Scripture: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32, Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus’ temptations were unique to him and confessional for us. They are both his particular journey and at the same time the story of our lives. If we endeavor to work in the world around us, we will fall down. From time to time, we will fail; our efforts will not be received in the spirit intended; the fruit will be slow in coming. So, if we must fall, let us fall down in worship of the one who redeems us.
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Scripture: Psalm 51:1-17; Isaiah 58:1-12 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? –Isaiah 58:6-7 NRSV
Ash Wednesday is an inside-out act of worship. We come and confess and are reminded of both our sinfulness and our mortality. And yet we are given a visible mark in the imposition of ashes, a way of letting the world know that we are people of faith. Our hope is that such a symbol is a welcome sign, a sign of acceptance and hospitality. Indeed, our pledge to God is that we will live in such a way that we bring honor to the name of God and glory to Jesus the Christ. We live outwardly the inner beliefs that we hold.
https://desertskiesumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/5ECF22EB-03ED-4AD6-B940-C375795AA5B1.jpeg10781920Mark Lansberryhttps://desertskiesumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/desert-skies-umc_logo_padding.pngMark Lansberry2023-02-22 21:00:252023-02-22 21:00:25 The Fast We Choose – February 22, 2023
While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”
The last Sunday of this series is a time when we remember a mystical moment some of the disciples had with Jesus when he was joined by spiritual ancestors Moses and Elijah on the mountain and God’s voice affirming Jesus’ work as pleasing. For weeks we have considered the everyday activities of our lives as a way to be nurtured spiritually. Finally, we see the opportunities to encourage each other in the efforts of each day of our lives — “get up and don’t be afraid!”
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If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in God’s ways, and observing God’s commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. — Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways. — Psalm 119: 1-8
Research shows that one of the most effective mood-boosters is moving our bodies. Stretching, walking, and dancing can send feel-good endorphins coursing through us and the change can feel like a light coming on. The Hebrew authors of our scriptures used the metaphor of “walking” in God’s ways to help us see the benefits to our spiritual lives of moving toward the goodness of God. This week our spiritual practice will help us see our walking (or any kind of movement) as a blessed gift of God’s love in action in the world!
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How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. — Psalm 112: 1-9
Where do you think God’s “dwelling place” is? The Psalmist speaks of longing to be in God’s “house.” Indeed, being in what feels like a sacred place can transform and inspire us. Instead of thinking that finding God requires us to go to a designated place like our church, what if we created spaces that reminded us of the sacred wherever we are? This week you are invited to create an “altar” in your home that can remind you that God dwells in all places.
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
The prophet Micah offered up a vision for life lived from a different perspective. Rather than see doing good as “obligatory sacrifice,” he said that when we live our lives with a love for kindness for all God’s people, we are fulfilling God’s desire to spread justice and love throughout the land. This week, what if we lived each day on the lookout for ways to make someone’s day through a kind and unexpected gesture? It might just make our day as well!
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But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. . . .
Life can be serious business. Certainly watching the daily news can give the impression that there is little good to find in the world. This week we choose to lighten up — to “spin” life in a little different way as we look for the delight and especially, humor, in life. A lot of people cite the ability to make us laugh as a number one thing they look for in friends and spouses. Many comedians have the knack for seeing everyday life in ways that make us laugh. Perhaps laughter is the best medicine.
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I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
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Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. . . . Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice…”
Millions of people suffer from some sort of anxiety or depression disorder. If you do not, chances are you are close to someone who does. As we begin our series on Spiritual Affective Dagnosis, we begin to look at spiritual practices to get us out of the mid-winter blues and into the light of our lives. While not a replacement for medical resources to alleviate depression, we will see how experiencing the everyday activities of our lives as blessing — as filled with God’s offer of radiance — can offer us a chance to be filled with the Light in whom we believe. This first week we affirm that the very act of “arising” each day is a gift from God.
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On Epiphany, we embrace the light that is the Christ and the awesome journey that continues, sometimes in certainty and sometimes in doubt, sometimes in clarity and sometimes in confusion. As a covenant people, we make our declaration that when we have everything and when we have nothing, when we are of use and when we are laid aside, we are still committed to God, we are still dedicated to Christ. We follow Christ when we can see him clearly and when we have lost sight of him. Still we follow…just like the Wise Ones of old, relishing every time and season under heaven.
So, let us lift up the name of Jesus today; let us make our pledge and follow his star. Let us be about the one who guides us, who finds us even when we are lost and gives us direction and hope. Let our worship be full of songs of praise of the name of Jesus, and let our prayers be prayers of commitment to follow.
https://desertskiesumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/FE9FCAB1-2578-4136-9D00-9800805B73AC.jpeg675900Mark Lansberryhttps://desertskiesumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/desert-skies-umc_logo_padding.pngMark Lansberry2023-01-01 12:46:132023-01-01 13:24:49There is a Season for Every Purpose Under Heaven – January 1, 2023
