Sunday, April 20 - Easter Day: The Rev. Lex Breckinridge

John 20:1-18. I have seen the Lord.

It was only the day before yesterday that Mary Magdalene had been sitting in another place, waiting. It was on a hilltop in a place called Golgotha. She was sitting beneath a wooden cross. Hanging on that cross was her teacher and friend. He was dying a slow, painful death. Like many approaching their last hours or moments, her friend’s mouth was dry. He said, “I am thirsty.” After receiving a sponge soaked with a little sour wine, the friend hanging a few feet above her spoke what she imagined were the last words she would ever hear from him. “It is finished.”

But it turns out that it is not finished. Early on a Sunday morning, before the sun is up, Mary Magdalene waits in another place. This time in a garden in front of a tomb. The last time she had waited with her friend, she knew what she was waiting for. His death. She was present with her friend, keeping watch with him as his life slipped away. What is she waiting for now? A good question. Maybe waiting is all she knows anymore. A figure appears in the shadows. She assumes it is the gardener beginning his morning’s work. And the she hears a voice that is so familiar. “Mary.” What? My God, who is that? The grief that has been clouding her vision falls way in an instant, and she recognizes him.

“I have seen the Lord,” she runs to tell her friends. “I have seen the Lord.” But not until he had called her name. And of course he could not have called her name if she had not been waiting. Waiting for who knows what in the midst of grief and loss. Are you waiting for something? Maybe something you can’t even name? Be attentive. Listen.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest;

and in your weariness lay down your head upon my breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was, so weary, worn, and sad;

I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad. (Hymnal 1982, no. 692)

—The Rev. Lex Breckinridge

Saturday, April 19 - Holy Saturday: Dovey McLeod

Matthew 27:57-66. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

This scripture reminds me of two important elements of being a Christian. The first element is our Covenant with God. The dictionary defines a covenant as a legal term denoting a binding declaration of benefits to be given from one party to another. For us, as Christians, we learn that our covenant (Hebrew term meaning to bind) with God promises us eternal life through Jesus. May the God of Peace, who through the blood of our eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ… Heb 13:20

In our Covenant with God, He promises salvation through our faith in Christ, and we accept this by promising a life of faith and obedience.
In Matthew 27, we see Joseph’s faith when he collects the body of Jesus and prepares it for His return. He created a tomb out of the rock and wraps His body in a clean linen cloth, which makes me believe he has faith that Jesus will be resurrected as He had said. Also, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting opposite the tomb. This, along with their return to the tomb on the third day, shows they are awaiting our Lord Jesus’ arrival. I sometimes wonder if my faith is as strong as theirs.

Secondly, this chapter in Matthew brings to mind our upcoming Lent. Lent, by definition, is the Christian season of preparation before Easter, the time when Jesus is resurrected. We traditionally do this through prayer, penance, repentance, giving and self-denial. During the Wednesday Evening Program during Epiphany and Lent, we have discussed many things, one being whether or not we think attendance at church is a matter of choice or an obligation. Many different answers were given, but in the end we all agreed that though no one is forcefully dragging us here, it is a spiritual imperative to come to church. Praying together is strong and reinforces my faith. For me, it is important to be inclusive with all of my new family at St. Thomas. This means corporate worship, Stations of the Cross, works of mercy and simply being with you all. This Lenten Season, I will remind myself of our Covenant with God, focusing great attention to my obligations to Him, working on my Faith and Obedience. I look forward to worshiping with all of you.

—Dovey McLeod

Friday, April 18 - Good Friday: Zonnie Breckinridge

John 18:1-19:42. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.”

As I write this, my mother in law is at the very end of her life. She is quite frail and has the gaunt look of a body nearing the time of death. It has been hard to watch her deteriorate so rapidly, especially as she was quite vigorous all of her life. Yet, every time I am at her bedside, she reaches up her wrinkled, yet beautiful hands, grabs my face, pulls me close to her, kisses me and whispers to me that she loves me. She speaks very little, but when she does, it is almost always about how much she loves us. 

So, when I read this passage about Jesus anticipating the end of his life, the words “it is finished” came to me as words of love. As Jesus accepts that his physical body is dying, his letting go of “this life” makes room for the only thing that matters in the end, union with the one true love that is God.

