The Lent Lily
Another beautiful day for the end of March, Father! Glorious sunshine and wonderfully mild temperatures. Thank You for Your bounteous blessings!
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Spring is in full swing here in central Ohio! Our crocuses have come and are pretty much gone. Now our daffodils are coming on strong. They have just started blooming the last couple of days (today’s pic is one cluster of ours!)
I was curious as to how the daffodil got its name and after a little digging found a pretty mundane answer, but I did find something else pretty interesting! I found an article in The Door, (<<click here to read the entire article) a publication from the Oxford Diocese of the Anglican Church in England. It was entitled, The Lenten Lily, because as I discovered, the daffodil is also known as the lent lily.
The Revd. Dr. Teresa Morgan, a member of the team in the Littlemore Benefice, shared a poignant devotional using a poem by A.E. Housman as a springboard. Here is a portion of it, along with the poem in its entirety.
The Lent Lily
’Tis spring; come out to ramble
The hilly brakes around,
For under thorn and bramble
About the hollow ground
The primroses are found.
And there’s the windflower chilly
With all the winds at play,
And there’s the Lenten lily
That has not long to stay
And dies on Easter day.
And since till girls go maying
You find the primrose still,
And find the windflower playing
With every wind at will,
But not the daffodil,
Bring baskets now, and sally
Upon the spring’s array,
And bear from hill and valley
The daffodil away
That dies on Easter day.
Housman’s poem captures the poignancy of flowers that bloom early to tell us that summer is coming, but do not live to see summer in all its glory. They remind me of those characters in the gospels – Simeon and Anna, John the Baptist – who meet and recognize Jesus early in his life, but do not live to see Easter Day. In some ways, these characters feel themselves blessed. They have seen the Messiah, and they are full of joy and gratitude. In some ways, they die with their faith and hope unfulfilled, before they can witness the salvation which they foretold.
At certain times of the year, especially in…Lent, these gospel characters reflect our own complex state of faith. For us, in one sense, Easter Day has already come, and we can rejoice in God’s saving grace. In another sense, we are still waiting for the scriptures to be fulfilled. The world has not been wholly transformed by the Resurrection. Most of us do not feel perfectly at one with God. The Kingdom has not yet come. We are hopeful and doubtful by turns.
These gospel characters, in their time, waited for Easter through the long weeks of Lent. They too prayed for forgiveness and reconciliation; and though they died without seeing the fulfillment of the Kingdom, they left us a powerful legacy of hope. Like Housman’s Lent lilies, their lives were radiant with the promise of glory.
Lord Jesus, we are grateful to be living in a post-Easter world, though there are many of Your promises yet to be fulfilled. We eagerly await Your return and their fulfillment. All praise to You our Lord and Savior!
Mar 23rd, 2021, Mon, 6:47 pm
A Mouthful of Cotton Candy
Things don’t always go the way we think they will but, Father, You are there beside us to give guidance and fortitude all along the way. Thank You for Your watchcare over us through all the ups and downs of life!
John 2:1-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
As a child, I remember saying “re-do” on occasion. I would be playing a game and did something that would lower my chances of winning and I would exclaim, “Re-do! Come on! I need another chance! I didn’t mean to do it that way! Re-do! Re-do!”
Most often it involved trivial things that the adults with whom I was interacting would readily give in and let me re-do.
As adults, we may not yell it, but we feel it, don’t we? In a heated argument, we say something hurtful that we immediately regret but… Even saying, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” doesn’t get us very far.
Sometimes it’s a succession of errors – misjudgments, mistakes – that just keep on multiplying one on top of another, and before we know it, we are buried, in over our heads.
Sometimes there are things that are simply beyond our control. Maybe we are born blind or have some kind of debilitating disease that leeches away our mobility. Maybe due to no fault of our own, we lose our job which in turn causes us to lose our home and the downward spiral dumps us on the street. These things are not our intent but there we are left huddling all alone in the raging storm that we did not cause and that we cannot stop.
I love a portion of the note on verse 11. First, the verse.
This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah—they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him]. AMP
Now the note.
Miracles are not merely superhuman events, but events that demonstrate God’s power. Almost every miracle Jesus did was a renewal of fallen creation–restoring sight, making the lame walk, even restoring life to the dead. Believe in Christ not because he is a superman but because he is the God who continues his creation, even in those of us who are poor, weak, crippled, orphaned, blind, deaf, or with some other desperate need.*
Regardless of what the world totes as truth, we must place our trust in Jesus. The world’s offerings are put before us as sumptuous, sustaining meals when in reality they are as cotton candy in our mouths. They may be sweet for a moment but too much makes us sick and if that is all we ever have, we will die.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is our Sustainer! He is our Provider! He is all about making all things new. It makes no difference where we find ourselves, each day is a clean page ready for new beginnings! Put your faith in Him and it will not be misplaced!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Mar 22nd, 2021, 6:51 pm
A Ripple Effect
Father, it has been a full day, but I know You are with me before I woke this morning and are with me yet. Fill my mind with words from Your heart that someone may be moved this day. Amen.
John 2:1-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
For me at least, it has taken some maturity to realize the importance of every relationship I have. I’m not sure I had this mindset in my younger years but now especially I understand that each interaction I have, impacts.
Much like throwing a stone into a body of water, every action we take with others has a ripple effect on them. If you think about it, there is no way it cannot. There are so many possible examples that it is difficult for me to narrow it down to just one or two.
Here is one example. I learned at Kohl’s to be careful how I responded to situations with management. Often things would be set into motion by our store’s management team that…well, honestly were a waste of time – at least from an associate’s perspective. Maybe they were things that went against what we felt we were supposed to be accomplishing in our departments. But as time went on, what did it accomplish for me to fuss and fume and badmouth my superiors? Nothing… Eventually, I came to the point where I felt, they knew what needed to be done, they knew that I wouldn’t be able to do what was required of me in my area. But my superiors were calling the shots…not me. I had a job and got paid to do what I was told. I was out nothing, except maybe some pride and a bit of frustration.
There was no reason to cause ripples. I learned to just do what I was told to do. In doing that, I showed respect for leadership. I built them up and worked hard to not tear them down (and honestly, there were times when it was hard to pull off!)
In these first few verses of John 2, Jesus is pulled into a situation for which He did not volunteer. He was a guest at a local wedding when they ran out of wine – a major faux pas of the day. Doing so would bring great shame to the groom! Of all things, Jesus’ mother (Mary) made Him aware of the problem. “They have no more wine.”
He didn’t immediately jump on it but instead replied,
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem…My time has not yet come.”
But as many great mothers will often do, she looked at the servants and said, “Do whatever he tells you.”
My study Bible* states,
Mary was probably not asking Jesus to do a miracle, she was simply hoping that her son would help solve this major problem and find some wine. Tradition says that Joseph, Mary’s husband, was dead, so she probably was used to asking for her son’s help in certain situations.
Jesus was all about relationships. In this encounter, we see his relationship with His mother, as well as, the servants, His disciples, the groom, and the other guests at the celebration.
By His actions, the ripples He made in response to this situation He had a positive impact on all parties involved. He exuded love, respect, and compassion for all parties involved.
Jesus came to earth with the sole goal of bringing salvation to humanity. What did a wine shortage at a wedding have to do with that? …everything! This was an opening interaction that showed who He was, and it showed who we should strive to be.
I’ve shared this quote before but it’s very applicable here. (It’s often attributed to John Wesley but does not show up in his writings.)
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
What better way to serve our Savior?
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Mar 21st, 2021, Sun, 8:52 pm
Soli Deo Gloria
Take delight in the Lord,
….and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
….Trust him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:4-5 NLT
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I have made mention before of a wonderful devotional I had called On This Day: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs and Heroes by Robert J. Morgan (Thomas Nelson, Inc. ©1997).
One devotional speaks of Johann Sebastian Bach. Even though they may not be exposed to a lot of classical music, many know his name. He was a renowned German composer who lived from 1685 –1750. He received little fame during his lifetime and died in relative obscurity. His music was largely forgotten until Felix Mendelson rediscovered it – and the world fell in love with him.
I mention him because he was very dedicated to serving God. We would do well to emulate one of his habits. As a young man, he announced his life’s purpose: to create “well-regulated church music to the glory of God.” He believed music should exist only for God’s glory, and when he sat down to compose he often scribbled J.J. on his blank pages: Jesu Juva – Help me, Jesus. At the manuscript’s end, he jotted S.D.G. – Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone, the glory.
What if we did the same each day of our lives? What if we began each day with J.J. Can you think of a better way to start our days than with the simple, yet profound request, “Help me, Jesus”? We are weak. We are fallible. We can be so hit-and-miss when it comes to living our relationship with Jesus. But as God encouraged Joshua before entering the Promised Land so He encourages us.
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic… For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
With Jesus’ help, we can handle anything and everything that may lie before us!
And then at the end of whatever we put our hands to may we proclaim, “S.D.G. – Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone, the glory.”
At the core of it lies humility.
Bach himself…remained modest. When a friend once praised his skill as an organist, he shrugged and smiled. “There is nothing very wonderful about it,” he said. “You have only to hit the right notes at the right moment and the instrument does the rest.”
We give it our best and, giving the glory to Him alone, let it all lay in God’s hands. We need not worry or fret, knowing God will do with it as He wills. We are just an instrument in the hands of a mighty God!
Lord Jesus, use us for Your glory. Each day may we ask for Your help and then once You have worked Your will through us may we give credit where credit is due – to You and You alone! Amen.
(If you would care to listen, here is a very nice rendition of Bach: Prélude, Cello suite Nr.1 played by Ophélie Gaillard.)
Mar 18th, 2021, Thurs, 7:07 pm
He Smiled, Too
How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
….in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7 NLT
John 1:47-51 (<<click here to read the passage)
I know a gentleman who earlier in life was a pretty tough guy. He worked with young people and from my understanding, it was his way or the highway. He accomplished some pretty amazing things in his time of leadership, but many people were turned off by his leadership style. His temper was pretty fiery, which just added to the whole ambiance of his personality.
I knew of him then but know him by name now. He’s still a tough cookie but he works with children now. At this point in his life, he’s tough when he needs to be tough but even in that, there is a softness…a compassion. His whole persona is tempered by that compassion and in my humble opinion, it makes him a very gifted leader.
The thing is, those who knew him then but don’t really know him now probably would have a skewed opinion of him. They still see him as they saw him then and not as he is now.
When we think about Jesus, how do we picture him? I’m not talking physically but personality wise.
Do we see Him in a perpetual state of sadness? Everything He had created was tainted by the sin that we had allowed into the world. From the beginning, He knew pain, separation, and death were inevitable. It would be hard to fight the sorrow of it all.
Do we see Him angry, railing at the Pharisees? How thick the heads of His disciples were, would they ever learn?
I mean, He was God after all, wouldn’t He at least be stern and serious most of the time? He was all about fulfilling the Law and making sure we were doing it right…right?
It is of utmost importance that we not forget that, yes, Jesus was God…100% God…but He was God in the flesh. And that means he was also 100% human.
He was sad. He was angry. He was stern and serious. He was like us in that He was totally human with just about everything that comes with it! But it just as important for us to remember is the fact is that Jesus was without sin.
He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 1 Peter 2:22 NLT
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 NLT
This is all crucial to our understanding of who Jesus is but let me throw one more thing out. I believe with all my heart that Jesus also smiled and laughed. He had a sense of humor and cared for his disciples in so many ways.
In this passage from John 1 after Nathanael proclaimed Jesus being the “Son of God—the King of Israel!” v49 when Jesus said He’d seen him sitting under a fig tree, I can see Jesus replying with a twinkle in His eye and a bit of a chuckle under His words.
“Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” v50
Jesus is everything we ever hoped He would be and far more! May this message today encourage all of us to embrace Jesus for all that He is and all that He can be for each of us!
Mar 17th, 2021, Wed, 7:56 pm