Hilltop and Wheatland celebrated 10 years of partnership this past Saturday. Nathan Hansen brought a brief message reminding us all that our friendship, our brother/sisterhood, comes to us through the work of God’s Spirit. (He also let loose with an amazing burn on yours truly.)

May this be the first of many celebrations of God’s work across cultures and congregations!

For the love of links is an incomplete compendium of goodies, gems, and gifts from the interwebs. Some are fun, some are edifying, but all are worth a few minutes of your time. Enjoy, argue, or take ‘em to heart!

Sometimes, the word accountability sounds icky. Here are some great thoughts on why men need friends more than accountability partners. — Why Christian Men Need Friendship, Not Just "Accountability"

Baptism is worth our consideration and our re-consideration. Most of us think it is important. But why? Enjoy this article from a young theologian working through the big deal that baptism is. — Baptism Is Not Optional

Enjoy this great post on reading the Bible slowly and thoughtfully. Murphy (a Friends U-Spir Formation alum) shows us that God speaks more clearly when we read more slowly. — I Thought I Knew

March 25 is the day when we celebrate the Annunciation, that moment when the angel appeared to Mary telling her she would bring the Messiah into the world. (See Luke 1:26-38) Here are some further thoughts - The Annunciation

Jason Micheli is one of my favorite preachers. In this older article, he makes it clear that taking Scripture seriously sometimes means reading it figurally (and figuratively.) — Means Reading It Figurally

Read everything Karen Swallow-Prior writes. You’ll be better for it. In this brief article, she reminds us that we “Church folk” need to remind ourselves what this Church thing is all about. — Are We Expecting Too Much Of Church

At Wheatland, we proclaim the Creed every week. Do you ever wonder about what some of the phrases mean? How about “descended to the dead (or hell)? Hear N.T. Wright and Mike Bird tackle this question, and several others — Ask N.T. Wright

One of our Lenten activities this season is ending our days with Compline, the last service of prayer for the day. See you in our FB Group at 8:30

I want everyone to be as big a fan of Bruce Cockburn as I am. Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and survivor (he’s 79 and still at it.) This is from his latest.

Ephrem asks God to take away four things: sloth, faintheartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. Then, he asks God to give four things: chastity, humility, patience, and love. Where the first four tore one down, the second four buildup, beginning with chastity.

Chastity is the positive counterpoint to sloth. Alexander Schmemman* says sloth "poisons the spiritual life at its very source."* It tears it down, breaking us into pieces. In contrast, chastity emphasizes wholeness. The Christian faith has always taught chastity, but for Ephrem, it is more than keeping sex within marriage.

Chastity is a commitment to wholeness. It results in a greater integration of thoughts and actions, mind and body, and soul and spirit. Christ restores wholeness so that we might flourish. Instead of asking God to take temptation from him, Ephrem asked God for the positive capability to survive it. In essence, we ask God, "Help me keep my promises to you, my spouse, my family, my community. Help me live an undivided life."

This brings us to Ephrem's second request: humility. Schmemann calls humility the "victory of truth in us."* Humility is knowing that we are neither perfect nor appalling. We may be sinful, but we are loved. We may be wounded, but we are being healed. With humility, we see ourselves as we really are, God’s beloved.

Pride makes us speak too highly of ourselves and think too little of ourselves. Humility isn’t humiliation but clarity. Stanley Hauerwas says,

We constantly try to start from somewhere other than where we are. Truthful living involves being at home with ourselves, not complacently, but patiently, recognizing that what we are today, at this moment, is sufficiently loved and valued.

The temptation to think we are more than we are is the obverse of thinking we are less than we are. In humility, we can see God’s love for us. We can accept that we have dignity and worth rooted in God’s creation and redemption.

Chastity and humility aren’t popular subjects among modern influencers, but without them, we are in trouble. Without chastity, our inner lives become so disorganized that chaos consumes us. Without humility, we cannot recognize how much we need God and how much God loves us. We cannot see things as they really are.

We’ll explore Ephrem’s last two requests next week—patience and love.

*Alexander Schmemann has written about the prayer of St. Ephrem in his book The Great Lent.

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. - Luke 15:20, KJV

Kelly Chewning does an excellent job of helping us tune our eyes so that we can see the “True Prodigal.” She helps us respond to God's invitation to see ourselves as the returning son, the elder son, or even the father. Well done!

The images below are from the beginning of her sermon.

I guess that no one reading this is particularly “power-hungry.” None of us aspire to despotism. Most of us are unhappy when we see people use what power they have for personal ends. We don’t want to harm anyone, violate anyone’s rights, or exert our authority on another.

But St. Ephrem the Syrian seems to detect something inside of us. We struggle with power. We don’t know how to wield it when we have it, and we can’t keep from wanting it when we don’t. Perhaps we should echo his words and confess we can’t keep from lusting for it.

When we are afraid, we don't love well. When we are afraid, we are likely to grab whatever weapon is close at hand and wield it on friend or foe. At moments like this, the “lust of power” is understandable. It is not a legitimate aspiration to serve or to lead but a corruption of our normal desire to master our circumstances. This "lust of power" is on display when we grab whatever is at our disposal to make ourselves feel safe — even if it is harmful to others.

This often results in us using speech to make ourselves feel more than we are. "Idle talk" includes the practices of speech that enable us to control— to elevate ourselves at the expense of others. It is the use of language to make ourselves feel better about bad situations, inducing empathy in others or inciting fear. Manipulative at its core. It is dishonest speech.

Stanley Hauerwas frequently points out that to live as Christians is to live “out of control.” Among other things, following Jesus means forgoing control and coercion to make ourselves feel safe. We all have power at some point in some relationship. But wielding it well requires that we let it go and only take it up with humility. Following Jesus’ example, we remember that love lets go of power.

O, Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give, rather, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to your servant.
Yes, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother or sister.

For Thou art blessed from ages to ages. Amen.

Rembrandt’s “Return of the Prodigal Son” invites us into the story of the young son who ran away from home and his older brother who had trouble welcoming him home. Where do you find yourself in this story? Are you the “rebel” younger son, the “good” older son, or the welcoming father?

Jesus hides himself in the parables so that we might be surprised by his presence. And be surprised by the fact that we are in the story as well.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke share many of the same events, stories, and specific sayings of Jesus, yet they put their own spin on them. Here are three examples. Mark’s version reveals an important difference, suggesting that the purpose of the parables is to conceal, in order to reveal.

… for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. - Matthew 10:26 NRSV

For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. - Luke 8:17 NRSV

For there is not anything hidden except in order to be revealed, nor is anything secret except in order to be disclosed. – Mark 4:22, transl. by R. Hays

Notice the shoes.

For the Love of Links is our (almost) weekly digest of interests from the interwebs. Sometimes interesting, sometimes entertaining, and occasionally irritating! Enjoy!

It sounds violent. These are not the words I would use. However, the phrase “fell on his neck,” occurs multiple times in the Old and New Testaments, and each time, it is heart-warming and hope-inspiring. From Brad Jersak — Fell On His Neck

It is the season for schmaltzy tenors and green beer! St. Patrick’s day is Monday. In honor of one of the greatest missionaries in Christian history, consider reading How the Irish Saved Civilization. A great history of the faith in Ireland and Patrick’s special place. If not that, at least read his Wikipedia page. And for sure, enjoy the VeggieTales version. It’s better than you think.

Have you heard the phrase “Experience Economy?” Instead of filling our homes with things we fill our lives with experiences. Seems like a good plan but it is not without it’s drawbacks. — The Experience Economy is booming and so is regret

A Roman Catholic staple during Holy Week, the Stations of the Cross are a moving and powerful experience of prayer and devotion. This artist has created new images to accompany the experience — James B. Jangket’s Stations

Some surprising Lenten music from Sufjan!

Check out Wheatland’s “official” Lenten playlist. I’ve really enjoyed it. Thanks, Joanna!

A friend, Lore Wilbert, has a great article on Social Media. It’s a great thing to consider as we journey through this season of self-denial. Here’s to reducing sensory overload! (overlord?) — The One Thing That Changed My Social Media Usage

Jonathan Pageau is an extra-ordinary icon carver and artist. He’s also become an extremely popular podcaster and amateur theologian. This is a thoughtful, respectful, and thorough-going critique.

Chris Green is a great voice in today’s church. I encourage you to listen/read him as much as you can. This is a little longer than our normal fare, but it’s a great discussion of the heart of Paul the Apostle’s theology and life. Worth your time! - rethinking the center of Pauline theology

I must confess I did not enter Lent very well this year. I wasn’t prepared. Perhaps I could blame it on distraction, being too busy, or a number of things. No one is judging me, and no one has made me feel bad about how I have lurched into Lent. But I’ve noticed it’s been a choppy start.

All is not lost! This season is six weeks long. There’s still time to thoughtfully and purposefully engage in practices or a fast.

My awkward start looks like what St. Ephrem has all of us pray in those first words of his prayer,

Take from me the spirit of sloth, faintheartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.

“Sloth” sounds like laziness. However, Ephrem uses this term a little differently. It’s not merely laziness but a kind of spiritual depression, a state of the soul that many of us have endured, where we just don’t care about anything. This spiritual apathy saps our energy for the good. It also keeps us from starting.

