Reflection for Thursday, March 6 from Pastor Wes

The Lenten journey or personal reflection is, of course, a personal one, but spirituality is inherently about community. Even in this reflection today there are no less than five of us gathered...you, me, and our Triune God. But then there are also the heavenly hosts. Angels. Saints. Ancestors. Though we may often feel alone, we are never truly alone.

Today as you practice prayer in your daily life, remember that even as you share your prayers with God or Jesus, many others are participating and “listening in.” An entire spiritual realm cheers you on and seeks your good--the book of Hebrews all but promises that this is so! These days we are rather accustomed to people “listening in.” Google, Amazon, Apple, and probably many more use the technology that surrounds us to gather data about us, sell us products, or anticipate our needs in helpful ways. But the “listening in” that occurs in the Sacred realm of our prayers is free from the greed of capitalism. It is only a “listening in” that is for your good. The Spirit and saints “listen in” to join you in prayer, and even to pray on your behalf when you cannot find the words. (Romans 8:26-27)

So, as we close our week focused on prayer, don’t worry! Even when you struggle to pray or don’t know how to pray, prayer is happening. You are not never alone. Hold on to that assurance as you pray...and if you have no words today, feel free to sit in silence and know that the heavenly hosts are praying on your behalf.

Reflection for Thursday, March 5 from Pastor Wes

For many, one of the best ways to connect with God in prayer is to be in nature. This week in St. Louis we have been experiencing some of the first few days of more spring-like temperatures. It seems like even the weather knows that Saturday night is the end of winter’s Standard Time. Since today’s weather is supposed to be so mild and sunny, I encourage you to consider a Prayer Walk or Walking Prayer.

You can do this anywhere. The idea is that you simply take a walk and pray as you are walking. Here are some ways you can get out, enjoy the weather, and pray:

• Walk through your neighborhood and pray for each house/family as you pass them.

• Walk through a park, thanking God for the beauty you see in the trees, birds, animals, plants, and people.

• Take a longer hike and practice a meditation prayer by choosing a short Scripture passage to repeat in time to your walking pace. You can use things like: ‘Be still and know I am God,’ or ‘Nothing can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.’ Literally any scripture or quote you want.

Do a mixture of any or all of these! There are also countless other Walking Prayers or Walking Meditations that you can find in a quick Google search.

The sun is shining, and your Creator God invites you out into the world and into conversation!

Reflection for Wednesday, March 4 from Pastor Wes

As we have talked about prayer this week, both in worship on Sunday and in our weeknight Bible Study groups, a consistent theme is one of noticing the ways that many activities can become an opportunity to pray. I have heard people talking about prayer happening while cooking dinner, washing dishes, lying awake in bed, mowing the yard, running, driving, swimming, and more. As you have gone through this week, what are some ways that you are becoming more aware of the ways that prayer is a part of your life? Are you noticing places in your life or spaces of time in your day that are invitations to prayerfulness? Are there ways that God is nearer to you in your daily routine than you previously noticed?

 I encourage you as you go through your day today to be open to these new insights and opportunities. If you are looking, I believe God will give you many opportunities and reasons to pray. Finally, my prayer for you today is that your time in conversation with God deepens your relationship with the One who is the Lover of Your Soul.

Lenten Reflection for Tuesday, March 3 from Pastor Wes

For today’s reflection, I invite you into a “Prayer of Imagination.” This guided prayer is taken from a wonderful text entitled, Soul Feast, by Marjorie Thompson.

Begin by taking a few moments to relax and breathe gently. Become aware of God’s presence, imagining it as light and warmth. Allow this glory to fill your consciousness.

When we are in God’s presence we are not alone. We are there with all God’s children, held in the divine embrace. Choose one of those children who is in need of healing for body, mind, or spirit.

Lift this person into God’s light. Visualize God’s love bathing that person, and gently penetrating defenses, dissolving pain, cleansing wounds. Use any images that seem appropriate: darkness becoming light, ice melting away, or confusion and chaos being ordered.

See the person in a state of wholeness in God’s light, newly created, fresh and beautiful as seen through the eyes of divine love and grace.

Ask God that this beauty be fully realized according to God’s design for that person. Thank God for whatever gift of healing has been given to this person. Release the person into God’s care until you pray again.

Lenten Reflection for Monday, March 2 from Pastor Wes

Yesterday in worship we began our Lenten journey by exploring prayer through the lens of Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Throughout the rest of this week, we will continue this conversation on prayer and explore ways that we can find moments for prayer in our everyday lives.

As we begin today, I want to start off very simply. Because not all of us have a regular practice of actually stopping to pray throughout the day, that is all I’d like to ask you to do today. Even if you aren’t sure what to pray, just start talking to God. Talk about your day, or the things that are worrying you, or pray for the people you love. In a week focused on prayer, I ask you to begin by praying now...

Lenten Reflection for Friday, February 28 from Pastor Wes

Having grown up in a “Baptist-ish” church, Ash Wednesday was not something I was familiar with in my youth. I can remember seeing a few people in my small country town in Tennessee with ashes on their foreheads and thinking that they must practice some crazy, ancient version of Christianity. Looking back now, my reaction seems pretty funny to me!

And yet, it wasn’t entirely wrong. As we enter into this season of Lent, if we take this deeply spiritual, sacred time seriously, we are participating in a wonderfully ancient practice of Christianity. For literally thousands of years, followers of Jesus have taken these 40 days each year to slow down and more mindfully reflect on things like our mortality, our mutual need for forgiveness, and the model of grace and mercy found in the one we call the Christ.

As you move through the end of this week and the first Sunday of Lent, I encourage you to consider all those who have walked this Lenten journey before you. From the famous travellers, like Martin Luther or Mother Theresa, to those who are not famous but are still precious to us, like our parents or grandparents, remember these saints who now walk with you. We travel on holy ground, and we do not travel alone. In walking this ancient road, we can reconnect with centuries of Christians.

Throughout the day and weekend, take note of who “shows up.” That random memory of your Mom may not be so random. In that Scripture Reading, maybe Matthew or Mark or Paul came and paid you a visit. Not to mention all the people you will just bump into as you go throughout your days. Let the spirit of all the from the past and present join you as you bow in prayer and stand in worship.

Lenten Reflection for Thursday, February 27 from Pastor Brad

Since I’ve been a pastor at Carondelet United Church of Christ, it’s been a privilege to be one who offers ashes to those who wish to hold that sign upon their bodies each Ash Wednesday. I’ve shared that moment for 10 Ash Wednesdays now, but each year, that role becomes alive for me with a new tenderness as we remember together our vulnerability and our call to turn again to God’s love.

I’ve tried to be careful in my imposition of ashes on foreheads or palms or wrists. I’ve tried not to be too messy; not to let flecks of ash drop into eyelashes or eyes; not to be too out of proportion with how a symbol of our faith is sized up on the forehead of one who comes to receive it; not to press my finger too hard upon someone else.

It was the same last year. After these tender moments of sharing the ashes with other disciples, I gave myself the sign of the cross on my forehead with the ashes; like I’ve often done. After that, we prayed together, shared the peace of Christ with one another; we sang and then blessed each other for our Lenten journey and we were on our way for the evening. The service ended, and I went downstairs and caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and...oh my goodness! The cross on my forehead was gigantic! I smeared two lines of ash that were well above my eyebrows and coming down almost onto the bridge of my nose. It seemed so outsized to me, and I thought about standing in front of the congregation minutes earlier with that on my forehead. I felt so embarrassed.

But then I did a double take in the mirror a moment or two later with this sign still on my face, and I had a different sensibility coming up inside of me; one that was warm and humorful and good and thankful. “This is who I am,” I thought. “This is who we all are. God’s love is so gigantic, so bold, so full, so good that it just slathers itself on us and claims us in such an outsized way simply because of the beloved children we are to God. We are all so loved by God.”

As you begin your Lenten walk, may there be moments in your journey when you encounter the surprising and wonderful love of the One who loves you with all abandon.