Wed., March 23: “Good soil”

Lenten Devotional 2011

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Lenten Devotional 2011How can I prepare myself to be “good soil”?

Many years ago I worked with a woman I didn’t get along with. I had lots of good reasons to dislike this woman. She made my life miserable and I nursed that resentment for years. Then one day, I realized that the anger I was carrying was hurting me more than it was hurting her. Bitterness was flavoring all the gifts God had given me, and was keeping me apart from Him. I resolved to treat the woman as I would anyone else, and the next day, I simply said “Good Morning” to her. The look of shock on her face was incredible (and admittedly gratifying), but better still was the relief I felt from having this burden of resentment lifted from me through God’s grace.

I pray that I may not be consumed by the worries of this life, but be “good soil” to receive God’s Word.

Genesis 41:18-28
Psalm 72
1 Corinthians 5:6-6:8
Mark 4:1-20

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In this week’s newsletter, the rector notes Pentecost’s reversal of Babel—not by restoring a single language, but by enabling understanding across difference as each speaks and hears in their own tongue. She treasures hearing parishioners read “God’s deeds of power” in many languages during worship, and invites us to consider what it means to speak of God in our own heart language—whether shaped by mother tongue, place, trust, or profound shared experience. In a time of contempt for difference, Pentecost reveals the blessing of many tongues and the Holy Spirit’s gift of mutual understanding across culture, faith, and ethnic background.

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