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Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

Bread of Heaven

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , on June 13, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 6:41
At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

The Jews of that time understood this image and didn’t like it because Jesus referred to himself metaphorically as manna [Exodus 16]. While the Jews wandered in the desert, manna appeared each morning with the dew and was only enough for that one day (except on Friday when enough was collected and lasted 2 days over the Sabbath). The message is a simple one for us then: we are to eat the Bread of Heaven daily. We are to participate and partake of Him daily.

In Matthew 6:34, Jesus is recorded as saying “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Each day is different and each day has different challenges.

It makes me want to return to a more Catholic tradition of communion each day. I can see the power of that imagery. I can feel the power of that act.

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Lamp is a Fire

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , on June 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 24:35
John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

A lamp gives light, but in those days, all lamps were fire that was fueled by something else. The fire was dependent on the fuel… usually oil. All of these words are used symbolically throughout the scriptures: lamp, fire, light, oil. They all go together and are combined to give a strong picture of what must happen within.

One of my favorite songs is “Refiner’s Fire” (based on Malachi 3:2). The message is simple: my prayer is to be holy … and the only way to be holy is to be refined by the fire of God…. purified.

John the baptizer had this fire within, gifted directly by God. It was this fire that drew others to him. The people recognized that fire. But John said that one was coming who would not just baptize with water, but with fire… one Christ Jesus. He would give pour out this fire directly from the “one who sent him,” [God]. This fire, then, is given when we invite Jesus to dwell within. He comes as a fire with the oil of the Holy Spirit that continually fuels the fire, continually refines our souls. [2 Chronicles 7:1] Sometimes, that fire can cause pain.

So often, I see myself trying to hang onto the ashes that have been burned away by the fire. But they are worthless, really. Sometimes the pain is by my feeble efforts to protect or “save” the parts He is trying to burn away. But it is then I realize that the best part remains. That part cannot be burned. Gold must be purified to be gold. The soul must be purified to be holy. Amen.

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Do I Want to be Well?

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , on May 29, 2009| 1 Comment »

John 5:6
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

Do I really? Or am I giving the same answer as the lame man, “I have no one to help me…” One would think the answer would just be “Yes! Of course I want to be well!” But that isn’t always the case. Notice, Jesus’ question to the man was not, “Do you want to be healed?” but “Do you want to be well?”

What does it mean to be well? One of the definitions of “well” is “whole.” And with that in mind, the question is far more expansive. Do you want to be whole? Do you want to let go of the bitterness that is slowly eating away at your soul? Do you want to close the doors on past hurts and forgive those who have wronged you? Do you want to shed the disappointments that plague your contentment? Do you want to accept your face, your body, your intelligence, your talents, your abilities as the foundational gifts of the Creator just for you? Do you want to replace sorrow and anger with joy? Do you want to replace fear with courage and faith? Do you want to remove judgments of others? Do you want to see, hear, taste, touch, and inhale the renewing Spirit? Do you want to be whole?

Yes, Lord. I want to be well. I want to be whole.

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Being the Samaritan Woman

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 4:9
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

A couple of weeks ago, Mike and I watched the movie, Being John Malkovich. Now, that’s a strange film, but intriguing. Today, I began wondering what it would be like to inside the head of the Samaritan woman.

I have known what it feels like to be an outcast. As a first generation Latvian, I never felt part of the American community as a child. My father didn’t speak English and my mother had a pronounced accent. We were different. I did everything I could to blend in. On the converse, I wasn’t particularly accepted into the Latvian community either. My father died when I was nine and my mother raised my brother and me as a single mom. I discovered (years later) that she wasn’t really embraced by the Latvians after my father died because she was half German. She was on her own until other women became widows and sought her out for advice. So, while she was ostracized (for both her heritage and her widowhood), so were we.

In the end, both my brother and I became over achievers in an effort to find place. But, much like the Samaritan woman, I was still desperate for relationships. Before I met the Christ, I wandered in and out one relationship after another. Thankfully I didn’t marry each of them, but there is one divorce in my history.

By the time I met Jesus, I needed what she needed: acceptance, renewal, hope, connection, promise, change, transformation.

Upon my conversion, I found no need for drugs or alcohol, that was amazing. I even quit smoking. And then, I tried the great experiment, I became celibate. (Big discovery: those guys weren’t dating me for my mind.) And so, it was just Jesus and me. What a honeymoon.

I wonder why we never learn the Samaritan woman’s name. Perhaps she is a metaphor for all women. Perhaps the details are different, but the feelings and thoughts are ours. I’m glad Jesus was direct with her, telling her specifically who He was. I needed that too. And I believed Him. Thanks be to God.

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Power of Story

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 4:42
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

It all begins with a story. The Samaritan woman ran back to her town and told them what had happened to her at the well with the man, clearly a prophet, who revealed truth to her. Her story drew their curiosity and eventually, they too believed in the Christ, through direct encounters with Him.

I used to think that evangelizing or “bringing others to Christ” meant I had to know the “Four Spiritual Laws” or master the script from “Evangelism Explosion.” And although these programs work for some folks, they have not worked for me.

Meeting Christ and choosing the Way of Jesus transformed my life. When I met Jesus, I was flirting with the dark side in a major way: drugs, alcohol, filthy speech habits, and casual sex. It was ultimately just another young man’s story that made me curious enough to read the New Testament. This was my direct encounter with the Lord and I could not say “no” to His invitation. I asked to become his disciple the night of December 24, 1979.

I wish I could say that I was as enthusiastic as the Samaritan woman and ran to tell all of my friends that I had made a decision to follow Jesus. Instead, I was still embarrassed, worried about what they would think or say. And yet, they heard about it anyway. I was changed and people noticed. They asked questions. They wanted to know how I, one of the depraved, could have met Jesus. Like the woman at the well or the woman who washed Jesus feet with her hair, I was renewed by His acceptance and love.

But what about today? After 30 years, is there still power in my story?

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Afraid of Healing

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , on May 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Mark 5:15
When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

I’ve been contemplating what it would mean to me to see someone transformed before my eyes. Why do we fear miracles?

In some ways, I think it’s similar to growing up in a dysfunctional family (who hasn’t?) and recreating those patterns in our adult life. It’s what we know. It’s our little norm. Healing, then, is not part of the norm.

I think about my daughter’s recent diagnosis of fibromyalgia. She has had pain in her body as long as she can remember. She never knew that people didn’t hurt to get out of bed or pick up clothes off the floor. Would she recognize her body without the pain and with full range of motion? She can’t even imagine it or vision it.

And, I think about the people who surround those who want to change. I remember some years ago when I joined Weight Watchers and the group leader warned us about our friends: the very ones who might sabotage our efforts. “Oh, you can have just one cookie, can’t you?” “Oh come on, it’s my birthday!” and so on. I understand that alcoholics run into similar sabotage if the loved ones are not on board with the program. Enablers don’t like change.

Lord, don’t let me sabotage anyone who is trying to change! Don’t let me fear transformation… in myself or in others. (Mark 9:24b “…I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”)

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If Only I Had Known

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , on May 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 4:10
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

How many times have I said this in hindsight: “If only I had known…” I have made a lot of stupid choices coming up. For instance, I think back to my senior year in high school (which I’m going through again with my son). Our family was very poor but I was such a really good student, I could have gone to any university, but I didn’t think it was an option, so I stayed in-state. If only I had known….

When I was working toward becoming a professional actress/model in my twenties, I had a zillion head shots taken, but I never even considered getting my hair and make up done professionally. It would have made a huge difference. If only I had known….

When we adopted our children, in first and second grade, one of them really struggled with basic concepts. It took over 3 years for us to figure out that he had a learning disability. He lost much valuable time. If only I had known…

My mother, who was extremely difficult and “eccentric,” came to live with us her last three years. It was during this time we discovered that she was bi-polar and probably had been all of her adult life. I can’t help but think how her quality of life (and ours) would have been improved with proper medical attention. If only I had known….

The Samaritan woman was faced with a choice and an opportunity to “know.” She could have walked away and ignored this Jewish man. Instead, she asked the next question. To know, we must ask. To learn, we must listen. To discover, we must look. To create, we must experiment. To love, we must risk.

Then, we too, can drink “living water.”

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