Lenten Reflections: Separation

"And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly." - Matthew 26:75

Withdrawal and separation bring an emotional disconnection from God and others. When we pull away, emotionally or physically, we find ourselves alone. We are not beings created for separation. 






Separation brings isolation.

Isolation brings fear.

Fear brings pain.

Pain brings release.

Release brings sorrow. 

The result of Peter's withdrawal was separation. Once proclaiming Jesus to be the "Messiah, the Son of the living God", he now felt the full force of his separation. 

ONE TWO THREE....WEEP

"How did I get to this place?"

"Peter wept bitterly"  This is a picture of the complete release of sorrow. There are no more barriers. No more defenses. Not enough tears can be released. No volume of wailing can do justice to the agony felt deep within. 

During lent, we come face to face with what separates us from God and others. We see the pain of separation and how much damage it does to the Kingdom of God. There is no place for separation in God's Kingdom, and when we choose to remove ourselves from natural union with God and others, we experience the similar suffering that Peter endured. 

Lord, in our selfishness, we sometimes choose separation. And as with Peter, we feel the pain and sorrow that follows. Help us to stay united to You and others, so that the Kingdom of God can be clearly seen by the world around us. Amen     

Lenten Reflections: Realization

"And immediately the rooster crowed." - Matthew 26:74

 Life is incremental. We learn in increments. We grow in increments. We love in increments. We hate in increments. Etc. Etc. Etc. The wheels on the bus go round and round....

Sin is also incremental.

Step by step by step by....

"Oh, just this once. Who's gonna care?"

"I'm only human, of flesh and blood I'm made. Human. Born to make mistakes"

1986. I was 16. Where were you? Both of us building increments of time and sin.

Three increments and Peter arrived. 

The bell rang, and he ran. Class dismissed. 

Lent is also incremental. We face uncomfortable issues of life one at a time. One increment for 24 hours. A journey of 40 increments. 

The realization: Easter

Lord, as we make our way through Lent, one increment at a time, help us to come to a clear realization of what each means. Help us to face the uncomfortable things of our lives, so that when we complete the journey, we will realize the full magnitude of Easter, and Your Resurrection. Amen         

Lenten Reflections: Avoidance

"Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Matthew 26:70

"I don't know what you're talking about."

What do we avoid in life? Who do we avoid? What topics do we avoid in conversations, even with those closet to us? 

Sin creates fear, and fear perpetuates avoidance. We avoid what we're afraid of.

Our culture is filled with conversational avoidance.

"If I keep looking at my iphone, he might not say "hi" and just go away." 

"With these earbuds in, no one will talk to me."

"My laptop creates an impenetrable barrier between me and those around me!"

"I'll pretend that I'm talking on the phone.... Is she gone?" 

More than anything else, avoidance drives a wedge between relationships. We fear confrontation so we run like little children, afraid of anything that takes us out of our little comfort zone.

"La la la la la!  I can't hear you! La la la la!  I don't now what you're talking about!" 

Remember, confrontation means a rejection of avoidance as well. We have to be willing to receive.   

Lent is about confrontation. We confront the realities of our screwed up lives and embrace that we are just dust on this earth. But as we learn to confront the dust and the issues we sometimes avoid, we also learn that it's just as imperative to confront the dust of those we love. Confrontation is not judging. Confrontation is not self-righteousness. We don't throw the dust. We just reveal it to one another. Remember, we've already resolved the theme of this journey.

Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

We are dust.

You and me.

My dust is your dust.

As Lent continues, let's do away with avoiding the dust of our lives. Let's learn to confront one another, despite how uncomfortable it may be. No ones dust is unapproachable. No ones dust is taboo. Mine is yours and yours is mine. We are dust.

Lord, we know that there is no dust that offends You. As people of dust, help us to confront one another and stop avoiding that which makes us uncomfortable. Shield us from avoidance. Enable us to confront and receive confrontation. We embrace the dust; our own and the dust of others as well. Amen    
 

    

   
 

Lenten Reflections: Withdrawl

"Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said."

Matthew 26:72

Fear = Withdrawal  

Peter withdrew when anxiety level peaked. Hiding in the shadows of a cold and dark courtyard, he protected his ass before Jesus even had the chance to defend His. He reacted. He withdrew.



One

Two

Three

Run!

Isolated. Alone. Afraid. Peter stood on the outskirts, weeping at his own cowardice. What could bring him back to himself again? What could ever bring redemption? 

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

"Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."

"Put your sword back in it's place, Peter! You've got bigger battles to fight, and they're not against any man!"

We love our weapons. Our confidence soars when we've got a powerful armament. But when left nothing but ourselves, our instincts leave us vulnerable and in panic.We look out for number one because we believe that without a weapon, we can never stand to defend number two.  Sometimes Christ just calls us to stand.

"Yes, I know Him! He's my friend! He's my Lord! And if I could make my way through that gate, I'd be standing at His side. I'll die if I have to!"

Don't be so quick to judge Peter. He's a soldier and a coward. He's a CEO and he's homeless. He's a cop and a thief. He's a freedom fighter and he's a terrorist. A saint. A sinner. He's you. He's me.

Lord, just as Peter withdrew, we withdraw as well. When we feel our hearts race with panic, we run. We withdraw from You. We withdraw from ourselves and our relationships. Call us back, Lord. Let the rooster crow. Engage us that we may be engaged with You. Amen

 

Lenten Reflections: Positive

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." - Philippians 4:8

The choice is ours. Negative or positive? Dark or light? Hatred or love? Anger or peace?

"What do you want from me today, God?"

"Really? Did you read what Paul just said, or just skim over it to fill up your quiet time?"

"No, I read it!  Really, God!  I just...." 
 
Be true.... What is truth?

Be noble.... Like the Presidential candidates?

Be right.... But I'm usually wrong.  

Be pure...."But I'm contaminated. No one else is pure. Why should I be?"


Be lovely...."But I'm ugly, just as the world around me."

Be admirable...."No one cares when you're admirable, God. But when you're detestable, people pay attention."

Be excellent...."I've seen excellence in action. And I don't want it."


Be praiseworthy...."Praise who?"

Definition is critical. Clarity is essential. Negative or positive? Man or God?

Pure? Self-righteous hypocrite

Lovely? Vanity

Admirable? Better than YOU

Excellent? Success at all cost 

Praiseworthy? Arrogance  

It's ironic how we so often ask God to reveal his will for us. When His words so clearly tell us, you would think the answer would be clear. But freewill leaves us with a choice.

But even the positive can be manifest in the negative.  

Truth or lies?

Positive or negative?

The positive unites. The negative brings separation.

The reality is that when we're in union with God, choosing the negative is much less likely, if not impossible. Unity with God is essential as we journey through this world, and unity with one another makes the trip that much easier. It's positive. It reveals God's Kingdom.

Positive.

When we disconnect, we dwell in negative spaces. We become complacent and mindlessly roam through areas of life, clinging to whatever adds temporary light. We disengage with one another.

Negative.

Lent is a time when we examine the negative in light of the positive. We embrace the negative so that we can cling to the positive. Lent is about choosing; choosing God's words or man's. Lent is about definition; defining what is truth, and rejecting what is false.

Lord, we know how easy it is to choose the negative, even when we think we're choosing the positive. Enable us to define the positive through You eyes, through Your words, and through Your Spirit. And as we find truth, unite us closer to You, so that we can unite closer to others.