Stations of the Cross

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Readings: Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

As you begin your Lenten Voyage, please enjoy this blog excerpt regarding a new way to view Lent.

 
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"Viewing Lent Through New Eyes"

Written by Pauline Doerksen

“The season of Lent is upon us. However, as I reflect on my formative years, Lent was always that looming darkness, echoing over and over again to me: You’ll never be good enough, You’re just a bad kid, Who are you trying to fool? 

Our teachers successfully taught us about Jesus being God’s Son, how He died on the cross and then rose again. They explained how we were all sinful and needed forgiveness. 

It was many years later that I learned Jesus died so that I could have a relationship with Him. I surrendered my heart to Him and that became the start of discovering who Jesus is and what He really wants of me. I would love to be able to say that my struggle to be good disappeared that day or that I have since lived in spiritual harmony with the Lord without fail – but that has not been the case, and I dare say that no one else could say that either. 

For many years, I avoided anything to do with Lent. I always associated it with failure and condemnation and wanted to be free from the feeling that God would never be pleased with me. 

I have never really understood my resistance to Lent until I read something recently by Ann Voskamp that made total sense:

“Lent is not about making anybody acceptable to a Saviour – but about making everybody aware of why they need a Saviour.” 

I used to think that Lent was about doing things to make me good enough. Now I understand that Lent makes me aware that I am not good enough, but Jesus is! What a shift. What pressure released. I get it now! As I prepare my heart for this Easter season, I am accepting His gift of something that I could never do.”

Readings: Deuteronomy 26:4-10, Romans 10:8-13 

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13 

Everything we have comes from God and we should never take our blessings for granted. Walking with Jesus does not mean we are forced to. It is a relationship, the realist one we've 

ever had. He doesn't expect perfection from us. He wants us to be real, He wants to give us opportunities to grow and be more like Him. It's about trusting in His faithfulness to us and trusting that He is doing a work to make us the best possible version of ourselves that we can be. 

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"Life Is Promise and Risk – A Sermon On Luke 4:1-13"

by: Michael K. Marsh

The older I get and the more of life I experience, the more tentative life becomes. There are no guarantees. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I can plan and prepare, and chances are many of those things will happen, become a reality, but then there are those surprises that were never expected, uncertainties and interruptions that could not be foreseen or planned for. Some are welcome, others are not. 

Let me give you some examples. When I married in 1985, I never expected that I would get divorced. After I divorced, I never thought I would love or risk marriage again. Today that impossibility is named Cyndy. I thought Cyndy and I would live together happily married with 

two sons. I never imagined our older son would die. And after he did, I would never have 

believed that Cyndy and I would be talking about how wonderful our life is and yet that has become a regular part of our recent conversations. 

None of that is unique to me, however. You also have those kinds of stories. Think about how your life has been interrupted in unforeseen and unpredictable ways, for better and for worse. When has the future taken you completely by surprise? That’s when life becomes really real. That’s what it means to enter the wilderness. The wilderness is not so much a place or a landscape. It’s our life. And life is wild. It’s untamed and uncontrollable.

The future is always coming to us in ways we cannot foresee or plan for. And it always comes with promise and risk. I am not talking about promise as a simple and predictable process by which an intention becomes a reality, but something that is completely open-ended, something that holds endless possibilities. It’s the kind of thing that depends on hope and faith more than it does the passage of time or the completion of an action. The promise promises that something is coming. What that is, we don’t know. That’s what makes life so wild. Every promise of life, every promise we make, every promise made to us, is accompanied by the risk that it might not be fulfilled or that it won’t be fulfilled in the way we want or expect. But if the promise had no risk, it would have no value. Promise and risk are two sides of life. And isn’t that the wilderness story of today’s gospel (Luke 4:1-13)? 

The way Luke tells it one minute Jesus is the Beloved Son, the one with whom God is well pleased. The next minute he is in the wilderness empty and famished. He’s been tempted by the devil for forty days. 

The promise and risk of life come to us asking for a response. Jesus had decisions to make. 

And so do we. We make decisions every day of our life; decisions and choices about what to 

do, who we want to be, how we want to live. We sometimes call them temptations. We feel torn and pulled between the promise and the risk. Temptations hold before us the illusion of promise without risk. But that’s not the way the wilderness works, and Jesus knows that. 

Think about the decisions before you today, the ones that carry consequences, the ones over which you fret and with which you struggle. What are they? What is it you are really seeking?

My guess is that regardless of what the decision is about what we really want, what we are 

really after, is life; the chance for more life, the possibility of a new life, the opportunity to be reborn when all has been lost, for ourselves or for another. 

Have you ever looked back on your life and wished you had done things differently, made a different decision, taken a different path, chosen something else? Yeah, we all have. We’ve all been left wondering what life would be like now if we had gone a different direction. Where would we be now? How would our life be different? What did we miss out on?

By the same token I suspect each of us can look back at choices and decisions we made and, if we had the chance, we’d do it all again, in the same way. They were absolutely the right thing for us. We wouldn’t trade what that has given for anything and we wouldn’t want to imagine our life otherwise.

I am all for making good and thoughtful decisions, but what if it’s more than that? What if the desire for more life is what underlies both those situations I described? What if this isn’t so much about whether we get it right or wrong but whether we remain open to the coming future? 

That’s what’s happening with Jesus in the wilderness. It’s not a question of whether he will prove himself, whether he will make the right decision, but whether he will stay open to his future. And that’s true for us as well. 

I think that’s what Lent is about. Lent is about learning to stay open to life, to the coming future. The things we do or give up for Lent are not to gain God’s approval or to improve ourselves but to help keep us open to the future, to the life that is coming. 

That’s the wilderness struggle, the struggle of life, the struggle to remain open. It’s so easy and tempting to close ourselves to the future. We do that in so many ways; fear, anger, hurt, guilt, disappointment, selfishness. What parts of your life have you closed to the future? What would it take to reopen them? That’s the Lenten work before us, to continually remain open to life, to our future. 

I don’t know what the future will bring you or me. And neither do you. But I know this, where there is a future there is also the possibility of life and more life. I don’t want to close that possibility. Do you?

Readings: Genesis 15:5-12, Philippians 3:17-4:1 

Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36

 
Let us pray to God for faith in His promises even when they seem impossible. Let us “walk” in accordance with the instructions He has laid out for us in the scriptures and work with the Holy Spirit to transform our lives by renewing them during Lent, so that they may radiate the glory and grace of the transfigured Lord to all around us by our Spirit-filled lives.  

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"Have you ever been transfigured into something new?"

by: Brian Plachta 

"Most Christian denominations celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration every August. It’s one of those holy days that seems significant, but I never understood what all the fuss was about.

My spiritual teacher told me we can view this event and all of scripture through what the Jewish tradition calls “midrash.” This form of reading the bible allows us to reimagine the dominant themes in scripture while pondering new ways to apply them to our lives. According to Wikipedia, midrash asks questions of the text. Sometimes it provides answers, and other times it leaves the reader to answer the questions.

So, here’s my midrash cut at the Transfiguration.

On the day of the Transfiguration, perhaps Jesus thought he was going to the mountaintop to pray, like he often did. Imagine the surprised look on his face when Moses and Elijah showed up. “This must be a top-level meeting,” Jesus might have joked when the two superheroes appeared. “What’s up? Why did Dad send you two?”

What was it that caused Jesus to say, “Yes.”? I don’t know for sure. I only know that each of us face moments in our lives when we must make tough choices about our life’s direction—not only about the big things, but also in the day-to-day showing up for life.

Life Choices

Perhaps you vowed to minister to others. Maybe you chose to get married or remain single to carry out your unique tasks of love in life. Or perhaps you’ve had times when you didn’t know how you were going to move forward. How you’d have the strength to forgive and love and push through whatever hardships you’ve endured. Perhaps you’ve faced addictions, financial struggles, a life-threatening illness, or the death of a loved one. Maybe facing another day and having to choose between despair or hope is your toughest choice right now.

Is it God that transfigures us in those moments when we must choose which path to follow or is it the power of our faith-filled “Yes” that allows us to make our best guess as to what God invites us to do? Perhaps because God loves us unconditionally both his power and our choices are needed for us to be transformed, transfigured. And regardless of our choices, God still loves us. Unconditionally.

This is Your Story, Too

No matter what we face in this life, we have the power of God within us. It’s the Divine Transforming Power that has and always will guide us, fill us with resilience, and transform our sufferings into resurrections. It’s the same power that God gave Jesus to accomplish a divine act.

Every day we are being transformed into the image and likeness of who we already are in Christ. Every day in big and small ways we are transfigured when we lean into the power of grace. Every day our faces can be filled with gratitude and glory, our clothing turned into dazzling white as we say “Yes” to the God who holds us in the palm of the Creator’s divine hand, and reminds us, “See I make all things new.”

The Transfiguration is not a story about just Jesus. It’s our story too. "

“Behold, I make all things new.” -  Revelation 21:5

Readings: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15    1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

We serve an eternal, almighty and loving God who fulfills His promises. God will not leave His believers alone in their struggles and will always provide a way to resist temptations. God forgives, God extends grace, so we should forgive too, always being gracious with each other, for God hasn’t finished with any of us yet.

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"God of Grace and Second Chances"

Strands of Life – unknown author

Our Gospel today begins with Jesus being told about a group of Galileans who have been killed by Pilate, a horrible story.

We can open our papers or turn on our TVs and see atrocities and tragedies brought directly to our living rooms. We might even become numb to them, distant and detached. Perhaps in our comparative safety we might even begin to victim blame…

“Well they were fighting too.”

“It was silly place to be.”

As if any of those were a reason, an excuse for the loss of life or the ill treatment of another.

It goes back to very deep-seated roots about whether what happens to us is deserved or not. Many of us were brought up with that sort of mindset too –perhaps we’ve even inadvertently taught it to our own children…“you deserved that…”.

The culture in Jesus’s time, amongst Jewish and Gentiles alike had an idea that bad things happened because of what you had done; your sin, or your family’s sin. We can all of us, be quick to judge another. 

Jesus is quick to debunk any such thing.  “Do you think they were more sinful, that this happened?”.  Immediately He is clear that stuff that happens to us is not a result of our actions. We are not judged, let alone punished, in this life for what we do, for what our families have done. In fact, were that the case we would all be in real trouble.

Jesus speaks of Grace, not the idea we might know of as karma (what goes around comes around). He explains that yes, bad things happen to good people, but this is not because of an individual’s sin, it is not karma, or punishment, but simply life. And being Jesus, he turns it to teach them something else!

He turns to those who are talking to Him and he reminds them, reminds us, that we are all sinners, we’ve all stepped away from God and if we do not change then there will be a consequence. If we do not turn, repent, see things a different way, there will be consequences for us – not now, but at the end of time. But then Jesus twists it again, and he tells the story of the fig tree.

The tree is to be shown grace, given a chance. God extends grace to us, but we are not to take it for granted. He demands a response, a change in our lives. God gives us so much, but he does not let us stand still. Our encounter with Him is to be like that of the gardener and the tree. We are to allow God to nurture us, to dig around a bit around our roots. Perhaps not a very comfortable experience. To spread the manure around us, in order to give us what we need, nutrients for our growth and well-being, in order that we might bear fruit.

If we profess faith, if we come to church every week, if we call ourselves Christians, if we claim to have met with Jesus and we do not show the fruit in our lives, then yes, eventually we will be judged and called to account. But still God is gracious time after time. He continues to give us space, time and opportunity to change. He calls us to change through love, not by threats and coercion.

Part of the way we exhibit our fruit is in the way we then extend this grace to others. We all make mistakes. We all sin.  Not one of us is better in that respect than any of the rest of us. It is not our place to condemn or to judge others, only to support them. We have been given the chance to be forgiven and we also need to extend that to others around us. Always the benefit of the doubt, always showing grace: in the way we speak to and of others, in the way we relate, in how we act so that they too might know God’s transformation and bear his fruit in their lives.

Patience and grace are hallmarks of God’s attitude to us, and they should be likewise marks of our transformation in him as we reach out to others.

God forgives, God extends grace, 

so we should forgive too;

always being gracious with each other, 

for God hasn’t finished with any of us yet.

