Lenten Meditations: Saturday 21 March
Sat Mar 21 |
am: 87 pm: 90, |
Gen 47:27-48:7 | 1 Cor 10:1-13 | Mark 7:1-23 |
THE THIRD SATURDAY OF LENT: James the Confessor, Bishop, 868
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: An 8th Century Saint of the Oriental Church, He was a monk of the Studion monastery in Constantinople, and a disciple of St Theodore the Studite. As a bishop he was severely persecuted by the iconoclasts in the time of the Emperor Constantine Copronymus, enduring hunger, imprisonment and mocking. Known for his steadfastness and piety, he reminds us of the importance of standing firm in the faith when ridicule comes our way.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: The wisdom of Psalm 90 is a call to number our days. That is not easy for us to do. Sometimes we get a prompt as I did last year when faced with a life threatening medical condition. Perhaps some others reading this have faced the same or made a journey like this with a loved one.. It takes a while to work this out in one’s soul as well.. I have been reminded of the proverb that means, “Life is short, so live wisely.” This psalm, of course, is more than simply reconciling the facts of the days of our lives. . It is really about living fully as one of God’s own in the context of the people of God.
When one considers this Psalm as I have, you do have to get a grasp of the fact that life is short while at the same time coming to terms with the fact that the mercy and protection of God for His people are great. God is the home of His people: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” (v. 1). While God may in fact safeguard His people, we need not to take that or the days we are given for granted but rather live each day fully for Him.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “”The best theology is rather a divine life than a divine knowledge”—Bishop Jeremy Taylor
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Almighty God, teach me this day to number my days rightly . Show me that by living a holy, godly and just life is part of your plan for my life and that’s where we will find meaning.joy, peace and contentment in this life and the next. Amen
LENTEN DISCIPLINE – What are your special gifts or talents? List them. How are we tempted by arrogance or pride to use our gifts primarily for our own satisfaction or personal gain? Offer praise to God for your gifts. Give one dollar or Euro to the Suffering Church in South Sudan for each gift you listed