Author: websexton

He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” This is Jesus’ remarks to a few apostles who had come looking for him after a long day of teaching and healing. It seems as if…

When you come to knowing God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not show Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him. And, in fact, He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others—not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong…

Currently there is an e-mail floating around that God has issued a recall notice “regardless of make or year due to a serious defect of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype unit, code name Adam and Eve . . .”

The Latin phrase e pluribus unum, or “Out of many – one,” has appeared on every coin minted by the U.S. Treasury since the late 1800s. E pluribus unum is a perfect description of the message Jesus gives in today’s Gospel lesson.

The reading today from John is a beautiful example of intercessory prayer, and we should use its example in our own prayer. In intercessory prayer, we stand before God, and pray for others. Our reading today shows us Jesus praying an intercessory prayer to his Father to protect those closest to him; his followers, his believers, his disciples. He asks for them to be kept safe after he is no longer there to protect them as they continue to go out into the world to teach The Word.

I need to make a brief confession. I’ve spent as much time with the psalms as I have training for the New York City Marathon! Though I am grateful that we recite or sing them every Sunday, this hasn’t much moved me to read them as part of my own spiritual practice. As part of my Lenten discipline, I thought I would focus on that which I would normally ignore. But today’s reading is filled with such wisdom on taking the long view that I can’t help wondering why I haven’t been spending more time with the psalms!

On this first day of Lent, we will each be reflecting on what kind of “personal Lent” this will be for us. In reading today’s passages, I am especially struck by the theme of the heart. Psalm 51 describes it best in asking for God to “create in me a clean heart” and to “renew a right spirit within me.” No matter how well we think we are doing…