Curiosity

"I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up."   Exodus 3:3

"Moses and the Burning Bush"   Marc Chagall

It was a normal day: Moses was at work, tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro. A day like any other, but a day when Moses noticed something off in the distance: a bush consumed by flames, yet the bush did not appear to be burning up. Curiosity got the best of him. "Hmm. That's strange. I'll go over there for a closer look." He changed his normal daily routine to turn aside, to look, to go over and to see why the bush was not burning up. An investigative fellow. 

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but curiosity is essential to a life of faith. For when we are open to the unimaginable, when we are curious about the unfathomable, when we stop to investigate the unthinkable?  It is in those places that we will meet God. As Christian people, we know all about responsibility and focused, hard work, but remember that God lives at the margins. When we are myopically focused on that which lies directly in front of us, we can miss God:  God at the periphery reaching out to us, beckoning, whispering, "Come over here. I have need of you."

Trust

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?   Psalm 27:1

"Theofania"   by Agostino Arrivabene

Consider the role fear plays in our lives. It seems to be hard wired into us, probably a survival instinct from when we were less socially developed creatures. And yet, biblical references about fear are legion. "Do not be afraid," said the Angel to Mary at the Annunciation. "Fear not," said the angel to the shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night.

When God has a message for us, it is often preceded by an admonition about fear. As we enter this season of prayer and self-examination, we would do well to examine how much we trust God. Do I trust God with my whole heart, mind, and soul?  Or do I trust God only so far?  

Because to trust God "only so far" is to deny the power of the Living God. 
We become what we believe. 

The Devil Made Me Do It

The Devil said, "If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Luke 4:7

Jesus, after being baptized by John in the Jordan River, was sent into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. In Lent, Christians are encouraged to think about those things (those habits) that cause us to take our eyes off God.  

What distracts you from God and from those you love? What takes priority in your life?  What prevents you from being Christ's hands and feet in the world?  Is it television? Gaming? Shopping? Alcohol? The Internet?

We all have distractions: pastimes that may subtly (or not so subtly) separate us from the love of God.  Lent is a time to consider where the devil may be creeping into our lives. Do all of our actions and all of our habits glorify and praise God?

What needs to change?

Transfigured?

And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.  

                                                           Luke 9:29

"Transfiguration"   by Lewis Bowman

On Sunday, we will hear the fantastical story of Jesus being "transfigured" on the top of Mount Tabor in the region of Galilee. His friends, Peter, John, and James are with him, and they are stunned as Jesus' whole countenance changes right before their eyes, and he appears to be talking to Moses and Elijah. 

Of course those early disciples were terrified. 

I mean, what if you saw President Obama, just as plain as day, standing twenty feet away from you and chatting it up with Dr. Martin Luther King and JFK? Would you believe your eyes? Or would you think you were going crazy? 

How do we recognize the presence of God in our everyday lives? Dare we proclaim that which we have witnessed ourselves?