St. Michael and All Angels
We seek to be a light of Christ in the community, where all are welcome to experience God's love and blessings.

February 28, 2021 - Second Sunday in Lent

How does scripture lead and interact with your life?

If you were with us last week, I thought it would be interesting if during this Lenten season, it would be interesting to explore some of the spiritual practices, or spiritual disciplines, that can help us focus on our humanity, devote some time to self-reflection, and practice turning towards Jesus, who waits for us on the cross on Good Friday. Last week, I talked about self-examination and prayer based upon the lectionary readings from Psalm 51 and Psalm 29.

Many of you know the story of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32). To recap: In the story, a father has two sons. The younger son asks for his portion of the inheritance from his father, who grants his son’s request. This younger son is prodigal (spending money or resources freely and recklessly), and squanders his fortune; he eventually becomes destitute. As a result, he returns home empty-handed with the intent to beg his father to accept him back as a servant. To the younger son’s surprise, he is not scorned by his father but is welcomed back with a celebratory party. The older son is envious and refuses to participate in the festivities. The father tells the older son, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”

At various times in my life, I’ve found that I identify with different characters in the story. When I was a high school graduate moving off to college, I felt like that younger son in a way. And I did move back, where my parents welcomed me back with open arms. But at times, I’ve watched other families where a sibling who didn’t deserve a second chance get one, and I think about being the older son. And then there are times when I’ve experienced the joy of that father welcoming the “lost child” home to the nest. 

We all have things in our lives that shift in meaning over time, or things in our lives towards which our attitudes change. Did you like coffee when you were six years old? How about now? Our tastes, skills, and relationships change and develop over time with experience and practice. But we need to spend time with something on a consistent basis for its true potential to develop in our lives.

This is just as true with our relationship with God. We need to give that relationship time and attention through self-examination and prayer. But our relationship with God needs time and attention through scripture as well, just as our relationship with others needs time and attention through communication and care.

What does it mean in our second reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans that “the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith” (Rm 4:13)? We think of all the “you shall not”s but the purpose of scripture is not condemnation. Scripture is not simply a list of do’s and don’ts. When we think of the Bible as only one thing, we minimize its value for our lives.

Friends, scripture is life-giving and life-sustaining. It is not a quick-fix or fad diet; rather studying it is a lifestyle change. There is beauty and grace in the midst of it, even when it’s really difficult. In today’s psalm, the psalmist writes (in verse 25) of the poor eating and being satisfied. We can think of ourselves as those poor, who partake of scripture and are satisfied. With time and consistency, scripture helps us to fill our lives, to be nourished, and to grow. 

As we grow and are strengthened by meditating on the scripture, we can learn to find OUR story within it. All of our triumphs and screw-ups are in the Bible. It isn’t just an ancient, irrelevant collection of texts. Because God has chosen to be present to us through scripture, when we read, study, and meditate on scripture, our lives are sustained.

So how can we actually learn more about scripture and grow? Our Lenten  Micropractices gave a suggestion on day 1 about a prayer method called Daily Examen. Lectio Divina is a scriptural reading practice which is simple in practice but can be as involved as you wish to make it. It consists of three simple steps, which are all about our commitment to them. This isn’t a method where you will suddenly learn to interpret the scriptures, but a technique in which you open your mind to hearing God speak through the scriptures.

Start by making sure you are sitting comfortably. Breathe slowly and deeply. Ask God to speak to you through the passage that you are about to read. This is a way of praying that starts with our silence. We often make the mistake of thinking prayer is about what we say to God; it is actually the other way round. God wants to speak to us, and will do this through the Scriptures, so don’t worry about what to say. Don’t worry if nothing jumps out at you at first. God is patient and will wait for the opportunity to get in, giving you a word and leading you to understand its meaning for you today. 

We read the scriptural passage three times. The first time through, LISTEN. As you read the passage listen for a word or phrase that attracts you. Allow it to arise from the passage as if it is God’s word for you today. Sit in silence repeating the word or phrase in your head. Then say the word or phrase aloud. 

The second time through, PONDER. As you read the passage again ask how this word or phrase speaks to your life and why it has connected with you. Ponder it carefully. Don’t worry if you get distracted – it may be part of your response to offer it to God. Sit in silence and then frame a single sentence that begins to say aloud what this word or phrase says to you. 

The third time through, PRAY. As you read the passage for the last time ask what Christ is calling from you. What is it that you need to do or consider or relinquish or take on as a result of what God is saying to you in this word or phrase? In the silence that follows the reading pray for the grace of the Spirit to plant this word in your heart. 

zToday’s action questions:

  1. How do we make sure that we are committing to growing our interaction with scripture?
  2. What would it be like if reading scripture became an ongoing conversation for us and not just something we do every so often?
  3. Are you making daily space in your life for scripture?
  4. What daily rhythm or practice can you do to begin practicing this more in your own life? Would an alarm set once a day to read one Bible verse help you? 
  5. What does it look like for us as a community to begin helping one another to become dedicated and stronger in our understanding of scripture?