If even you…

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Dear Reader:  This post is formatted differently from past reflections , one I began on November 23, 2012 to facilitate a season of listening.  The explanation for the seasonal change is found here, in the November 23 post.

pause_buttonLectionary Readings:  AM Psalm 137:1-6(7-9), 144; PM Psalm 104
Zech. 14:12-21; Phil. 2:1-11; Luke 19:41-48

The Holy Spirit moved me quickly past the Psalter and Old Testament readings this morning where I too often get stuck.  Gratefully, I was paused most in the New Testament at the verses listed below.  I found Jeremy Camp’s track, God With Us, an especially nice accompaniment to the readings as Advent comes our way.

Luke 19: ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace…

Philippians 2: 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

Posted in Whispers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Panic, then pax

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Dear Reader:  This post is formatted differently from past reflections – a format I began on November 23, 2012 to facilitate a season of listening.  The explanation for the seasonal change is found here, in the November 23 post.

Lectionary Readings:  AM Psalm 140, 142; PM Psalm 141, 143:1-11(12)
Zech. 14:1-11; Rom. 15:7-13; Luke 19:28-40

pause_buttonPaused in the Psalter, again.  Tears from a very deep place take over. Panic.  Come Holy Spirit, Come.

Psalm 142: 4 Look on my right hand and see— there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.

5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, ‘You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.’
6 Give heed to my cry,
for I am brought very low.

Onward.  Pax.

Posted in Whispers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Power, Truth, Pretenders

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Dear Reader:  This post is formatted differently from past reflections – a format I began on November 23, 2012 to facilitate a season of listening.  The explanation for the seasonal change is found here, in the November 23 post.

Lectionary Readings:  AM Psalm 131, 132, [133]; PM Psalm 134, 135
Zech. 13:1-9; Eph. 1:15-23; Luke 19:11-27

Paused at these verses today – oh how I would if I could share what the Spirit has me thinking about by His Word this day.  Not yet.  Not the time.

I am sharing, however,  another audio track which I suppose reveals a small part of which bunny trail I was set upon this morning.  The Pretender  by Jackson Browne quite often comes to mind when the Scripture speaks about truth, love, beauty and the powers that work against – legal tender and lies.

Without saying one word more, here are the verses I’ll be praying on today:

Psalm 131: 2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

Psalm 132: 16 Its priests I will clothe with salvation,
and its faithful will shout for joy.

Luke 19: 12So he said, ‘A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return.

Ephesians 1: 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Posted in Whispers | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Discovery despite crowd

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Dear Reader:  This post is formatted differently from past reflections – a format I began on November 23, 2012 to facilitate a season of listening.  The explanation for the seasonal change is found here, in the November 23 post.

Lectionary Readings:  AM Psalm 119:145-176; PM Psalm 128, 129, 130
Zech. 12:1-10; Eph. 1:3-14; Luke 19:1-10

I was paused at both Old Testament readings, though not at particular verses, but rather at the aspect of God revealed in both – an aspect J.B. Phillips writes about in his book Your God is Too Small.  I will post those thoughts on a separate blog entry.

From the New Testament Readings, the Spirit paused me to ponder and pray, here, while listening to Stanton Lanier’s piece entitled, Discovery, which you, too, can play by pushing the red pause button to the left.

Ephesians 1:  13In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit

Luke 19:  3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not…4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycomore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.

Posted in Whispers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pause , check, rewind: Where the Holy Spirit dwells

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Dear Reader:  This post is formatted differently from past reflections – a format I began on November 23, 2012 to facilitate a season of listening.  The explanation for the seasonal change is found here, in the November 23 post.

Lectionary Readings:  AM Psalm [120], 121, 122, 123; PM Psalm 124, 125, 126, [127]
Zech. 11:4-17; 1 Cor. 3:10-23; Luke 18:31-43

The Holy Spirit paused me at these verses from the readings while listening to this from Amy Grant’s Christmas album, A Christmas to Remember.

Psalm 122: 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.’

Zechariah 11: 14Then I broke my second staff Unity, annulling the family ties between Judah and Israel.

Luke 18: 43Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God

and this from 1 Corinthians 3

 

 

Posted in Whispers | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

For You

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

This video of a sermon from a series on living WITH GOD was shared with me today from a follower of this blog.  I am sharing it with and for you because it captures about everything I’ve ever considered or written about during the season of disorientation that lead me into a deeper personal relationship with my God and His Word.  A season that directed me to reflecting upon His Word in community via a blog and with you.  By the Spirit I was led here and here the Spirit continues to speak.  Today, with the words and reflections of Nancy Ortberg, wife and ministry partner to Pastor John Ortberg of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.