—Zonnie Breckinridge

Thursday, April 17 - Maundy Thursday: The Rev. Kathryn Ballinger

John 13: 11-17, 31b-35. You also ought to wash one another’s feet.

Deacons feel a special affection for this passage, in Christ’s extraordinary act of service, the washing of his disciple’s feet. It is a reminder that we are all called to serve in humility and love, just as Jesus did, all of us who sit at his table and share in his body and blood. The Eucharist compels us also to do what Jesus did for others.

The liturgy of Maundy Thursday is about intimacy. Intimacy revealed in a meal and washing of feet. Intimacy can be frightening. It calls us to a place of vulnerability, risk and openness, a place where we can be changed, transformed. It is about relationship, oneness and union, with God, each other and ourselves. It is how God loves. It is how we are to love. Jesus gives us an example of unconditional love and service, a parable in action.

To allow Jesus to touch our feet is to allow him to touch our will, to remove all that prevents us from following him, to scrub away our insecurities, to wash away our weariness, to buff off our bitterness. Can we allow Jesus to wash that part of us that needs to change, that needs healing and forgiveness? Can we accept that Jesus wants to make us whole, holy and fully human? To be a disciple and part of the Kingdom, we too need to be washed. 

Foot washing is a divine courtesy that God has for us. It demonstrates how Jesus cares for us all through life. See how in gentleness he kneels down before us to raise us up. This is the mystery of God. Jesus asks us to look to him for inspiration and guidance, to serve in a humble, sincere and loving manner, to notice when people need help, to be available to comfort and support, to be unashamed to be the servant.

—The Rev. Kathryn Ballinger

Wednesday, April 16 - Wednesday in Holy Week: Jana Anderson

John 13:21-32. Do quickly what you are going to do.

Jesus said this to Judas knowing that Judas was going to betray him. Jesus said this to Judas knowing that it would bring pain, suffering and eventually death to himself. It did happen quickly. Judas left immediately after receiving a morsel from Jesus. He returned after midnight and delivered Jesus to his enemies. They hurried to get him condemned before dawn and had him on the cross by the “third hour.” We all would have liked the story to have gone differently but we all know that it had to happen this way.

Why did Judas betray Jesus? Judas may have thought that it would force Jesus to use his miraculous powers to save himself. Most of the apostles thought it was time for Jesus to settle his throne in Jerusalem. The apostles had been arguing amongst themselves over who would have the most important jobs. The apostles were sure their place was to rule not to serve. Jesus had referred to his crucifixion but they thought it was a parable.
“Do quickly what you are going to do” also applies to us today. Too often we procrastinate on our Christian duties. When you have faith in God and know what is right, act on it. Move quickly to answer God’s call to serve others. Pray, worship, love God and give thanks that God loves us.

—Jana Anderson

Tuesday, April 15 - Tuesday in Holy Week: Thomas Eggenberger

John 12:20-36. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you.

In this passage Jesus is talking to some Greeks who “came to worship at the feast”. He gives them many pieces of advice “he that loveth life shall lose it” and ‘”walk a little while the light is with you… lest the darkness come upon you” Jesus is saying that good things must come to an end. The light the world is enjoying is only available for a short time the darkness will come. He asks us to “walk while we have the light” because all the good things we enjoy are only temporary. The things we enjoy in this life our coffee in the morning, the fun evenings we have with our friends, the joy we experience on a daily basis it is all temporary. When “the darkness” of death comes the only thing that we keep is our relationship with God. Therefore we must strive to not only have virtuous relationships in our lives but to more importantly keep our relationship with God good because that is forever. This Lenten season we set aside things from our lives to remember that what is most important is our relationship with God. We must set aside what is only temporary and focus on what remains forever, our relationship with God.

—Thomas Eggenberger

Monday, April 14 - Monday in Holy Week: The Rev. Karen Haig

John 12:1-11. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

At our recent women’s retreat, we were invited to bring something with us that somehow represented our deepest longing. Not just something we thought we wanted, or something that we hoped for, but something sacred, some one thing that spoke of our heart’s desire and the deepest parts of ourselves. I brought this little wooden jar.

