By Ann Hostetler, Goshen College English professor
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions God’s promise to the 100-year-old Abraham, to make him exceedingly fruitful, came as a surprise—even more so since his 90-year-old wife was to be his partner in fruitfulness. A promise for fruitfulness can sound equally implausible in Northern Indiana at the end of February. Just when you’ve had it with snow gusts and sub-zero windchill, the Lenten season arrives—and you face another six weeks of winter, accompanied by a call to renunciation. Yet somewhere under all that snow, the seeds of summer wildflowers are preparing with a deep chill to bloom in the spring. And somewhere, in another climate zone, oranges are ripening. A chosen Lenten practice can create space for listening to God’s presence in our lives—if we can only trust the promise enough to pause in our daily routine to connect with God’s abundance. The other night I was driving through snow, hearing the wind whistling around my car, to pick up pizza for the editorial board of Red Cents, the literary arts magazine published by the English Department. I was thinking about the paradox of fruitfulness in winter. And then I discovered it in the situation itself. My students were giving freely of their dinner time to harvest the abundance of student creativity. When I arrived at Newcomer Center—a long, cold walk away from their cozy dorm rooms—with the warm pizza, the students were gathered in a circle, each reading a selection of other students’ writing, giving it their full attention. Each of the writers had paused in their daily lives to channel a creative impulse. Each of the readers had paused to connect with the writing that impulse produced. If we pause to experience the presence of God in our lives, we can connect with the source of fruitfulness in any season.
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By Becky Horst, Goshen College registrar
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions Last Saturday morning I filled my husband’s weekly pill dispenser with the 15 different kinds of medicine he needs to take because of his heart transplant in 2011. A stab of panic struck when I found only two pills left in one of his two most important medicines. He must take this medicine every day for the rest of his life to stave off rejection of the transplanted heart. Because the prescription had no refills left, we had requested a new one two weeks ago, but I now realized that we hadn’t received the pills in the mail as expected. What went wrong? It was a weekend. Could we really get more medicine by Monday? You would think that after four years of exercising my “trust muscle” while dealing with my husband’s rare heart ailment, trust in God would come easily to me. But too often my first impulse in a crisis is still panic rather than trust. Psalm 25 begins with the very words I needed: “To you, O LORD I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust.” These are the words we all need as we begin each day. God is worthy of our trust because “all the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness.” Steadfast love and faithfulness are the hallmarks of the character of God, and God cultivates those virtues in us as we seek God’s paths. With five phone calls last Saturday morning, the medicine we needed was waiting at our local pharmacy. And my “trust muscle” grew a little stronger. SCRIPTURE: Psalm 25:1-10 (NRSV) Prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance of David. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. By Jim Brenneman, Goshen College president
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions Floods, snowstorms, earthquakes and other natural disasters are no respecter of persons, flora or fauna. The innocent and guilty, young and old, saint and sinner, wild boar and pet dog, all and without distinction, get swept up in the floods of life. And yet, we all know that almost always there are the “lucky ones” who escape with life and limb. For the survivors, life begins anew. The Bible’s flood story invites us to consider both sides of natural disasters, or, as they are sometimes called, “acts of God.” What does it mean when we happen to be among those protected in the ark? Or among those who, indiscriminately, perish? The biblical writer, at first, argues that the flood was due to the fact that “the wickedness of humans was great on the earth and the inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). Later, the writer, using identical language, argues that the survivors after the flood were, in the end, just as corrupt as those annihilated by the flood (8:21). In an upside down and inside out sort of way, the survivor most changed by the flood seems to be God. In a beautiful spirit of divine contrition, God promises never to resort to such an all-consuming act of punishment ever again (9:11). God decides to make a new covenant with Noah and his family, with all creatures great and small, and with all future generations, too (9:12). Thousands of generations later, St. Peter suggests that God remained consistent with God’s forgiving, expansive, all-encompassing covenant with Noah and all creatures of the earth by offering an even more sweeping covenant through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (1 Pet. 3:18-22). The rainbow rising from the flood, then or now, sky-writes a sign of permanent warning that to blame victims of natural disasters as somehow deserving of their fate slanders “the everlasting covenant” made by God with “every living creature of all flesh” to never again make that judgment, ever. The rainbow rising from Lenten floods also proclaims that God, whose love is revealed in Christ, notices every wild sparrow that falls, grieves the loss of every family pet, abides with us through every heartache and defeat, and promises an Easter morning at the end of every rainbow. SCRIPTURE: Genesis 9:8-17 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’ 1 Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. By Bob Yoder, Goshen College campus pastor
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions In the early centuries, Lent was primarily a time for Christian converts to make their final, intensive preparation for baptism. It is still a season of renewal through reflection on the life of Jesus, and then especially during Holy Week on his suffering and sacrifice. The 40 days of Lent remind us of Jesus’s time in the wilderness. Matthew and Luke indicate that Jesus was “led” by the Spirit, whereas Mark uses the dramatic verb “drove.” Matthew and Luke say that Jesus was “famished” after not eating anything during that time; Mark is silent about this. All three Gospels indicate that the devil or Satan tempted Jesus. I do not know what it is like to fast from food for 40 days. A mentor of mine engaged in a series of 14 to 30-plus day fasts over a period of years in response to God’s healing in his life. The best that I did was several three to five day fasts. Though the hunger pangs subsided and I was a bit “light-headed” at times, I was not “famished.” I have, however, been “emotionally wiped out,” and recognize when I am more prone to temptation or falling short of my ideals. I wonder what it was like for Jesus to be hungry, alone in the wilderness (except for the wild beasts), and then face temptation? How would I have responded in that situation? But one part of this story that I find most interesting is that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit. Mark says it more forcefully that the Spirit drove Jesus there! Somehow I missed the whole “being driven into the wilderness” as one of the fruits of the Spirit that Paul addresses in Galatians. I wonder what that was all about. Nevertheless, am I able to confess that God is my salvation when I find myself in those famished moments? When I have been led where I otherwise would not want to be? As I set out on these forty days of Lent, may I be reminded every day that God indeed is my salvation, even when I feel upside down and inside out. PRAYER: God of my salvation, guide me in the paths of what you require, granting me mercy and patience when I feel famished from life’s realities. Amen. SCRIPTURE: Mark 1:12-13 The Temptation of Jesus And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. By Gwen Gustafson-Zook, minister of worship at Goshen College
Reprinted from Advent Devotions DEVOTIONAL: Praise God from whom all blessing flow, praise God all creatures here below. Praise God above ye heavenly hosts! Praise Father (and Creator and Mother), Son (Redeemer and Friend) and Holy Ghost (Sustainer and Comforter)! Hallelujah Amen! The sound rang through the chapel at Newcomer Center on the Goshen College campus very early Sunday morning, Nov. 16, 2014. Gathered in this space shortly after 1 a.m. were about 100 people: students, faculty, staff, community members, young and old, liberal and conservative. For the 30 hours prior to this final song, a small group of students sang straight through “Hymnal: A Worship Book,” the Mennonite and Church of the Brethren hymnal, taking time to sing every verse of every song, 658 songs in total. The group was bolstered by 300 additional singers from the Goshen College community who came and went at all hours of the day and night, singing as they were able, stopping by to drop off food and hot drinks, adding donations to support the global peacemaking work of Christian Peacemaker Teams. The singers made their way to the Advent/Christmas section of the hymnal in the darkness of the early morning on Saturday, Nov. 17. Extra students groggily rose from their slumber to make their way across campus to join in the singing of the Advent and Christmas section as soon as the texts and emails went out informing peers that “Christmas is about to begin!” Into the darkness of the morning hours they came and they sang “Come, thou long expected Jesus,” “Comfort, Comfort O my People,” and “‘Twas in the moon of wintertime.” And while it was still dark and cold, the weary singers joined their voices and proclaimed: “To Us a Child of Hope is Born!” Into a cold and dark world, may we all find the courage, the conviction and the resourcefulness to venture forth into the night and add our voices to the peace-filled chorus of love that calls to us anew each Christmas. Thank you for joining with the Goshen College community through this season of Advent. We wish each of you many moments filled with hope and light as you live into the full meaning of the incarnation in these days. Join us again in February as Goshen College students, faculty and staff offer daily reflections in the days and weeks leading up to Easter. And in the meantime, sing on! SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:22-40 (NRSV) Jesus Is Presented in the Temple When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’ There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. The Return to Nazareth When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him. By Andrew Pauls, a sophomore at Goshen College
Reprinted from Advent Devotions DEVOTIONAL: Think back to those days when you were young. Those days when your biggest responsibility was choosing what bedtime story Mom should read, and the thing you dreaded most was the steamed broccoli that Dad insisted you eat to “make you big and strong.” Or perhaps you didn’t grow up in such a privileged setting, and the situation I described was something you dreamt of, but never had. If you did grow up in such a home, imagine you hadn’t. Imagine you had no concept of what it is like to be cared for by anyone or held in the arms of a father or a mother. Imagine not having a home, moving from place to place, and never having anyone show you love. No one to read to you, tell you to eat your broccoli, and no one to hold you when you hurt. Imagine that someone came along and showed you for the first time what it meant to be loved and comforted. This is what the Galatians passage describes. Instead of being sent from place to place, Christ is our home, and we cry to him “Abba, Father.” Christ is born as both a child and a father, adopting us as his children. He shows us love and teaches us how to love. Christ adopts us into the family of God so we may be, as the hymn states, “no more a stranger nor a guest, but like a child at home.” SCRIPTURE: Galatians 4:4-7 (NRSV) But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. By Rose Shetler, director of annual giving and operations manager at Goshen College
Reprinted from Advent Devotions DEVOTIONAL: The excitement at Christmas was always palpable when our children were young. As we each took turns selecting a gift from under the tree, they watched with anticipation to see the mystery revealed beneath the wrapping. What fun for both givers and receivers alike during the joyful exchange! One gift stands out in my memory. The contents of that particular box brought shouts of glee from all four children, but our second son, age eight, was especially animated. He raced through the house, down the stairs and back up. He jumped into my arms exclaiming, “thank you, thank you!” Then, pumping his fists, he ran around the room again, whooping, hollering and leaping. I have the photos and video that captured his exuberance! And I can tell you, his parents received as much joy in the giving as he did in the receiving. What a guy, what unbridled joy, and what a memory! “Oh, That You Would Reveal Your Mystery” has been our Advent theme, and at last this week, the waiting is over! God’s glory is revealed, and all creation shouts for joy. With the psalmist in today’s text we cry over and over, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” The call to praise is first shouted to the highest heights, the heavens and everything above the earth. Then all things on the earth and under the earth are commanded to praise the Lord. Finally, all peoples are given the exhortation – rulers and children, young and old, women and men – no one is excluded in the joyful celebration. God’s beauty is revealed: Christ the Savior is born! We all join in jubilant praise, and rejoice together! SCRIPTURE: Psalm 148 (NRSV) Praise for God’s Universal Glory Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord! By Jo-Ann Brant, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy at Goshen College
Reprinted from Advent Devotions DEVOTIONAL: The date of this Advent meditation posting, December 22, is the anniversary of my birth. My birthday has forever been fused with the celebration of Christmas, in part, because December 22 was often the day my parents reserved for decorating our Christmas tree. I cannot read these words from Isaiah without applying them to that tree. The garlands, lights and ornaments with which I adorned it signified my delight in Christ’s birth and awaken a deep-seated joy in my own existence as a God given gift. Whatever the origins of the Christmas tree, its meaning for me is unambiguous. Its evergreen branches signify the promise of eternal life. It is the occasion to sing glad tidings of joy to the world. Its lights reflect God’s glory, the light of the world. The star at the top, its crown of splendor, is that herald of the birth of Zion’s savior. The Christmas tree, like these words of Isaiah, is an unrestrained expression of joy in anticipation of God’s vindication. Especially in the upper reaches of the Northern Hemisphere where the landscape can seem barren and shows signs everywhere of death and decay, the Christmas tree, like the bride and groom in Isaiah, signifies God’s promise of eternal life. Like the Israelites in the aftermath of the Babylonian exile, we may look about us and see the world as a dreary, bleak place and not at all the glorious restoration of creation promised earlier in Isaiah. We are still waiting for lambs to lay down with lions and swords to be beaten into ploughshares. In our increasingly secular society, it seems ever less likely that the nations will recognize God’s reign, ever more improbable that vindication will come. But as I gaze upon my tree and my soul rejoices in God, I know that just as the garden in which I planted fall seed and bulbs will bring forth shoots in the spring, God’s promise is true and God’s righteousness is constant. SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3 (NRSV) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. The Vindication and Salvation of Zion For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. By Hillary Harder, a senior at Goshen College
Reprinted from Advent Devotions DEVOTIONAL: Lately I have found myself thinking a lot about Mary. The Virgin, sweet and mild, holy and pure, the mother of God. She is praised in countless songs and hymns, depicted in art of all time periods and styles, and revered across the globe. As the Virgin of Guadalupe, for example, she acts as the patron saint of Mexico, offering strength, comfort and a sense of identity to Mexican people. Mary is one of few women featured in the Bible, and has provided a welcome space for the empowerment of women in the biblical narrative. But underneath all this, who is Mary? What is most notable about her – her youth, her poverty, her virginity? I find myself grasping for a glimpse of a real, human woman. The lofty standard of both virgin and mother is one that women can never achieve, and can sometimes create an unrealistic ideal of womanhood. I can’t help but wonder whether Mary was more than a little perplexed by the angel Gabriel’s announcement: whether she felt fear, disbelief, or even resentment. In other words, I struggle to find a sign that Mary is someone to whom I can relate. Yet in the face of my doubt, the text offers hints of what I am seeking. The writer takes care to note Mary’s confusion, followed by deep thought. And her initial reaction is human enough, wondering about the logistics of a virgin pregnancy. Upon closer examination, the human aspects of Mary make her resounding “yes” to God’s call that much more remarkable. What is most notable about Mary – the virgin engaged to Joseph, the young girl from Galilee – is her unflinching faith. Her profound offering of herself as a servant of God will, as we know, later be followed by a subversive and hopeful vision of the future, the Magnificat. It’s true, Mary is no ordinary woman. But she does show a powerful example of how a human life can be offered to serve God. May we honor Mary for this extraordinary act of faith. SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:26-38 (NRSV) The Birth of Jesus Foretold In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. By Deb Brubaker, professor of music
DEVOTIONAL: I enjoy reading mystery novels. My mind is tantalized by the myriad clues and possibilities inherent in a seemingly unsolvable situation. But at some point in the reading, I grow restless. I want to know the answer to the mystery, and I want to know it now. So I confess, I go to the end of the book and read the last page. Then having satisfied myself with the knowledge of the plot’s direction, I read the clues and their development in a clearer way. Our lives can exhibit a similar desire for clarity. In times of confusion or stress, we cry to God for immediate information. We want to read the last page of our own existence and know that it all turns out well. We want the answers to our struggles, so we can know that they are worth our efforts, and with that knowledge live more easily. In Paul’s letter to the Gentiles in Rome, he ends with an expansive doxology, speaking of the revelation of a mystery formerly kept secret. That revelation is Jesus Christ, who combines both glory and humanity, who loves us in spite of and because of ourselves. The end page of our mystery is already known to us. God has revealed God’s truest self in the figure of Jesus. As a child King, as a living sacrifice, His life of supreme love is both mystery and revelation, all wrapped up together. SCRIPTURE: Romans 16:25-27 (NRSV) Final Doxology Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever! Amen. |
Chad Hill
Pastor, Allen-Lee CategoriesArchives
April 2015
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