“Praying the central part of the Our Father silently [in community worship] is an ancient tradition that comes from the early centuries of the Christian era when Rome was persecuting the church and only baptized Christians knew the Lord’s Prayer. By publicly reciting only the first and last lines [Our Father/and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil], the persecuted Christians preserved the secrets of the Christian faith.”

This tradition (and others like it, such as ushering out of corporate worship all un-baptized persons when the Eucharistic liturgy began each week) stand in stark contrast to the “seeker sensitive” approach many faith communities have adopted today. Is it legitimate for the secrets of the faith to be kept within the community until someone has been Baptized, i.e. committed to Christ? In an age when sex is OK in or outside of marriage , how do we respond to people wanting to know about the Christian faith before they “buy in”?

I’m not sure there is a right or wrong answer, though maybe there is. In any case, this idea gives me pause.

While hiking the other day, I saw a sign on a new fence in an area where the local forestry people did a major clean-out of non-native vegetation. The sign said “Area closed: Area behind sign is closed for vegetation restoration.” What a great symbol for the kind of sign I need to hang on my soul some days. CLOSED, so that God can restore.

I get so caught up in my causes and concerns that I miss the Christ and how His causes and concerns could, would enfold and uplift mine.

And then when things don’t go the way I believe they should (and I believe that that is also the way God wants them to go), then instead of repenting like Peter did, I go out and hang myself on guilt and embarrassment, and vow to move to a desert island and never speak up again and begin the fasting I never quite get to when I am on a roll. The thirty pieces of my silver idea burn my soul.

O God, you would forgive me and restore me with a real mission as you did Peter. If only I would give up my Judas pride and ask You. May the field of blood in my life become the Field of Blood in Your Life.

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Amen!

This Psalm is used at so many funerals it has taken on an almost hushed tone in many people’s minds. I believe that one way to read it is as a statement of victory in the “war won/battles still happening” reality of the Christian faith. I find that proclaiming it rather than praying it gives me a new perspective on the familiar words.

What do you think?

In reality, we can’t talk realistically about fasting without also understanding feasting. God commanded times of feasting in the Old Testament: the Passover, the Feast of Booths, etc. These were times when all of Israel was to make sure everyone, including the poor, had a feast to celebrate God’s goodness.

So as we are celebrating the Resurrection, let us look at fasting from the angle of feasting. Let us:

fast from complaining and feast on gratitude
fast from bad health choices and feast on healthy food and exercise
fast from gossip and feast on lifting others up
fast from hoarding and feast on generosity
fast from mindless, soul-numbing activities and entertainment and feast on creativity
fast from having to be first and feast on serving others
fast from anger and feast on forgiveness
fast from hatred and feast on love

I look forward to hearing what fast/feast ideas you will add to the list.
Blessed Easter (a seven-week celebration)

I am not saying fast for the week but consider eating half of what you would normally until Easter Vigil/Easter morning.

Do what you have to do but pare down extra entertainment and unnecessary shopping, limit media use (including phone use), and use the time for extra Bible reading and/or prayer.

Also, go to church on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, (Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil) as well as Easter Day itself. If your faith community doesn’t offer services on those days, find one that does.

It is interesting to me that Europe, not considered a bastion of Christianity any more, still shuts down for Good Friday (sometimes closing early on Maundy Thursday) and STAYS CLOSED DOWN through Easter Sunday. (In some countries, Easter Monday is a holiday, too.)

How many people in this country aren’t exactly sure when Easter even is? As a witness to these people and to the children in your circle of influence, make Holy Week a different kind of week. Walk fully with Jesus from Palm Sunday through the Last Supper, and Crucifixion. Sit on Holy Saturday with the distraught disciples, who nevertheless still kept the Law and stayed home rather than running back to the tomb to “finish up–God will understand.” (Think what they might have missed if they had gone back on Saturday, in violation of the Discipline of the Sabbath, and then not needed to go on Sunday!) Rise with anticipation for the Easter Vigil/Easter morning services a new creation in Christ yourself.

Fast from North American culture this week and Feast on the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven.