February 28th, 2009
Saturday’s Reflection
REPENTANCE IS not so much a condition for forgiveness as a consequence of it. We human beings often hold back our forgiveness for some slight or hurt until we at least see signs of contrition. Not so with God: on the cross, the word of forgiveness is spoken first; it gives birth to one felon’s contrite cry. This truth changes the equation of salvation. When will we learn that we do not repent in order to find pardon? We repent because we discover how deeply we have been pardoned — how much we have been forgiven.
- Peter Storey
Listening at Golgotha: Jesus’ Words from the Cross
From pp. 34-35 of Listening at Golgotha: Jesus’ Words from the Cross by Peter Storey. Copyright © 2004 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Lent is traditionally a season for self-examination and repentance. Tell us — How do you understand repentance? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
- Mark 1:14-15, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for peacemakers of the world. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- The season of Lent began on Wednesday. Learn more … Lent 101.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Polycarp (February 23).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 12 Comments »
February 27th, 2009
Friday’s Reflection
SO OFTEN we go through the motions in our spiritual lives. We sing, we pray, we worship, we give the impression that we know that we are God’s beloved. But often in the deep places of our hearts, the assurance is not there; and we know it. We need to come home and let the Spirit of God whisper, “You are God’s beloved.” I cannot tell you who you are. Others cannot tell you who you are. Only the Spirit of God can.
- Trevor Hudson and Stephen D. Bryant
The Way of Transforming Discipleship
From p. 24 of The Way of Transforming Discipleship by Trevor Hudson and Stephen D. Bryant. Copyright © 2005 Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Tell us — Have you had times when you were aware of God’s assurance that “You are God’s beloved”? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Today’s Scripture Reading
As Jesus was coming up out of the water, … a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
- Mark 1:10, 11, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for peacemakers of the world. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- The season of Lent began Wednesday. Learn more … Lent 101.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Polycarp (February 23).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 17 Comments »
February 26th, 2009
Thursday’s Reflection
THE SEASON OF LENT invites us to focus on the condition of our hearts. We have many options when our physical hearts deteriorate — repair, bypass surgery, transplants, medication. However, God is interested in our whole person, our whole being, expressed in Hebrew Scriptures as our heart.
It does not take long on our Lenten journey to discover that we cannot repair some parts of our “heart” — we need a new heart altogether. In God’s mercy, God promises us a new heart. The prophet Jeremiah first made the promise to a people in trouble, a people separated from their first love and loyalty to God by their behaviors of indifference, callousness, and loving other seducers (Jeremiah 31:31, 33). Yet God still loves those people called by God’s name and wants to make it possible for humans — individually and as a community — to reciprocate that love. God promises a new covenant so that those who have lost their way of loving will have a new heart.
- Elizabeth Nordquist
The Upper Room Disciplines 1997
From p. 81 of The Upper Room Disciplines 1997. Copyright © 1996 by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this year’s Disciplines.
Today’s Question
Tell us — Where in your life, your family, or your community are you needing a “new heart”? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Today’s Scripture Reading
All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
- Psalm 25:10, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for peacemakers of the world. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- The season of Lent began on Wednesday. Learn more … Lent 101.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Polycarp (February 23).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 25 Comments »
February 25th, 2009
ASH WEDNESDAY
Wednesday’s Reflection
THE ASH WEDNESDAY shadow on the wall, cast by my own solidity blocking light, generates deep penitence and at the same time a yearning for the “new and right spirit” that God gives. We do not search out our sinfulness in order to indulge in feeling bad but to set ourselves on the path of return. Like the lovable character in the movie E. T., who pointed a glowing finger toward his planet as he uttered his plaintive cry, “Home,” we were created with a deep sense of where we belong. Often alienated, sometimes far away, we find the warmth of the God in whose image we have been made touches us; and our hearts respond with desire for homecoming. Always we find a place set for us at the welcoming banquet table.
- Elizabeth J. Canham
Heart Whispers
From page 130 of Heart Whispers by Elizabeth J. Canham. Copyright © 1999 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Tell us about the most meaningful Ash Wednesday service you’ve ever attended. Or if you don’t participate in Ash Wednesday or Lent, are there other ways that you prepare your spiritual self for Easter? Share your thoughts by posting a comment.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins!
- Psalm 51:1, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for peacemakers of the world. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- The season of Lent begins today. Learn more … Lent 101.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Polycarp (February 23).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 8 Comments »
February 24th, 2009
Tuesday’s Reflection
THE GOAL OF LENT is not to make a plan for change and follow it to the letter. Rather, the goal is to make a change that sinks deeply into life, drawing us closer to self, others, and God. Lent is about intentionally opening ourselves, preparing to receive God’s goodness.
- Sarah Parsons
A Clearing Season: Reflections for Lent
From p. 69 of A Clearing Season: Reflections for Lent by Sarah Parsons. Copyright © 2005 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Starting tomorrow — Ash Wednesday — and continuing through Lent and Holy Week, we’ll be posing a question or two inspired by the day’s readings. You’re invited to join us in conversation about the questions by visiting the comments area on the Daily Reflections website. Beth Richardson, editor of upperroom.org and Daily Reflections will be posting her thoughts as well.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
- Mark 1:9, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for peacemakers of the world. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- The season of Lent begins February 25. Learn more … Lent 101.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Polycarp (February 23).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 23rd, 2009
Monday’s Reflection
IF WE WANT TO CHANGE, we need to grow in self-understanding. … We must face ourselves as honestly as we can.
Over the years I have learned that becoming honest with ourselves opens our lives, like few other things can, to the incredible depths of God’s grace and acceptance and power. When we come before our Creator in simple honesty, there is a response on God’s part that sets into motion a deep and lasting life-change. I am sure that this will be your experience too as you start out on this path of self-examination.
- Trevor Hudson
One Day at a Time: Discovering the Freedom of 12-Step Spirituality
From p. 40 of One Day at a Time by Trevor Hudson. Copyright © 2007 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Lent (February 25). Check out our Lenten Resources.
Today’s Question
Starting Wednesday — Ash Wednesday — and continuing through Lent and Holy Week, we’ll be posing a question or two inspired by the day’s readings. You’re invited to join us in conversation about the questions by visiting the comments area on the Daily Reflections website. Beth Richardson, editor of upperroom.org and Daily Reflections will be posting her thoughts as well.
Today’s Scripture Reading
God said to Noah, “I’m setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth.”
- Genesis 9:11, THE MESSAGE
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for peacemakers of the world. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- The season of Lent begins February 25. Learn more … Lent 101.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Polycarp (February 23).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 1 Comment »
February 22nd, 2009
TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY
Sunday’s Reflection
GRANT ME GRACE this day
to rest and remember
that there is nothing I have to do,
nothing I have to buy or sell,
nothing I have to produce or consume
in order to become who I already am:
your beloved creation.
May your overworked creation
and those who cannot rest today
come to know the liberation of your sabbath.
- Sam Hamilton-Poore
Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation
From p. 129 of Earth Gospel by Sam Hamilton-Poore. Copyright © 2008 by the author. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Lent (February 25). Check out our Lenten Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them.
- Mark 9:2, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Praying with Eyes Open. Many of us were taught to close our eyes when we pray. Praying with icons is an ancient prayer practice that involves keeping our eyes wide open, taking into our heart what the image visually communicates. Try praying with icons.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 21st, 2009
Saturday’s Reflection
CHAOS WILL REIGN in the middle of the discernment process, but we must be willing to go there. As the process begins and you open yourself to change, ask God to put you back together as you come out of the chaos, understanding that you will not emerge the same. Expect the process of moving through chaos to creation and new solutions to lead to a life that is bigger, deeper, and richer.
- Valerie K. Isenhower and Judith A. Todd
Living into the Answers: A Workbook for Personal Spiritual Discernment
From p. 22 of Living into the Answers: A Workbook for Personal Spiritual Discernment by Valerie K. Isenhower and Judith A. Todd. Copyright © 2008 by the authors. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Lent (February 25). Check out our Lenten Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,†made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Praying with Eyes Open. Many of us were taught to close our eyes when we pray. Praying with icons is an ancient prayer practice that involves keeping our eyes wide open, taking into our heart what the image visually communicates. Try praying with icons.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 20th, 2009
Friday’s Reflection
AUTHENTIC FRIENDSHIP is found with someone who accepts us as we are. A sure sign of spiritual friendship is when we feel willingness, even a desire, to risk disclosing our true self. Stressful transitions, times of profound grief and loss, moments when we must release some anxiety or fear, hopes we long to express that cannot yet be voiced in public — these are the moments when nothing is as comforting as a companion with whom we can be completely transparent.
- Stephanie Ford
Kindred Souls: Connecting through Spiritual Friendship
From p. 33 of Kindred Souls: Connecting through Spiritual Friendship by Stephanie Ford. Copyright © 2006 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Lent (February 25). Check out our Lenten Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”
- 2 Kings 2:9, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Praying with Eyes Open. Many of us were taught to close our eyes when we pray. Praying with icons is an ancient prayer practice that involves keeping our eyes wide open, taking into our heart what the image visually communicates. Try praying with icons.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 19th, 2009
Thursday’s Reflection
SILENCE AND LISTENING are the starting points for spiritual leadership. This is true because without listening for God, we are leading only from ourselves, from our own minds and our own ideas. And the only way to listen for God is to be willing to enter into the silence of prayer, the stillness of doing nothing.
- Daniel Wolpert
Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership
From p. 18 of Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2006 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Lent (February 25). Check out our Lenten Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Elijah took off his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it; the water divided, and he and Elisha crossed to the other side on dry ground.
- 2 Kings 2:8, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Praying with Eyes Open. Many of us were taught to close our eyes when we pray. Praying with icons is an ancient prayer practice that involves keeping our eyes wide open, taking into our heart what the image visually communicates. Try praying with icons.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | Comments Off
