Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 8 â€" No. 0906 March 04, 2006
Thought for the week: "Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." â€" Theodore Roosevelt
"When we can begin to take our failures seriously, it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves." â€" Katherine Mansfield
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." â€" Aristotle, philosopher
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." â€" Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Most men can handle adversity. Few can handle power." â€" Unknown
"Life is not a 'brief candle'. It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing on to future generations." â€" George Bernard Shaw
"Long-range goals keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures." â€" James C. Penney, retailer
"Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction." â€" Antoine De Saint-Exupery
"You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself." â€" Diana Ross
Lent is not normally thought of as an
occasion for levity, but... A Catholic priest working in an inner city
was walking down an alley one evening on his way home when a young man
came down the alley behind him and poked a knife against his back.
"Give me your money," the young man said. The priest opened his jacket
and reached into an inner pocket to remove his wallet, exposing his
clerical collar. "Oh, I'm sorry, Father," said the young man, "I didn't
see your collar. I don't want YOUR money."
Trembling
from the scare, the priest removed a cigar from his shirt pocket and
offered it to the young man. "Here," he said. "Have a cigar."
"Oh, no, I can't do that," the young man replied, "I gave them up for Lent."
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.
In the northeastern United States codfish are a big commercial business. The public demand posed a problem to the shippers. At first they froze the cod, then shipped them elsewhere, but the freeze took away much of the flavor. So they experimented with shipping them alive, in tanks of seawater, but that proved even worse. Not only was it more expensive, the cod still lost its flavor and, in addition, became soft and mushy.
Finally, some creative person solved the problem in a most innovative manner. The codfish were placed in the tank of water along with their natural enemyâ€"the catfish. From the time the cod left the East Coast until it arrived at its westernmost destination, those ornery catfish chased the cod all over the tank. And, you guessed it, when the cod arrived at the market; they were as fresh as when they were first caught. There was no loss of flavor nor was the texture affected. If anything, it was better than before.
Each one of us is in a tank of particular and inescapable circumstances. It is painful enough to stay in the tank. But in addition to our situation, there are God-appointed "catfish" to bring sufficient tension that keeps us alive, alert, fresh and growing. It's all part of God's project to shape our character so we will be more like his Son. Understand why the catfish are in your tank. Understand they are part of God's method of producing character in your life and mine. The Lord gives us friends to push us to our potentialâ€"and enemies to push us beyond it.
"Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. Lent begins on 1 March 2006 and ends on 15 April 2006, which is the day before Easter."
The First Presbyterian Pulpit
A sermon by the Rev. Dr. David E. Leininger
Yes, we have arrived at the season of Lent, that period of the church year in which people figure we are supposed to feel miserable. After all, just prior to Ash Wednesday we run into Fat Tuesdayâ€"Mardi Gras in Frenchâ€"a time of joy and revelry which stands in stark contrast to the observance that begins the next day. The fun stops. At least that is the popular understanding.
Strange. The word "Lent" originally meant "springtime," not misery. Because the church season always fell at this time of year, the name came to apply to the ecclesiastical observance as well.
The Lenten observance has changed over the centuries. The early church celebrated Lent only for a few days before Easter. Over time, the length of the season grew until it was several weeks long. In the seventh century, the church set the period of Lent at forty days (excluding Sundays) in order to remind people of the duration of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness.1
The Lenten observance began as a time of purification and preparation. In the early church, baptism was only performed on Easter Sundayâ€"an entire year's worth of converts to the faith would be baptized and brought into the church on that day. Lent was the time before Easter in which these converts would fast and pray, preparing themselves to be members of Christ's church. As years went by, the church began to baptize and confirm people on days other than Easter Sunday. Lent was no longer a time of preparation for these events, but it remained as a special time of prayer and fasting. After the Reformation, the discipline of fasting became unpopular (and it has never regained much favor). Thus, as a way of preserving Lent as a time of self-sacrifice, the church leaders encouraged people to give up something they enjoyed during Lent. (For years, I have suggested that the church give up MEETINGS for Lent, but I am still working on that one.)
Speaking of giving things up, I've had something in my files for years offering suggestions.2
GIVE UP grumbling! Instead, "In everything give thanks." Constructive criticism is OK, but "moaning, groaning, and complaining" are not Christian disciplines.
GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, use that time in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion.
GIVE UP looking at other people's worst points. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first.
GIVE UP speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?
GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. "Love covers a multitude of sins.
GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God's grace be sufficient.
GIVE UP TV one evening a week! Instead, visit some lonely or sick person. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the "tube?" Give someone a precious gift, your time!
GIVE UP buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We are called to be stewards of God's riches, not consumers.
GIVE UP judging by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ. Now aren't you glad you don't have to do that anymore?
Lent is still the church season in which we prepare for Easter Sunday. It is a time to remember the temptation, the suffering, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Remember the admonition of the Gospel lesson to do it right: "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them." This is not Show Time! It is a special time of prayer and reflection, of confession and self-sacrifice. Most of all, it is a time to ready ourselves for the sheer joy of Easter morningâ€"it is a time to ready ourselves to meet our risen Lord once again!3
Amen!
1. Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1.12-13, Luke 4:1-13
2. Rev. Craig Gates, Jackson, MS, "What to Give Up for Lent"
3. Janice C. Weaver, Associate for Adult Resources, Education and Congregational Nurture Ministry Unit, PC(USA)
"Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?" (John 5:5-6, NKJV).
You may have heard the story (a fable to be sure) about the father who knocks on his son's door. "Jaime," he says, "wake up!" Jaime answers, "I don't want to get up, Papa."
The father shouts, "Get up, you have to go to school." Jaime says, "I don't want to go to school." "Why not?" asks the father. "Three reasons," says Jaime. "First, because it's so dull; second, the kids tease me; and third, I hate school." And the father says, "Well, I am going to give you three reasons why you must go to school. First, because it is your duty; second, because you are forty-five years old, and third, because you are the headmaster."
When I ask people in seminars how many believe that God has a life-purpose for them, most raise their hand. But when I ask how many know what it is, only a few have any idea what it might be, and even fewer have clearly defined it. Most say they want to know what it is but don't diligently seek God to discover what it is.
Many people say they want to overcome their problems too, but are not prepared to do their part to make it happen. Even the best psychologists will tell you that "people don't really want to be cured. What they want is relief; a cure is too painful." One surgeon said that many patients who come to him with a problem would rather that he operate on their body than they operate on their lifestyle, and that only about 25 percent of his patients accept responsibility for their wellness.
Jesus didn't say, "Do you wish to be made well, but rather, do you want to be made well?" To be made well needs to be more than a wish. It needs to be a true desire, with determination and commitment to do what one has to do to get well. As a Chinese proverbs puts it, "Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes."
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the want to get well in every area of my life, and reveal to me any areas of resistance so I can deal with these issues, and accept full responsibility for my wellness. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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