds of death
and accept the life of your kingdom. Amen.
- https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. - Based on a prayer from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, published by the Episcopal Church
Holy Spirit, living Breath of God, Breathe new life into my willing soul. Bring the presence of the risen Lord To renew my heart and make me whole. Cause Your Word to come alive in me; Give me faith for what I cannot see; Give me passion for Your purity. Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.
- From the song, "Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God,” by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend © 2006
My Father, you are never away from me … never forget me … never fail to surround me with your love. Where can I go from your Spirit? No where—except in the doubts and spiritual blindness that make a cavern of my own mind. Into those darknesses, bring the brightness of your presence now. Be the light that blazes in every dark doubt within me! - Augustine
Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor. I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you. In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have. I am poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor. I am a sinner; you are upright. With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fullness of righteousness. Therefore I will remain with you, of whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give. Amen.
- A prayer of Martin Luther
My Father: Who will govern my life today? Me – or You? Help me to choose wisely, Moment by moment. Amen. - Augustine
Lord, if you withdraw your hand, there is no grace. If you cease to guide us, we have no wisdom. If you no longer defend us, we have no courage. If you do not strengthen us, our chastity is vulnerable. If you do not keep a holy watch over us, our watchfulness cannot protect us. By ourselves we sink, we perish; when you are with us, we are uplifted, we live. We are shaky, you make us firm. We are lukewarm, you inflame us.
- - Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), a German born monk who lived in Holland; author of The Imitation of Christ
Gracious God, whose mercy is higher than the heavens, wider than our wanderings, and deeper than all our sin: Receive again your bewildered and broken people. Forgive our folly and our excess, our coldness to human sorrow, our passion for things of the moment, Change our hearts and turn all our desires to your way, that we may love what you love and do what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord. - From the Reformed Church in America
Father, I want to know You, but my coward heart fears to give up
its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I
do not try to hide from You the terror of the parting. I come
trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those
things which I have cherished so long and which have become
a very part of my living self, so that You may enter and dwell
they're without a rival. Then shalt You make the place of Your
feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to
shine in it, for You will be the light of it, and there shall be no
night there. In Jesus' Name. Amen. - - A. W. Tozer
You, Lord, are forgiving and good abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. - From Psalm 86:5-1-11, NIV
Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day long. - From Psalm 25:4-5
Come, O Thou God of grace,
Dwell in this holy place,
Even now descend!
This temple, reared to Thee,
O may it ever be
Filled with Thy majesty,
Till time shall end!
- William Evans, 1886
Lord, because you have made me, I owe you the whole of my
love; because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of
myself; because you have promised so much, I owe you my
whole being. Moreover, I owe you as much more love than
myself as you are greater than I, for whom you gave yourself
and to whom you promised yourself. I pray you, Lord, make
me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by
love what I know by understanding. I owe you more than my
whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render
the whole of it to you. Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness
of your love. I am wholly yours by creation; make me all
yours, too, in love. - Anselm (1033-1109)
O God, seeing as there is in Christ Jesus an infinite fullness
of all that we can want or desire, may we all receive from
him, grace upon grace; grace to pardon our sins, and subdue
our iniquities; to justify our persons and to sanctify our souls;
and to complete that holy change, that renewal of our hearts,
which will enable us to be transformed into the blessed
image in which you created us. O make us all acceptable to be
partakers of the inheritance of your saints in light. Amen.
- a prayer of John Wesley
Gracious Father, we pray for Your holy and universal Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ Your Son our Savior. Amen.
- William Laud, appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, 1633
Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of thy brightness. Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom. All our desire is known unto thee, therefore perfect what thou hast begun, and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. We seek thy face, turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory. Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect.. - Augustine, 354 - 430
O God, I have tasted Your goodness, and it has both satisfied
me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of
my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O
God, the Triune God, I want to want You; I long to be filled with
longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Your
glory, I pray, that so I may know You indeed. Begin in mercy a
new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love,
my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and
follow You up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so
long. In Jesus' Name, Amen. - - A. W. Tozer
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” - Psalm 19:14, NIV
Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to You, "Speak, for Your servant hears." Let me hear You speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Your Voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Your speaking Voice. Amen. O Lord, I have heard a good word inviting me to look away to You and be satisfied. My heart longs to respond, but sin has clouded my vision till I see You but dimly. Be pleased to cleanse me in Your own precious blood, and make me inwardly pure, so that I may with unveiled eyes gaze upon You all the days of my earthly pilgrimage. Then shall I be prepared to behold You in full splendor in the day when You shall appear to be glorified in Your saints and admired in all them that believe. Amen. - A. W. Tozer
O Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Your word and understand and do Your will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Your law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. On You do I set my hope, O my God, that You shall enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Your knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them… For You are the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from You comes every good deed and every gift. Amen. - John Chrysostom (347-407)
O God and Father, I repent of my sinful preoccupation with visible things. The world has been too much with me. You have been here and I knew it not. I have been blind to Your Presence. Open my eyes that I may behold You in and around me. For Christ's sake, Amen. - A. W. Tozer
O God, quicken to life every power within me, that I may lay hold on eternal things. Open my eyes that I may see; give me acute perception; enable me to taste You and know that You are good. Make heaven more to me than any earthly thing has ever been. Amen. - A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
Spirit of Truth, direct our attention to the life of Jesus so that we might see what you would have us be….We know we cannot be like Jesus except as Jesus was unlike us, being your Son. Make us cherish that unlikeness that we may grow into the likeness made possible by Jesus’ resurrection. Amen (Stanley Hauerwas)
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. - The Book of Common Prayer
Slow me down, Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills. - Wilfred Peterson, date unknown
We beseech thee, Master, to be our helper and protector. Save the afflicted among us; have mercy on the lowly; raise up the fallen; appear to the needy; heal the ungodly; restore the wanderers of thy people; feed the hungry; ransom our prisoners; raise up the sick; comfort the faint-hearted.
- Clement of Rome, 1st Century
O God Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Your only begotten Son, give me a body unstained, a pure heart, a watchful mind, and an upright understanding, and the presence of Your Holy Spirit, that I may obtain and ever hold fast to an unshaken faith in Your Truth, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord; through whom be glory to You in the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. AMEN. - The Clementine Liturgy
My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done. - Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
God, who sees all things, and who is the Ruler of all spirits and the Lord of all flesh, who chose our Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him to be a peculiar people - grant to every soul that calls upon Your glorious and holy Name, faith, peace, patience, long-suffering, self-control, purity, and sobriety, to the well-pleasing of His Name, through our High Priest and Protector, Jesus Christ, by whom be to Him glory, and majesty, and power, and honor, both now and forevermore. AMEN.
- Clement of Rome
Lord, be with us this day,
Within us to purify us;
Above us to draw us up;
Beneath us to sustain us;
Before us to lead us;
Behind us to restrain us;
Around us to protect us.
- Patrick, c389-461
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
(Episcopal Book of Common Prayer)
Lent: Day 2
Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of thy brightness. Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom. All our desire is known unto thee, therefore perfect what thou hast begun, and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. We seek thy face, turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory. Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect. - Augustine, 354 - 430
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
- Based on Matthew 6:9-13, New Living Translation
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first day in Lent. As a part of my journey this season I am seeking to pray the prayers of others and to make them mine. I invite you to the journey.
Followers of the Messiah ought to pray this prayer everyday of their lives, and particularly in the days of the Lent season. The ancient king prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23-24).
In these broken, divided, war-filled days, maybe we just need to pray. Maybe we need to humble ourselves before God, and ask for mercy and grace and guidance and peace.
Each day in this Lenten season I will offer daily prayers for those who might have interest. The prayers come from Scripture, from Church history, from hymns, from Prayer Books, and from devotional writers. I pass them along to you even as they will be my prayers each day in Lent and on all of the Sundays in the Lenten season.
God bless you as you journey to the cross and on to Easter.
Rick
As many people know, the season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and for nearly a month Christians await the coming of Christ in a spirit of expectation, singing hymns of longing and hope. What many may not know is that in the Christian calendar on December 25th, Christmas Day itself, Christmas has just begun, so that for the next twelve days the real celebration continues until January 6, where a celebration called, Epiphany, takes place.
Epiphany means “revelation,” or “manifestation.” It is celebrated to commemorate the arrival of the “Magi from the east,” who had followed the star to the place of Messiah’s birth. Their arrival could have been as late as Jesus being two years old by then. It is a day, therefore, to celebrate the revelation of Jesus to Gentiles, a time to remember that Messiah isn’t simply a Jewish Savior, but a Savior for all people, Jew and Gentile.
At the heart of the matter, The Feast of Epiphany, shouts loud and clear that the promise given to Abraham way back in Genesis 12:3 where God says to Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth will be blessed,” finds the revelation or manifestation of the dream of God for His creation, all of it. In Messiah “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female" (Galatians 3:28). In Jesus, walls are broken down, barriers are destroyed, race is embraced, and everyone is invited into a new way of being in the world. The apostle Paul said it this way in his letter to the church in Ephesus,
In Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility … He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:13-22)
Jewish shepherds, wise men from the east, men and women, people of all races, creeds, and colors, and socio-economic status, are invited into this new way of being in the world. It is a way of peace because the invitation comes to all of us from the “Prince of Peace,” who is also named, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father” (Isaiah 9:6).
In these difficult times when there is much anger and animosity and divisions in our world, there is One who has taken upon Himself all the sin and brokenness of our lives, and who has poured out His life that we may have life in His name. He tells us that there are forces in the world that are present to “steal, and kill, and destroy,” but that these forces are not of God. The way of God in the world is that people might “have life, and have it abundantly.” It is when we drift away from God that life begins to breakdown, not when we draw near to God.
In these challenging days followers of Jesus have the awesome privilege to live out the meaning having life abundantly. My prayer for myself and for fellow believers is that if others don’t want to draw near to Jesus their reasoning won’t be that we have failed to live abundant life, to model what Jesus in a human being means.
Truthfully, many people will not embrace the Prince of peace. Still He stands among us as the Deliverer. As the wisemen sought the counsel of Herod and discovered that the reason he embraced their journey to Bethlehem was so that when they found the Christ Child, he might put him to death. That disconnect from Jesus is still a force in the world. True, people may not want to put Him to death but they definitely don’t want Him anywhere near their lives.
For those who embrace Jesus, the issue must not be one in which it is us-verses-them. Truthfully, it is just us. The Savior came for all of us. The baby of Bethlehem who was also called, “God with us,” is still with us. He is still the Prince of Peace, the wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father.
When this Christmas season ends, may we draw so near to God that who He is will be worked into the very fiber of who we are. May His DNA flow through our very being so much so that we won’t simply be called Christians, but rather, Christ-like people. In this may we all remember that Jesus said to His followers both then and now, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). He also said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
“I will give you rest.” Okay, then. God be with us all.