Acedia is another word used to describe Ephrem’s sloth. It is the quality of being inert or listless. It has been described as the “noonday demon” that monks fought to complete their midday practice of prayer. In her book Acedia and Me, Kathleen Norris rightly identifies acedia as something that immunizes us from feeling. Disengaged from our emotions, we quickly disengage from the work of the Spirit.

Sloth is the first of a series of conditions we must resist. It is at the root of all that follows: faintheartedness, lust for power, and idle talk. We do well following Ephrem’s lead and asking God to remove these from us.

Remember, God’s grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. (Thanks to St. Dallas Willard.) It is OK, and a good and right thing, to put our shoulders into it, to exert ourselves for the sake of our spiritual growth. Get up. And however weak or fumbling it may be, begin.

Remember, our growth is not all on us. We show up, and God does the heavy lifting of transforming us from the inside out. Keeping our focus on the person of Jesus, who “initiates and perfects” our faith.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. - Hebrews 12:1-2

OH NO! Due to some operator error, the audio for this sermon shut off right when Paul said, “You may be seated.” However, you can listen to the sermon on Facebook at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16179DzExm/

One proposal from the sermon is to use the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) as a lens through which we read the rest of Scripture and even our very lives. This is a suggestion that Brad Jersak makes in his book A More Christ-like Word. Here are his thoughts on this subject. (Feel free to share your thoughts on this in the comments!)

Imagine that the whole Bible is simply an incredibly long version of the parable of the prodigals. And conversely, imagine that the parable is Jesus’s ingeniously brief summary of the whole Bible, distilled into short-story format. We can do this because both offer us the same gospel narrative . . . one in an expansive library and the other in a tight paragraph.

That means any passage where you see rebellion, disobedience, or lostness—any story where you see the trials of Israel’s wandering, exile, slavery, or destruction—can be slotted into the younger son’s descent into the pigpen. And all of those Jewish tales of jdugment, condmentation, legalism, or “bad laws” might be assigned somewhere within the older brother’s part of the tale. The former exposes humanity’s addiction to rebellion, the latter to humanity’s demand for retribution. These are two sides of the same coin: alienation, where both boys “slaved away in the fields.”

But don’t stop there. Continue to every biblical passage where we see repentance, grace, flourishing, and celebration. All of these find their spot in the gospel of the son’s return, the father’s welcome, and the homecoming banquet in the kingdom of God. You might ask, as I did, where Jesus’s incarnation, passion, and resurrection fit into the story.

As with the Scriptures, so in the parable: look for him everywhere! Christ is that moment of clarity when the son asks himself, “What am I doing out here in this pigpen?” Christ is the impulse to return, and he is the road home. Christ is the Father’s embrace. Christ is the open door into the Father’s house. Christ is the ring, the robe, and the banquet table. And, surely, if Christ can be the Lamb of Passover, he can also be the delicious fatted Calf offered at the great feast of God. Christ is even there in the Father’s plea to the elder son: “Please, son: come inside! Join the party!”

If we were compelled to structure all of our Scripture reading into that brief narrative, we could see how the whole Bible leads us to Christ. We could see how every brick in the Bible finds its important space in the gospel road. Even the ugly bits. Further, we might see why Jesus says he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them, so that “every jot and tittle” reveals an important waypoint in our own experience as sons and daughters on our way home.

For the Love of Links is a collection of internet goodness. (there is some goodness out there in the wilds of the www) Shared with the hope of spreading a bit of encouragement, insight, and humor. Enjoy!

Tish Harrison Warren's “Do's and Dont's of Lent.” It's from 2013 but still applicable today. I visit this every year as a reminder of my own Lenten Do's and Dont's.

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She did it again! Our very own, Joanna Sabally, made an incredible Advent playlist back in December, and has now made one for Lent. Check out the playlist, Songs of Repent, Longing, and Hope.

A great resource for the Examen prayer. This beautiful website guides us through different ways of recognizing God's presence in our life and the world, and could be a great thing to take up during Lent! - The Ignatian Examen

One of my favorite lenten poems read by a stranger with a great accent. Mary Oliver's In Blackwater Woods. (lyrics)

Here's something random! A creative and hilarious short story. A different way of viewing things. This is an excerpt from the Broadway show, All In: The Big Nap, performed for This American Life podcast. It's been on my mind for a few weeks. Give it a listen!

It is Wheatland’s custom to pray The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem during our worship services. The version we use is below. And, here are some reflections on the prayer from previous year’s substacks: What St. Ephrem Knew, Part 2, and Part 3.

Thanks for reading The Wheatland Mission ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.