Grove Presbyterian Church 2022 Lenten Devotional

        During the last weeks, many spiritual disciplines were discussed and experienced in Sunday School, worship, and the Lenten Blogs. God created us as such unique and complex individuals that there are a multitude of ways God draws near to us and we draw nearer to God -- centering prayer, Labyrinth, journal, retreat, solitude, dance, create/listen to music, meditate, silence, enjoy nature, make/enjoy art, express gratitude, fast, unplug, simple life, worship, read the Bible, advocate, Lectio Divina, prayer beads, chant, garden, sacraments, confession, fellowship, celebrate, exercise, rest, listen to a friend, give, reflect, write a letter, and tell about God.      This last week gives us time to try a new spiritual discipline. For young children many of the disciplines are new, so trying a new one is not challenging. When working with children adults need to keep two approaches in mind:  value the worth of each discipline and remember that at different ages children will feel comf

Every night at the dinner table, our family takes turns telling each other what we’re thankful for from the day. It never fails that one of our kids shares that they’re thankful for a good dinner, even if they struggled to get all of it down. While the practice can seem mundane and routine, our hope is that one day, the practice of gratitude that we’ve engrained in them (and ourselves) will help us on the days where it seems the world has nothing in it for which to be grateful. Maybe we can consider it practice for those coming moments of despair-that there is still some blessing that deserves our gratitude. Isn’t that what Jesus calls us to do? We are called in so many ways to reflect on the abundant blessings of God. Consider this passage from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:     Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,  for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.   This directive is strong-no matter what is happening-be joyful, pray, give thanks. I think we

Scripture: Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God! I have always been an outgoing person who is not at a loss for words.  Going on spiritual retreats has changed my approach to listening to God and making time for meditation.  Back in my 30s, I went on a four-day Church of the Savior retreat, sponsored by my church when I lived in North Carolina.  After an hour or so of introductions to the weekend, the eighteen participants from a variety of denominations were given instructions on experiencing eighteen hours of silence.     Wow, that was a shock to me!  We were given choices of how to spend our time in the silence, including journaling, walking in nature, praying, etc.  Part of those eighteen hours included sleep.  The silence was not broken until after breakfast the following day.  So we even ate with our fellow Christians in silence.   All of the intrusions of the outside world were stripped away.  My senses were heightened and I did not miss speaking.  I felt cleansed and pl

    If you grew up on a farm you probably know what a tether is; our kids and grandkids bat the tetherball around the pole at Hunter’s Ice Cream.   Being tethered indicates you’re connected to something that lets you move, but only within a particular radius. That’s why the term is used so often now to describe how we are with our electronic devices – we can move around but we’re connected, and that connection actually restricts and confines us. It keeps us from being able to pay thoughtful attention to people who deserve it, from being able to fully concentrate on a task, and worse…it can keep us from being able to be mindful of the presence of the Lord and tuned in to what he’s trying to say to us.   So this week of “Following Jesus”, we’re encouraged to disconnect…unplug…cut the cord.   But here’s a different spin on being tethered;  there is a beautiful hymn in our purple Glory to God hymnal on page 529; “Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether”; written around 1931 and the music c

       Adults talk about unplugging and what comes to mind first is putting down cell phones and walking away from the computer. But when it comes to children, parents already have been alerted to the dangers of too much screen time by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Schools encourage screen-free events. Hopefully, we have already attempted to instill some good habits in our children when it comes to the use of technology, and they do not need to be “unplugged”.   What kind of “unplugging” then can we talk about with children?       As involved in the life of God’s creation as God is, even God “unplugged” on the seventh day of creation and rested. The fifth commandment reminds us to keep the Sabbath holy. Jesus often went off sometimes by himself and sometimes with his disciples to “unplug” from the crowds and pressure of teaching. God ordained that there be a time of rest. This is very difficult in our present

  “God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising.” (Ecclesiastes 7:30)   The Christian discipline of simplicity begins as an inward process that leads to outward changes in our lives.   Again and again the Bible cautions us against materialism.   “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.   You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13).   Repeatedly Jesus calls us to seek the kingdom of God, and to be willing to sell everything we have to get it.   In fact, Jesus speaks more to the issue of economics than any other social issue.   If Jesus had to exhort so strongly in a time of relative simplicity, imagine what his preaching would be like today in our society of affluence and technology!   Jesus’ point though was that his followers need to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, or they will not seek it at all.   Putting anything else first makes it an idol.