View the post for February 14 for an explanation of my Lenten Project, Seasons If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. One thing I look for when I go to the mountains in winter is how the cold temperatures change the water. I am amazed by intricate ice formations along the streams and waterfalls. The interesting thing about water in the winter is that while part of a stream or waterfall may freeze, there is always a part of the water that is still moving. Moving water creates heat that will keep some of the water flowing even when the temperatures are below freezing.
When we stop and take a cold hard look at our lives, we can be overcome with our own sin and failure. In these times after looking at ourselves we need to turn and look at God. His forgiveness never freezes. His love always is moving underneath purifying us and bringing us to him. Prayer Loving God, We confess the times this day that we looked to our own selfish desires, times when we failed to serve you. Forgive our sins and unfreeze our cold hearts. Amen
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View the post for February 14 for an explanation of my Lenten Project, Seasons Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. In the cold, hard days of winter the branches lay bare of all their leaves. As with winter there are times when we all must lay our hearts bare before God. Yet as sure as we are that spring will come, we can be sure that God will take the bare branches of our lives, our hearts laid bare and open before Him, and fill them with forgiveness and love.
Prayer All-Seeing God We lay our hearts bare before you trusting in your love and forgiveness. Amen Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. This hike was not my normal Smoky Mountain hike. There was a sign with a map and trail description and the trail was easy to see; but it was still scary. The air was hot and dry and the wind was strong. We didn’t see another person on the hike; we were all alone. On the way we saw things that we had never seen before. However there was a great relief as we came to the end of the hike and saw our car waiting for us.
Lent is a time when we need to go on such a hike through the wilderness of our sin. It is much easier to hike in familiar places and spend time looking at the sin of others; but we can only experience God’s forgiveness if we see we need to be forgiven. Opening your heart to God isn’t easy. When you look really hard you will see sin that you had kept hidden from everyone even yourself. At the end of our journey we see Jesus ready and waiting to forgive our sin. He makes our hearts new again and gives us the safety of his unfailing love. Prayer Lord God Help us to open our hearts to you as we walk through the wilderness of our sin. Thank you for forgiving us and giving us new hearts more open to you. Amen Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” While I was deciding on places to visit on our road trip through the Coteau des Prairies of South Dakota I discovered the Fort Sisseton Historic State Park. When we go on our road trips we try to stay off interstates so I search for state parks. I found this one and we put it on our itinerary. After the tour of the buildings and what remained of the fort I was drawn to all the big beautiful trees. I didn’t expect to find trees like this in the prairie but they there were - outlasting the military fort built to conquer. I found this beautiful large tree that stood out from the others. I stood in front of it and walked around it several times to try to decided on the best vantage point to capture its beauty.
Adam and Eve had this important tree in the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As they stood in front of it one day they were forced with a decision - whose view was best, theirs or God’s. They made the wrong decision and chose their own way. Each day we stand in front of our own tree. We must decide if we are going to follow our way or God’s way. There are times when we make the right decision and times when we make the wrong one. The story for Adam and Eve didn’t end with their wrong decision. You see, God still came looking for them. There were consequences for their wrong decision (read the rest of the story) but he never left them and through Jesus he made a way back to him. Even when we choose to follow our selfish desires and walk away from God, he doesn’t walk away from us. What will you choose when you stand in front of your tree today? Prayer Loving Father Remind us of your love for us as we stand in front of our own tree and decide how we will live this day. Thank you for always coming for us when we choose to leave you. Thank you for Jesus who made a way back to you. Amen View the post for February 17 for an explanation of my Lenten Project These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. I remember the evening I took this picture. We had traveled all day on scenic highways in Vermont and made it to our hotel on Hero Island in Lake Champlain shortly before sunset. After asking the innkeeper where to watch the sunset, we headed to the Hero Island Dock. We watched from the quiet beach and stayed as twilight fell across the lake.
As the book of Deuteronomy begins the old generation has given way to the new generation that now stands ready to cross the Jordan. The wilderness is behind them and the promised land lay ahead. So Moses remembers and speaks. He reminds the people of the times they rebelled and complained and the times that God forgave them and yet still led and protected them on their way. He tells them that there will be times when they will rebel again but as God as done throughout their wilderness journey he will forgive them again. They only need to call on him. When I look at this picture I remember all the hardships and mistakes we made on the trip as well as all the beauty we saw. We need to remember. Lent is a time of remembering - remembering our own wilderness of sin. For only when we remember the wilderness can we know the beauty of God’s forgiveness. Prayer Dear Father Remind us not only of our sin but also of your forgiveness and presence in our lives. Use our memories to teach us your wisdom. Amen View the post for February 17 for an explanation of my Lenten Project Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Diana’s Baths are a series of cascades in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Most of the summer and fall they are very shallow and offer a safe place for all to enjoy the water. You can sit on a rock and let the water gently roll over your feet.
As we need safe places to enjoy mountain streams we also need safe places to reflect on our lives. Admitting our sins and failures isn’t an easy thing to do. Jesus is that safe place. When we confess our sins to him we are sprinkled clean. We know his cleansing is safe - he doesn’t condemn us. Instead Jesus looks at us through his eyes of love. Through his sacrifice we are washed cleaned. Prayer Lord Jesus We draw near to you this day, our safe place, knowing that you have opened up for us a new and living way. Show us our sin and sprinkle our hearts clean. Amen The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: When John the Baptist preached in the wilderness he was the messenger preparing the way of the Lord. He was calling people to get ready for the one to come. He called people to be baptized, to wash. In the Old Testament books of Leviticus and Numbers you find many references to washing as a way of preparing to meet with God. Lent is a time for us to spend some time in water, too - a time of repentance, of cleansing from sin and freedom from shame.
We need water to survive but it also can clean, heal, and transform. Practicing Lent is something that I have only begun in recent years. This year, like last year, I decided to create a Lenten project for the blog. My posts during this season will include scripture about and images of water and its ability to clean and transform. I pray these images and scriptures will help us become aware again of the sin that separates us from God and the cost that Jesus paid to reunite us. Prayer Lord God, Cleanse us with the water of life that flows from Jesus as we prepare for our hearts for you. Amen For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. This lighthouse stands at the entrance to the harbor in Duluth, Minnesota, shinning its light for the ships returning to port. It must feel good to the sailors to see it as they guide the large ships into the safety of home port; sometimes after enduring difficult waters. There have been times in my life when I have wandered away from Christ. Maybe I was too busy, worried about material things, or just focused on having things my way. I know that Christ stands like the lighthouse guarding my soul. In Christ I find the safety of home. He stands ready to forgive and welcome me into his protection.
Prayer Lord Jesus, Guardian Of Our Souls We entrust our souls to you. We thank you for accepting us and forgiving us when we have wandered away. Amen Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. On the other side of this gate is a beautiful garden. In order to enter the garden you must lift the latch and open the gate. Jesus stands as a gate like the one into this garden. We must first look at his glory and love and see our unworthiness, our sin, and our need of him. When we do we lift the latch and through him our unrighteousness becomes righteousness. He has answered our need and become our salvation. Lift the latch and walk into the garden.
Prayer Righteous God We praise and thank you for the indescribable gift of grace that opens the gates of righteousness for us. Amen View the post for February 27 for an explanation of my Lenten Project Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. You can still see the tree in the picture of the night sky. It doesn’t go away when the sun goes down. The interesting thing is that if you sit long enough in the night and watch it get dark you will see wonderful things. You have to wait and waiting isn’t easy but there is reward. Our lives can be like this and for many of us it is right now. We see the dark coming. We are crying out in the depths, whether those depths are the cause of something beyond our control or our sin. We have an assurance that our loving God is still there even in our darkest night. In him we find forgiveness. We can put our hope in the Lord and wait - for hope is an intensive form of waiting. While we wait we can serve him and he will show us how.
Prayer Lord God, We cry out for you in the darkness. We put our hope in you and wait. Show us one way we can serve you this day. Amen View the post for February 27 for an explanation of my Lenten Project You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. The air was cold and the snow covered the ground. The leaves were gone and the tree laid bare. Man’s sin, his choosing to decide for himself what is good and evil rather than trusting God’s wisdom, has made the world a cold place. Yet as with the tree in the snow there is promise of new life. Spring will come and the leaves will be full of life. So Jesus comes into our lives, warms us, and gives us new life.
Prayer Great God Lay bare our hearts and show us our sin. Melt the coldness from our hearts with your love and forgiveness. Amen Even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.' Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. The Blue Springs Lutheran Church in Mosheim, Tennessee no longer has a congregation. The building is watched over by a historical committee that recently succeeded in having the building added to the National Register of Historical Buildings. I happened to see it from the highway on the way to somewhere else, abandoned on the hill, no longer severing the purpose for which it was built.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. It is a time for us to "rend our hearts." In the ancient times, people would tear their garments as a sign of grief. Lent calls us to do more than just a quick, forgive-me-of-my-sins prayer, but take time to mourn and confess our sin. So that as we move through Lent we open our hearts again to what Jesus did for us on the cross. If we don't rend our heats and confess our sin, then our walk with Christ will become like this abandoned church - still standing, looked after by an historical committee, but no longer serving its purpose. Prayer O Great King, Grow my desire to follow you, with a deeper understanding of the price of my redemption. Show me the purpose you have for me and fill my heart with your love. Amen Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. When I come to take a picture of a flower I must decide where and how much of the flower to put in focus. I can choose to keep the whole image sharp and clear or I can choose to keep only a small part of the flower in focus with a smooth out of focus background. Where I put the focus changes the image and message I convey with my photograph. We also make decisions about where to put our focus in our everyday lives. Will we focus on what is ours or will we focus on serving others?
In his letter to Philemon, Paul was asking Philemon to make a choice about where he would put his focus. Paul is writing not only to seek to reconcile two dear friends who are at odds with one another but also teach a Christian community how to live a life of reconciliation; to learn where to put their focus. You see, Philemon was a wealthy man, wealthy enough to provide a place for the church of Colosse to meet in his home. He was known for his love and faithfulness to Christ. Now Paul was asking him where to focus. Was he going to focus on what was due him by Onesimus, his slave who had not only run away from him but had probably stolen from him as well? Or was he going to focus on Onesimus and forgive him; not only to forgive him but to accept him back as more than his slave but his brother? We don’t know what choice Philemon made. We only know that the choice wasn’t easy. I think that Christ also asks us to make this choice each day. Where will you focus? The place you choose will change the whole picture you make with your life. Prayer Christ Jesus, Show us where to put our focus this day so that we can reflect your love to all around us. And if there is someone we need to forgive and accept back as our brother or sister in Christ, give us the courage to do so. Amen Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. Anything that is white is hard to photograph because the range of light that a camera sees is much less than the dynamic range of the human eye. The light reflected from something pure white is beyond the dynamic range of the camera and as photographers say, too hot. There is even a warning on most cameras called the “blinkies.” Areas in the photo where there is so much light that the camera’s sensor cannot record anything will blink on the LCD on the back of the camera. In other words anything that is blinking in the image on the LCD won’t have any detail and can’t be edited. It will just be pure white.
This dogwood was so beautiful against the green of the grass and the blue of the skies, but I just couldn’t capture it without blinkies. I tried many different angles and positions, but the only one that could capture the beauty and purity of the dogwood was looking up through the petals to the light. John, in the book of Revelation, gives us a glimpse of a pure, white in the robes of those who worship God on his throne. Right now our ability to capture what it is like to wear a white robe is limited for we can only read of their purity. We do know that the robes are white because they have been made pure by the sacrifice of Jesus. We take these words of Revelation as a promise of what it will be like to one day after our time one earth to put on these white robes and serve God sheltered in his temple. Prayer Lord God Right now I can only catch a glimpse of the heaven you have promised in your word. I can’t image or even fully understand what it will be like one day to stand before you in pure, white robes. I can only accept your gift of love that has always been and will last forever. I bow before you and worship you now. Amen I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. My wildflower knowledge has grown over the past few years so I knew this was like the hepatica that I have learned to recognize but it was different. It had red anthers instead of the usual yellow ones. Hepatica is such a small flower that if you weren’t looking for it you may not even see it. It is a humble flower, not one of the famous wildflowers of the Smokys that many flock to see this time of year. This small flower has much to teach us. Its petals are pure white, like the perfect, sinless life of Jesus; the red anthers like his blood shed for us. Small and humble like the servant that Jesus was and we are called to be.
The words, “I love you,” are simple and humble like this hepatica. They are intimate and precious words. Jesus said these words with his actions on this Good Friday, his blood shed for us. Today we say these words back to Jesus, “I love you Lord because you have heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.” Prayer Merciful God, I love you because you first love me, red blood spilled over a white, sinless life - a life that perfectly fulfilled the will of God. I will call on you as long as I live. Amen The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. I remember the night I took this picture. I decided to go to this place at the dam because I would have a good view to the east as the full moon would rise over the horizon. We know there was a full moon on the night of Passover because the way the Jewish calendar, a lunar calendar, was used to determine the time of Passover each year. So as Jesus and the disciples left the upper room to walk toward the Mount of Olives, they were walking toward the rising moon in the east, a full moon like this one over the lake. Matthew and Mark tell us that the last thing the disciples did after the Passover meal before they left for the Mount of Olives was to sing a hymn. We don’t know what hymn they sang but it was very likely that it was Psalm 118, the last of a group of psalms called the Hallel that were sung at festivals like Passover.
As I think about that night, the night of his betrayal, I wonder what it was like for him to sing this Psalm knowing what he would face the next day. He knew the time had come to fulfill the purpose for which he had come to earth, that "this is the day the Lord has made." He knew that he was about to be rejected and all his disciples would leave him. It was the time of Jesus’s deepest anguish as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Go out this evening and look at the full moon and think about Jesus walking east toward the place of his betrayal and remember his great sacrifice for you. Know that it is because of his great love for us that we can truly say these words, “This the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Prayer Suffering Savior, When we look at what happened this night of betrayal, “it is marvelous in our eyes.” We are amazed at your love for us and can rejoice only because of the anguish that you walked through that night. May we make you the cornerstone of our lives. Amen All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. One of the most popular pull-offs on the Cades Cove Loop road is this one at just about the halfway point on the loop. Here the cove opens out before your eyes, surrounded by the mountains. One way to capture this scene is to use a wide angle lens. Like any other speciality lens you must learn to use it.
Christ has set before us a wide angle view of the world and we will need to learn to use the wide angle lens that he has given us to see the way he sees the world. Opening out before us is a hurting world that needs to know the love of Christ. He calls us to a ministry of reconciliation. Reconciliation isn’t easy because it begins with forgiveness. Christ paid the ultimate price to reconcile us to God. Since we have been forgiven then the we must forgive others. We must learn to forgive and thereby begin a ministry of reconciliation. Prayer Lord Jesus Open our hearts to accept your forgiveness. Help us to share that forgiveness with the world. Amen Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. It is wildflower season, otherwise known as spring, in the Smokies. Yesterday I took my first “photographing wildflowers” adventure of the season. It was the perfect day for this, cloudy with rain drops still on the vegetation. There were only a few flowers in full bloom, but there were buds. Each spring I get another chance to develop my photography skills, for taking good images of wildflowers is a challenge for me.
Seasons are one way that I think that God uses nature to teach us about his love and ourselves. Every spring the plants that have lost their bud and lain dormant during winter sprout again. So in our lives we have the chance to be new, to lay our sins at Jesus feet and experience his forgiveness. We have reason to sing new songs when we see the beauty of the spring wildflowers that God uses to paint his world. Prayer Creator God Thank you for teaching us of your love through the seasons of your world. Make our hearts new again. Teach us to sing new songs of your love. Amen Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. You can still tell that it is a green blade of grass even though it is encased in ice. After the ice melts it will again stand in its place in the hollow of the rock along the side of the road. We can get so weighted down in our sin we feel like our hearts are encased in an ice that will not melt. We forget what the joy of forgiveness feels like. But Jesus has paid the price, we are still God’s children. Go to God and repent your sin. He will melt the ice of your heart and restore your joy.
Prayer Lord Jesus We come to repent and seek your forgiveness. Melt the ice hardness of our hearts and restore our joy of fellowship with you. Amen For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12-13, ESV We have had so much rain in the past month that water is dripping from everywhere. Along the side of the road on the way to the cove the water dripping over the rocks was turned to ice when the temperatures dropped to well below freezing. All the plants were covered, actually encased in ice. Nothing escaped. As the temperatures were gradually moving above freezing the ice was beginning to melt and form beautiful sculptures as clear as glass.
During Lent we see our lives covered in sin like these plants covered in ice. All of us are frozen in our iniquity. But Jesus's love melts the ice in our hearts and takes away our sin if we call on his name. Jesus is Lord of all. He gives his rich grace to all who call on him. Prayer Lord Jesus Show us our sin and melt the hardness of our hearts. Warm us with your amazing love when we call out to you. Amen |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan