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| Tony Armstrong-Sly |
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A GREETING
I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
(Psalm 63:4)
A READING
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
(Mark 1:35-39)
MUSIC
You are encouraged to sing aloud!
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
(Psalm 141:2)
A POEM
A Light exists in Spring
Not present on the Year
At any other period —
When March is scarcely here
A Color stands abroad
On Solitary Fields
That Science cannot overtake
But Human Nature feels.
It waits upon the Lawn,
It shows the furthest Tree
Upon the furthest Slope you know
It almost speaks to you.
Then as Horizons step
Or Noons report away
Without the Formula of sound
It passes and we stay —
A quality of loss
Affecting our Content
As Trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a Sacrament.
- "A Light Exists in Spring" by Emily Dickinson
VERSE OF THE DAY
And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
and tell of God's deeds with songs of joy.
(Psalm 107:22)
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| Image by Tony Armstrong-Sly |
What are the prayers Jesus recited by heart? Jesus and his followers would have said aloud at least twice a day the ‘Shema’, the oldest and most sacred prayer of the Jewish people, based on texts from Deuteronomy 6. But in both Matthew and Luke, Jesus teaches the disciples a more spontaneous way of praying, which we now recite as the Lord’s Prayer.
In the ancient world, prayers were uniquely tied to sacrifice. The obligation of animal sacrifice in that time, was meant to be equal to the activity of prayer as an offering to God. Both were considered vital to right relationship with God. Today, not only do we not sacrifice animals in most places anymore, but many actually seek to protect the wellbeing of animals from human activity. Where we can instead find some common ground with the ancient practice is to think about how much we are willing to give up ‘time,’ as our ‘sacrifice’ in service to God. Time for prayer. Time for creation care. Time for community service. Time for listening to a friend. Time is what all of us least want to sacrifice, but giving our time is what is most needed for the world. What happens if we substitute every instance of the word ‘sacrifice’ in today’s bible verses with the words ‘time with you?, or ’ ‘time serving you in the world?’
Jesus prayed often. The gospel writers bring Jesus to the mountain to pray many times. In today’s reading, the first few words echo the narrative that begins the post-Crucifixion scenes when Mary and the women go to anoint Jesus. “In the morning, while it was still very dark.” The ancient practice, and still a practice for many of many faiths, is to greet the morning and say goodnight — with prayer. It reminds us of our origins, of how everything flows back to God. In the writings of the rabbis, there were exact times of day prescribed for the ritual, that is, they prayed when the sky was a certain colour or at so many moments after the sunrise or before the sunset. The idea was that our first thought on awakening, was God, and our last thought before sleeping, was God.
What is your ritual? What is the sacrifice of time that you are willing to make for prayer, or in service to God's world?
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A STORY OF ENDURANCE
Over this past weekend, we observed the end of daylight savings time. The practice of adding or diminishing an hour to our daily schedule has an impact on wildlife, from our pets to the creatures that mate and forage at night, to the habits of insects. Thousands of deer are killed by vehicles going home at a different hour in the fall, which is also the mating season. In the spring, the morning is darker for longer and animals have to adjust their own daylight and darkness activities to be sure not to encounter us. The wellbeing and endurance of most wildlife means that they must adjust their own rituals to ours. How much do we adapt to them?
Read more here.
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| Image by Tony Armstrong-Sly |
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LC† Awakened by the Spirit is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!