I have
been awake for awhile, and finally got out of bed at 3:15 a.m. The light snow
falling is beautiful, and it is collecting on the grass like powdered sugar,
even as it melts on the roads and sidewalks. The high is supposed to hit 50
today, and as the sun comes out this afternoon, it will melt all the snow. In
Big Bear, California, where my parents honeymooned and I played in my first
snow (according to the 8 mm films!) there was a dramatic end to a violent killing
spree. Apparently Christopher Dorner, the rogue
LAPD cop who allegedly has killed 4 people died by a self-inflicted wound as
the cabin he was holed up in went up in flames. The burning cabin and the
unfolding story were hard to ignore on live television as we ate dinner and
started our evening. President Obama came on with the State of the Union speech
as the cabin was still in flames and before there was any confirmation of the
final results in Big Bear.
This morning I will stop by the youth room at Wesley and
consecrate the communion elements, then I will pray at Mercy hospital with
Carol as she goes in for a knee replacement, then I will stop by St. Paul UMC
downtown where Pastor Kerner is offering ashes to college students in the Green
Room ministry. We have an executive staff roundtable at 10:15 am, and then the
Ash Wednesday service at 6 pm followed by the final new member class. This
afternoon I will work on my evening message and my Sunday message, as I will be
travelling to Columbia tomorrow for the Mission Council meeting with the Bishop
and other leaders of the Annual Conference.
Job 22-24
In chapter 22, Eliphar makes some good statements. His words in
verses 6-11 remind me of Jesus’ teaching about the final judgment, the sheep
and the goats, and those who fed, clothed, and cared for the poor, and those
who did not. (Matthew 25) Even though Eliphar falsely assumes that Job has
ignored God and thus his punishment, Eliphar makes some good observations about
God, and judgment, obedience, surrender, and God’s omnipotence.
In chapter 24, Job asks why the wicked are not punished. In
verses 10-12 he observes that the poor harvest food for others while they
themselves are starving. This brings to mind the plight of many in Central and
South America, where coffee and sugar plantations have taken the good land, and
the workers are poorly paid for their labor. The land would support adequate
local agriculture to supply the residents with food, except for the
multi-national companies that own the plantations. This morning our medical team from Springfield is waking
up in Nicaragua, preparing for another day of caring for the poor throughout
the villages served by Rainbow Network. This ministry, founded by Keith Jaspers,
uses a local structure that requires participants to be involved in ways that
contribute to their own benefit from the programs of nutrition, housing, economic development through micro-loans,
and medical treatment. Keith has told me that he picked Nicaragua because of
its level of poverty, the government’s willingness to accommodate (which seems
to have deteriorated lately) and its accessibility to travel from the USA.
As I write this early morning journal entry, I am pondering my
Lenten disciplines. My regular disciplines include reading scripture every day
before I eat breakfast, fasting on Fridays until the afternoon, tithing our
income, praying daily, and pastoring the flock. Sometimes I give up soda for
Lent, which provides me with a sacrifice that regularly presents itself as a
reminder to pray. Sometimes I take on an additional discipline. This morning I
am feeling that giving up soda will be my Lenten discipline, along with the
others that I already observe.
Lord, on this day which Christians around the world focus on
their intentional preparation for Easter, I pray that you would guide me as
your servant in all my interactions and endeavors. I recommit myself to
following your path and your will for my life. Thank you for this day, and this
season.
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