In The Midst

Some thoughts from Christian writer Frederick Buechner that are especially meaningful as we head toward Easter.

JESUS IS APT TO COME, into the very midst of life at its most real and inescapable. Not in a blaze of unearthly light, not in the midst of a sermon, not in the throes of some kind of religious daydream, but . . . at supper time, or walking along a road. This is the element that all the stories about Christ’s return to life have in common: Mary waiting at the empty tomb and suddenly turning around to see somebody standing there—someone she thought at first was the gardener; all the disciples except Thomas hiding out in a locked house, and then his coming and standing in the midst; and later, when Thomas was there, his coming again and standing in the midst; Peter taking his boat back after a night at sea, and there on the shore, near a little fire of coals, a familiar figure asking, “Children, have you any fish?”; the two men at Emmaus who knew him in the breaking of the bread. He never approached from on high, but always in the midst, in the midst of people, in the midst of real life and the questions that real life asks.

– Originally published in The Magnificent Defeat

An Invitation To Prayer

Below is a prayer reflection and focus for day 5 in the season of Lent.  If you are interested in a daily prayer focus in the coming days please visit http://www.wpcsnellville.org and go to my pastor blog.

Lent – Day 5

Scripture   I John 1:5-10

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Reflection

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  However true the statement is, it doesn’t keep us from repeating the deception.  After all we have a lot invested in being right.  When was the last time we received the award, promotion, or pat on the back for being wrong?

Off course we are all wrong, plenty of times.  It’s a truth we discover more by weight than by logic.  Sin – falling short of what God intends for our lives – becomes a burden we bear.  We’d like to unburden ourselves, but it is so hard to face the reality of needing to.

The good news is that the season of Lent is not only a call to honesty.  It is an opportunity to lose the weight, to experience a burden lifted.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Perhaps it’s time to let it go, with God’s help.

Prayer Focus

What are you carrying around that you need to let go of?  Ask God for the courage to confess it.

Remember

Some thoughts from author Frederick Buechner on the healing power of remembering:

WHEN YOU REMEMBER me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.

For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost. When I’m feeling most ghost-like, it’s your remembering me that helps remind me that I actually exist. When I’m feeling sad, it’s my consolation. When I’m feeling happy, it’s part of why I feel that way. If you forget me, one of the ways I remember who I am will be gone. If you forget me, part of who I am will be gone.

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” the good thief said from his cross (Luke 23:42). There are perhaps no more human words in all of Scripture, no prayer we can pray so well.

– Originally published in Whistling In The Dark