Lisa Colón DeLay

Reading for today:

 John 12:  1 Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.4But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said,5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?”6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.7 Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.

Reflection:

Mary of Bethany wasn’t caught up in the excitement of a political revolution. James and John were gunning for cabinet positions but Mary saw Jesus as Anointed King and sacrificial Lamb of God. In the days before high-flow showers and frequent bathing, this costly fragrance would have lasted for days, and even while he hung on the cross.

Jesus our sweet and lasting fragrance.

Collect:

O’ God,

Give us the fragrance of the anointing of your Holy Spirit. 

Fill our lives with the aroma of grace.

May we understand your sacrifice

And prepare for our own burial

And rebirth with you

Amen.

image found here: http://xpensiveperfume.blogspot.com

What can neither give nor take?

Our ability to give hinges on our idea of how the world is, does it not? If we believe we must hold tightly to what we have, our ability to receive will also be hindered.

If we perceive others, God, or even life in general to be sparse in goodness and blessings, we will develop a generosity gap. Something besides giving fills that gap, so we give less. The desire to give wanes too. Eventually, we will live thoroughly according to our purview –which  is a close-fisted plexus of Generosity, and a closed system.

Fear and mistrust are the guiding elements in a close-fisted worldview. The close fist builds the muscles of fear and mistrust, and these sinews burgeon into every area of our life. Where God’s people do not give generously, there is a culture and predominating sentiment of mistrust and fear, toward God and others. This is, sadly, also an attribute of spiritual immaturity. Perfect love casts out fear. Perfected love and grace spurs generosity–a very reflection of God’s nature.

Our behavior reflects our Theology. (i.e. It mirrors the way we have studied and apprehended the Supreme Being)

The temptation to withhold is a temptation to not trust in God. It will indeed effect our worship of God, and diminish our spiritual growth.

Is there a cure? YES. (Well, cure is  rather strong word…but let’s continue…)

In short, to be generous in deed and in spirit, remember God’s faithfulness. Notice the lavish displays of God’s generosity, even in his astonishing creation. The intricate details of his many designs, the lavish beauty everywhere in nature, are surprisingly needless–unless we consider God as a generous Being, par excellence.

Verse for Reflection:
II Cor.10-15

Now [God] who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Questions:

Do you think God is stingy? Do you feel your blessing are few? What treasure do you have that you must give more freely to God (time, talents, funds, other)?

Recommended Spiritual Discipling (training) to help galvanize Generosity:

Fasting.

(If you’d like to work on your generosity, with your ministry or small group, or use fasting as training to promote generosity, contact me.)

From the poem of Mechthild (of Magdeburg, 13th century) translated “The Flowing Light of the Godhead” we get a fascinating picture of God-Three-in-One (in Book II).

God as Cupbearer

[Cupbearer] noun chiefly historical or poetic/literary
a person who serves wine, esp. in a royal or noble household.

At first blush it may seem insulting to consider God in this servant role. Yet, God has always treated his people like royalty. He has always been the God who serves.

Former slaves in Egypt, the wandering Israelites were to be donned in fashions or regalia of the priestly class, and participate in many temple priestly rites and rituals, no matter their social class or gender. Unlike the pagans gods of the region, Yahweh–the living God–instituted numerous festivals and feasts, not for his pleasure and consumption, but for his people to enjoy.

A cupbearer tastes the drink and food before the king does. Utmost loyalty and devotion are required. If food is spoiled or poisoned, the cupbearer will pay the price, saving the King from harm. Didn’t God do this for us with our sin?

A helpful image in worship and prayer may be to envision God (Trinity, three-in-one God) as Cupbearer, Cup (becoming a broken cup pouring out life for us, in the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ) and the Wine from the Cup, as the healing presence of the Holy Spirit.

It is because God has served us so well, become broken and died from the poison we should have gotten, that we may be healed and redeemed by his Spirit, like healing Wine.

Have you heard this comparasion before? Does this visual help you? why or why not?

Thoughts? Comments?

It’s Memorial Day. We aren’t good at remembering, even when we set aside a day nationally to remember. We forget sacrifice. They say glory is forever, but actually it fades very quickly. You can give your life for a cause, and very few will remember or acknowledge it.

“Holiday” is the combination of the words “holy” and “day”. It refers to something set apart. Holidays are important for spiritual growth and maturity. It’s a time to be more mindful, but holidays are also supposed to somehow rejuvenate us and give us hope.

We are fundamentally designed to want and need a regular “sabbath period” during the course of 7 days. A resting point. A time out and away from the common things; normal life. Hardship.

But sometimes, in our times of remembrance, we forget to get our humanity back. We forget to remember the part about hope. Play is a vehicle for hope. Not the only vehicle, of course, but one adults, and even plenty of children don’t notice. Play keeps us humble before a great Creator and our fellow men. Play, somehow, frees us, in spirit, from the bondage of growing old, or rather starting to die. There is something about play the is just, simply, eternal.

True play is where you forget yourself, for a time, through joy or delight found by simple and good things. For it’s own sake. It is to embrace, with both arms, what it means to be you, a wonder and creation of God, unique in this world. And remember all the blessings of being here that come with that. Look around. Play.

When was the last time you “played like a kid”? I’m not talking about being immature. I’m talking about being happy in the moment and enjoying life with abandon, like children are wont to do. Have your “cease the day” moments.

My challenge for you today, or this week, is to find a space of time to do just this. Think of it as good for your soul. What will you do (or be) to have childlike wonder or enthusiasm wash over you?

I’ll start. Here’s what I did yesterday. I tried to just play with youthful exuberance, even if other adults wouldn’t join me, or I appeared the fool. I gave myself the permission God gives us, each holiday, to enjoy life fully. I will admit that after 30 minutes, I felt soggy, and had hardly childlike excitement about that bit. But, until then, it worked. I felt God-given refreshment, in the middle of what is the bitter-sweet life.

Foam machine fun.

A crown fit for this King, our Sacrifice. Our selfless Savior.

The image and concept of the thorny crown is powerful to me. As heirs of the King, I think our “crowns” are, also, thorns–in this present world. We’re not here for glory in any human sense. Our “success” will look very different. It will be counter-cultural, or even unapparent.

Imagine a might, and good king coming from another place, and he is welcomed (not really) with the “honor” of huge, piercing barbs smashed down into his head.

This strange irony is such a perfect picture of our rejection of God and his ways. We pick our own way. Absorb the idea that God paid for your foolishness.

The thorny crown is also a most vivid depiction of God’s condescension (click the link for meaning) to human form to bear our wrongs, and give himself over to our brutality to, in fact, truly redeem it, and pardon it.

Let this crown you see pierce your heart with it’s potency, and the doom that is our rebellion. We need a Savior.

How does the Crown of Thorns affect you, or what thoughts do you have about it, spiritually speaking?

Live on bread...alone?

Here is a selection of some of the Fasting points I discussed, today, with the congregation at Bellegrove Church.

This is NOT an exhaustive study on the topic. If you have experiences or thoughts to share, we could all benefit. Please share here.

Definition: “fasting” verb. abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink, esp. as a religious observance.

Who are some people who fasted in the Bible?

There were thousands, but here are a few:

• Hannah, Easter, David, Moses, Elijah… (personal fasts, for various reasons)

• People of Nineveh (national repentance)

• Jesus-spiritual discipline (training) preceding life’s work and mission (Matt 4:1-11) —Cool, huh?

Fasting does what?

• It questions our appetites (of every kind).
• It reminds us of Jesus great sacrifice (He give up everything. Leaving out a bit of food IS NOT a big deal, is it?)
• It helps us seek God’s strength for obedient love and service.
• It involves our Motives, not technique (Matt 6:16-18)

(Some things) Fasting is needed for…

• A potent reminder to turn to God.
• A subjection of a base need (food) to see our greater spiritual needs.
• A time of scrutiny of our personal sacrifice to the Lord, and his people.

Fasting is Feasting on God. (Yes, you can read that again.)

It helps us…

• Focus on God, instead of our lack.
• Makes sacred space (for worship, prayer, praise, repentance to our gracious God.
• Experience (through self-denial) God’s goodness and sufficiency. (A.k.a. “We live…not by bread alone” Matt 4:1-11)

to be continued…

(Next time: Some dangers of Fasting, and some benefits of Fasting, and some ideas for Fasting effectively.)