Scripture
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us
and prosper for us the work of our hands—
O prosper the work of our hands!
Lenten Practice
I grew up surrounded by Christians who believed in working hard for the things you value. If I believed in my heart of hearts that Jesus wanted something for myself or my community, then I needed to help make that thing possible by being Christ's hands and feet in the world.
If, for instance, you were like my grandfather and found yourself drawn to the places where God stresses the importance of giving drinks to the thirsty, then you should do something to get safe, affordable drinking water to those who do not have access to it. If you were inspired by stories in which Jesus gives sight to the blind or performs some other sort of physical healing, then you should join a Lions Club to provide glasses for people, become a healthcare worker, or strive the Lord in finding some other way that provides healing and wholeness to others. If you were struck by God's justice, you should seek justice for the oppressed. Whatever the Holy Spirit moves our hearts to see as important are the things we should be focused on doing our part to make happen.
The call to actively labor like this on God's behalf is found throughout the Bible. Scripture shows over and over again that when we live in ways that serve only ourselves, then we and the world around us suffers. But when we serve God by turnign outward and working for the good of others, we all reap spiritual rewards that come with being co-creators of a more just, merciful, and humble society.
Jesus became the living embodiment of his principle. Jesus makes it clear to his disciples that he--God himself--came to live among us as the Son of Man not so that we may kowtow to his fleeting demands but so that he may show God's love for the world by caring for our temporal and eternal needs. Everything that God deemed important, Jesus uplifted through his words and acts. The loving service Jesus did on our behalf overcame the power of sin and death forever... And his labor for our sake should inspire us to share his love with one another by doing what can for the good of not just one another--but the entire Creation that God so loves. And as we do so, we are to pray that God will make the good works we do in Christ's name grow and become successful.
Lots of holy people down through the centuries have made disciplined work a regular part of their spiritual lives. There are priests who farm the land. Nuns who run hospitals for the poor. Church leaders and restaurant owners who volunteer at soup kitchens. Woodwookers who build beds or carve toys for children in need. All these activities and more serve Christ in ways that make the Kin-dom of God visible among us. And as they keep choosing to do what is to serve the good of all, they can expect to reap a bountiful heart.
One of the most transformative experiences I had with this was when I helped rehab a community garden in order to help address food insecurity on my seminary's campus. making sure the people around me had ready access to fresh, healthy food was important to me, but I had never tried to tackle a garden that large...especially one that had become nothing but waist-high weeds. Still, I felt God calling me to try to do something. I started by trying to getting the weeds out. It took several hours, but I got the job done. Then, others joined the project.
One friend had with organic gardening in a small campus environment. Another had grown up on a working farm. A couple staff people had plants and seeds to give to us if we wanted them. One pointed out that the campus had funds for projects like this if people could prove they were serious about it. And so it went.
It seemed like no time until the farmer and I were crafting a proposal to build a better fence and another classmate was putting together a tiller for us in her spare time. Every time our our growing group of gardeners ran into a challenge we didn't know how to overcome, Christ sent us someone to do what was needed or inspired us to figure it out together. By the time I graduated, Christ had blessed our joint efforts so much that we just hadn't rehabbed the original garden; we had created a program that was feeding the entire campus's minds, bodies, and spirits in ways that it never had before. After I left, the garden began producing so much abundance that students and staff started offering the occasional free cooking and canning events in which every participant got to take home some of what was made. It was glorious. And it was all because people were willing to make toiling in whatever way they felt called to do so part of their disciplined Christian service.
- Look around you. What makes Christ weep?
- Some of my classmates and their families are surviving off of cheap processed food, because they can't afford regular fresh produce. The huge unused garden plot right in the middle of student housing, and it is full of nothing but weeds and has no one running it.
- What would Jesus do about it?
- Jesus would rehab the community garden and teach people how to use it in ways that provide free vegetables to everyone on campus
- What talents do I have that could help Jesus do that work?
- I am good at growing tomatoes, peppers, and herbs
- I generally know when things are ready to harvest
- I am good at weeding
- I am good at getting people together to work with me on an idea.
- What resources to I have?
- We have a "shed" containing a few old tools left over from the last time someone worked on the garden
- I have some extra money for seeds
- I have access to free water and compost
- I have my body for physical labor
- I have free time during my evenings and weekends
- What connections do I have?
- My next door neighbor loves to garden and helped run a small rooftop one
- TS grew up on a farm
- SA has a lot of gardening know-how
- BH enjoys weeding and wants to learn how to do more
- The Christian Life Committee could throw some money our way for new tools once we prove that we are serious
- The folks in the Student Center say I can use their space to help distribute extra food
- Looking at the answers above, how might I play a part in bringing about a change?
- I can get together with my friends to weed and start planting things in the garden space. If things go well, we can invite other volunteers and ask campus for money and resources to expand it.
- When will I do it? (be specific as possible)
- We will weed the space and remove the moldy compost in February
- We will hand till a portion of the earth in March and buy seeds in March
- I will plant crops on a weekend in early April
- I will work on weeding and watering at 6:30 on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. (and invite my friends to join me if they want)
Song and Prayer
Today's song by Tyler Childers is from his appearance at Healing Appalachia (a yearly concert that supports addiction recovery programs throughout the region). A professional musician who has struggled with addiction himself, Childers has made performing at Healing Appalachia and other such events part of his disciplined service to God.
Thank you, Heather.
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