2009 March | Seven whole days

Archive for March, 2009

Meditation for Monday in the second week of Lent

Posted March 9, 2009 Comments Off

But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Luke 6:27-28

Loving Lord, as I begin this journey into a prayer-filled life, please be with me—guarding and guiding. Protect me, O God, from all evil. Surround me with the light of Christ; cover me with the blood of Christ; seal me with the cross of Christ. This I ask in the name of Christ. Amen.

Prayer by Richard Foster

Meditation for the Second Sunday in Lent

Posted March 8, 2009 Comments Off

Jesus called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

Blessed sister, holy mother, spirit of the fountain, spirit of the garden, suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood. Teach us to care and not to care. Teach us to sit still, even among these rocks. Our peace in his will. And even among these rocks Sister, Mother, and spirit of the river, spirit of the sea. Suffer me not to be separated and let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer by T. S. Eliot. Photo by flickr user preciouskhyatt.

Meditation for Saturday in the first week of Lent

Posted March 7, 2009 Comments Off

“You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… Matthew 5:43-44

Grant me, O Lord, an understanding heart, that I may see into the hearts of thy people, and know their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and their despairs, their efforts and their failures, their need of love and their need to love. Through my touch with them grant comfort and hope and the assurance that now life begins at any age and on any day, redeeming the past, sanctifying the present and brightening the future with the assurance of thy unfailing love and grace brought to us in Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord.

Prayer by George Appleton, Oxford Book of Prayer. Photo by flickr user Shira Golding.

Meditation for Friday in the first week of Lent

Posted March 6, 2009 Comments Off

But if the wicked turn away from all their sins that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is lawful and right, they shall surely live; they shall not die. None of the transgressions that they have committed shall be remembered against them; for the righteousness that they have done they shall live. Ezekiel 18:21-22

Incline us O God! To think humbly of ourselves, to be saved only in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with the charity which we would desire from them ourselves.

Prayer by Jane Austen. Photo by flickr user The Wandering Angel.

Meditation for Thursday in the first week of Lent

Posted March 5, 2009 Comments Off

Then Queen Esther, seized with deadly anxiety, fled to the Lord. She took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfume she covered her head with ashes and dung… Esther 14:1-2a

Do not withhold from me, O my God, the best, the Spirit of your dear Son; that in that day when judgment is set I may be presented to you, not blameless, but forgiven, not effectual but faithful, not holy but persevering, without desert but accepted, because he has pleaded the cause of my soul, and redeemed my life.

Prayer by Eric Milner White

Meditation for Wednesday in the first week of Lent

Posted March 4, 2009 Comments Off

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Psalm 50:10

O God, I know that if I do not love Thee with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul and with all my strength, I shall love something else with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. Grant that putting Thee first in all my lovings I may be liberated from all lesser loves and loyalties, and have Thee as my first love, my chiefest good and my final joy.

Prayer by George Appleton, Oxford Book of Prayer. Photo by flickr user bill barber (very sporadic).

Meditation for Tuesday in the first week of Lent

Posted March 3, 2009 Comments Off

Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13

Dear Jesus, send your Spirit on us so that we will be taught to pray. Prayer is hard, requiring great effort, but when done, effortless. I confess I have never liked to pray. Prayer is too much like begging. So I have to pray that your generous Spirit will teach me to beg. I beg you to help all of us discover that our lives are constituted by prayer, so that we may be in your world one mighty, joyous prayer. Make us so rested by such prayer, so content to be your people, that we kill no more. Amen.

Prayer by Stanley Hauerwas, from Prayers Plainly Spoken. Photo by flickr user andrew chang.

Warren Buffett on the economy

Posted March 2, 2009 Comments Off

I’ve been trying to make sense of all the pundits and prognostications about our economy lately. Mostly I’ve suspected two things, which might seem contradictory. First, this is all worse than we might want it to be. We’re only getting started in financial woes. Second, this too shall pass. In another post, I’ll weigh in with my $.02 on the moral implications of all this (short version: our culture is getting a badly needed correction that will ultimately be good for us). Anyway, back to my current topic.

I ran across Warren Buffett’s annual letter to his shareholders today. This is a man I’d listen to over 5 Wall Street Journal columnists, 10 CNN talking heads, or 600 Fox News yappers. The letter, running to 22 pages, is well worth reading. For one thing, it’s funny. Financial wizards are not known for their humor, which makes that all the more delightful. For another thing, Buffett shows a remarkable transparency and honesty about his mistakes. One imagines that if there were more business leaders like him, we might not be in this mess. The letter is also clearly written, shuc that a finance novice like myself can understand it. Mostly though, I think this letter is helpful in terms of its analysis of our present situation and our prognosis.

Amid this bad news, however, never forget that our country has faced far worse travails in the past. In the 20th Century alone, we dealt with two great wars (one of which we initially appeared to be losing); a dozen or so panics and recessions; virulent inflation that led to a 21 1⁄ 2% prime rate in 1980; and the Great Depression of the 1930s, when unemployment ranged between 15% and 25% for many years. America has had no shortage of challenges. Read more »

Herbert Festivall Poetry — The Call

Posted March 2, 2009 Comments Off

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life :
Such a Way, as gives us breath :
Such a Truth, as ends all strife :
And such a Life, as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength :
Such a Light, as shows a feast :
Such a Feast, as mends in length :
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart :
Such a Joy, as none can move :
Such a Love, as none can part :
Such a Heart, as joyes in love.