Introduction to the St. Thomas Lenten Devotional

For Christians, Lent is a time set apart. Forty full, rich and long days to reflect and to pray, to look within, to seek out and explore the things in our lives that create distance between God and ourselves. Lent is a time to listen carefully and to discern what it is that God is calling us into. What might we take on, or let go of, in order to more freely love God, our neighbors and ourselves?

We offer you the St. Thomas Lenten Devotional and invite you to spend some time each day reflecting on Holy Scripture with our St. Thomas community. These reflections have been written with great care and attention by the people of our community, and they offer us an opportunity to move more deeply into our relationships with God, with one another and with ourselves. My heartfelt thanks to all who prayed and pondered and wrote so beautifully from the riches of their own lives, to make this booklet happen. This little devotional is a great gift to us all, and it has been my privilege to have had a hand in bringing it to you. I invite you to use it to pray with, and to come closer into community by coming to know a bit more of the people who have written these reflections. May this Lent be an especially rich and holy season for us all.

Faithfully, Karen†

Sunday, February 22: Arne Hendrickson

Psalm 25:6. Remember me according to your love.

I have never been faced with as many challenges in life as I have now…and never have I had as much faith in the Lord. My problems are plentiful, but when I think of them, I reflect on how my Lord Jesus Christ is there with me. He is there by my side as I face the challenges of life. And I know that he has always been with me, even when I didn’t know (as a younger man) to think of Him. Today, there are challenges that never seem to get smaller or less complex… family communication breakdowns, career failures, and health issues (for me and those I love): but I know that I am not alone. I know that nothing will defeat me as long as I have my faith in Jesus. I also know that my blessings are plentiful, too. I am forever thankful for the many positive things in my life.

We think of Lent as a time of self-examination and as a time when we sacrifice so that we become closer to God. In this Psalm, David explores his relationship with God. He lays himself bare and implores the Lord to “guide me in your truth.” Later he confides, “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.” Yes, we can live a good and honest life and still face challenges. And, this should come as no surprise to those of us in the later seasons of life; there is no direct correlation between being “good” and being “problem free.” In fact, we should expect life to be a burden. My view is that we should embrace these challenges that affect us all, just as David did. And, we should embrace God as our Lord and Savior, just as David did.

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”   

—Arne Hendrickson

Saturday, February 21: Catherine Blundell

Psalm 42:6. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? And why are you so disquieted within me?

This beautiful psalm is written by someone who is in deep despair and who describes her soul as being so “heavy” and “disquieted” that she cries out for help. She is literally drowning in her own sorrows and feels very anxious and alone and doesn’t know where to turn. The text is really a conversation she is having with herself, asking many questions, “why do I feel like this?”, “how can I get some relief?”, “what can satisfy this longing?”. Having a really deep desire or longing can make you feel so anxious and restless. It’s like a thirst that can’t be quenched, or a hole, or something you feel you’re missing.

At first I thought this was just a sad lament, a song of despair, heaviness and sorrow. But upon more reflection, I now see this passage as a love song. The psalmist is saying, “I am far from you now God, probably due to my own foolishness and wanderings. I thought I could fill up my soul with worldly things, but now I’m miserable. I need you, God. Please come be with me and help me quiet my troubled soul!”

I think we’ve all felt a longing like this at times and have tried various things to soothe that feeling of emptiness. Some distractions work for a while, but we are usually left feeling pretty empty. I hope during Lent, when I feel empty or anxious or even despairing, that I will recognize it as my need for God in my life. Instead of trying to fill my desire with self-importance, excess, or ego-driven things, I will recognize the longing I feel as a deep need for a relationship with the Divine Lover. When things feel heavy and unsettled, I’ll try to remember to seek out the only true refreshment for my soul. In the midst of my sorrow, I will sing a love song to God.                    

—Catherine Blundell

Friday, February 20: Colin Radford

John 1:38-39. [The disciples said], “Rabbi, where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.”

Humpback whales are back, giving birth out front. Lent evokes thanks for their protection and for the loving sacrifices of missionaries who shared the shores of Pacific islands where the whaling crews celebrated the harvest of the ancestors of these whales. The church I attend on Maui is in the ruins of one built by one of Hawaii’s earliest homegrown protestant ministers, David Malu. It is an open air sanctuary shaded by old kiawe trees, a great place to give thanks and praise.

JESUS CHRIST: Holy Word incarnate, chosen by God, son of a carpenter and a young virgin from Nazareth, Lamb of God yet shepherd of mankind, foretold by generations of prophets, open and accessible friend, and mentor and leader. He was raised to work, fish, build, read, write, and question. He observed the culture and rules of the community within which he lived, yet was recognized by his family as the Son of God not yet ready until introduced by the Baptist. No top-down me-first executive leader, our Lord chose to share a hospitality of mentorship.

In John 1:35-51, Jesus draws to him apostles from a community so hungry for a Messiah of hope and freedom from oppressions that they walk out into the wilderness to hear the passionate and seemingly wild prophecies of “Nature Man” John the Baptist. Would they find a new Moses to deliver them? Instead they found a friend and mentor who first shared only hospitality: “Come and See.” They followed Jesus to where he lived, and they stayed the entire afternoon. And much longer.

How often and how far that hospitality has resonated. How many of our heroes have shared those simple words, “Come and See.”          

                                                                                   —Colin Radford

Thursday, February 19: Anne Rosnow

Psalm 37:1. Do not fret yourself...Be still before the Lord.

De-flate Gate. 

Watching a driver with one passenger whiz by you in the carpool lane while you sit late, in traffic.

Realizing your bank account has been hacked and you’ve “purchased” many luxury items (that you don’t even get to enjoy). 

Knowing a classmate cheated and received an “A” when you studied for hours and barely passed the test. 

Watching a co-worker accept public recognition for a project he or she wasn’t fully engaged in. 

Have you ever felt frustration that those around you have cheated the system and come out ahead? 

David’s Psalm: 37: 1-8 reminds me that even when it appears that others have chosen the easier, more prosperous path, by focusing on our own behavior versus dwelling on that of others’, we will more fully feel God’s presence. As verse three of the Psalm reminds us: Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. This passage is a helpful reminder that even though doing the right thing is almost always is the harder path (and you don’t always get the outcome you hope for), you have the joy of knowing that you have honored God in your actions. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn.

                                                                                                                       —Anne Rosnow 

Ash Wednesday, February 18: Bishop Greg Rickel

John 6:60. When many of the disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult.”

This teaching is difficult, who can accept it? Today, you might hear someone say, “are you really going to swallow that?” Yes, in our generation, it might just be blown off entirely. Seems really weird. Even then, they were probably scratching their heads, or worse, totally scandalized. To the Jew, taking in any blood was scandalous. But, all one must do is go back and read what all led up to this. Jesus was laying the ground work, trying to make clear just how close, how committed he was asking his disciples to be.

One of the lessons in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd curriculum for young children regarding the Eucharist starts with the catechist pouring wine into a chalice. The catechist says to the children, “this is Jesus.” Then he or she will take a cruet of water and say to them, “this is you.” As is often the case in Catechesis, the children will be offered a chance to see the chalice and the wine and look into it. “This is Jesus,” while they are looking into it. Same with the water.

Then the catechist pours a little water into the wine, and then asks, “Now, can you get ‘you’ out of Jesus?” And again, shows the children the wine. I love this so much. It is what I would use in Inquirer’s classes, with adults, to answer their questions as to “why does the priest pour water into the wine?”

This is much the same as what Jesus was saying to the people. It is not enough to simply say you believe, to give it lip service. You had to truly “ingest it,” take it in, make it part of you so that it could not be taken out, even if you wanted it to be. That close. What a gift!

                                                                        —The Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, Bishop of Olympia

Fr Jim's Ten Best Jesus Movies

The season of Epiphany celebrates the "showing" of Christ to the world. The Rev. Jim Friedrich posts his list of the ten best films about Jesus, including his comments about what makes them worth watching.

After you read his blog entry, we'd like to hear what you think. Your questions or comments are welcome!