Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

This is a special musical presentation of a number of songs from the Flutes of Faith at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. 

This is a special musical presentation of Mercy by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Mercy by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

There is a focus in present culture on what some call mindfulness.  Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are, aware of what we are doing, and not be overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.  I think mindfulness requires an element of intentionality in which one is directly focused toward some object or situation.  As we begin this Lenten season, we are invited to be mindful of where Jesus is leading us and embrace an intentional way of living and being in this world.

If given a choice, most of us are not going to be intentional about choosing a path in life that is filled with difficulty.  However, I must say that spiritual depth and growth happen as we mindfully respond to the trials, troubles, temptations, testing and fear that arise in life.  For many of us, it is in those times of challenge that we truly learn dependence on God.  In such times we find that God graciously provides for all our needs in all of life’s seasons.

As we begin our forty-day Lenten journey, we intentionally take time for reflection and repentance.  We do this as we follow the example of Jesus.  And, as we meet up with Jesus today, we find he was “led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”  Note that the Spirit does not just drop Jesus off in the wilderness to fend for himself; the Spirit continues to abide with him and enable him to grow stronger through this season. 

As the devil tempts Jesus, I can imagine Jesus is in a state, both mentally and physically, of utter desperation. He hasn’t eaten for weeks. He is likely hallucinating. He is probably thirsty and tired, and feeling empty and powerless. He likely feels as though he is about to die; vulnerable and alone, gaunt and weak. He’s probably even scared.  But, he responds to these temptations with a sense of intentional mindfulness, rooted in the foundation of scripture and faith.  First, Jesus is tempted with food, and Jesus says, “one does not live by bread alone.” Then, Jesus is tempted with power over all the kingdoms of the world.  And Jesus answers, essentially saying, “I worship God, not power.” And finally, the devil tempts him to prove who he is by throwing himself down, and Jesus refuses saying that we should not be in the business of trying to test God, or make God prove anything to us.   Jesus passes every test by interpreting scripture, not by the Letter of the Law but by the Law of Love.

Now, you and I are not Jesus.  We are far more vulnerable to being tempted by evil when we are weak and tired and hungry and alone and, maybe most of all fearful.  And, fear creates much anxiety.  Our culture is ridden with fear and anxiety and stress.  Studies show that when people are under stressful conditions: like the anxiety of losing wealth or status, like illness, like worry over the decline of the middle class, like poverty, like fear of terrorism or war – people are less likely to love the stranger. In other words, when you and I are in the wilderness of perceived powerlessness – we adopt xenophobic tendencies to fear those different than us.  We adopt tendencies to scapegoat, to blame, to become more tribalistic, and surround ourselves with people we perceive to share the same values and the same characteristics.   So, it should come as no surprise that we are most apt to be tempted by power when we are feeling powerless. We are tempted to believe we can control terrorism and violence through religious persecution. We are tempted to believe that our comfort level and safety is more secure if we move to a geographical place where there is little racial, ethnic and economic diversity. We are tempted to believe that we can control an insecure economy by hoarding our own wealth, and by excluding and demonizing various groups of people like immigrants, welfare recipients, or any considered “other.” 

The fact of the matter is we are less likely to welcome the stranger when we are afraid.  We are most vulnerable to being tempted by evil when we see the world in terms of scarcity rather than abundance; when we see people in the world as objects to be feared and despised rather than as God’s own beloved. And so, we exploit the worst stereotypes we can think of about each other, so that we can no longer see one another; so that we can no longer see God in one another.  And yet, Jesus reminds us: “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Which, as we know, means simply this: love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. 

I like to follow blogger, Glennon Doyle Melton.  A while back she wrote a blog post called “How to use your fear to make something beautiful.” I just love that title.  You see, we all face fear, whether we want to admit it or not.  But, our job is to abide and live by the law of Love anyway, and transform fear into beauty.  I think that is one of the reasons why we come to church: so that we can use our fear to make something beautiful together.  I think that is also what we as a Faith community have done through our refugee project.  That’s how we use our fear to make something beautiful.

