Burning Bush Moment: New Heart

Elizabeth Barrett Browning says, “Earth is crammed with heaven,/And every bush is aflame with God/But only those who see, take off their shoes/The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.” I’ve always thought that is a beautiful quote. I think that as Browning says, we encounter burning bushes a whole lot more than we know. Sometimes, of course, the sun creates real burning bushes or blazing skies (like the one below from my backyard) to remind us of that truth. At other times, the burning bush may not be as obvious. It could be something we read or see. Perhaps it is found in nature or in listening to someone’s heart cry. Burning bushes can be found as we search for answers and when we find them, and lots of other places.

When we think of burning bushes, we think of Moses, yet each of us probably comes across a burning bush, or two, every day. In Exodus 3 we hear the familiar story. “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:1-5, NIV)

Moses saw something unusual and he ‘turned aside’ as the King James Version says. It can be easy to be too busy to take the time to stop, or we may not even notice the ‘bush is aflame with God’ so we simply ‘sit around it and pluck blackberries’. When we do pause, we encounter the One who creates all things, who tells us that we are on holy ground and invites us to be part of the work of transforming the world.

The collect from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer for Ash Wednesday says, “Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Lent gives us a chance to allow God to work on creating new hearts that are aware of the burning bushes we pass and willing to transform the world. St. Paul tells the Corinthians, “now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:7) God is working all the time. Each day is a day of salvation, a day of new beginnings. Every day is a chance to encounter a burning bush and take the time to ‘see this strange sight’.

This Lent I invite you to meet some New Testament women and men who encountered a burning bush in the form of the Living Lord and were changed. Simon’s Mother-in-Law, Nicodemus, Martha of Bethany, and the Samaritan woman each recognized the Flame of God and were changed. They had a ‘burning bush moment’ and emerged with a new heart.

Have you ever been changed, even briefly, when you met God in a burning bush moment? 

Ash Wednesday

Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

From the Liturgy for Ash Wednesday, Episcopal Book of Common Prayer

Ash Wednesday

Have you ever wondered WHY we do Ash Wednesday and WHAT Lent is about. Here's a video that might help.

For your personal devotions, here's the Litany for Ash Wednesday from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Old Testament: Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17
Epistle: II Corinthians 5: 20b—6: 10
Gospel: Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21

Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided  a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful  were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith. I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the  earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness;  in your great compassion blot out my offenses.

Wash me through and through from my wickedness  and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you only have I sinned  and done what is evil in your sight.
And so you are justified when you speak  and upright in your judgment
Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth,  a sinner from my mother's womb.
For behold, you look for truth deep within me,  and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure;  wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
Make me hear of joy and gladness,  that the body you have broken may rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins  and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,  and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence  and take not your holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your saving help again  and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
I shall teach your ways to the wicked,  and sinners shall return to you.
Deliver me from death, O God, and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness, O God of my salvation.
Open my lips, O Lord,  and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice;  but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit;  a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
 
Litany of Penitence

Most holy and merciful Father: We confess to you and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,
Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desires not the death of sinners, but rather that they may turn from their wickedness and live, has given power and commandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins. He pardons and absolves all those who truly repent, and with sincere hearts believe his holy Gospel.

Therefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do on this day, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Join me for a series of Lent meditations, loosely based on Lent in a Bag, starting on Sunday.

Lively Lent-Community

Lent-the time of year when we all deprive ourselves and wear sack cloth because we are horrible sinners. Wrong…

Lent-a season of the church year, which is a time to reflect on what it means to really live a Christian life. Right!

I think that too often we do think that Lent is a dark time when we should be sorrowful and beat ourselves up about our failings. Instead, it is a wonderful opportunity to renew our commitment, made at baptism, to “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.”
To “persevere in resisting evil, repent and return to the Lord.”
To “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.”
To “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.”
And to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”

Throughout Lent, on this blog, I’ll be offering thoughts about these 5 parts of the Baptismal Covenant* and ways to make them alive in your life. As is often the case, these reflections will probably teach me more than you, my readers, will learn. Anyone who’s been a Sunday School teacher or led a retreat or given a sermon can tell you that is what usually happens.

Community is an important, perhaps even core, aspect of the Christian life. The first question of the Baptismal service asks, “Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?” The Gospels all tell of Jesus living in community with his disciples and in Acts we hear that the very first followers of the Way “had all things in common…attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes…praising God and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:44-47)

As the Good News spread throughout the Roman Empire it was small groups (communities) of people who heard and believed and shared the Truth. It can be easy to lose sight of the simple, even humble, beginnings of the church when we sit in our lovely buildings on Sunday. However, the Gospel is still shared in small groups and in homes.

We are not a member of just one community, either. There is the community of our family, the community of church, the community of our work environment, and the community of our church. We are members of the community of close friends, the community of neighborhoods, and the community of any clubs or organizations we belong to. Our lives are circles of communities, some of which may intersect or even interlock. In each of the communities, we are to live a life, like Peter and John before the Sanhedrin, where it is “recognized that [we have] been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

When we gather with family or friends and pray before the meal, even in public, we are sharing the Gospel. When we come together on Sunday and consider the miracle of the Eucharist, we are sharing the Gospel. When we pause in our busy lives to offer comfort to a friend or even a stranger, we share the Gospel. When we join a Bible study or attend a retreat, we are sharing the Gospel with one another in that community. 

The newly baptized, whether infants or children or adults are welcomed "into the household of God. [to] Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood." All who are baptized into Christ (no matter what denomination) are part of one big family-one big community.

Living up to the “apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers” and living into the mandate of that prayer might seem overwhelming if we had to do it by ourselves, but we don’t. We are in a community of fellow believers that support us. As the old hymn says "Yes, we are the family of God; And He's brought us together To be one in Him That we might bring light to the world..." Over the next 4 weeks we’ll look at the other parts of the Covenant and how we support one another to live a Lively Faith in Lent and beyond.

Lively prayer gives us a way to “persevere in resisting evil, repent and return to the Lord.”Lively Study is the way we learn how to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.”Lively Action teaches us to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.”Lively Listening helps us hear the need as we “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”

Incidentally, there will be a retreat in El Paso on March 1-2 focusing on this topic of a Lively Lent that you are welcome to join if you are in the area. (http://varietiesofgifts.blogspot.com/p/whats-happening-in-drg-for-women.html)

*Episcopal Book of Common Prayer page 304 (http://bcponline.org/)