Readings: Joshua 5:9a, 10-12 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

We should obey God without fearing consequences. He will not allow anything to happen in our lives that is outside of His own perfect will for us. When we accept Jesus, our old life of sin is completely replaced by a new life in Christ.

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"You Can Go Home to His Arms"

by: Faith Noah

“We all know the story of the Prodigal Son, who wasted His father’s inheritance, chasing sin and pleasure until his choices left him alone and broken. His father’s eager embrace shows us that God, like this merciful father, is always ready to forgive. Our heavenly Father would run out to meet us if we but took a tiny step of faith toward Him.

But there’s one detail about this story that we often overlook: the son’s return wasn’t pretty. He didn’t know what would happen if he turned around and went home. He didn’t know who he was to his father anymore, or if he would ever take him back as a son. The son’s wake-up call was not a moment of peace and clarity, but, most likely, one of desperation: he had nothing left. He realized that the path he was on would only lead to his destruction.

The journey back must have been scary, full of desperation and uncertainty. Coming home wasn’t easy, but the prodigal son had no other options. It doesn’t quite make for a picture-perfect story, but maybe that desperation is something we can relate to.

When we stray, it’s not pretty. And when we finally decide to come home to Christ, it hurts. It hurts a lot. We feel alone and unsure, having wandered far from our Good Shepherd’s gaze. The road back may seem riddled with uncertainties: Will God accept us? Can we find our way back? Are we too far gone? Where do we even begin?

But, like the prodigal son, if we’re lost, we don’t have to stay that way. And we don’t have to have everything figured out. If the only thing we know is that we need God to save us, that would be enough. That reach, no matter how desperate and fearful it may be, is enough to bring us to His arms.

God has proven time and time again that He’s not going anywhere. Why, then, do we fear the path ahead? Don’t we know He will be waiting for us at the end of the journey, without fail? Even better, don’t we know He’s with us on the way home, too, guiding our every step? The distance we wandered doesn’t change that.

Maybe you’re lost right now. Maybe you have no idea how you could ever find your way again. But if you know just one thing—that you are broken and in need of a Savior—then God will take care of the rest.

Come home. 

Find rest. 

You don’t need to have it all together. 

You need only the name of Jesus upon your lips.”

Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21 Philippians 3:8-14

Gospel: John 8:1-11

Jesus will not condemn us for our failures, rather He invites us to begin anew. Do not let yesterday’s failures derail you from the goal of your upward call of God in Christ. God encourages us to not get stuck in past failures or triumphs, but to look forward to what He is doing now. 

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“Convicted But Not Condemned”

by: Renee Swope

“Sometimes I wonder how I can go from being in such a good place with God ... feeling peaceful, loving and patient ... then something happens that sends me into an orbit of aggravation!

It happened just the other day. Things were going well. I'd had a lovely afternoon working from home, alone. Life was peachy. Then school got out and my kids came home. Within 15 minutes, one of my boys did something and said something that was not so peachy. Then he did NOT do something I asked him to do, and let's just say ... I lost all my peace and patience right there in the middle of my kitchen. I was not happy at all. And I told my precious boy in a not-so-nice kind of way. Then, I felt guilty and like the worst mom on the planet! For a few minutes, I was pretty sure that was exactly how God wanted me to feel. But before I convinced myself I was the worst mom who had no business serving in ministry, I remembered a pastor sharing about the difference between conviction and condemnation.

He explained that condemnation sweeps across our thoughts with generalized statements such as: You're such a failure. You're so hypocritical. You can never be counted on. That is the accuser. His tone is condemning, questioning and confusing. His accusations lead to guilt and shame. In contrast, the Holy Spirit's conviction will be specific. He will reveal a sinful action or attitude and instruct us with a solution for what we need to do to right the wrong, such as restoring a broken relationship or returning something that isn't ours. He'll give us steps we need to take to change our behaviors or attitudes.

Instead of the lie: "You're such a failure as a [wife, mom, daughter, friend]," the Holy Spirit might say, "You were really critical the way you talked to So-and-so. You need to say you're sorry and ask for forgiveness. Then say something to build them up instead of tearing them down." Instead of the accusing label: "You're so hypocritical!" The Holy Spirit might say, "You judge others for gossiping, but you're doing the same thing when you talk about your neighbor at work. Apologize for what you said today, and share a few things that are positive about her." Instead of shaming words: "You can never be counted on!" The Holy Spirit might say, "You didn't keep your promise to go visit your mom. Call her to say you're sorry, and ask her out to lunch this weekend."

Satan condemns us accusingly, to make us feel guilty. God convicts us lovingly, to lead our hearts to repentance.

Conviction draws us away from destructive behavior that hinders our relationship with God and others. Jesus' goal is to bring us out of a condemning place of sin and usher us into the freedom of forgiveness with the assurance of His love.

The next time we blow it, or lose our peace and patience right there in the middle of the kitchen or the office or 5 o'clock traffic, let's guard our hearts from condemnation and instead, listen only to God's conviction.

Then let's follow His lead toward restoration as we live in the security of today's truth: Jesus didn't come into the world - or into our lives - to condemn us, but to rescue us with His redeeming grace.

Lord, sometimes condemning thoughts become so familiar I don't realize how they contradict Your Word and Your ways. Please give me discernment to recognize the difference between conviction and condemnation, and courage to replace my mindset with Yours. In Jesus' Name, Amen.”

Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7 / Philippians 2:6-11 

Gospel: PASSION OF THE LORD  -  Luke 22:14-23:56

We live in a world where communication is advanced, but the quality of communication is deteriorating. It is against this backdrop that we must embrace unity. Not unity of thought or practice but the bond shared by members of a community who, without fear of disgrace or shame, humble themselves (as Jesus did) and listen to one another, take care of one another and love one another.  

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“Listening As A Hobby” 

by: Arlene Koktavy

“One of my favorite hobbies is being a mindful creative listener. Although I don't think listening is usually considered to be a hobby, I think it is one of the most insightful things I can do. 

In today's fast paced world, it seems that people in general would rather talk than listen. I feel that by being a good listener I can learn many things and do good for myself and others. I learn about different approaches to life, mistakes to avoid, traps not to fall in and to value myself and my ideas, thoughts and opinions. 

I have always been searching for good role models and a way to get ahead and live a better more joyful life. Hearing the stories of others joys and sorrows helps me do this. Like about hearing somebody talk about overcoming great obstacles and crawling out of a deep well of problems and how they went on to make a success of their lives is very inspirational. I feel like if they can do it so can I. It gives me hope. Listening is good for me. When I am absorbed in the story of another person, my focus is on them and not myself. I feel myself relax and let go of my daily problems.

Mindful listening lets me let go of my past for a while and not worry about the future. I feel my body relax as I lean back with a cup of coffee and an attentive ear. I focus on the other person and time slows as I am fully present to the moment. If someone asks me, I will give them advice. I will help them if I can if I have been in their shoes before. When I hear advice from them it can give me a different perspective on my problems. We all come from such different backgrounds and have so many stories. By talking about our problems instead of just keeping them to ourselves, good is done. 

People love to be heard. It makes them feel understood and validated. Having a helpful ear can make a big difference in someone's life and can make them feel less lonely. It is fun to get to know people from different backgrounds and people with different perspectives and lifestyles. Different things come up that I hadn't thought of before. Different ways of handling things.

Listening can go beyond using your ears. Sometimes we listen with our eyes. A persons face and body posture can tell a lot. Eyes that won't meet you directly says the person may be shrinking away in fear. A joyful bubbling of excitement is fun to see and hear. We listen with intuition trying to see the needs of another. Listening to a child to see how you can help them. Listening with confidence as you try to alleviate a person’s fear. We look beyond the obvious to try to get a feel from them of what they need. 

When I think back on the loved ones I have lost, I think oh what I wouldn't give for a five-minute conversation with them. Parents need to be good listeners for their children. They are their first and primary sounding boards. Children need someone to go to with their problems hopes and dreams. I think listening requires a kind heart, a lively curiosity, a desire to help others and a strong desire to learn about life.”

“Being a good listener makes you a better friend and family member. Be the kind of listener you would want to talk to. Someone supportive and understanding. The more we try to listen and understand others, the more we understand the world we live in. Have empathy, listen, and be kind.” ~ Cait