New Lenten Blog...Kind Of

I'm doing something different with our youth group this year during Lent. Instead of handing out costly paper devotionals I'm jumping on the trendy-train and doing a daily Lenten blog for my students. Maybe they won't read it (like the devotionals I handed out last year) but I thought I might as well try.

Unfortunately this idea just struck me the other day so I didn't develop a long-term plan for a direction of this blog and as such the blog will likely change, grow, and develop throughout the Lenten season - especially as I receive feedback from my students. My initial plan is to poach information from the Asbury Readers that I edited while I was in seminary and add in some of my own thoughts for clarity. I also plan to explore various topics that come up that need some explanation so it might not be as systematic and ordered as I like. I guess we'll see how it goes. But you can bank on the fact that there will be a lot of scripture and quotes from the saints!

Since I'll be focusing a lot on that for the next 40+ days my posting on this blog might be a bit more sparse than it normally would be during the Lenten season (even though I just returned after a busy season at work). I may cross-post a few things but I'll try to keep that to a minimum. Fear not, I will return and I will eventually post the thoughts I've promised (*cough* filioque *cough*).

If you'd like to follow along with this feel free. The only thing that I ask is that if you read along over there try not to get into a theological discussion in the comments. Feel free to comment a bit since it might help the students feel free to engage but I don't want to scare my students away. =) If you have comments or questions email me or comment over here. My students are smart, but they're still learning the faith (as we all are). I'm trying to challenged them as much as I can without completely overwhelming all of them and it is very hard to try to write for students in grades 6-12 all at the same time.

The address is: http://saintlukeyouth.wordpress.com

May we all see Christ more clearly this Lenten season!

- Ben

Lent I

Today for my devotions I was reading a community reader that our seminary puts out each season and the entry really spoke to me. I would like to share that entry here. I don't want to appear pompous by posting the work I did, but I really liked today's reading. Yes, it has my favorite quote from one of my favorite fathers of the church but God really spoke to me through it today so I thought I would share it. Here is today's (Feb. 22) entry:

Opening Prayer:
Almighty Father, who didst inspire Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep thy Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
- BCP 187

Luke 9:18-27 NRSV
Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They answered, "John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, "The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Then he said to them all, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

Reading:
Come fire, cross, battling with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of my whole body, cruel tortures of the devil – only let me get to Jesus Christ! Not the wide bounds of earth nor the kingdoms of this world will avail me anything. I would rather die and get to Jesus Christ, than reign over the ends of the earth, That is whom I am looking for – the One who died for us. That is whom I want – the One who rose for us…What I want is God’s bread, which is the flesh of Christ, who came from David’s line; and for drink I want his blood: an immortal love feast indeed!
- St. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Romans 5:3-6:2; 7:3


Prayer of Response:
Holy Father, you know our hearts and our desires. You know that often we fail in our pursuit of you. Though we are frail, give us strength. Though we fall, lift us up. Though we fall short all too often, empower us for the journey on which you have called us. Help us to live as those who have gone before us, willing to give our life and our all for the cross of Christ. Help us to bear the holy cross. Amen.

I promise not to continue to post the whole entries from the reader and to share more of my thoughts through this lenten season.


Blessings to you all,

Ben

Reading from morning devotions

The last few days (maybe a week or so) I've been reading/singing through a hymnal along with my other disciplines. I find this to be absolutely enlightening. Most of the time i just flip page by page until I see a hymn I know and I sing it, but occasionally a title will catch my eye and I'll read it and meditate on the words. That's what happened today, a title caught my eye after singing like 4 hymns and I started to read the words. The words really spoke to me so I thought that I would share them on here. The hymn may reveal my charismatic/mystical biases, but I'm in good company because after I was done I looked at who wrote it and realized it was Charles Wesley.

Come, Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire
by Charles Wesley - pg 131 in the 1966 Methodist Hymnal

Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire, Let us thine influence prove:
Source of the old prophetic fire, Fountain of life and love.

Come, Holy Ghost, for moved by thee The prophets wrote and spoke;
Unlock the truth, thyself the key, Unseal the sacred book.

Expand thy wings, celestial Dove, Brood o'er our nature's night;
On our disordered spirits move, and let there now be light.

God, through himself, we then shall know If thou within us shine,
And sound with all thy saints below, the depths of love divine. Amen.

I don't want to sound overly preachy, but we truly need the move of the Holy Spirit in our dead western Christendom. His move is not just for the charismatics or the pentecostals. No, the whole church is to be driven by the "celestial dove," we should expect to see the evidences of the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God in our churches as we earnestly pursue God. We should be actively moving in and practicing the gifts that are given to the church for the edification of believers.

I would write more but I'm off to lunch with my Pastor, and no we're not going to study the Purpose Driven Life (see post below entitled: "an email I sent a few people the other day.” if you're confused). I guess since I have to go, my ranting and raving will have to be saved for another day, but fear not, it will come.