Presby-Musings

One of the many disciplines that emerge from having your house up for sale is that it has to be kept clean and devoid of clutter so that if/when it is shown to prospective buyers they don't turn their noses up in disgust.  So over the past several months, I have done just that.  I clean my house regularly, make sure there is not a scrap of clutter, and I also put a lot of air fresheners around the place so that it not only looks clean but smells that way, too.   In the end, I've grown to like this way of living.  I have discovered I don't need a lot of things that I thought I used to need.  I like it when my house is neat, orderly, and pleasant.   The other day, I came across a quote from N.T. Wright, as I was reading devotionals about Lent. It resonated with me, and I wanted to share and reflect on it.  N.T. Wright writes:  "Lent is a time for discipline, for confession, for honesty, not because God is mean or fault-finding or finger-po...

When you are going through tough times, it's easy to let your focus narrow and become focused solely on your own problems, challenges, and trials.   I have my own struggles with this.  I have called this narrowed focus "navel gazing" from time to time, because it speaks to how I often lower my gaze, intent on myself to the extent that I often ignore the needs of the world and others.    I am so grateful for the Season of Lent as a time to break that cycle of self-absorption and lift my head even a little.   As we step into this sacred Season of Lent, we are called to embark on a journey of reflection, sacrifice, and renewal. It is a time to deepen our understanding of virtue and its significance—not just for ourselves, but for the broader community in which we live.  John Chrysostom beautifully captures this sentiment when he states,  “No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you...

I'm not very good at giving things up for Lent.  I have tried in the past, but it has never ended well.  Once, I tried to give up coffee for Lent, an idea born out of some misguided thought that I should suffer throughout my Lenten journey.  I suffered for three days, and then decided that I'd had enough.  Then I felt guilty for giving in, but even that faded as my headache from a lack of caffeine dissipated and I could once more be around people without wanting to scream at them.   I've learned that if our plan is to suffer during Lent, it's not a great motivator.  So that's why I have added things to my life as a Lenten practice, rather than taking things away.   Interestingly, by adding things to my life, some things naturally fall away, and typically those are things that I was spending too much time on in the first place.   All of this has caused me to reflect on what it means to take up life-giving things for Lent, and how tha...

I've spent most of my life trying to understand God.   As I have grown older and perhaps a little wiser, I have concluded that the more I learn about God, the less I know.   I used to have a lot of certainty regarding my beliefs about God.  God fit neatly into my little belief boxes, and behaved (I thought).  I formed my opinions about how God worked in the world by reading the Bible and not really questioning any of it.  It took a crisis of faith to change all of that for me.  Everything I thought I knew for certain came crashing down.  I realized that God was bigger than any version of God I had formed, and honestly the God I had conjured up resembled me more than anything else.  I began to reflect more and more on the prayer of the 13th century mystic Meister Eckhart, who prayed: "God, ride me of God." Eckhart's goal was to be set free from all of the ways he limited God in word, thought and deed.  The other day I stumbled across...

I grew up in faith communities that did not commemorate the historic seasons and rhythms of the Church.  So, Lent was not something I was familiar with at all until I began attending Presbyterian churches as an adult.  And even then, the first couple of Presbyterian churches I attended weren't all that into seasons like Lent and Advent, only giving them lip service, but never really entering into them as a community.   It wasn't until I attended seminary that I began to understand the breadth and width of the historical, liturgical seasons of the Church, and learned what they could mean to those who wanted to draw nearer to Christ through the traditions and liturgical seasons like Lent employ.   The other day I came across this insightful quote from author Wendy M. Wright that resonated with me:  “The liturgical year roots our faith. It grounds the invisible, animating our lives in the visible, tactile world. It is elemental. It drapes flesh on the ske...

Today is Ash Wednesday—the first day of the Lenten season, a significant and reflective time in the Christian calendar.  Lent lasts for 40 days, culminating in the joyous celebration of Easter. It is a period designed for believers to introspect and prepare themselves spiritually, mirroring Jesus Christ’s experience of sacrifice and solitude in the desert for 40 days.  As part of the observance, I will officiate in a special worship service at my church this evening, where attendees will have the opportunity to receive what we call the "imposition of ashes." Using my finger, I will dip into a mixture of ash and oil and trace a cross on each person’s forehead. When I do this, I will say something significant: “Child of God, remember you are dust, and to dust you will return.”  This age-old ritual serves as a poignant reminder of our mortality and human frailty, encouraging us to "die" to our egos and material desires. Many individuals give up something during Lent as...