All the threads of my journey which I’ve expressed over the past few years are woven throughout – the Psalter, Brueggemann’s ideas of orientation, disorientation, lament, praise, authentic living, faithfulness, falling upward, church, community, truth, God in the details, pauses, safe place for truth telling, the Holy Spirit, light in the darkness, worship, moving through the pain to a deeper relationship with Him, letting God, wholeness, holy, awe and anger, comfortable spirituality, sure foundation, life lived in the broad place which holds tensions, God’s time.

Because I am yet called to listening, I’m not going to add anything to what Nancy Ortberg proclaims and prays for us, here.  Her reflection blessed me.  I trust it will bless you, too.

http://www.mppc.org/series/wgod/nancy-ortberg/strange-way

Posted in Whispers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pausing and following

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Dear Reader:  This post, and all those that follow is formatted differently than past reflections.  The explanation for the seasonal change is here.

Lectionary Readings: AM Psalm 106:1-18; PM Psalm 106:19-48
Zech. 10:1-12; Gal. 6:1-10; Luke 18:15-30

Paused today at these verses.  Read while listening to Giovanni Allevi’s Follow You.

Psalm 106:  12 Then they believed his words;
they sang his praise.

Galatians 6:  6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.

Luke 18:  28 Then Peter said, ‘Look, we have left our homes and followed you.’

Posted in Whispers | Leave a comment

Season of listinening continues

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Dear Reader:  This post, and all those that follow under the headline, ‘Season of Listening Continues’ is formatted differently than past reflections.  The explanation for the seasonal change is here.

Lectionary Readings:  AM Psalm 107:33-43, 108:1-6(7-13); PM Psalm 33
Mal. 3:13-4:6; James 5:13-20; Luke 18:9-14

Holy Spirit pauses me at these verses from today’s readings.

Psalm 108:  1 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;*
I will sing and make melody.
Awake, my soul!*
2 Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.

Malachi 3: 5Now we count the arrogant happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape.’

Luke 18: 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt

Posted in Whispers | Leave a comment

Season of listening…My story, His Glory

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Lectionary Readings:  AM Psalm 102; PM Psalm 107:1-32
Mal. 3:1-12; James 5:7-12; Luke 18:1-8

Paused at these verses:

Psalm 102: 14 For your servants hold its stones dear,
and have pity on its dust.

Malachi 3: 5 Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

James 5: 12 Above all, my beloved,* do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘Yes’ be yes and your ‘No’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Luke 18: 4“Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.” ’

Posted in Whispers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A new season beckons and into hibernation I am called

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Trinity Seasons

Silly ‘ol bear – that’s me today – stuck, as it were, on a bunny trail.  This image came to mind as I began to post my reflections on the readings today.  Stuck, as a new season dawns and wondering if the whisper is to stay here, stuck – hibernating and going silent.

As we approach Advent, I am going to try a new thing on this blog – a new season of reflection.  Instead of sharing personal whispers and tableaus, I am going to post those verses from the lectionary readings that prompt me to pause, averting or even closing my eyes – those words that I sometimes choose to follow on a bunny trail until stopped by an aha moment breath wherein I hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.

I will begin the posts with the Daily Office (Lectionary) readings.  The link I provide here is to an online resource for the Episcopal Church, but the readings are read by anyone following a liturgical calendar.  The cycle’s purpose is to cover all the bases in Scripture in Sunday worship; the Psalter, Old Testament, Gospel and Epistles; over a three year period by which nearly all of the bible is read, presuming worship attendance every Sunday.  The intervening weekday readings as outlined in this link follow the liturgical calendar set out by the three year cycle, generally.

The photo to the left of my computer screen is what you will see when you link to the lectionary site and scroll to the middle of the page.

And here is a close up of what each of those listings looks like.  Those things marked in BOLD are what to look for to find the readings – the season, the week and the version:

  • Week of the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper
  • 28, Nov. 18 – 24): NRSV, RSV
  • Week of the Last Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 29, Nov. 25 – Dec. 1): NRSV, RSV
  • Week of the First Sunday of Advent (Dec. 2 – 8): NRSV, RSV

Note that two more weeks of the season of Pentecost until the church liturgical calendar moves to Advent.  Depending on what version of the Bible you read, simply click on NSRV (New Revised Standard Version) or RSV (Revised Standard Version) and you will be lead to a page with the readings day by day, which looks like this second image from my computer screen.

Ok.  I think that’s enough ‘how to.’  So to recap – for however long the Spirit intends, I will be posting the lectionary readings for the day, and those passages from the readings that for one reason or another cause me to pause, and though a written reflection may be suggested, I am going to do that privately for awhile.  I would be blessed by any of your reflections or comments.

A season of listening is what the Spirit has in mind for me right now and the wondering that often follows from lending my earnest heart and ear, is going into a hibernation of sorts.  I’ve always talked too much, anyway.

The next post will follow the format as I’ve laid out.

Blessings and thank-you for stopping by.

Posted in Whispers | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments