Who Is My Neighbor (Bulissa, Uganda)

What does God expect of me? And what am I going to do about it?

These are the questions my small group friends found ourselves asking after reading the book The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns.  The call we as Christians have to help show the world God’s character – His love, justice and mercy through our words, actions and behavior was not a new concept for me.  But reading this book was more than an intellectual exercise – it was a call to action and a growing sense of conviction that we needed to do something to energize ourselves and our community to make a difference for those living in desperate poverty on the other side of the world.

What happened as a result of reading that book could be described as “spiritual dominoes.” The initial domino of a few small group friends seeking to be faithful started a chain reaction that multiplied into other small groups reading and seeking ways to respond, an all-church Hole in Our Gospel sermon series and study opportunity, an ongoing partnership through World Vision with the region of Buliisa, Uganda, and the opportunity for folks at Calvary to care for “the least of these” through child sponsorship and donating $ for clean water development. As a result of the efforts that started in 2010 - Calvary has partnered with World Vision to sponsor 277+ children in Buliisa and has raised over $63,000 for clean water projects through Uganda WASH. Our commitment to this region is ongoing, and each year we have new opportunities to provide continuing support.

I’ve seen in my life that taking advantage of the opportunities God provides brings meaning and fulfillment beyond measure.  In 2013 I had the opportunity to travel to Uganda with a small group of Calvary friends to see for ourselves the work being done by our support of World Vision.  In addition to experiencing what it’s like to walk long distances for water (often dirty water) each day, we saw the transformative change created by the development of clean water drinking sources.  We went to schools, participated in maternal/child health programs, visited villages, and met with local leaders who proudly shared the progress happening through their leadership and community buy-in.  And perhaps the most impactful part of our journey was traveling to the homes of every child sponsored by one of our group members, meeting their families and with the help of interpreters communicating God’s love and care.  The children pictured on sponsorship folders available during Hope Sundays each year are real people.  Their families are working hard to provide for their needs and to make dreams for education and a future come true.  We learned from our friends in Buliisa that when you have nothing, God becomes everything.  And I will never forget meeting so many people rich in joy, gratitude, courage, endurance and dependence on God and community.

Questions or discussion? Click here to comment.

Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: A Light to My Path

About the Author
Debbie Brown is a member of Calvary UMC and work with the Bulissa Project at Calvary.

Lent 2017 - To Golgotha

These final hours can be taken in from an overwhelming amount of perspectives. Each one offers insight into into the meaning of Jesus Christ crucified. Consider the crowds, who days ago were enthusiastically welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem. Consider the Jewish leaders who stir up the people into bloodthirsty mob. Consider Pilate and his political maneuvering. Consider Barabbas, the violent insurrectionist who is set free instead of Jesus. Consider the soldiers who revel in humiliating and torturing Jesus. Consider the women who follow and watch Jesus every step of the way. Consider Simon of Cyrene, a bystander stopped and made to bear Jesus’ burden. Consider all the onlookers who know only rumors and half-truths about what is going on. Consider the criminals crucified on his right and left. Consider the centurion who carries out orders and is grieved to realize who Jesus truly was and is.

Consider Christ in his silent suffering and isolation. In Mark’s gospel, he says only one thing: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Consider yourself, standing before the cross where the Son of God dies. 

  1. Read Mark 15:1–41.
  2. Ask God for the grace to know him more intimately, to love him more intensely, and follow him more intently.
  3. Choose one or a few of the characters listed above and immerse yourself in their part and perspective in the story.
  4. Reflect on Jesus’ pain and suffering and once again “how the divinity hides itself.” Why doesn’t he do as the people are taunting him—come down and show his power? Why is this how God accomplishes the redemption of the world? Meditate on this paradox of horror and beauty, hated and love, evil and goodness.
  5. Have a conversation with Jesus as he dies on the cross. What do you want to say to him or ask him? Also ask yourself these questions:
    1. What have I done for Christ?
    2. What am I doing for Christ?
    3. What should I do for Christ?

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.

Lent 2017 - Council and Courtyard

Imagine the night Peter is having. At dinner Jesus says that he is going to die and that all are going to desert and deny him. Peter falls asleep in the garden and wakes up into a fight-or-flight scenario—and he does both, attacking and abandoning. Then, whether he is wandering in a stupor or he comes to his senses—shaking off the wine, the nap, and the adrenaline—he circles back to “follow him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.” As Jesus stands before the priests and council, Peter faces his own trial. He gathers with others by a fire, probably barely aware of the conversations around him. His mind is consumed with confused questions: “What is happening? Why am I even here? Is it all over? Have I been believing a lie this whole time?” Suddenly a voice pierces the fog and stokes paranoia in his heart. He has been found out. Countless feelings could trigger his reaction: “There’s no point in both of us getting caught” or “He was a fraud anyway” or quite simply “I don’t want to die.” Whatever his heart, the cock crows and convicts him. The shadows of the night are broken, the truth sets in, and he weeps.

  1. Read Mark 14:53–72.
  2. Ask God for sorrow over your sin and Christ’s suffering.
  3. Follow Peter into the courtyard. Feel the warmth of the fire, and watch the scene in its dim glow. Hear the fear and denial in Peter’s voice as repeatedly swears and denies knowing Jesus. Hear the rooster announce the dawn. See Peter break down and weep in his shame and grief. What can you learn from Peter’s journey through this whole night?
  4. Reflect on Jesus’ refusing his right to defend, explain, or justify himself against false accusations. Why does he submit to this? Contrast that with Peter’s denial in the face of true charges. Why does he try to escape?
  5. In Luke’s gospel, after the cock crows, it says that “the Lord looked straight at [Peter].” Speak with Jesus, imagining this very gaze fixed on you, completely exposed before him.

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.

Lent 2017 - In the Garden

First off, before we go any further—we are the disciples. Their place in the story is not to amuse or affirm us but to be a mirror showing us ourselves: foolish, forgetful, and faithless. We fail and need forgiveness. We already heard their declarations of devotion: “I will never leave you, Jesus.” Now we see them doze off in the garden (twice). We see them panic and abandon Jesus. If at any point in our reading we smugly assume that we would have done differently, we ironically find ourselves right in their shoes, saying “Surely not me, Lord.”

Consider the contrast as we turn to observe Jesus. While the disciples are confident and conflict-free about their faithfulness, Jesus agonizes “even to death.” Doubt and struggle are not symptoms of weakness but the way of strength. Doubt does not have to destroy; it is not the opposite of faith but rather a movement within faith. Without it, faith is likely as flimsy and naive as the disciples.

  1. Read Mark 14:26–52.
  2. Ask God to keep you awake and faithful.
  3. Feel the dark night settling heavy around you. See the grief in Jesus’ face; hear the distress in his voice. Follow him into his solitude in the garden, and watch him fall to the ground. Hear his anguish. Find the disciples asleep. Feel their drowsiness and Jesus’ disappointment. Do this all over again. Then watch as Jesus allows his betrayer to kiss him, stops the disciples from fighting back, and is led off abandoned and alone. Spend a few moments in the deserted garden, in the silence left behind by betrayal. 
  4. Reflect on Jesus’ inner struggle and his humble obedience. He wrestles with God and remains peaceable toward his enemies. Consider how the temptations he experienced at the beginning of his ministry return to him here in Gethsemane. Lastly, as Ignatius puts it, “consider how the divinity hides itself.” Jesus could show his power, conquer his accusers, and establish his authority in another way. Instead he submits to the Father’s will and sacrifices his own.
  5. Talk with Jesus in the garden about what he suffers and what he is about to do.

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.

Deeper Dive Podcast (Mark 15:25-39)

Randy, Debbie, and Isaac talk about Good Friday and the time Jesus spent on the cross.

Teach Us to Pray post referenced in the podcast is here.

Listen in your device's podcast app – Apple version here and Android version here or use the desktop-only player below.

Questions or discussion? Click here to comment.

Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: God Stories

About the Authors

Randy and Debbie Reese are Co-Directing Pastors at Calvary UMC
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Lent 2017 - At the Table

Two dinners take place in this passage, both of which prepare the way to the cross. These table-stories embody the love between God and man in generous acts and physical elements—ointment, bread, wine. First a woman pours out a costly jar of ointment for Jesus. Then Jesus shares bread and wine as symbols of his body and blood, sacrificed for all. In an exercise contemplating love, Ignatius reminds us “love is manifest in deeds rather than words,” and that “love consists in a mutual sharing of goods.” In other words, love is active and generous. Love gives whatever it has. It does not keep to itself; it pours itself out for the sake of the one loved.

  1. Read Mark 14:1–25.
  2. Ask God to know and be grateful for all the loving blessings you receive in Christ.
  3. These stories are especially fruitful for Ignatius’ use of the senses and imagination. Sit at the table to witness the woman’s “wasteful” act of love. Smell the fragrant ointment. Hear the disciples’ protests. Then enter the upper room. Let the space take shape in your mind: the room, the table they sit at, the dishes they use. Hold the bread; chew and taste it. Take the cup; sip from it and swallow. Listen to Jesus’ words, and watch the disciples anxiously glance at one another. Imagine their actions and conversations.
  4. Reflect on how God communicates his love in creation—giving life, providing food, etc. Reflect on all Jesus is preparing to suffer and do—on the real tangibility of his love. He gives his own flesh and blood, which we remember in the physical act of eating and drinking. Lastly, think about Jesus’ faithfulness and forgiveness to those who are about to abandon him.
  5. Sit at the table with Jesus after eating. Thank him for all his gifts of love. Pray this prayer from Ignatius:
  6. “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will—all that I have and possess. You have given all to me; to you I return it. All is yours; do with it whatever you will. Give me your love and your grace. That is enough for me.”

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.

Teach Us to Pray (Mark 15:25-39)

As Mark takes his readers through the death of Jesus on the cross, he’s mindful of organizing the events around their place in time. Read Mark 15:25-39 and notice how Mark mentions what time things occurred:

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Two distinctions (that have their roots in ancient Greek words) are often made about the concept of time: chronos time and kairos time. 

Chronos time is the concept of sequential time (we might call it clock time),  – things come and go in regular and measured intervals.
Kairos time is ordered around the concept of significant moments – we might refer to events or circumstances happening “at just the right time.”

Mark weaves chronos and kairos concepts of time together in his retelling of the crucifixion.  It’s a beautiful literary technique to point us to the reality that we are creatures who experience God in the sequential and measured intervals of the day (chronos) as well as the moments that seem to live outside regular time (kairos). Early in the life of the church, Christians began to practice a form of prayer that honored this stitching together of chronos and kairos time. They stopped to pray at certain times of the day to unite the regular (chronos) and the exceptional (kairos). And they used this passage from Mark as part of a template to order their prayer day.

During this Holy Week of 2017, take a few minutes (right now) to set a few calendar reminders for prayer around this passage in Mark. Don’t worry, it won’t take very long to make them (on your device) or pray them (when the time comes). As you make yourself mindful of the kairos events of Jesus in the chronos context of your own life, the two (kairos and chronos) begin to merge together and we see all of life as a holy union – a place where the deep mercy of God is as new and regular as each sunrise.

Holy Week Daily Prayer Schedule from Mark 15:
9:00 - Jesus, you were placed on the cross and endured both physical pain (the torture of the cross) and phycological pain (the rejection and taunting of all those around). Thank you for entering into our suffering. Give us eyes to see the suffering of those around us that we might enter into it as well.
12:00 - Father God, at noon darkness fell over the earth you made. Whatever darkness we are in today, God; thank you for the promise of your presence during that darkness and the promise of new mercies every morning.
3:00 - Jesus, your honesty and vulnerability in crying out to God in your weakest moment (even to ask “where are you?”) as you breathed your last on the cross is a model for us. Holy Spirit, move us to reach out to you and each other in our moments of profound weakness, just like Jesus.

Import this calendar into your device by clicking here.

Questions or discussion? Click here to comment.

Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: Deeper Dive Podcast

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Lent 2017 - In the Temple

We usually break this passage up into bite-size lessons, but today we read them together as a whole day unfolding in and around the temple. Our distance from first century Jerusalem wears some of the sharp edge off of Jesus’ words. We must remember where he was and who he was talking to. For example, the widow’s two coins is a familiar image during offering time. “We should be more like her,” we say. In context, though, Jesus has just condemned the scribes who “devour widows’ houses.” He immediately turns around and basically says, “See? There’s one right now, being robbed of all she has.” He points her out not necessarily to commend her generosity but to condemn the injustice of the temple system. He levels these incisive critiques in the very heart of Jewish civic, economic, social, and religious life. Immerse yourself in this day in the temple with this mind—that Jesus did not deserve death, but he certainly did ask for it.

  1. Read Mark 11:27–13:44.
  2. Ask God for the grace of alertness and discernment.
  3. Walk through and around the temple with Jesus. Look at all the impressive architecture the disciples point out. Feel the rising outrage of the religious authorities. Why are Jesus’ words so offensive? 
  4. What is at the heart of all Jesus’ lessons? 
  5. Now walk with Jesus through your church. Try to transpose his teachings from first century Jewish society under Roman rule into your own social, political, and religious context. What questions and challenges does he have for us?

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.

Sunday Worship (Mark 15:25-39)

This week we'll be exploring Mark 15:25-39.  

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Each Sunday you can find the live stream here or watch the archive here. 

Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: 'Teach Us to Pray' through Mark 15:25-39. 

Lent 2017 - Hosanna

Today we pray through Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem to prepare for Palm Sunday. Jesus chooses to ride in on a donkey, consciously fulfilling a prophecy of the Messiah:

“Lo, your king comes to you;
    triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

This symbolized that Jesus was the anointed one sent by God to save Israel from their enemies. This is not the only prophecy Jesus fulfills here. He is also the long-awaited return of God’s own presence to the temple. Ezekiel envisioned this day:

“And there, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east; the sound was like the sound of mighty waters; and the earth shone with his glory. The vision I saw was like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city…and I fell upon my face. As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (Ezekiel 43:2–5).

To summarize centuries of expectations and stories, Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem means that God has returned to deliver and purify his people and claim victory over their enemies. But when he shows up, he pronounces judgement not Israel’s enemies, but on Israel’s leaders. He declares the temple “a den of robbers” and compares Israel to a dead fig tree (both images taken from Jeremiah). A whole history hinges on this event, when Jesus both fulfills and confounds all expectations.

  1. Read Mark 11:1–25.
  2. Ask God to continue and complete his saving work in you.
  3. Walk into Jerusalem with cloaks and branches beneath your feet. Hear the crowds shouting What is their tone? Why do they greet Jesus like this? Hear Jesus’ puzzling curse to a tree. Enter the temple and feel his outrage as he flips tables and shuts down the business being conducted. Survey the confusion and chaos.
  4. Reflect on all the meaning and history packed into this short story. If Jesus is both the King sent to judge and deliver and the presence of God himself, what do his actions mean? What is the source of his outrage?
  5. Talk with Jesus after he “cleanses” the temple about things in your own life and world that need similar cleansing. Where do you see injustice, greed, or false and fruitless religion? Reflect on the consequences of such sins—how they affect our selves, our earth, and our fellow human beings. That Jesus “cleanses” means that he both judges these evils and saves us from them. Receive this by praying: “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Who Is My Neighbor? (Flexible Seating at the Baby Fold)

Filling a classroom with large bouncing balls, wiggle seats, and fidget toys may sound like a recipe for chaos. But in fact, at The Baby’s Fold’s Hammitt Junior/Senior High School, teachers know that giving kids the opportunity to bounce, wiggle and squirm in the classroom helps them focus. 

Calvary’s connection to this need didn’t come through the usual channels…..there are lots of Calvary members and friends on The Baby Fold’s Board as well as employed at this incredible ministry.  However, this time it was an ecumenical connection that brought this need to my attention.  A new friend of mine, a clergywoman in the community, knew of the need and of our desire to fill such needs.  She contacted me to see if we might be interested…...and of course the answer was YES!

The need was for flexible seating at Hammitt Junior/Senior High School.  Our own Lori Bultemeier explained the incredible value of this seating.  “If a student can’t sit in their seat because their body wants to rock or move or be surrounded by something like a bean bag chair, that student isn’t going to learn.  It’s not that the student is misbehaving...it’s a physical response that is a part of that person’s very being.  Allowing a student who rocks to sit in a seat that rocks allows the learning process to happen.”  According to The Baby Fold newsletter:

When sensory needs are met, higher levels of academic and social learning are possible. “When we give our students the power of choice, we offer them a level of safety, so they are better able to learn and form connections with each other and with adults. We've already seen some great results!’ said Kelli Marion, one of the teachers at Hammitt Junior/Senior High. Kelli witnessed two young men in her classroom, who had struggled to connect, relaxing in comfortable chairs and having a conversation about a video game they both loved. Kelli remarked, "It's so nice to hear laughter from those two!

What an incredible opportunity to do something very simple, yet so valuable to students who have plenty of other issues to handle.  Do you ever wonder how your offerings are being used?  This is one of many excellent answers to that question.  Thank you for one of many ways you help children in this community and around the world.

Questions or discussion? Click here to comment.

Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: A Light to My Path

About the Author
Debbie Reese is the Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC

Lent 2017 - Have Mercy

Unlikely Messiah Daily Connection.png

Two things stand out about this healing: the man is actually named—Bartimaeus—and Jesus asks him what he wants. This question stops most of us in our tracks. Our deepest needs and desires are obscure, even though they control the way we live. 

This we know: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Here is the catch: delighting in the Lord transforms the desires of our heart. We become like what we love. If our heart is shaped by loving God, of course he is going to give us what we want—because what we want is changed from selfish to generous, from destructive to life-giving.

  1. Read Mark 10:46–52.
  2. Ask God to search your heart and have mercy on you.
  3. Walk through Jericho with Jesus. Hear Bartimaeus’ cries for mercy and the hushing of the embarrassed crowd. See his persistence, his refusal to be suppressed and silenced. 
  4. Reflect on Bartimaeus’ intimate awareness of his need; he cannot avoid or deny it. This is the source of his unashamed cries for mercy. Reflect on Jesus’ willingness to meet that need.
  5. Answer Jesus’ question: “What do you want me to do for you?” Search your heart for what you really desire and expect from Jesus. Ask for the mercy you need. It may help to use the Examen (March 7).

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.

Love Your Neighbor (Mark 14:32-42)

As human beings created in the image of God, we are built for companionship. In some ways, we are a copy and extension of the communal life the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – a communal life which expresses itself through the ongoing giving and receiving between each person of the trinity. With that in mind, Jesus’ despondency over his disciple’s inability/unwillingness to stay awake and pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion is not only understandable; it pulls at the very fabric of what it means to be both human and divine. 

When mutual giving/receiving breaks between us and those around us (our neighbors), there is a noticeable disorientation to life, both inside our own chest and in our day-to-day actions. Often, we wait for the other to give first in order to jump start the cycle of giving/receiving, but Jesus doesn’t do that in Gethsemane. Even though he has been abandoned by his companions in this moment, he leads the way back to the virtuous cycle of giving/receiving by continuing to pour himself out. It’s a trust in God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, to be sure; but in a strange way he’s also placing trust in his fellow companions (disciples). He’s cultivating a ‘long-game’ trust with them, one that will only see the restoration of giving/receiving long after the worst of the cross.

Loving our neighbor means transcending our basic unrest in a disrupted giving/receiving cycle. As Christians, we follow the way of Jesus and continue to pour ourselves out to one another – Jesus calls it taking up your cross daily – knowing and trusting that the good work of giving will lead to, in some way, a restoration of the cycle of giving/receiving in our lives and in the lives of our neighbors.

Questions or discussion? Click here to comment.

Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: Who Is My Neighbor?

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC

Lent 2017 - The Rich Man

For the third time, Jesus shares with his followers that he is going to be handed over to death and will rise again three days later. The surrounding stories are rich with meaning, but they all reinforce Jesus’ teaching that the way of the Messiah is one of suffering and self-sacrifice. For example, a rich and righteous man asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life. He is not like the others trying to trap Jesus; he is genuinely seeking God’s way. He is not lost, but he is stuck. When Jesus calls him to sell everything he has, the price is too steep. Once again, the apostles are stuck in patterns of petty power struggles. To the outrage of the others, James and John sneak around to try to secure seats of power (still assuming that Jesus is planning a political revolt). Jesus tells them that they still don’t understand how things work. His “seat of glory” is the cross. His cup is sorrow. His baptism is death. 

This is not, however, just something Jesus had undergo so that we don’t have to. Honestly, most of us usually want what Jesus did to guarantee us a life of safety, security, and happiness. But he calls us to his same life of servitude, suffering, and sacrifice. Even if we do serve and suffer and sacrifice, we often try to make it an investment or exchange, vying for that seat on Jesus’ right or left. We are willing to sacrifice, but we want the reward. All of this invites us into Igantius’ radical third kind of humility—to actually want poverty and suffering for their own sake, in order to live like Jesus. If wealth itself is an obstacle to entering the kingdom, shouldn’t we prefer poverty? If Jesus came to be “slave of all,” shouldn’t desire to do the same?

  1. Read Mark 10:13–45.
  2. Ask God for the real desire to serve and suffer in his name.
  3. Imagine yourself in the midst of this series of stories. Watch the rich man run up and hear his enthusiasm. Observe Jesus’ face as he “looks at him and loves him.” Then watch the man walk away in disappointment. Hear Peter defend and commend himself—“Look what we did, Jesus!” Watch the quarrel unfold as James and John’s ambition is revealed. Throughout all of this, how does Jesus respond? What is his demeanor?
  4. Reflect on Ignatius’ third kind of humility—to desire to imitate Jesus in all things, actually preferring poverty rather than riches, insults and insignificance rather than honor, and to be considered foolish rather than wise. Consider the rich man. What kind of humility does he possess, and what is holding him back from growing? Consider Peter when he responds to Jesus’ teaching (10:28). What kind of humility does he possess, and what is he concerned with?
  5. Tell Jesus “what you want out of life.” Where do these desires and expectations come from? Ask him for the very thing James and John unwittingly requested: to actually share in his suffering and sacrifice. Pray with Paul’s words: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10).

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.

Lent 2017 - Who is Greatest

Jesus tells his closest friends and followers that he is going to be killed, and they are too nervous and confused to even ask what he is talking about. Instead, they occupy themselves with petty arguments about who is the “greatest.” They are too busy with spats about status to hear Jesus’ message of service and sacrifice. They are still trying to secure their lives and reputations, still trapped in the patterns of comparison and competition that lead to division and hostility. The desire for credit creates cracks in the foundation of our unity. In their self-importance and insecurity, the disciples even want to stop and suppress others from doing good in Jesus’ name. This ties into Ignatius’ second stage of humility—to be indifferent toward wealth and honor, free from the need to be recognized and rewarded. This humility does not suppress but celebrates goodness regardless of who is responsible. Without concern for credit and contest, we can be free from mentalities of “you vs. me” and “us vs. them.” In this context, Jesus’ lesson on stumbling blocks and severing sinful body parts takes on a new dimension. It is about eliminating impulses to compete and compare—instead forgetting yourself and making sacrifices to practice peace. If your hand is holding down your fellow human being, cut it off. If your eye is fixed on what you don’t have, cut it out. If your ear is straining to hear what others think about you, cut it off.

  1. Read Mark 9:30–50.
  2. Ask God for the freedom to be indifferent to riches and recognition.
  3. Feel the disciples’ embarrassment—like children caught fighting about something they immediately realize is stupid. Feel their shame deepen as Jesus challenges them to amputate their ambition and “be at peace with one another.” 
  4. Reflect on the second kind of humility—to be unaffected by wanting honor, money, or even long life, instead desiring only whatever will best serve the Lord and save one’s soul (by losing it for Christ). What would it mean to be completely free of the impulse of compete and compare with others? No more basing your identity and worth on others, no more jealousy of peoples’ social media posts, no more eagerness to get credit for things, no more seeing other churches as competing with yours, no more self-seeking ambition, no more needing nice new things.
  5. Imagine Jesus with a child on his lap. Talk to him about becoming free in his “salty” way of service and self-sacrifice.

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Associate Minister at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA and the former Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC.

Lent 2017 - Transfiguration

Unlikely Messiah Daily Connection.png

We might wonder what is actually happening in Jesus’ “transfiguration.” What seems like a confusing sidetrack is actually the culmination and confirmation of many threads in the story of salvation. As Mark’s gospel turns towards Jesus’ death and resurrection, his identity as God’s Son is re-affirmed. Many of these images—the mountain, the cloud, the voice of God, and Moses himself—evoke the story of God’s presence on Mt. Sinai. With these interpretative keys, the message is clear: Jesus himself is God’s presence on earth. For a brief moment, the apostles closest to Jesus are shown his true glory and authority—the same of God who delivered and led Israel. The Transfiguration is a glimpse into the mystery of God himself. It reveals Christ not only pulling together the whole salvation history of Israel but uniting the whole universe to God in himself: “With all wisdom and insight [God] has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:8–10).

  1. Read Mark 9:2–29.
  2. Ask God for a greater glimpse into his glory.
  3. Walk alongside Peter, James, and John up the mountain. Watch in wonder as the veil between heaven and earth is pulled back and Jesus’ true appearance shines through for just a moment. Stand with them as Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah, these almost mythological figures of God’s history with Israel. Hear Peter’s giddy confusion. Within a consuming cloud, hear the Father speak the same words you heard when Jesus was baptized.
  4. Imagine staring into the sun or through a dense fog. In what ways is this like encountering the presence of God? Reflect on Jesus’ insistence on secrecy. Why is his true identity—his divinity—something hidden?
  5. Squint through the splendid light, and step into the conversation between Elijah, Moses, and Jesus—probably speaking about what Jesus is about to suffer and accomplish. Talk to Jesus about your place in this massive and mysterious history of his people. 
     

About the Author
Nick Chambers is the Director of Spiritual Formation at Calvary UMC

 

Teach Us to Pray (Mark 14:32-42)

As Jesus is moments away from arrest, imprisonment, and eventually death by crucifixion, we find him intentionally in a place and attitude of prayer. In this moment of extreme psychological and spiritual distress, Jesus goes back to the foundations of prayer he taught the disciples early in his ministry: 

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14: 36)

This request of Jesus to align himself with God goes back to the heart of his teaching in what we call “The Lord’s Prayer” which opens with “Our Father in heaven, holy is your name; your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  This kind of prayer was intended to be a part of a daily rhythm of life, and was, no doubt, present in the life of Jesus and his disciples.

Our habit of prayer in the regular and everyday moments of life is the habit of prayer that will present itself in the chaotic and distressing moments of life. Humans are creatures formed by habit –  habits that are shaped over long periods of time. This kind of truth is easy to see in things like addiction recovery, but sometimes harder to see in the area of spirituality. 

Prayer is not a fire alarm we place inside a glass box that says “break in case of emergency,” it’s more like the careful and daily work firefighters do to prepare their trucks, sharpen their skills, condition their bodies, and ready themselves for the call. As you pray this week, remember that you are shaping habits that will ready you for all the moments of your life – whether in the Garden of Gethsemane or on the other side of the empty tomb.

Questions or discussion? Click here to comment.

Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: Deeper Dive Podcast

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC