Fourth Sunday of Lent: Never Invisible to God

By Deneen Ray

This is the fourth in a series of posts for Lent. Click on “Lent” in the tag cloud on the right to see other posts in the same series. Be sure to subscribe to the blog to get updated posts delivered straight to your inbox or feed reader.

Anointing of David, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55312 [retrieved March 3, 2017]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_psaulter_gr139_fol3v.jpg.

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Have you ever been in a meeting or class and asked yourself, “Do I really know these people?” Or, better yet, have you been a part of a task force or school government/club and wondered, “Am I invisible? Do they see me, do they know me, or does my presence even matter to this group? And what, if anything, do I have to give back?”

At some point, we all go through life on automatic pilot. Yes, there was a time when someone got you up in the morning, reminded you of your bathroom needs, reminded you to study, get home on time, dress warm, etc. But as you move into adulthood, there is not much reminding. We just do things, visible to ourselves but perhaps feeling invisible in the greater scope of the world around us.

For me, I never truly fit in anywhere. I was not a part of the “it crowd;” every fashion don’t, I probably did; I wasn’t the loudest, nor was I a loner. I was the one who, when given a task, completed it in a timely manner. I was Ms. Dependable. I was the one you never give much thought to, because I always pulled through.

But to God…

God the Creator has meticulously created each of us with a specific purpose and gift for God’s Kingdom-building. This was from day one! Or, more accurately, Scripture says “before you were in your mother’s womb, I knew you,” (Jeremiah 1:5). So, “day one” for real…like, an “in-the-beginning” day one.

My point is that in 1 Samuel 16:1-13, David was out in the field on automatic pilot, doing what he normally did every day; meanwhile, God was activating part of his plan on David’s behalf. There are multiple messages in the text: to Samuel, to David, to the people of Israel, and to you and me.

I can relate to the heartbreak Samuel felt, after Samuel invested long hours with Saul and Saul still couldn’t, wouldn’t, and didn’t get his act together. Saul was feeling himself too much and forgot who was really in charge. Sometimes we have to move into the new season God has set up in obedience, expectation, and excitement.

The strongest, smartest, or richest person may not always be the one chosen for leadership. One who is obedient, faithful, a protector, hardworking, and who doesn’t mind being alone—this may be the kind of person God is looking for.

I am sure the criteria used in appointing Saul king were the same criteria that Samuel was using as he looked upon David’s brothers. But Saul was the king the people wanted; David is the king God wanted. I am sure the job description had changed based on the One now directing the process.

So, why is this important today, for you and me? It’s just a simple reminder that those of us who think we are invisible need to heed this reminder: You are very visible to a wise, meticulous planner who knows just when to step in and activate your purpose and gifts. Are you ready? Have you been studying your pre-purpose exercises? Are you open to the creative and innovative ways God is going to use you? Live life in full expectancy: God will reveals the plan when God is ready, so be prepared and be open. What things look like to us are not the same as what they look like to God. Trust the process, and don’t become impatient in the wait.

Turn that sleep mode off, wake up, and do you, girl! And if anyone has anything to say, you hit them with a “But, God…,” and drop the mic.

 

Deneen Ray is national coordinator of AB GIRLS for American Baptist Women’s Ministries.

Third Sunday of Lent: Sacrifice and Turmoil

By Emilie Rodriguez

This is the third in a series of posts for Lent. Click on “Lent” in the tag cloud on the right to see other posts in the same series. Be sure to subscribe to the blog to get updated posts delivered straight to your inbox or feed reader.

Chagall, Marc, 1887-1985. Moses Striking the Rock and Bringing Forth the Water, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54659 [retrieved March 3, 2017]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abeppu/3815912913/.

Exodus 17: 1-7

Lent is meant to be a time of reflection and sacrifice, to reaffirm your faith while you put your life into perspective. It can be a difficult time because, more often than not, sacrifice creates inner turmoil, even if it’s as simple as giving up chocolate for the time being.

The Israelites were in a state of exile, giving up their not-exactly-comfortable yet familiar lives for a promise of a new land. Much like during Lent–although, I’ll admit, to another extreme–they had to sacrifice what they knew and trusted in, and trust in God that something better would come. But, like the rest of us, they were only human and eventually grew tired of making sacrifices. Moses saw this, as he also grew tired, yelling at God. But God did not get mad in return; instead, God answered their cries.

What we take from this story is that sacrifice never comes easily. And Lent is not to be something taken lightly, not a whim to see if you can be vegan for a month but rather, a time to make a commitment to yourself and to God. It’s not a time to test God like the Israelites did, but it’s a time to test yourself.

Our country is in a state of chaos. No matter what you believe in, no one can call this peaceful times. Much like the Israelites, it’s easy to lose hope, especially when the leader of our country says such hateful and misogynistic things about women and girls. With Lent comes a chance to strengthen ourselves both spiritually and mentally, sharpening our faith and putting on our spiritual armor to fight the prejudice that will come in the following years. It will be hard and, like the Israelites experienced, there will be dark times where we want to give up and yell our frustrations, and hope that God does something about it. But it’s in those moments that we must never forget that we are God’s greatest tool, and that God will provide for us the water that will save us just as God provided it to the lost souls crossing the desert all those years ago.

We are women, we are girls. We are God’s warriors. It’s time to raise our voices and be heard.

Emilie Rodriguez, a former member of the national leadership team of AB GIRLS, is now a student at University of California, Davis, California.

Second Sunday of Lent–Overcoming Fear

By Merletta Roberts

This is the second in a series of posts for Lent. Click on “Lent” in the tag cloud on the right to see other posts in the same series. Be sure to subscribe to the blog to get updated posts delivered straight to your inbox or feed reader.

Mountains at the confluence of the Irawaddy, Myanmar, Dec 2014. (c) Sandra Hasenauer 2014, used by permission

This psalm begins, “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where shall my help come? My strength comes from God, who made heaven and earth.” As I read these words, I travel back to my childhood years in Indiana and a very limited experience of mountains.

A family vacation to the Smoky Mountains was my first encounter. I was terrified as my exuberant Dad drove the curves around those giant “hills” at the same speed he was used to traveling on relatively flat, straight roads back in Indiana. I learned that mountains were real obstacles that had to be overcome and I had no interest in learning more about them.

When I met my future husband while in graduate school in California, I often pointed to what looked like a mountain to me, only to hear him say, “Oh, you mean that hill.” He had grown up in the west and northwest and, therefore, was accustomed to “real” mountains. That provided the beginning of a new experience for me.

Marrying and moving to the northwest, I experienced several trips over the Cascade Mountain Range and began to be less fearful during such travels. Then came the big test: My husband Dave and I took a trip to Montana and spent time in Glacier National Park. One day the plan was that I would meet him at the top of the “Going to the Sun Road” after a day in which he hiked up the mountain and I explored in the camping area.

Not knowing what I was about to get myself into, I started up the “Going to the Sun Road,” appropriately named for sure. This is at least a two-hour drive, a 50-mile climb to Logan Pass, which is 6,646 feet. My childhood fears returned as I drove up this steep, narrow, winding road, often in the outside lane with the ability to see down, down, down the mountain side. I talked to myself the entire trip, saying, “Merletta, you can do this, you can do this, you can do this.”

I did arrive at the top at the agreed-upon time only to find out that the trail Dave was going to use to meet me was closed due to a bear sighting. After waiting for some time, I finally gave up and started for the parking lot to get the car. It was then that Dave arrived, having hitched a ride with someone else going up the mountain. Great! He could drive back down. However, this experience taught me that I could overcome the paralyzing fear I had of mountains.

We often have situations in life that bring about paralyzing fear, such as illness, job loss, financial instability, or grief. However, these experiences can be a testing ground where we can experience God and learn what it’s like to trust God.

Merletta Roberts is president of the American Baptist Women of the Pacific Northwest Region.

Why I Marched

By Virginia Holmstrom

Virginia Holmstrom at Women’s March

I first heard about the proposed Women’s March on Washington soon after the U.S. presidential election in November 2016. I admit . . . my first reaction was to forego getting involved. The people had voted. Let’s get on with life in an America that had, in my opinion, taken some giant steps backward. Everything will self-correct in the next election cycle, I assured myself.

My phone rang that very evening; one of my daughters shared her excitement about the planned Women’s March on Washington. “You’re going, aren’t you? Do you want to come with me and my friends?” I declined. A thunderstorm-sized cloud of guilt gathered over my head and pursued me into the night and the following days. “How can I lead a ministry organization that affirms God’s purposes for women and men alike and not march?” I sulked in weakness. Two weeks later, a friend invited me come along with a busload of women and men to D.C. for the March. I said yes. The relief was instantaneous, completely releasing me from my miserable self-doubt.

The “busload” filled two buses. The two busloads became a link in a long chain of buses heading down Interstate 95 toward Washington D.C. on the morning of January 21. I’ve never seen so many buses headed in the same direction. I multiplied the numbers of buses coming from exponential directions.

It’s a miracle we arrived on the Washington D.C. Mall before the day’s end, the roads were so flooded with traffic and people. I stuck like glue to five women from my busload and we slowly and methodically wormed our way about 25 feet into the edge of the crowd. We were still blocks away from the stage from which speakers’ voices were amplified and their images made visible on large screens that ran the length of the mall. I stood on tip-toes to catch an infrequent glimpse of the nearest screen, hidden by the crowds in front of me.

With one ear catching the wind-driven voices coming from the amplified speeches, I turned my attention to the people—primarily women—that were now my nearest neighbors for the next three hours. Surrounding me were women (and men) of all generations, some wearing pink knitted hats, some wearing hijab head scarves, most wearing something over their heads to stay warm. I read the hand-held homemade signs and posters that bounced above the heads in the crowd. The signs reflected no single issue, but a wide range of concerns held by women: affordable health care, gender equality, reproductive health and choices, religious freedom, equal pay, gay rights, representation in Government . . . . The issues were as plentiful as the faces in the crowd.

