"But he began to curse, and swore and oath, 'I do not know the man you are talking about.'"(Mark 14:71)
Have you ever been in an awkward situation and can feel your brain start to scramble as you look for a way out of it? It is amazing how fast our minds can come up with an excuse, or even a lie, if we think we are in some sort of danger.
Perhaps we even begin to make promises, try to show some type of indignation, just to prove how earnest we are in wanting to be believed.
Peter certainly felt that need to scramble. 3 times we know he attempted to dodge the inquisition. In the end of course he succeeded in the very thing he had hoped to fail, denying Jesus.
Not knowing the man you are talking about. That of course was his final lie. But I reflect on that and wonder are there things people say about Jesus, about others that when I hear it, I think I don't know that person? That description doesn't fit. We do know a person named that, but what you are telling me makes no sense.
How do you know Jesus? What is your description of him and who he is to you? Does what you say cause others to relate or to say I don't who you're talking about.
Blessings,
Ed
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Reflection for August 18, 2014
"And what I say to you, I say to all. Keep awake."(Mark 13:37)
Keeping awake is generally not a problem for me. At least between the hours of 5 am and 10 pm. I suppose this is true because I generally get enough sleep especially now that I have a CPAP machine.
I only drink one cup of coffee and I try to exercise.
Keeping awake of course means more than just not falling asleep. It means to keep alert. Have all of your senses engaged in the world around you.
To take the data those senses are sending and to make sense out of it. To keep awake means to not shut yourself off from the realities of the world around you. To keep awake is to value the presence of others in your life.
To keep awake is to ready when something unexpected, pleasant or otherwise occurs.
Blessings,
Ed
Keeping awake is generally not a problem for me. At least between the hours of 5 am and 10 pm. I suppose this is true because I generally get enough sleep especially now that I have a CPAP machine.
I only drink one cup of coffee and I try to exercise.
Keeping awake of course means more than just not falling asleep. It means to keep alert. Have all of your senses engaged in the world around you.
To take the data those senses are sending and to make sense out of it. To keep awake means to not shut yourself off from the realities of the world around you. To keep awake is to value the presence of others in your life.
To keep awake is to ready when something unexpected, pleasant or otherwise occurs.
Blessings,
Ed
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Reflection August 16, 2014
"They devour widows houses and for the sake of appearances say long prayers.They will receive the greater condemnation."(Mark 12: 40)
Have you ever heard someone pray out loud and wonder when it will be over? I have. It isn't fun. You are basically getting a sermon masquerading as a prayer. Usually these prayers are full of telling God what God should do.
It's all about appearances, the more you say, the more you keep talking, perhaps no one will notice that in the long winded prayer, you actually said nothing of consequence.
Somehow we believe that if we just keep talking eventually we will win or be seen in a better light.
I for one, like to be brief and to the point. I try to know what I want to say and then say it. There is no prize for length of prayer. There is something to praying with sincerity and from the heart.
Blessings,
Ed
Have you ever heard someone pray out loud and wonder when it will be over? I have. It isn't fun. You are basically getting a sermon masquerading as a prayer. Usually these prayers are full of telling God what God should do.
It's all about appearances, the more you say, the more you keep talking, perhaps no one will notice that in the long winded prayer, you actually said nothing of consequence.
Somehow we believe that if we just keep talking eventually we will win or be seen in a better light.
I for one, like to be brief and to the point. I try to know what I want to say and then say it. There is no prize for length of prayer. There is something to praying with sincerity and from the heart.
Blessings,
Ed
Friday, August 15, 2014
Reflection for August 15, 2014
"You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wage to put them into a bag with holes."(Haggai 1:6)
Do you ever feel like you work very hard, but can't seem to get ahead? That in spite of having a job extra money rarely seems to be around. Almost like as soon as you get paid that check is already spent, between bills and groceries, gone just like that. That too me is what it feels like to earn wages to put them into a bag with holes. I hope there comes a time when I don't have that feeling, but it won't be anytime soon.
There is also a sense of not having enough of never feeling satisfied. I don't have that feeling too often, especially not with food or beverages and I have enough clothes that I should donate some.
Haggai talks about this in the context of neglecting God's house and that is why things aren't going well. I wonder if it is true that when we neglect to tend to our relationship with God, that a lot of other things never seem to feel complete. That doesn't mean that if our relationship with God is good that we will suddenly have more than we need. But we may be better equipped to make the most of what we have.
Blessings,
Ed
Do you ever feel like you work very hard, but can't seem to get ahead? That in spite of having a job extra money rarely seems to be around. Almost like as soon as you get paid that check is already spent, between bills and groceries, gone just like that. That too me is what it feels like to earn wages to put them into a bag with holes. I hope there comes a time when I don't have that feeling, but it won't be anytime soon.
There is also a sense of not having enough of never feeling satisfied. I don't have that feeling too often, especially not with food or beverages and I have enough clothes that I should donate some.
Haggai talks about this in the context of neglecting God's house and that is why things aren't going well. I wonder if it is true that when we neglect to tend to our relationship with God, that a lot of other things never seem to feel complete. That doesn't mean that if our relationship with God is good that we will suddenly have more than we need. But we may be better equipped to make the most of what we have.
Blessings,
Ed
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Reflection for August 14, 2014
"Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy."(Psalm 132:9)
When I'm in my uniform you can tell I'm a priest. The black shirt and the collar are a dead giveaway. While that outward appearance gives me some credibility, without the right heart and mind I've missed the most important aspect of being a priest.
The psalmist prayed that the priests would be clothed with righteousness. This of course has nothing to do with things to cover the body, but with how they go about living their lives and interacting with others. The righteousness needed to be seen. Of course what needs to be avoided in the clergy ranks is self-righteousness. A few too many have clothed themselves with that. If I am to be truly clothed with righteousness it will be seen in compassion and a loving demeanor to all who I encounter. It will be seen in a humble servant leadership.
But perhaps the truest mark of getting it right is our the faithful shouting for joy after being with me.
Blessings,
Ed
When I'm in my uniform you can tell I'm a priest. The black shirt and the collar are a dead giveaway. While that outward appearance gives me some credibility, without the right heart and mind I've missed the most important aspect of being a priest.
The psalmist prayed that the priests would be clothed with righteousness. This of course has nothing to do with things to cover the body, but with how they go about living their lives and interacting with others. The righteousness needed to be seen. Of course what needs to be avoided in the clergy ranks is self-righteousness. A few too many have clothed themselves with that. If I am to be truly clothed with righteousness it will be seen in compassion and a loving demeanor to all who I encounter. It will be seen in a humble servant leadership.
But perhaps the truest mark of getting it right is our the faithful shouting for joy after being with me.
Blessings,
Ed
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Reflection for August 13, 2014
"Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another."(Mark 9:50)
I couldn't agree more wit those first three words! I probably have an addiction to salt at a certain level. Love potato chips! I also know as someone who enjoys cooking that salt is a key ingredient in moderation.
Of course Jesus isn't telling me to enjoy chips and all food. It is much more a statement of who we are. If we have lost our purpose, don't really know who we are or what we want out of life, that can be hard to restore. We all need a reason to be, and when we lose that definition of self, trouble comes.
Having salt in one's self to me is to believe in yourself. To realize that you have a purpose, that your life has the right seasoning to bring out the fullness of you. And when we know who we are, and what we are supposed to be doing, it becomes a lot easier to be at peace with others, when you are at peace with yourself.
Blessings,
Ed
I couldn't agree more wit those first three words! I probably have an addiction to salt at a certain level. Love potato chips! I also know as someone who enjoys cooking that salt is a key ingredient in moderation.
Of course Jesus isn't telling me to enjoy chips and all food. It is much more a statement of who we are. If we have lost our purpose, don't really know who we are or what we want out of life, that can be hard to restore. We all need a reason to be, and when we lose that definition of self, trouble comes.
Having salt in one's self to me is to believe in yourself. To realize that you have a purpose, that your life has the right seasoning to bring out the fullness of you. And when we know who we are, and what we are supposed to be doing, it becomes a lot easier to be at peace with others, when you are at peace with yourself.
Blessings,
Ed
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Reflection for August 12, 2014
"Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear? And do you not remember?"(Mark 8:18)
When I was a student, I rarely failed. That's not to say that I didn't fail a test every now and then. Most of the time it came from not remembering. It may also be that I didn't pay as full attention to what was being taught as I could have.
There are times when we fail to see, either because we are not looking in the right place, or we have shut our eyes literally or figuratively to what is going on around us. Therefore failing to see what is going on and knowing how to respond.
There are times when we fail to hear. Perhaps we are distracted by other things. Or perhaps we just don't want to hear what is being said, too painful.
And there are times that we don't remember. We have either blocked out the memory for obvious reasons, or it is so distant or was so fleeting a thought that it just didn't stick.
I have seen many wonderful things in my life. I have heard many wonderful songs and stories. And I remember a lot of stuff. I'm sometimes surprised when those memories come to the surface.
There are still things I hope to see either for the first time or again. There are things I long to hear either again or for the first time. And I hope that with each encounter I remember, cherish and learn from it.
Blessings,
Ed
When I was a student, I rarely failed. That's not to say that I didn't fail a test every now and then. Most of the time it came from not remembering. It may also be that I didn't pay as full attention to what was being taught as I could have.
There are times when we fail to see, either because we are not looking in the right place, or we have shut our eyes literally or figuratively to what is going on around us. Therefore failing to see what is going on and knowing how to respond.
There are times when we fail to hear. Perhaps we are distracted by other things. Or perhaps we just don't want to hear what is being said, too painful.
And there are times that we don't remember. We have either blocked out the memory for obvious reasons, or it is so distant or was so fleeting a thought that it just didn't stick.
I have seen many wonderful things in my life. I have heard many wonderful songs and stories. And I remember a lot of stuff. I'm sometimes surprised when those memories come to the surface.
There are still things I hope to see either for the first time or again. There are things I long to hear either again or for the first time. And I hope that with each encounter I remember, cherish and learn from it.
Blessings,
Ed
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