self portrait

This piece of art (Giovanni Boccaccio: 1313-1375) is interestingly entitled Marcia painting her self-portrait. 
The season of Lent is a good time to examine ourselves as we experience the tensions of being human, being mortal, but awaiting the effect of the resurrection of Easter to make us beings in-dwelt by eternity. In this in-between we must humbly reckon with what we are in order that we might hope to become what we will be. We must look honestly at ourselves to long all the more for what we shall be and to invite the "shall be" into the present. So the idea of this painting is fascinating to me. What would my self-portrait look like? How would I depict myself? Sometime ago I came across the idea of the FAE, the fundamental attribution error. This the propensity to excuse in myself what I condemn in others. Someone trips on the sidewalk and I consider them clumsy, I trip on the sidewalk and I mutter about the poor workmanship of those who built it with such unevenness that would cause a trip hazard! Or morally I excuse as understandable, as just a little slip up, that which I judge in others to be a pretty major moral failure. My Lenten self portrait should be accurate. So for some that means challenging the FAE. For some it means looking with new eyes at the "shall be" that is wondrously forming in light of Easter For some it means seeing the beauty and value of the one who is depicted but hadn't yet been admired and now notices behind her shoulder a Father who calls her beautiful.

St. Patrick

In preparation for the most important saints' day of the year - here again is the Lorica (otherwise known as the breastplate) of St. Patrick. Seriously - pray it daily through the weekend and during St. Patrick's Day!

Lorica of Saint Patrick (ca. 377)

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,

Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,

Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,

Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In service of archangels,

In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In the prayers of patriarchs,

In preachings of the apostles,

In faiths of confessors,

In innocence of virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God’s strength to pilot me;

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s wisdom to guide me,

God’s eye to look before me,

God’s ear to hear me,

God’s word to speak for me,

God’s hand to guard me,

God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to protect me,

God’s hosts to save me

From snares of the devil,

From temptations of vices,

From every one who desires me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,

Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom,

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through a confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation

Creation Groans

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but we also ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, even the redemption of the body. (Romans 8.22-23)

What a poignant term this is "groans." This personification of creation is such a lovely image of the camaraderie of the wait. Our fourth little grandchild was born on Sunday and while our daughter was in labour with her husband by her side and AnnaBeth with them in that holy place of a new person, a new image bearer entering the world; with the wonder of texting our whole family was weighing in with "it will be over soon" messages. And it was! The pain and groaning gave way to joyful weeping and gratitude.

Today we will travel alongside people who are groaning. We will walk through the groaning forest together. We will hear the aching groans of the trees and the earth beneath us. And as Lent walkers let's notice and encourage one another that "it will be over soon." Over now because of the present Kingdom. Over later because of the coming Kingdom. Over, because of Easter.

brooding

As we allow the Spirit of God to "brood" over our lives in the solemnity of Lent; as He shows us our frailty and excess; as He burns away the dross and cuts away the decay of our lives we find that He then begins His best work. The Creation account of Genesis 1 portrays a unformed or preformed mass of material and the Spirit hovering above ready to call into order that which was not. Then we have the wondrous drama of the emerging of all that is. And we hear that God saw that it was "good." So as we eagerly watch for signs of Spring may we also watch for signs of the Spirit in our lives. Let's look for the fresh new leaves which are the evidence that Lent has worked in us and for us as preparation for the Holy Spirit. As we slowly walk around in our skin let's stop to notice where that growth is occurring and water it with the Word of God while we commune with the Spirit of God asking the good questions "what is God saying to me here?" and "what am I doing about it?"

40

Why 40 days for Lent? 40 is a familiar number in the Scriptures. Moses was up on the mountain with no food or drink for 40 days and nights; the flood was of 40 days duration; the children of Israel were 40 years in the wilderness; Jesus' fast was 40 days and 40 nights. It seems to be a sacred span of time. A generation of human life in the Scriptures seems to be 40 years. Perhaps that is the meaning. Lent does indeed remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return and so the human life is a brief stay. How shall we seize the opportunity of this season to alert one another of the importance of using this brief sojourn to prepare for that which is across the Jordan, so to speak? What about some intentional conversations about mortality? How might we initiate some coffee shop sorts of dialogues along the lines of "have you given something up for Lent?"   

wilderness

The Temptation in the Wilderness
Briton Riviere (1840-1920)

The Hebrews writer reflects on Jesus' humanity: "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted." (Hebrews 2.17-18)

Yesterday at Southside we reflected on our humanness as fallen beings and our vulnerability to the areas of temptation first identified in the Garden of Eden and the mysterious "tree." Eve saw that the tree was "good for food"; that it was a "delight to the eyes"; and that the tree was "desirable to make one wise." The same three attractions -lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life are describe by the apostle John (1 John 2.16.) Richard Foster may have been the first to use the common language of "sex, money and power." Jesus resisted Satan in the wilderness in these three arenas. He was tested as to the appetite of the flesh, as to the possessions of the world and as to the raw power of mastering the whole world. This is the high priest who comes to our aid when we have the onslaught of temptation. In which area am I most at risk? In this Lent season how do I call on the aid of the One who was tested every way that I am, yet "without sin"?  

forbidden fruit

So what exactly happened in the Garden of Eden story of our fall from favour? In short we became, as my mother often said, "too big for our boots." We were created to live in fellowship with God, to know Him, to love Him, and to do His good pleasure. But there was a test. There was a tree. There was fruit. "Eat from any tree.. except.." Eve reportedly saw that the tree was good for food, that it was a delight to the eyes and desirable to make one wise, so she took some fruit and ate and  shared it with Adam. Later the Scriptures sum up our mortal sinfulness as succumbing to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life (a theology of what Eve saw.) As we travel this Lenten journey perhaps we need to assess which of the three is our current vulnerability. Are we tempted by sensual pleasure; by the advertising world's latest 'make us happy' product; by pride in the power and prestige that could be ours to put our name in the annals of historical accomplishment? The Lenten correction for these is the set of traditional disciplines of the church: chastity, poverty and obedience. Or a modern version of these: purity, accountability and simplicity.