We also use our fear to make something beautiful when we apply God’s grace to our very selves.  You see, if we are not starting our Lenten journey knowing we are beloved children of God, we won’t get very far. Lutheran pastor, Nadia Bolz Weber, says: “When voices other than God’s try to tell you your worth – when the categories of late stage capitalism or the siren song of professional advancement or the various ridiculous ranking systems in society, or your own head tries to tell you your value and trust me, this will happen--but when it does may you again remember your baptism – remember that you have renounced the Devil and all his empty promises and are marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit and that you belong to God, because nothing…nothing else gets to tell you who you are.”  Lent gives us yet another time to live into this baptismal identity we have been given. 

Lent can be a time to take stock in our lives, and to really begin to come clean about those things that tempt us.  As Pastor Brian McClaren says, Lent can be a time when might rethink everything or flip the script on some of the harmful, inherited stories of our very own lives. This Lenten journey is a time when we can let go of all pretense and allow ourselves to be honest and vulnerable.  It is a time when we can take a real look at the way we try to hide our pain and our fear and the brokenness that shapes our entire being.  Lent can be a time when we find the freedom to confess the messiness of our lives.  Jesus’ intentionality and his receptivity to God’s grace show us the way to turn toward God, rather than away from God during our trials and temptations.  And, if we choose the Lenten struggle to be intentional, to be mindful of God’s presence to us, and receptive to the grace of God, we will encounter a faithful God who leads us through the wilderness to new life.  

There is a focus in present culture on what some call mindfulness.  Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are, aware of what we are doing, and not be overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.  I think mindfulness requires an element of intentionality in which one is directly focused toward some object or situation.  As we begin this Lenten season, we are invited to be mindful of where Jesus is leading us and embrace an intentional way of living and being in this world.

If given a choice, most of us are not going to be intentional about choosing a path in life that is filled with difficulty.  However, I must say that spiritual depth and growth happen as we mindfully respond to the trials, troubles, temptations, testing and fear that arise in life.  For many of us, it is in those times of challenge that we truly learn dependence on God.  In such times we find that God graciously provides for all our needs in all of life’s seasons.

As we begin our forty-day Lenten journey, we intentionally take time for reflection and repentance.  We do this as we follow the example of Jesus.  And, as we meet up with Jesus today, we find he was “led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”  Note that the Spirit does not just drop Jesus off in the wilderness to fend for himself; the Spirit continues to abide with him and enable him to grow stronger through this season. 

As the devil tempts Jesus, I can imagine Jesus is in a state, both mentally and physically, of utter desperation. He hasn’t eaten for weeks. He is likely hallucinating. He is probably thirsty and tired, and feeling empty and powerless. He likely feels as though he is about to die; vulnerable and alone, gaunt and weak. He’s probably even scared.  But, he responds to these temptations with a sense of intentional mindfulness, rooted in the foundation of scripture and faith.  First, Jesus is tempted with food, and Jesus says, “one does not live by bread alone.” Then, Jesus is tempted with power over all the kingdoms of the world.  And Jesus answers, essentially saying, “I worship God, not power.” And finally, the devil tempts him to prove who he is by throwing himself down, and Jesus refuses saying that we should not be in the business of trying to test God, or make God prove anything to us.   Jesus passes every test by interpreting scripture, not by the Letter of the Law but by the Law of Love.

Now, you and I are not Jesus.  We are far more vulnerable to being tempted by evil when we are weak and tired and hungry and alone and, maybe most of all fearful.  And, fear creates much anxiety.  Our culture is ridden with fear and anxiety and stress.  Studies show that when people are under stressful conditions: like the anxiety of losing wealth or status, like illness, like worry over the decline of the middle class, like poverty, like fear of terrorism or war – people are less likely to love the stranger. In other words, when you and I are in the wilderness of perceived powerlessness – we adopt xenophobic tendencies to fear those different than us.  We adopt tendencies to scapegoat, to blame, to become more tribalistic, and surround ourselves with people we perceive to share the same values and the same characteristics.   So, it should come as no surprise that we are most apt to be tempted by power when we are feeling powerless. We are tempted to believe we can control terrorism and violence through religious persecution. We are tempted to believe that our comfort level and safety is more secure if we move to a geographical place where there is little racial, ethnic and economic diversity. We are tempted to believe that we can control an insecure economy by hoarding our own wealth, and by excluding and demonizing various groups of people like immigrants, welfare recipients, or any considered “other.” 

The fact of the matter is we are less likely to welcome the stranger when we are afraid.  We are most vulnerable to being tempted by evil when we see the world in terms of scarcity rather than abundance; when we see people in the world as objects to be feared and despised rather than as God’s own beloved. And so, we exploit the worst stereotypes we can think of about each other, so that we can no longer see one another; so that we can no longer see God in one another.  And yet, Jesus reminds us: “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Which, as we know, means simply this: love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. 

I like to follow blogger, Glennon Doyle Melton.  A while back she wrote a blog post called “How to use your fear to make something beautiful.” I just love that title.  You see, we all face fear, whether we want to admit it or not.  But, our job is to abide and live by the law of Love anyway, and transform fear into beauty.  I think that is one of the reasons why we come to church: so that we can use our fear to make something beautiful together.  I think that is also what we as a Faith community have done through our refugee project.  That’s how we use our fear to make something beautiful.

We also use our fear to make something beautiful when we apply God’s grace to our very selves.  You see, if we are not starting our Lenten journey knowing we are beloved children of God, we won’t get very far. Lutheran pastor, Nadia Bolz Weber, says: “When voices other than God’s try to tell you your worth – when the categories of late stage capitalism or the siren song of professional advancement or the various ridiculous ranking systems in society, or your own head tries to tell you your value and trust me, this will happen--but when it does may you again remember your baptism – remember that you have renounced the Devil and all his empty promises and are marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit and that you belong to God, because nothing…nothing else gets to tell you who you are.”  Lent gives us yet another time to live into this baptismal identity we have been given. 

Lent can be a time to take stock in our lives, and to really begin to come clean about those things that tempt us.  As Pastor Brian McClaren says, Lent can be a time when might rethink everything or flip the script on some of the harmful, inherited stories of our very own lives. This Lenten journey is a time when we can let go of all pretense and allow ourselves to be honest and vulnerable.  It is a time when we can take a real look at the way we try to hide our pain and our fear and the brokenness that shapes our entire being.  Lent can be a time when we find the freedom to confess the messiness of our lives.  Jesus’ intentionality and his receptivity to God’s grace show us the way to turn toward God, rather than away from God during our trials and temptations.  And, if we choose the Lenten struggle to be intentional, to be mindful of God’s presence to us, and receptive to the grace of God, we will encounter a faithful God who leads us through the wilderness to new life.  

This is a special musical performance of Masterpiece For Handbells by  Faith Lutheran's Bell Choir

This is a special musical performance of Masterpiece For Handbells by  Faith Lutheran's Bell Choir

This is a special musical performance of Awesome God by the Faith Lutheran Joyful Noise Children's Choir

This is a special musical performance of Awesome God by the Faith Lutheran Joyful Noise Children's Choir

The transfiguration is frustrating for disciples—past and present—who long for an unmediated experience of God. Jesus’ glory is revealed, and then, just as suddenly, a cloud descends and the vision fades. And even though Paul contrasts the Christian’s experience of God with Moses’s veiled experience of God, he notes that we see the glory of the Lord “as though reflected in a mirror” (2 Cor. 3:18). Even with unveiled faces, we don’t see directly, or even clearly. Even when God is revealed in shining glory, much remains veiled and hidden.

As he witnesses Jesus’ transfiguration, Peter’s understanding remains veiled; ours does too. The glimpses we get of God’s glory—through the veil or reflected in the mirror—are expectation-shattering, alarming, overwhelming, and awesome. The love of God shines too brightly to view directly, and yet we do have the privilege of directly experiencing that love in baptism, in communion, in service to God, and in relationship with God’s creation and our neighbors in need. The veils we contend with daily are the barriers that prevent us from truly loving those neighbors, caring for creation, and seeing the shining face of Jesus in the faces of people who are different, hungry, difficult, enemy, invisible, or poor. God is always revealed in ways that surprise and confuse us, whether shining on the mountaintop or dying on the cross.