I love some of the hymns that I grew up singing, like Take Time to Be Holy, vs two is " Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be, thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see" ( UMH 395). As I begin the Lenten journey, taking the time to be holy means taking time to repent, to reflect and to serve.
I need to repent of those habits and attitudes that keep me from being like Jesus in thought and deed. I am not proud of those times I have acted out of selfishness, or fear, I am not happy when I do the exact opposite of what I set out to do, now is the time to be honest with myself so I can be honest in my confession.
Reflect, or connect with God is important because the world rushes on. I am often caught up in the business of the work of the church, I forget about the connection I have with God. Our church is following the Cup of our Life book by Joyce Rupp and she says, " Some days I go zooming along checking off all the 'stuff' I have on my 'to do list' and I totally forget that I am the home of God".(p.28, The Cup of our Life, Ave Maria Press, 1997) Lastly, serve, to put into practice what I discern from my prayers. Often it is the hardest step, but Jesus left the desert and served the needs of his community, so shall I with God's help.
2 comments:
Steve I saw your post today and it reminded me of a poem I wrote. We do need to slow down and from time to time and just enjoy the blessing that God has given us. God Bless you and your family.
RUNNING
Seems we are always rushing from one place to the next
Marking things off the long list that we check
Are we running toward something or are we running away
Not taking a break, never stopping to play
Do we even know where we’re going to?
Running past everything so fast, we miss the view
Too busy to see all the beauty we passed
Time mostly wasted, looking back on our past
Slow down for a moment; take a good look to see
Tomorrow is not promised for you or for me
Today is a gift in this moment in time
Don’t take it for granted, for tomorrow we could die
It just takes a moment to stop and look around
Take time to feel your feet on the ground
Watch a sun rise or set over the sea
Slow down for a moment, relax and just be
3/1/10
Steve, thank you for your post! The journey through Lent is a critical leg of our annual pilgrimage through the liturgical calendar. On Ash Wednesday I heard the preacher remind his parishioners to take time for reflection, prayer, and service as disciplines that will help us become more like Jesus. I thank God that I'm not alone in making this journey. The journey of faith, although very personal and individual, is also best undertaken with companions along the way!
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