Good morning friends,

Thank-you all for your prayers. I'm mostly better. Unfortunately, my rector's wife has fallen ill. Never a dull moment in Weaverville. I'm recycling today because I am substitute teaching for my rector's wife and so I'm recycling again. My apologies. Lord willing and the creek don't rise; tomorrow should be a little more normalize. 

Blessings,

Fr. Ian

Good morning friends, 

I'm still feeling pretty under the weather as can be attested to by the fact that I read yesterday's lesson today. My apologies. Thank-you so much for all your prayers. I'm on the right track to be feeling better soon. I will start my meditations back up once I'm closer to 100%. 

Have a most bless'd Holy Week, 

Fr. Ian

 

Good morning all, I have been hit with the "spring crud," so I won't say much. Please say a prayer for my quick recovery. In lieu of a meditation for today, this is a reflection I wrote earlier this week for my blog. (https://reverendbeard.com/2017/04/03/passiontide/) Be well and stay healthy. 

IED+

O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave where is thy victory? 

Lent is winding down, next week we will travel through Holy Week, the solemn remembrance of that holiest time when Christ not only instituted Holy Communion but when he shed his blood for our sins and when he was raised from the dead that we might be given life in Him and share in His resurrection. 

Death comes too often, stealing away those we love. The hope of the resurrection tempers. Death's string for Christian brothers and sisters. The joy of knowing that our dear friends are going to be with our Lord and one day we too will join them. 

The events of Holy Week undid the sting of death and the seemingly unending victory of the grave. We can rest and rejoice in the hope of one day joining with all faithful believers in our resurrection and walking with God for eternity. 

IED+

(https://www.facebook.com/reverendbeard/)

The life of the Israelites has always been fascinating to me, specifically how closely their choices: the good, the bad, and the ugly often reflect my sometimes rocky faith. It's easy to turn our noses up at them and think "how could they have such little faith! But think about the last time you were tempted and fell, how easily that happened. 

Today we are reminded how much God asked of them. Instead of just saying no, or even letting the Israelites go the Pharaoh lays upon them an even heavier burden. How hard must it have been to experience that? How hard it must have been to say, let us remember that we have a God that cares for us. 

How often to do we trudge through the night and wonder when daylight will come? How often do we wonder if our God is going to come through for us? He is a faithful God, and he did as he promised for the Israelites, time and again and he does as he promises for us. 

Let us not grow weary in the race that we are running, and let us remember that great promise that we are reminded of this time of the year. In less than two weeks we will gather together to proclaim the resurrection of Christ joyfully. Let us not forget this promise. 

Some general house keeping: I created a Facebook page, primarily for my personal blog, but also for this. If you are interested here is the address: https://www.facebook.com/reverendbeard/ I will be posting these on they as they become available. I'm going to start to schedule these to post at 12 noon EST on the day before. I believe this will capture even our overseas listeners. If this is too late for you, please let me know. ([email protected]). Be well my friends and a bless'd Passiontide to you. IED+

As I am writing this, I am looking out across the street from my office at the first budding tree of spring. Little bright green leaves are popping reminding me of the promise of the resurrection that will comes in the end and the resurrection of Christ which we will celebrate in a few short weeks. 

As I was praying through the morning office the words of the Venite, exultemus Domino caught me "let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation." Not even death can overrule our salvation. That is a very hopeful thing.

The past few days I have felt a nagging reminder to trust God for his wise provision for me. When we follow God, it is his strength that helps us to endure the race which we are running, it his wisdom that guides us. So fear not on the journey, but rejoice in the strength of our salvation, seek his face, and all things will come into place. 

We have entered into Passiontide, the week before Holy Week. This morning we are reminded of the importances of the resurrection of Christ. 

It has always amused me how focused on the things of earth the Apostles were before Christ's resurrection. I believe they were certain that Christ was going to go riding into Jerusalem and some drive out the Romans and re-establish a Jewish kingdom. That didn't happen. Instead by the end of the week, Christ was hanging on a cross between two thieves. It is understandable how distraught they must have been. Three days later, they came to know Christ for who he was. Our faith is nothing without Christ's resurrection. Instead, we hope the resurrection it and trust in the last day that we will share in it. 

Happy Friday friends, 

Throughout the season of Lent, we have been reciting the entirety of Psalm 95, aka the Venite, exultemus, on Fridays. We typically say a portion of this psalm during Morning Prayer. There is a verse that is left out in the shortened version that always strikes me, perhaps because of it a reminder that I need to hear. 

It reads "To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts * as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness." How often to we make excuses not to do what it is God has called us to do? To trust in Him for our provision, to follow him wherever we may be called, to flee from the temptations that often hit us. So we are reminded time and time again, don't harden your hearts! Rather let God soften them, mold them, to grow in the gifts of the spirit.

Today and ever day, flee temptation, pray for a soft and compassionate heart, and seek to do the will of God.

Have a blessed, and joy-filled weekend my friends.

In Christ,

Fr. Ian

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(https://reverendbeard.com/)  

I fiddle with a new recording device. Does it sound better? Worse? Shoot me an email if it was terrible, or notably better. Also - Did people like the little meditations I was doing? ([email protected])