So, what were my issues? Why did I choose to march? I stood in support of the hard-earned advances that women have made in recent years, thanks to a growing coalition of women’s voices worldwide. I marched to quell my uneasiness that those slowly-won advances could disappear in the wake of election promises that had mocked and denigrated segments of our nation’s citizens, including women. I marched to protest the over-night removal of information from the White House website: information that had been helpful resources for persons with disabilities, for immigrants pursuing the American Dream just as my great-grandparents had done, and for gay and transgender persons. I marched toward a vision of the inclusion of all voices– respected and valued for their perspectives and giftedness and wisdom — that truly make America great. I marched on January 21.

​​
Virginia Holmstrom is executive director of American Baptist Women’s Ministries.

This post is appearing on March 8, International Women’s Day. For more information about International Women’s Day, visit http://un.org/en/events/womensday. For more information about continued advocacy through the Women’s March, visit http://www.womensmarch.com.

 

First Sunday of Lent: What Will Be the Cost-Benefit Ratio of Your Lenten Sacrifice?

By Rev. Dr. Frances Bryant-Lowery

This is the first in a series of Lenten posts. Be sure you’re subscribed to the blog to receive all the posts as they’re scheduled.

Long, John St. John. The Temptation in the Wilderness, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54299 [retrieved March 3, 2017].

1 John 2:16  (Amp)

It feels like we’re suddenly in the season of Lent! I say “suddenly” because it seems as if time has truly begun to “fly!” It seems like just a few days ago that we were exchanging gifts and enjoying family gatherings and the traditional food-fare of that festive season during which we celebrate the birth of the Christ-Child. Yet, now we find ourselves in the Season of Lent!

As you probably already know, Lent this year began Wednesday, March 1st, and ends Thursday, April 13th, on Maundy Thursday. It is a forty-six (46) day period beginning Ash Wednesday; a season set aside for reflecting and preparing one’s self before the joyous Easter celebration. This period of self-reflection and personal preparation began in the 4th century. It is actually a 40-day period (Sundays are excluded because they are considered to be mini-Easter celebrations of the Resurrection) for Christians, replicating the 40 days Jesus withdrew and spent fasting in the wilderness, where he was tempted by our arch-enemy, Satan. It was in the wilderness that the Son of God prepared for his call to serve; his call to a sacrificial ministry.

As followers of Christ, sinners saved by grace, we are invited by Christian tradition “to a time of repentance, fasting and preparation,” according to the United Methodist Church article, “What is Lent and Why Does it Last 40 Days?” During this time of reflection and self-examination, many of us choose something to fast or give up–a personal sacrifice, if you will, until Easter or Resurrection Sunday.

In Luke 4:1-13, we find the scriptural account of the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, which followed his baptism by his cousin John the Baptizer. Jesus fasted for 40 days and when he encountered the enemy Satan, he was hungry. The Enemy, wanting to have control over Christ, tried to tempt him in three different areas. In 1 John 2:16 (Amplified Bible), the writer describes the three areas, which actually comprise our human make-up, as “…the lust of the flesh (craving for sensual gratification) and the lust of the eyes (greedy longings of the mind) and the pride of life (assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things) – these do not come from the Father but are from the world (itself).”

Jesus rejected the tempter’s attempts to entice him with what already belonged to Christ by virtue of his relationship to God! Jesus’ response to God’s call to service led to a costly sacrifice.

What will you do to observe the season of Lent this year? What sacrifice will you make? What will you give up? What will you “pass” on?  Many of us have chosen a fast “from” things we felt (or were convicted of) that we indulged in: sugar, chocolate, caffeine, desserts, television, or other pleasurable behaviors. My friend Edith loved imported gourmet dark chocolates. She refrained from this sweet indulgence. She “passed” on them during Lent. But how many of us have ever considered a fast “to”…? How about you?  What about a fast “to” spend time with or to look for a way to be a blessing to the least, the lost, the lonely, the sick, the afflicted? Jesus fasted and made a personal sacrifice to prepare himself for ministry, for his special calling, for his personal sacrifice of comfort and ease in order to make a difference in the lives of others…to do for humanity that which we could not do for ourselves. The cost was enormous, but the benefits for followers of Christ are out of this world!

Suggested resources for Lent:

• Journey with Jesus through Lent, by Glenn E. Porter, Sr. (Judson Press)
• On the Cross Road: Journey through Lent, by Joan Trusty Moore (Judson Press)
• Tempted to Leave the Cross: Renewing the Call to Discipleship, by Rev. Ernest Flores, with Lenten Study Guide (Judson Press)–also in Spanish: Tentado a dejar la cruz: Renovando el llamado al discipulado
• From Sacrifice to Celebration: A Lenten Journey, by Evan Drake Howard (Judson Press)
• Daily Prayers and Reflections: www.My Catholic-life
• Lenten Bible Study, A Brief Women’s Bible Study for Lent: www.walkingwithpurpose.com
• Bible Study for Lent 2017–Spirit-filled Life, Crucified Life, Resurrected Life Church-wide Campaign

Rev. Dr. Frances Bryant Lowery serves as national coordinator of Mission with Women and Girls, American Baptist Women’s Ministries.