A Lenten Pilgrimage 2023

  “The Disciples Learn to Pray” by Alik Arzoumanian, from The Children of God Storybook Bible by Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Zondervan 2010)     Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, Forever and ever, amen. Matthew 6:9-13     A little while ago, I carefully removed a palm cross from where it had been pinned all year by my back door, and added it to a pile of others like it on a table in the church entryway. Placing my cross on that stack of its year-old, sun-faded, stiffly curled siblings, I thought of all the people who had entered the building before me that morning and who were still to come, and how we were collectively participating in this little act...

Reflection on Matthew 25:31-46            Justice is something we as humans all long and strive for. Since the end of World War II, the world has become increasingly concerned with the issue of international law and justice, especially with the establishment of the International Court of Justice. From the atrocities of wars, genocides, and massacres, to small, everyday injustices, we are all in one way or another affected, leaving us with a burning desire for it to be made right. However, what is our definition of right? Who are we to administer justice? We aspire to have justice served, yet our bureaucratic systems never fully achieve this.          In this passage, Jesus becomes the Judge; everyone is made equal in the sight of the Lord. All the nations are gathered together in front of His throne, and it is Jesus that does the separating. In explaining His decision, Jesus places himself as the ...

  Psalm 32- 3  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away     through my groaning all day long. 4  For day and night  your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 5  Then I acknowledged my sin to you  and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the  Lord .” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. 6  Therefore let all the faithful pray to you  while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. 7  You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.   Many years ago, cleaning up after an event, I accidentally caused my aunt's guitar to fall over, and a guitar string broke.  I was horrified, but decided to say nothing, due to my embarrassment. For several years, I continued to say nothing, but my interaction with her wa...

      Going through the Agua Clara Locks reminds me that our Christian Journey  has many steps to ascend or descend.   God’s mercy is reflected in the scriptures.   What is his mercy?   God’s not punishing us for what we deserve for being the sinners we are, but he wants to encapsulate his Grace to each and everyone of us. Each of the readings for today remind me that I am a sinner and need to trust in the Lord to do his biddings.   Every year as Lent approaches I’m reminded of my shortcomings and how I need to call on him daily to forgive me and bring joy into my life.   David’s psalm says it well, Psalm 86:4’5 “Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.    You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Each year I hope I get closer to being the holy person he has planned for me revelling in his Joy. Lent reminds me that God walks beside us every...

  My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17 As a mother and a teacher, I have found that one of the most difficult tasks is teaching kids what it really means to apologize. Most of the time, after trying to help resolve some dispute, kids will say they’re sorry flatly, sigh, then walk away. There may even be the occasional eye-roll, and usually a long list of excuses. At one point, I posted a sign in my classroom with the steps for “A Proper Sorry.” You must say what you are sorry for, explain why it was wrong, describe what you would do differently if you could, and ask for forgiveness. Without understanding and meaning all these parts, “sorry” can be such an empty word. In Psalm 51, David lays out one heck of a “proper sorry!” David is at a real low point here. He has sinned through his affair with Bathsheba and the killing of her husband, Uriah. He has hurt others, to put it mildly, and he has hurt and angered Go...

“Risen Christ” by Michelangelo (1519-1521. In the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome) A year ago, I wrote how until I came to St. Augustine’s, I had grown up and attended churches that didn’t really do Lent. (Or Advent for that matter.) So, I never really thought much about Lent. One day it was March or April, and then WHAM! Good Friday and Easter. Then a long silence with weekly Sunday services, and then WHAM! Merry Christmas! (But don’t be too joyful.). It was therefore with a little trepidation that in Lent 2022, I decided to seriously give something up for six weeks: social media. And I’m happy to say, I stuck it out. After a couple of weeks, it was really freeing to be honest. But once Lent and Easter were over, I decided to check out Facebook a bit. Then Instagram. And before I realised it, time suckage had struck again. My first thought in all this was maybe the Reformed churches I grew up in weren’t completely wrong not fasting during Lent. Wha...

    Mother and Child (Sara Staid) Readings:     Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalms 103: 8-18; 2 Colossians   5: 20b – 6: 10; Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21   Fifty years ago, a girlfriend and I took ship on the P&O liner, Arcadia, from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia.   I landed with a mere $65.00 and knowing no-one Down Under, it was imperative to find work and find it soon.   Fortunately, we obtained work at a resort in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, where we remained for the next three months.   What an adventure, what beauty, what delight! The beauty and strangeness of the Outback was beyond anything that I could have imagined. I had brought my Gideon’s New Testament that was given to all students at school in grade 5.   Being young and romantic, dazzled and a little afraid, I was moved to memorize Psalm 103 which opens “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” How well those words expressed my...