Listen below to Order of the Flame speaker and classical musician and vocalist Jean Watson speak about sharing her faith in a women’s prison.

And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.  ~ I Corinthians 13: 1-8a

 

What is your definition of love? How has this definition changed through the different seasons of your life? I John 4:8 tells us that, “God is love.” How does this truth fit with your definition of love?

What is the most annoying noise you can imagine? That’s how verse one describes people who have amazing spiritual gifts but haven’t learned how to love. Do you know anyone like this?

Verse two of this passage says that being loving ranks higher than some other pretty important things. What are they? What damage can be done if people exercise their spiritual gifts without love? Have you ever been the victim of this kind of person?

What, besides love, can motivate someone to give to the poor or sacrifice themselves? Take a moment to examine your motives and ask God to make them pure.

In what situations is it easy for you to love? In what situations do you struggle to love? What makes a person hard or easy to love?

Who loves you well? How do you know this person loves you? Take a few minutes to write this person a note, email or text thanking them for their love.

Who in your life would you like to love better? What keeps you from loving them well? What would need to change in you in order to love them well? Ask God to give you his love for this person.

Leave this quiet time in peace knowing that you are loved by God.

As we prepare to enter into the season of Lent, there is always a call to fasting.  That is one of the definitive features of this time of Lent.  It is a time to pull back from all the abundance of our life, particularly for those of us in the West, and to refocus ourselves upon God, on our great need for him, and on the mercy that he provides over and over again.

We see this call with the Ash Wednesday Service Liturgy within the United Methodist Church:

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church,

   to observe a holy Lent:

   by self–examination and repentance;

   by prayer, fasting, and self–denial;

   and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.

I’ve always had a little bit of an awkward relationship with Lent.  On one hand, I know that it’s necessary.  I know that we must repent of our sins, turn from them, refocus and shift our lives towards God.  We need this.

But for me, one of my key verses is Romans 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”  We repent because of the kindness of Christ. 

So Lent can leave me feeling a little uneasy.  We need to focus on sin. We need to focus on fasting and discipline.  We need to focus on our great need for God.

But we also need to remember that as much as we search for God, God is calling out for us.  We are loved.  We are valued. We are of sacred worth.

We fast to refocus.  But refocus on what?

Not our human frailty.

Not our human loss.

Not our human weakness.

We focus on the goodness of God.

The grace of God.

The love of God that does not beat us down or break us apart.

The love of God that does not make us feel inadequate or unworthy.  No, that’s not the love of God.

The love of God reminds us that we are made in his image. We are called by his name. We are him.

The love of God builds up.

We fast to clear away the noise and the pain and the hurt.  We fast to tune our hearts to his grace. We fast, even in the midst of our pain and brokenness, not to be torn down.

No, we fast to be built up.  To be reminded of what matters and where life is found. We fast so that our ears can properly hear that voice of God, calling out to us.

In this season of Lent, no matter where you find yourself, may we all commit to a holy Lent.  May we fast.  May we pray. And may we hear the voice of our God calling us back, once again, to the healing power of his love.

May this be for us all a holy Lent.

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40: 1-3

Are you in a comfortable place? Spend a few moments in silence.  Take a few deep breaths and feel your body begin to relax. When you feel your mind becoming quiet, offer a simple prayer to God, thanking him for his presence and inviting him to speak to you.

Waiting is hard work. Can you remember a time when you waited well? When have you struggled to wait? Take a few minutes to compare and contrast these experiences.

Or – are you waiting for the Lord right now? What are you waiting for God to do or say? What makes it hard to wait in this season? What things are comforting to you as you wait?

God gave us our imaginations. When used well, our imagination can help us to connect more deeply with him. Close your eyes and imagine God turning towards you. What do you see? What might God see?

If you were to cry out to God today, would it be through tears or in an angry voice? Perhaps you are crying out, trying to get God’s attention. Whichever form it takes, crying out is what begins our part of the conversation with God.

What conversation would you like to have with God right now?

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a slimy pit? Can you describe what that was like? How did you get there? Do you feel stuck right now?

David, the writer of this Psalm, describes the Lord lifting him out of a pit.  Notice, he did not say that God stood back and lectured him about being in the pit. He also did not have Amazon deliver a book describing how to get yourself out of a pit. In the same way a loving parent lifts a child from a crib, God lifts us from our pit.  What is your response to this rescue?

God wants to give you a new place to stand – on a firm rock. That’s a big improvement from mud and mire! What does it feel like to stand on a big, solid rock? When we are stuck in mud it’s hard to think about anything else. Standing on a steady thing gives us freedom. What will you do or be with your new-found freedom?

Offer a prayer to God. Thank him for his presence. Express your desire to experience God’s presence in an even deeper way.

Leave this quiet time in peace knowing that God is making you new.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.  – Luke 2:1-17

Mary and Joseph continued to have their lives interrupted by history. Very pregnant Mary finds herself on a donkey making the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. What would it mean for Mary to have her baby away from home?

As you celebrated Jesus’ birth by exchanging gifts, did you remember that God’s presence with us is the greatest gift we will ever receive? In what way might you receive the gift of God’s presence in crowded or hurried moments today?

Mary gave birth to Jesus in a barn or cave because no one would make room for them in the inn. These are people who refused to let Jesus’ birth interrupt their lives. What did they miss out on?

Has there been a time when you have refused to let Jesus interrupt your life? What were the consequences? Take a moment to remember a time in which you did allow Jesus to interrupt your life. What were the challenges? What were the blessings?

Have you noticed how King David’s name keeps popping up in this story? God is keeping a promise he made to David that his descendants would reign forever. God always keeps his promises. What promise are you holding onto today?

We have seen that when Jesus arrives, it often brings disruption and a change in plans. Offer a prayer to God surrendering your life and plans. Invite him to be God With You today and always.

Silent Night, holy night,

All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon virgin mother and child!

Holy Infant so tender and mild.

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Please enjoy this seasonal reflection that is part of our “Advent Classic” series, drawing on the riches of Christmas past that stay stowed away like favorite ornaments from one December to the next. – Elizabeth Glass Turner, Managing Editor: Wesleyan Accent

Less than two weeks ago I was in my office preparing for mid-week worship when the phone call came. “Kevin, your cousin was killed in an armed robbery this evening.” I felt numb. A young, educated man only thirty-six years old with a family and a promising future murdered in a senseless act.

I am perplexed, saddened, and confused. More like angry, distraught, and indignant.

We have witnessed on the world stage a slew of insensate acts of violence from terrorist attacks in Paris to police brutality in Chicago. In San Bernardino, California fourteen people were killed in another mass shooting. But aren’t we in the first season of the Christian year? Is Advent supposed to begin this way?

As unpopular as it may seem the reality of Advent is that it doesn’t need to occur in the best of circumstances. In fact, Jesus was born in the midst of terrorism and heinous acts against human life as King Herod terrorized the small town of Bethlehem having all male babies up to two years old killed. Yet, Jesus still came. Hope still emerged.

In the midst of the news reports and the extensive litanies of horrific news, Jesus is still present. Advent is still here.

I am teaching a series in our mid-week worship experience titled, “A Glimpse into Heaven” which tackles pressing questions about our life in heaven based on what the Scriptures present to us.

There is one chapter in Scripture that has continually brought comfort to my soul during this series. That is Revelation 5. In it, Jesus Christ takes the scroll from the hand of God that has written on it the lamentations and suffering of humanity. A forcible reminder that he is still Lord over all.

This Advent, I need Jesus to be more than a nativity baby in a manger. I need him to be God incarnate among us–the one who wipes away tears, consoles the broken-hearted, and brings healing to the nations.

I definitely need Jesus, and so do you.

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”  

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”  

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. – Luke 1:26-35; 38 

Imagine Mary, in her home one day, resting or working, when all of a sudden her whole life is turned upside-down. She is a young woman with her life planned – get married, have children, be a productive member of her community. What are the plans you have for your life? College, marriage, children, grandchildren, career? How would it feel to have them upended in a single moment? 

One of the first things the angel says to Mary is, “The Lord is with you.” This is the message of Christmas! God has come to be with us! When do you feel God with you?   

The angel also tells Mary to not be afraid. What do you think Mary might have been afraid of?  Imagine yourself as Mary, seeing the angel and hearing this news. What would your reaction have been? The angel told Mary some pretty incredible things! What do you think was the hardest to believe? Mary’s reply to this news is to ask, “How will this be?” What would your question have been? 

What kind of a man do you think Joseph was based on these verses? Would you have wanted him to marry your daughter or to be a part of your family in some way? Joseph, too, had an expectation for how he thought his life would unfold. In what ways were his plans disrupted? What effects would these events have on the rest of his life?  

The Christmas story, as told in the Bible, is full of people who are afraid but still chose to obey. How does God’s presence with us help us to obey even when we are afraid? 

Joy to the world! The Lord is come; 

Let earth receive her King; 

Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room, 

And heav’n and nature sing,  

And heav’n and nature sing,  

And heav’n and heav’n and nature sing 

Thank God for his presence. Express your feelings about following God despite your fear. 

Note from the Editor: Wesleyan Accent is happy to share a word from 2016 Order of the Flame speaker and evangelist and classical musician Jean Watson. 

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”  

And as they went, they were cleansed. 

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” – Luke 17:11-19 (NIV) 

I invite you today to spend a few moments in silence. Offer a prayer of thanks to God for all the places in which you experience community – church, family, your workplace.  Thank God for inviting you into community with him. You don’t have to stand at a distance!  

Slowly read through Luke 17:11-19. You may want to continue to imagine yourself as a person in the story. This week we will focus our attention on verse 14 of this passage: “When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed.” 

Even though these men stood at a distance, Jesus saw them. Jesus made a choice to see these men. He could have ignored their cries. No one would blame him for wanting to avoid their disease. Are you ever tempted to shift your gaze from things that are hard or messy?  

Jesus heals people in many different ways throughout the Gospels. Can you recall some of them? Jesus healed a blind man with a mixture of spit and dirt. A woman was healed just by touching his clothes. What does this variety say to you about how Jesus sees people?  

Unlike some of the other healing stories, these men weren’t immediately healed. “As they went” they were healed.  As they obeyed Jesus’ instruction, the healing began.  Has there been a time in your life when obedience was linked with healing? 

In the time when this event took place, a priest had the authority to give a person a clean bill of health and allow them re-entry into the community.  What, then, were the risks associated with Jesus’ instructions? 

“And as they went, they were cleansed.”  

This feels like a progression of obedience and healing. In what areas have you felt yourself being progressively cleansed by God? Is there an area in which you long for more cleansing? Ask God for that now. Perhaps you feel invited to follow the leper’s model and ask Jesus for pity.  

Thank God for the blessings of your day. Ask him for guidance as you live the rest of your day.  

Be at peace knowing that you are being made whole by Jesus.