This little jar is filled with nard from Jerusalem, and I imagine it to be just like the nard Mary poured over Jesus’ feet, just like the nard Judas rebuked her for wasting, just like the nard that filled Mary and Martha’s house with the divine fragrance of costly perfume.

I didn’t choose that little jar because my deepest longing was for that luscious, fragrant, costly nard. I chose it because it reminds me of Mary and of her deepest longing. It seems to me that Mary’s deepest longing was for Jesus. Not for something from Jesus, but a pure, simple and deep desire just to be with Jesus, and always at his feet.

My deepest longing to be like the one who sat at Jesus’ feet, while her sister Martha took care of all the work of making that first dinner party happen. My deepest longing is to be like the one who knelt weeping at Jesus feet when her brother Lazarus died. My deepest longing is to be like the one who anointed Jesus’ feet with the most costly perfume imaginable, and wiped them with her hair.

We often think of Lent as a time of denial - a time to deny ourselves those things which seem to us to be self-indulgent. But I’m thinking of Lent differently this year, and for me there will be no denial, no “giving things up.” I hope instead, that Lent this year will be for me a time of great self-indulgence… 40 luxurious days of indulging that deep, deep longing in my soul, my pure, simple and deep desire for God.

—The Rev. Karen Haig

Sunday, April 13 - The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday - The Rev. Jim Friedrich

Matthew 26:30-46. So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?

As a designer of worship experiences, I have heard my share of complaints if a liturgy goes “too long.” An old catechism says the ultimate purpose of human existence is to love and enjoy God forever, but I have seen people looking at their watches during worship. This is sometimes due to a liturgy’s failure to live up to the task of enjoying God, but it is also indicative of the short attention span of humans at prayer. Our minds wander. Distractions pull on every side like restless monkeys. We have places to go, things to do. Silence and stillness, essential to an attentive, listening spirituality, are such rare experiences in the daily life of our culture that those modes no longer come easily or naturally. It may require a great deal of time, effort and practice in order to slow down and rest in the presence of the divine gaze.

Abraham Heschel, a great twentieth-century rabbi, once explained why he never made luncheon appointments: it was because he always said his prayers in the morning, and once he began a conversation with God, he could not predict what time it might end, or whether his mortal self would even survive its close encounter with the Holy. I imagine he said this with a certain degree of humor, but his understanding of prayer as a risky encounter with uncertain outcome haunts my own spiritual imagination. But alas, I fear I am more like the comically pathetic disciples in Gethsemane, who could not keep vigil with Jesus for the hour of his deepest agony. “Stay awake with me,” he asks them as he goes off to offer his great prayer of self-surrender: Not my will, but yours be done. But when he returns to his friends, he finds them asleep. Three times he goes off to pray, and each time they just fall asleep. Jesus is sympathetic at first (“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”), but after the third time his exasperation shows (“Did you get a good rest? You might want to wake up now that the police have arrived.”). Their slumbering ways were but one of many betrayals that night. Jesus had to walk that lonesome valley by himself.

As we begin the most important week of the year, we are invited once more to stay awake with Jesus, to keep him company on the Way of the Cross. This week is filled with ancient and moving communal rituals that comprise the molten core of our worship life. The wealth of daily rites, particularly the great sequence of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, embody the mystery of faith in transformative and indelible ways. By Easter Sunday we will not be the same. Do we have anything better to do, anything more important? Is there anything more worthy of our absolute attention? May our devices be put away, our screens be dark, our calendars evacuated, our hearts and minds attentive. Stay awake with Jesus. Walk the path with Jesus. The journey is how we know.

—The Rev. Jim Friedrich

Saturday, April 12: Mitchell Eggenberger

Mark 10:46-52. My teacher, let me see again.

Hi, my name is Mitchell Eggenberger and I am a freshman at Bellevue High School. I am reflecting on the passage, Mark 10:46-52. In this passage of the New Testament a blind beggar on the outskirts of Jericho, Bartimaeus, calls out to Jesus. Jesus is with his disciples and a large crowd has been following him along the road. Bartimaeus calls to Jesus, “Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me!” Jesus acknowledges his request and asks Bartimaeus what he can do for him, to which Bartimaeus replies, “My teacher, let me see again.” This passage carries a very powerful message. This passage is in fact a metaphor. From the outside it can be seen as a simple, physical healing by Jesus, when in fact it is also a spiritual one. Notice that when Bartimaeus calls for help he does not beg for his eyesight to be healed but for Jesus to have mercy on him. He realizes that he has sinned in his life and has been blinded. It is clear that he understands why he has been blinded and has repentance for his sins. While members of Jesus’ entourage begin to heckle the poor, blind, beggar; Jesus recognizes that Bartimaeus has forgiven his sins. How can we tell that Bartimaeus is not lying? He addresses Jesus as his teacher. This shows that Bartimaeus truly does forgive his sins and asks for the mercy of Jesus. Just as we do as Episcopalians every Sunday that we beg for the forgiveness of sins during the Nicene Creed, Bartimaeus is begging Jesus to forgive his sins. Jesus forgives Bartimaeus by giving his eyesight back. Jesus wants us to understand that we need to forgive and understand our sins before he forgives us.

—Mitchell Eggenberger

Friday, April 11: Judy Katri

Exodus 9:13-35. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and hardened his heart.

The other day I was reflecting on my memories of a camp in Vermont I attended each summer as a child. There we were expected to memorize what I considered to be a lengthy camp motto. To this day, I can recite the entire creed. The last line closes with the words, “to take home an open mind and a kind and caring heart.” Now that’s a pretty tall order for a camp of little girls! When these words passed through my mind the other day, I couldn’t help but wonder what a different world it might be if we all set aside more time to ponder the condition of our minds and hearts.

The Bible commands us to “love God with all our hearts, and all our minds and all our souls”. In Psalm 19 David prays, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable” to God. The prophet Ezekiel tells the Israelites that God’s spirit will mercifully give them a new heart. (Ezekiel 36:26). 

The story of Exodus repeats many times that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. In Chapter 9 God had chosen Moses to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt to the land of spiritual freedom. Moses and his brother Aaron appeared before Pharaoh several times urging him to release the Hebrews, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he refused to listen to God’s messengers. Following six destructive plagues Moses warned Pharaoh of an impending devastating hail storm. In penitent desperation, Pharaoh responded, “I have sinned. Pray to the Lord for we have had enough. I will let you go.” (Exodus 9:27). Here, even Pharaoh seemed to have gotten the point, acknowledging God’s awesome power and his own sinful shortcomings. Once the storm cleared, however, Pharaoh revealed that this was merely a temporary change of heart and he rescinded his offer to release the Israelites.

How often in a time of need do we reach out to God with our whole heart promising to follow His will, only to later fall back on those commitments? This Lent I will ask God to help me set aside a quiet time each day to simply rest in His presence. I will pray that as I listen for His voice, my heart will be renewed and filled with Christ’s grace and compassion…that someday I might “ take home an open mind and a kind and caring heart,” eternally transformed by His Spirit.

—Judy Katri

Thursday, April 10: The Rev. Steve Best

Psalm 133:1. How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!

In ancient times when this psalm was first recorded, the Israelites lived in constant fear of war and experienced great division and tension as various tribes, often competing for limited resources, positioned themselves for survival and sometimes greed. Unfortunately, this also describes our world today as nations, on every continent, struggle for dominance and superiority. And yet, especially during the season of Lent, the deep human desire for peace, unity, and reconciliation keeps resurfacing. It is a prayer that won’t be extinguished. One of the most beautiful manifestations of God’s desire for unity is in the sacrament of marriage. In our Book of Common Prayer, in the liturgy for the celebration and blessing of marriage, there is a string of intercessions held together as beautiful pearls. The gathered community, friends, and family are invited to pray for the newly married couple that they would express this gift of peacemaking and bridge-building: “Make their life together a sign of Christ’s love to this…world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair.” I celebrate the freedom that many couples now enjoy as they choose partners of different “tribes” and begin to break down ethnic, class, and religious barriers that divide the people of God. In marriage we see the prayer for unity and healthy community take an earthly and visible form and point us towards the new life of Easter.

—The Rev. Steve Best

Wednesday, April 9: Kim Malcolm

2 Corinthians 3:1-2. Do we, like some people, need letters of introduction to you, or from you? No, you are all the letter we need, a letter written on our heart, anyone can see it for what it is and read it for him or herself.

It can be almost constant, can’t it, that pressure to prove that we belong? We list our accomplishments on our resumes, update our Linked In profiles, try to figure out how to brag without looking like we’re bragging on Facebook (it’s called “facebragging,” you can look it up on urbandictionary.com). 

We read the room, looking for folks who look like us, in the hopes that we’ll have something in common and so we’ll be understood. We’re constantly presenting our letters of introduction, hoping we’ll pass muster.

But Paul reminds us: through Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, we are all the letter that is needed. The Spirit has written God’s promise on my heart, and yours, and we are transparently the fulfillment of that promise in our love for one another. May I remember this, the next time I walk into a crowded room.

And as for you, it is plain that you are a letter that has come from Christ, given to us to deliver; a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, written not on stone tablets but on the pages of the human heart.

—Kim Malcolm

Tuesday, April 8: Russ & Andrea Borgmann

1 Corinthians 14:26. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight.

Lately I have found myself thinking about the word “sanctuary.” I was drawn to the word during a daily devotion I recently read. It made me ponder: Is our church sanctuary simply a sanitized place where we come to feel comfortable on Sundays? Or is our church a sanctuary – a sanctuary for those in need and for those marginalized – drawing in, nurturing, and rejuvenating all souls of the family of God? How do we as a parish define “sanctuary”? Is it merely a noun? Are we consumers and spectators or are we active participants? Do we earnestly desire our sanctuary to be an active state of our being – actively living out Jesus’ call in our lives? 

Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 14 that we are all recipients of talents, gifted by the Spirit. Our unique gifts and talents are God-breathed, training us to live God’s way. Our gifts are shaped for the tasks God has for us. He prepares us to provide something that will be useful for all, so that we may encourage, instruct, build-up, administer peace, and establish order.

It is written: All scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). So it is with our gifts and talents as well. God yearns to bring us together in harmony. Shall we boldly use our talents wherever needed, so that we may be a holy, living sanctuary to, and for, one another?

—Russ & Andrea Borgmann

Monday, April 7: Brian Gregory

Mark 9:30-41. But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how the disciples could get it so wrong. Our reading today is the second of three predictions by Jesus that he is soon to die. All three times the disciples don’t quite understand what Jesus is saying. The first time Peter has the audacity to rebuke Jesus. The third time James and John ask if they will get to sit at Jesus’ side in the kingdom that Jesus has been talking about. In the account we read today, the disciples are arguing about who is the greatest among them. What comes before the needless argument, though, is important for us not to miss: “They did not understand what Jesus was saying and were afraid to ask him.”

The way of Jesus, the way of God’s kingdom, is a complete reversal of our very human understandings of power, prestige, and glory. It is sometimes hard to piece it all together because it is so counter to everything we are taught in this world. The world of the disciples was, in many ways, no different than the world we live in. Those who work hardest get the prize, the one with the greatest strength wins, and the successful are the most important. The way of the kingdom, the way of self-giving rather than self-serving, is hard to live in. Before we start scolding the disciples for their failure to comprehend this, perhaps we should first address their fear (and our own fear) about asking questions.

Sometimes this faith we proclaim doesn’t make sense. Sometimes we might feel like we’re the only one who doesn’t get it. We’re never going to have all the answers (nor do we need to), but as I’m sure each of us heard a teacher say in school, “There are no stupid questions.” Maybe the questions you have about Jesus are the same ones that others have as well. And it is only by asking the questions and seeking answers together that we will more faithfully live in the kingdom of God.

—Brian Gregory

Sunday, April 6 - The Fifth Sunday in Lent: Sunni Bannon

Ezekiel 37:1-14. Tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: I am going to put breath into you and bring you back to life.

When I was seven, I fell from a height of about six feet and when I hit the ground my breath was knocked out of me and I broke my arm. I didn’t realize my arm was broken for a few minutes because I was so distracted by the experience of losing my breath. I can still remember the sky and treetops above me coming into focus when, after those first seconds of shock passed, my lungs expanded and took in air again. As a young adult I lost a childhood friend to suicide and when I heard the news I felt as if I could not breathe. For the first few seconds as I tried to imagine what I had been told, everything stopped: time, reality, even breathing. At times, this life is crippling. Stress, suffering and sorrow drain me to the point that I am like the dry bones in this story – scattered, formless and unable to stand tall. 

Yet, even in those seconds with no breath at all, I know there is God. When asked an impossible question, Ezekiel says “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” And God does know the answer! So as I lay my stress, my suffering and my sorrow down and open myself to God, I can find my breath again. 

Divine Creator – Give me the strength to let go of my burdens. Breathe your power and your peace into me. Allow my life to become what you designed it to be. Amen.

—Sunni Bannon

Saturday, April 5: Tammy Waddell

1 Corinthians 13:1-13. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Speaking in tongues of mortals and angels is easy. If I just learn the vocabulary - the “right” words, the “spiritual” words, the words which I think people want to hear – yet there is no love in my heart to support these words, I might as well just be noise. It’s a distraction from the truth. Gongs and cymbals are both instruments, yet the sounds they produce feel abrasive to my ear. When I think about gongs and cymbals, I also think about them as “attention getters” rather than instruments which communicate feeling. If you are speaking from a place with love in your heart, it doesn’t need to be loud. You don’t need to get the attention of your audience first. When one speaks with love in their heart, it is a louder sound than any gong or cymbal could ever be.

—Tammy Waddell

Friday, April 4: Bruce Redman

Psalm 102: 2. Incline your ear to me; when I call make haste to answer me.

For me, this verse, by itself, reminds me that, when I pray, many times I find myself praying only for me, or for something I want only for me. This often happens when I have some kind of sadness, worry or pain in mind, or when I want something to go my way. And, of course, when I pray like that, my head usually wants an answer to my prayer on the spot! But when I read this verse with the rest of this psalm, from its opening tale of the speaker’s personal despair and sickness, to its hopeful passages about how God will rebuild Zion and never die, I am reminded that, when I pray beyond myself -- for my spouse, my family, my friends and my community -- without any of my own reservations, conditions or expectations, my head seems to draw closer to what my heart seems to be seeking instinctively -- the everlasting life, love and peace that God has for all, including me.

—Bruce Redman

Thursday, April 3: Michael Rothermel

Mark 8:27-9:1. If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Sometimes… I just don’t “get it.” I mean, in my better moments I really do want to be a faithful disciple of Jesus. But time and again, I seem to falter. My record as a faithful disciple of Jesus is, frankly, less than stellar. Thank God for Mark’s Gospel and his account of those first disciples – time and again, they just don’t “get it” either!

In the beginning of Mark’s narrative, they seem to be stellar models of discipleship: literally dropping everything immediately to respond to Jesus’ call to follow him. It must have been terribly exciting to follow this charismatic preacher, with front row seats to his healings and many miracles. 

Half way through Mark’s Gospel, we seem to hit the high water mark for discipleship when Peter boldly declares to Jesus: “You are the Messiah”! Except… right when Peter and the others think everything is on the up and up, it all starts going south. Jesus tells them to keep the “Messiah” talk quiet, and then foretells what He believes “Messiah” really means: suffering, rejection and death. 

Not exactly what the disciples had in mind… so Peter naturally takes Jesus aside and pleads with Him, desperately trying to get Jesus back on track. But Jesus won’t hear of it: “Get behind me Satan!”

What a staggering reversal. That’s the context for this call to discipleship:
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Hey, if I’m one of the disciples at this point in the Story, I don’t think I’m on board with this. In fact, they weren’t. In the second half of Mark’s Gospel, they misunderstand Jesus again and again. He speaks of suffering, losing, and of being last – yet they want to know which of them is the greatest. James and John jockey to see if they can sit on his right and his left side “in glory.” 

Three separate times he foretells His path of suffering and death. They doubt this is the right Way. They are afraid. They fall asleep when he needs them most. By the end of the journey, as the Cross looms ahead, Judas has betrayed Him, Peter has denied Him, and all the rest have fallen away. 

Is it just me, or can you see yourself in those first disciples? I’ve sure had my share of doubts. I’m afraid to take up a cross. I really do prefer glory to suffering and shame. Can I truly say I’ve never denied Him, never betrayed Him, never fallen away from Him? No, I can’t.
I guess that is precisely why I kneel in grateful, loving, appreciative awe of this Messiah, this Jesus. Even though the disciples, all of them, gave up on Him, Jesus never gave up on them. He came back. 

I like how Kimberly Clayton Richter puts it in the Spiritual Formation Bible: “It is precisely to such disciples, to us, that Jesus makes a resurrection promise he will keep: he is going ahead of us. We will see him. We are still included! Jesus does not give up on us, but urges us to keep going, to meet him in Galilee and everywhere else he appears in the world.”
In spite of my lack of discipleship, I’m still included. Jesus just keeps… coming… back.
For me. For you.

—Michael Rothermel

Wednesday, April 2: Laura Gregg

1 Corinthians 12: 1-11. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.

We all have been blessed with gifts from God. What puzzles me is that we are not always equally blessed with the means to use them. If I have the gift of wisdom, but do not share it because I see no point in casting pearls before swine, of what use is the gift? If I have the gift of healing but do not apply it because I fear the consequences of the unmediated intimacy it requires, of what use is the gift to anyone? And what do you do about a gift you didn’t ask for and don’t want? Or the gift you want, but never receive.

An answer for me is found at the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next. After his gift list and admonition that no one should expect to have them all, Paul writes, “But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” Then he continues in chapter 13, “…if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

So there ya go! The answer is in the “more excellent way,” that is, love. Love is the motivator for using my gifts. Without love, the gifts don’t accomplish much, even if they are used. The gift I want and pray for is the ability to love—a more excellent gift than any God has given me so far.

—Laura Gregg

Promised Land or Land of Promise? • Part 5

Barriers to Travel in the Holy Land

By Mary Pneuman

Recently, our friend Pat received an urgent call to visit a daughter who was very ill in a hospital in Nazareth, Israel. Although not of Arab descent, Pat had married a Palestinian Anglican priest and lived for many years in Ramallah. During her time there, restrictions on travel between the West Bank and Israel, made it impossible to visit a daughter living in Nazareth, unless they met outside the country. Ten years ago, Pat moved back to her home in England. Recounting her efforts to be with her daughter, she says:

“I am not allowed to travel to Israel as a British tourist. Hence, I had to fly to Jordan, cross the border into Palestine, which involved a lot of hassle through different checkpoints, then travel to Ramallah. There I had to visit various Government offices to obtain a new Palestinian passport (mine had expired), a new Palestinian identity card, and go to an Israeli office to ask for a permit to enter Israel. I told the Israeli officer (who was American) my circumstances, explaining that as a British citizen, I should be able to fly direct to Tel-Aviv. “No,” he said, “You are a Palestinian!”

Our friend finally obtained a one-week permit with stipulations that she could visit her daughter during daylight hours but must return to Ramallah by 7:00 pm each night —she was not to sleep in Nazareth. Deciding to take the risk of ignoring the conditions, she was most fortunate not to be stopped when she retraced her steps to Ramallah, then to Jordan and back to England. But, she writes, “All this meant that I not only had to spend six extra days travelling (three each way) but at twice the expense. I might add that I am elderly and with my British passport can travel anywhere in the world except Israel.”

Travel to or through Israel has also become next to impossible for U.S. citizens of Palestinian descent or with close Palestinian connections. Those whom Israeli authorities suspect of being of Arab, Middle Eastern or Muslim origin or those who have been involved in missionary work or activism may be denied entry into Israel or the West Bank. According to the website of the American Consulate in Jerusalem:

The Government of Israel does not currently permit U.S. citizens with Palestinian nationality (or even, in some cases, the claim to it) to enter Israel via Ben Gurion International Airport. Many travelers have been sent back to the U.S. upon arrival. Others have been allowed to enter Israel but told they cannot depart Israel via Ben Gurion without special permission, which is rarely granted. Some families have been separated as a result, and other travelers have forfeited expensive airline tickets.

Consider, for example, a retired Seattle banker, a Christian, who was born in Jerusalem, but has been an American citizen for over 30 years. He chose not to join our November pilgrimage because he expected to be turned back at Ben Gurion airport. Another Palestinian ex-pat (a Muslim woman born in Jerusalem, also a banker) is unable to visit her sister there. Her sister will not come to the U.S. for fear that she will not be allowed to return, or that her home will be taken under the absentee property law.

Even though prior confirmation may sometimes granted by the Israeli Embassy for entry from Jordan into West Bank areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, “This stamp does not permit such travelers to enter Jerusalem or Israel...appeals are rarely approved.”

While non-Palestinian American members of Christian tours are generally allowed entry to Israel without incident through Ben Gurion, couples or individuals face many difficulties, often not worth risking the cost of a ticket. Just before our tour group was to leave Jerusalem, we met a retired doctor from Boston who was waiting for a permit to visit Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, where she had been invited to consult on plans for their new cancer center. Her husband (not a doctor) had received a 24-hour permit and had just returned, but Israel guards at the Erez crossing had confiscated his cPAP machine (he has sleep apnea).The doctor was preparing to return to the U.S., expecting that her costly effort to pursue her charity mission would be in vain.

The founding of the State of Israel as a home for the Jewish people was the culmination of the hopes of displaced and persecuted Jews who sought to escape the evils of discrimination and tyranny and the horrors of the Holocaust. But in the 60 years since then, Zionist nationalism and the growing influence of the religious right have been steadily turning Israel from a place of safety and freedom for the Jews to a state that is no longer a place of safety or freedom for everyone. No distinctions are made between Christian and Muslim populations in the application of Israeli laws pertaining to Palestinian citizens of Israel or Palestinians non-citizens living under military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.

It is clear that not everyone is welcome in Israel, and not all enjoy equal rights in a state considered to be democratic. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored the point on March 4 when he said that if Palestinians really want peace with Israel, they will recognize Israel as a Jewish state—“the right of the Jewish people to a state of their own.” More recently, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has proposed the transfer of Arab-Israeli citizens to a new, but undefined Palestinian state by shifting the borders. No longer citizens of Israel, Palestinians would be moved to the West Bank or placed under the Palestinian Authority in northern towns and villages near the Green Line in exchange for Israel annexation of large West Bank settlements. Under international law, the legal basis for such a proposal (once unthinkable) is being explored.

Segregation and the separation of Jews and Palestinians are not the result of physical barriers alone. There are many existing or pending laws that legitimize policies that deprive Palestinians of civil rights and due process, and in the Israeli move to create a Jewish state, there is an alarming upswing in aggressive acts toward Christians and their institutions.

In Part 6, read about challenges now facing Christians and their churches in Israel/Palestine.

Tuesday, April 1: Heather Smith

Mark 8: 1-10. His disciples replied, “How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert? He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

As an Episcopalian, with a shaky background on understanding of the Bible, I researched my assigned passage. Jesus had spent the past three days with a large crowd of Gentiles, preaching and likely healing several of his followers. Food was in short supply, and Jesus, filled with compassion, asked his disciples about the available food stores for the crowd before sending them back home. The disciples, realizing that there were only seven loaves and a few small fish available, asked how anyone could get enough food in this remote desert region. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and broke the loaves to distribute to the crowd of four thousand people. Jesus took the few small fish, gave thanks, and distributed to the people and they were satisfied. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven baskets of broken pieces of bread. Jesus then travelled by boat to a different area, while the Pharisees questioned him and asked for a sign from heaven.

With faith, we all have enough. Jesus, provided both for the spiritual needs of the assembled crowd (teaching and healing) as well as for the physical needs of the people with both loaves and fish. And yet, after feeding the crowd of 4000 with seven loaves, seven baskets of broken pieces of bread remained. There was an abundance of food for his followers.

In the past year, my life (and the lives of my family members) has changed in many ways. Some of the changes have been very difficult, and others, not so much. Yet through all of these changes, I have felt this same grace from God. Even when the baskets seemed empty….there were still more than enough broken pieces to sustain me.

—Heather Smith