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LENTEN DEVOTIONALS
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Why Musings?
- The Musings Page will be a place to consider thought-provoking, evocative, sometimes polemical but not overtly political, writings, quotes, ideas, and poetry on the Christian life in all its facets: spiritual, religious, ethical, and practical.
Lagniappe
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Let Justice Prevail – World Day of Prayer
posted on March 2, 2012 by Musings
World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service.
- It is a movement initiated and carried out by women in more than 170 countries and regions.
- It is a movement symbolized by an annual day of celebration – the first Friday of March – to which all people are welcome.
- It is a movement which brings together women of various races, cultures, and traditions in closer fellowship, understanding, and action throughout the year.
Through World Day of Prayer, women around the world
- affirm their faith in Jesus Christ
- share their hopes and fears, their joys and sorrows, their opportunities and needs
Through World Day of Prayer, women are encouraged
- to become aware of the whole world and no longer live in isolation
- to be enriched by the faith experience of Christians of other countries and cultures
- to take up the burdens of other people and pray with and for them
- to become aware of their talents and use them in the service of society
Through World Day of Prayer, women affirm that prayer and action are inseparable and both have immeasurable influence in the world.
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Filed under: Global, Prayer
DAY 8 – SEPTEMBER 11 REMEMBRANCE
posted on September 8, 2011 by Musings
The PC(USA) has designated a season of prayer in observance of the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. Romans 12:9-21 form the basis of our season of prayer. This passage sets forth the parameters for Christian life in a time of fear and violence, hatred and persecution. It also offers a compelling model for faithful Christian witness and response in our own day.
Below is a scripture passage, a short reflection, suggestions for action and a closing prayer. We particularly encourage you to consider the ideas for action and to share your thoughts, prayers and acts with us here on Musings.
SCRIPTURE
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18)
REFLECTION
How do you seek to “live peaceably with all”? Where is there conflict in your life and relationships? Where is there the need for reconcilation?
In what sense do you bear responsibility or share accountability for war and violence?
What actions might you take to promote peace and reconciliation in your community or in the larger world?
ACTION
Make a list of places in the world (including places in our own nation) that are beset by violence and conflict. Pray by name for these situations and the people they affect over the coming days or weeks.
Write a letter to your senator or congressional representative expressing your hopes or desires for peace in a particular situation of conflict or war.
PRAYER
God of peace, we know that all things are possible for those who trust in you. Show us the things that make for peace and teach us—like the lion and lamb— the ways of your peaceable kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Filed under: Prayer
DAY 4 – SEPTEMBER 11 REMEMBRANCE
posted on September 4, 2011 by Musings
The PC(USA) has designated a season of prayer in observance of the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. Romans 12:9-21 form the basis of our season of prayer. This passage sets forth the parameters for Christian life in a time of fear and violence, hatred and persecution. It also offers a compelling model for faithful Christian witness and response in our own day.
Below is a scripture passage, a short reflection, suggestions for action and a closing prayer. We particularly encourage you to consider the ideas for action and to share your thoughts, prayers and acts with us here on Musings.
SCRIPTURE
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. (Romans 12:13-14)
REFLECTION
Who are the “saints” you have encountered in life? Who are the “strangers”?
In what ways does your congregation “contribute to the needs of the saints” and “extend hospitality to strangers”? How might you enhance or expand these ministries?
Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). What might it mean to “bless those who persecute you”?
ACTION
Make a contribution to a charitable organization, or find another way to serve someone in need.
Seek out an opportunity to show hospitality or welcome to a stranger—particularly someone from another culture or country.
PRAYER
God of every blessing, you have claimed us as your own and provide for our needs with the abundance of your grace. Open our hearts and hands to provide for the needs of others and to welcome the lost and the least; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Filed under: Prayer
DAY 2 – SEPTEMBER 11 REMEMBRANCE
posted on September 2, 2011 by Musings
The PC(USA) has designated a season of prayer in observance of the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. Romans 12:9-21 form the basis of our season of prayer. This passage sets forth the parameters for Christian life in a time of fear and violence, hatred and persecution. It also offers a compelling model for faithful Christian witness and response in our own day.
Below is a scripture passage, a short reflection, suggestions for action and a closing prayer. We particularly encourage you to consider the ideas for action and to share your thoughts, prayers and acts with us here on Musings.
SCRIPTURE
Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10)
REFLECTION
Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). How might we, as the church, become a community of people known in the world by our love?
What makes for “mutual affection”? What does this kind of love require?
How do you show honor to another person—particularly a person who holds different values and beliefs, or with whom you may disagree?
ACTION
Go out of your way to show honor to someone who may be despised or unloved, or with whom you have strong differences of opinion or belief.
PRAYER
God of all honor and glory, who are we that you are mindful of us? Yet you have made us all in your image and have crowned us with glory and honor. Teach us to honor one another as the work of your hands and the breath of your Spirit— all for your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Filed under: Healing, Prayer
Eleven Days of Prayer- Remembering September 11
posted on August 31, 2011 by Musings
This year we will observe the tenth anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001—when terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. killed thousands and precipitated a “War on Terror” that has now spanned a decade and circled the globe. The PC(USA) has designated a season of prayer in observance of this anniversary. Material will be posted on the Musings blog beginning Thursday September 1 and running through September 11. Each day there will be a scripture passage, a short reflection, suggestions for action or how you might live out the scripture passage and a closing prayer. We particularly encourage you to consider the ideas for action and to share your thoughts, prayers and acts with us here on Musings.
The prayers will be based on the Lectionary epistle reading for Sunday, August 28, 2011—Romans 12:9-21. This passage from Paul’s letter to the church at Rome sets forth the parameters for Christian life in a time of fear and violence, hatred and persecution. It also offers a compelling model for faithful Christian witness and response in our own day—a time no less fraught with conflict, anxiety, and suspicion among neighbors and nations. The full reflection can be found at Eleven Days of Prayer.
First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport will mark this tragic event by participating in an ecumenical Service of Peace and Hope at 5:00 p.m. on September 11 in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Shreveport. We and five other Highland area churches, including St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Noel United Methodist, St. John Berchmans, Church for the Highlands, and First Baptist, will be joining their respective choirs and ministers to lead this hour-long service of anthems, hymns, scripture, Taizé, instrumental music, prayers, and a meditation by our pastor Pen Peery. All are invited to attend this moving time of reflection as we gather together as worshipping congregations.
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Filed under: Healing, Prayer
Mystery
posted on June 19, 2011 by Musings
Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday. Frederick Buechner writes that “The much maligned doctrine of the Trinity is an assertion that, appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, there is only one God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit mean that the mystery beyond us, the mystery among us, and the mystery within us are all the same mystery. Thus the Trinity is a way of saying something about us and the way we experience God.”
Through out the centuries, defining the Mystery Within Us has challenged us. Jesus says, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
The church, from its earliest days, in the face of the great mystery has always prayed “Come, Holy Spirit.” Below are the words from the Veni Sancte Spiritus, sometimes called the “Golden Sequence,” a sequence prescribed in the Roman Liturgy for the Masses of Pentecost and the following days. Accompanying the Veni is a contemporary prayer by Kevin Hart that echoes our want of the Holy Spirit to be real in our lives. 
Join the conversation as we consider the following questions:
How do we understand this mystery?
What does it mean for the Spirit to blow through the church?
Does Spirit blowing through the church require a change in our identity and understanding of our mission?
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Filed under: Faith, Prayer
A Call to Prayer
posted on February 14, 2011 by Musings
Presbyterians for Renewal and the Covenant Network of Presbyterians have issued a joint statement called “Call to Prayer to the PCUSA.” The text of the statement follows the prayer that they invited us to join:
Most gracious God, we humbly pray for your Church. Fill it with all truth; in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purge it; where it is in error, direct it; where anything is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen and confirm it; where it is in want, furnish it; where it is divided, heal it, and unite it in your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
[from the Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland (first line adapted)]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace. The 219th General Assembly again put before the PC (USA) an amendment regarding ordination standards. Following the 218th General Assembly (2008), an amendment to delete G-6.0106b was supported by 78 presbyteries and defeated by 91. Presbyterians from across the country and across the theological spectrum acknowledged that deliberations were more respectful and less antagonistic, but there is a weariness with this debate on all sides.
Presbyteries are already considering the current amendment with new language about ordination standards. While we who serve in the leadership of Presbyterians for Renewal and the Covenant Network of Presbyterians do not agree on the desired outcome of this overture, we can find agreement in the hope that elders and clergy within the presbyteries of the PC (USA) will engage in this new round of deliberations in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3). It is our intent to witness to the reconciling love of Christ, even and especially when we disagree.
http://pcusa-oga.typepad.com/mod/2010/10/a-call-to-prayer.html
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The Problems and the Promises of Waiting
posted on February 3, 2011 by Musings
Dr. Robert R. (Rocky) Laha, Jr. served as the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport from 1997-2006. Below is an excerpt and a link to the sermon Rocky preached on January 30, 2011 at The Old Presbyterian Meeting House, Alexandria, Virginia after the death of his son, Rob.
Psalm 130; Romans 8:18-‐27, 31-‐39
I stand here before you today to tell you that what you have heard all of your life is true, there is nothing worse than the loss of one’s own child. I am well acquainted with death. I have experienced the death of countless numbers of people over the years-‐ some old, some young, some well‐known, others less so‐ and I can tell you that each and every one of them was dearly loved by their families, their churches, and by me, their pastor. I have also experienced the death of most of my family members -grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and numerous cousins. I dug the graves of my mother and my father and laid them to rest with my own hands. But in terms of their effects on me, there is not a one of those deaths or burials that can compare to the death of my son, Rob. It feels as though something or someone has reached into my chest and torn my heart into pieces.
……….
The full text of the sermon can be found at The Problems and Promises of Waiting
In memoriam: Robert R. Laha III; February 1, 1979 – December 19, 2010
A memorial was held on February 1, 2011 at Centenary College. The program, which includes more on Rob’s life, can be found at Rob Laha Memorial
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Filed under: Faith, Healing, Prayer
Speaking for the Soul
posted on January 14, 2011 by Musings
The following is a portion of a reflection on the shootings in Tucson by Diana Butler Bass
Sunday January 9 is the day on which many Christians celebrate the Baptism of Jesus: “When Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’” Jesus’ baptism in water symbolizes life, the newness that comes of cleansing. But there is a darker symbol of baptism in American history: that of blood. In 1862, Episcopal bishop Stephen Elliot of Georgia said, “All nations which come into existence . . . must be born amid the storm of revolution and must win their way to a place in history through the baptism of blood.” Baptism as water? Baptism as blood? Baptism accompanied by a dove or baptism accompanied by the storm of revolution?
American Christianity is deeply conflicted, caught between two powerful symbols of baptism, symbols that haunt our political sub-consciousness. To which baptism are we called? Which baptism does the world most need today? Which baptism truly heals? Do we need the water of God, or the blood of a nine-year old laying on a street in Tucson? The answer is profoundly and simply obvious. We need redemption gushing from the rivers of God’s love, not that of blood-soaked sidewalks.
If we don’t speak for the soul, our silence will surely aid evil.
Read the full reflection at http://blog.sojo.net/2011/01/11/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-speaking-for-the-soul/
Diana Butler Bass is an author who explores the dimensions of religion and spirituality in today’s world. http://www.dianabutlerbass.com/
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Filed under: Community, Faith, Prayer
Tucson
posted on January 13, 2011 by Musings
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.–Matthew 2: 16
The Christmas season ends, at least for Matthew, not with wise men paying homage to the new born King and angels praising God but with the Flight into Egypt and the Slaughter of the Innocents. How we wish it were not so; how we wish, as Frederick Buechner wrote in one of our Musings posts, we could tame Christmas and reduce “it to an occasion we feel at home with, at best a touching and beautiful occasion, at worst a trite and cloying one.” But with a clear eye, Buechner warns us that the Incarnation is not tame or beautiful; it is “unthinkable darkness riven with unbearable light…a wrenching and tearing of the very sinews of reality itself.” With such eyes, we see that “it is the Resurrection and the Life Mary holds in her arms. It is the bitterness of death he takes at her breast.”
When the wise men ask Herod “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?”, Matthew tells us Herod was frightened, and not just Herod but “all Jerusalem with him,” which is to say, all of us with him. Out of fear and hate, Herod and Jerusalem finally have their way with Jesus on Good Friday. But by the grace of God, the “unthinkable darkness” does not have the last word. God raises Jesus from the dead, overcoming sin and death on our behalf and freeing us forever from fear.
We do not have words to explain events like the shootings in Tucson this past weekend or any of the other horrors visited on this world by senseless violence, fear, hate and death. We can only confess that violence, fear, hate, and death are not the last words; that through our risen Lord, the final words are love, reconciliation, life, and peace.
This truth we confess gives us hope but does not lessen the pain and loss we suffer from these devastating acts. Heavenly Father, we pray for the victims of this tragedy and for their families. Give them healing and strength and embrace them in your loving arms. We pray for healing for our nation and wisdom for our leaders that they may act in ways that unite us rather than divide us in these difficult days. Make each of us agents of your reconciliation. With Christians in all times and places, we pray Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
