Lenten Reflections
The Gift of Faith: Lenten Meditation, 3/2/2013
Psalm 95:1-7 By: Nils Chittenden Although I’ve recited Psalm 95 at Morning Prayer thousands of times, whenever I read it I am always transported back to the beautiful, stark chapel of Westcott House, Cambridge, England, the seminary that formed me as a deacon and a priest. I was in my mid-20s, literally being formed, as […]
The Unknowable Kingdom: Lenten Meditation, 3/1/2013
Mark 4:26-29 By: Vivian Taylor “He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, […]
Beyond Suffering: Lenten Meditation, 2/28/2013
Luke 4:14-21 By: Patrick Christopher Kangrga Lent is a perplexing liturgical season. We do the complete opposite of what we think we normally should do. For the most part, we are taught that we should lift our pains and our sorrows up to God, and that Christ will help us bear these burdens. But during […]
Peace Under Black Light: Lenten Meditation, 2/27/2013
Philippians 4:4-9 By: April C. Caballero The peace of God is a reality, which rests on all of creation, although mostly unknown to us. The peace of God is there always, awaiting us patiently, through all of our hardships and anxieties. Sometimes we know this peace. We feel its presence surrounding us, and if we […]
Mary and Martha: Contemplation in Action: Lenten Meditation, 2/26/2013
Luke 10:38-42 By: Cameron Partridge At first glance, the story about Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), unique to the Gospel of Luke, can be confusing, even irritating. Martha and Mary are hosting Jesus, and while Martha attends to the details of hospitality, Mary simply sits at Jesus’ feet, listening. Eventually Martha complains, can’t Jesus encourage […]
Gift of the Spirit: Faith: Lenten Meditation, 2/25/2013
John 7:37-41a By: Mary Catherine Young A triptych, a three-paneled icon, was recently installed at St. John’s in the Village Episcopal Church in New York City. It shows a scene of Noah’s ark on the left, Ezekiel’s vision of water flowing from the Temple on the right, and a scene of the baptism of Jesus […]
Faith Transfigured: Lenten Meditation, 2/24/2013
Luke 9:28-36 By: Hillary Raining Faith is a complicated gift. It is the kind of intangible that gets battered around in Christian circles in many different ways. Some people think that faith is a matter of will – that you must strive with all your might to cultivate and build up your faith. Other feel […]
Bringing Out the God Flavors: Lenten Meditation, 2/23/2013
Matthew 5:11-16 By: Margaret Ellsworth In college I lived in a house with five of my closest friends and would often trade off cooking meals. I was probably the least gifted chef among us – I could boil water for pasta just fine, or painstakingly measure out the ingredients for a written recipe, but that […]
At Your Right Hand: Lenten Meditation, 2/22/2013
Mark 10:35-45 By: Christopher Esposito-Bernard I have a confession to make. I think there are a lot parts of the Bible that are hilarious, and sometimes I get in trouble for laughing at bits of scripture when other people feel like it’s inappropriate. There are lots of examples of this, but today’s meditation happens to […]
In Pursuit of a Passionate Faith: Lenten Meditation, 2/21/2013
Song of Solomon 3:1-4 By: Lindy Bunch Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. / ‘I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom […]