A Lenten Devotional for 2017
A collection of reflections on the Daily Office readings by
members and friends of the Newark Shared Ministries.
LENT AT CHRIST CHURCH IN SHORT HILLS
Lent is a season of reflection and penitence; it is a journey from prayer in the wilderness to joy at
the resurrection. At Christ Church in Short Hills, we invite you to embark on this sacred journey
with us through the services listed below.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Tues., February 28 at 5:30 p.m.
Ash Wednesday Services
Wed., March 1 at 12 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Evensong for Lent with St. Paul’s Children’s Choir
Sun., March 5 at 4 p.m.
Guest Preacher: The Rev. Dr. Michael Battle
Sun., March 26 at 8 a.m. & 10 a.m.
LENTEN SERIES: POETRY IN EPISCOPAL WORSHIP & DEVOTION
Led by The Rev. Bowie Snodgrass
Poetry in Worship: KJV, BCP, Psalter, & Hymns
Sun., March 26 at 11:15 a.m.
Poetry for Preaching & Personal Devotional
Sun., April 2 at 11:15 a.m.
HOLY WEEK
Palm Sunday
Sun., April 9 at 8 a.m. & 10 a.m.
Holy Week Evening Prayer
Mon., April 10, Tues., April 11, & Wed., April 12 at 5 p.m.
Maundy Thursday Simple Supper & Service
Thurs., April 13 at 6 p.m.
Good Friday
Fri., April 14 at 7 p.m.
Great Vigil & Baptism
Sat., April 15 at 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday
Sun., April 16 at 10 a.m.
Cover art: “Mercy” by artist Julianne M. Kalbaugh was created
for All Souls Charlottesville as a reflection on the season of Lent
An Invitation to Devotion
Although it may seem a bit odd, I have been looking forward to Lent! While Lent may sometimes be
thought of as the drear season without flowers and with deprivations, I am thinking instead about the
blessing of these weeks.
Those blessings began for me several weeks ago when I was able to invite old friends who had traveled
with us along the way to be contributors to this devotional guide. It was a way to feel that they are
still very much a part of us, even though we are separated by distance. And then, I was blessed by the
folk right here - within one minute of sending out the requests we had over a dozen replies, and not
one person said no thank you. How phenomenal is that!
The devotional you hold in your hands reminds us that faith is not a solitary journey, but is shared
with others who strive to love God and live for God in our complicated and conflicted world. There
are so many needs that we can easily feel overwhelmed, or give up hope, or become cynical - were it
not for God within us and for us and for this whole world.
This devotional is a gift of love from fellow pilgrims. We are bound through Newark Shared Ministry,
and in that way we are friends through Christ. The people of House of Prayer in Newark, St. Paul’s
in Chatham, Christ Church in Short Hills and the Diocese of Newark have all been changed by
the intentional and prayerful relationship we have. This devotional is a beautiful example of the
commitment to “Shared” in “Newark Shared Ministry.” Thank you to each of you who offered
yourselves in these 40 devotions and to all those of you who will make it your spiritual discipline to
read and pray them.
I am looking forward to Lent this year especially because I feel a crucial need to take the time to
reconsider what is essential in life and faith, and to be re-centered. My attitude needs to focus on what
is good and of God, rather than on the many distractions. My heart needs to be retuned to those who
are easily forgotten or dismissed. My time needs to be adjusted to give those people and tasks the full
value they deserve. At Christ Church a few years ago, we began the practice of trying not to have
administrative/institutional meetings during Lent. In place of those, we ask our people not just to stay
at work longer, but to take a walk, go home and have dinner with a friend or family, come to church
for one of the Lenten programs, or offer one’s self at the food pantry or as a tutor at “All the Way Up”.
Administration and institutional concerns are an important part of life and the work of the Church, but
to change the pattern, just as we don’t have flowers during this season, helps us appreciate, focus and
renew or efforts, as we dedicate ourselves to God.
So may you know and share the blessings of Lent and draw closer to God through these days.
Yours In Christ,
The Rev. Dr. Timothy J. Mulder, Rector
Christ Church in Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Wednesday | March 1
Luke 18:9-14
“...for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble
themselves will be exalted.”
Luke tells the story of two men, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee shares
with God his gratefulness that God has seen fit to make the Pharisee a Pharisee. The Pharisee wants
to make sure God knows how his judgment is appreciated; judgment that keeps people like the lowly
tax collector in their place, while someone who is clearly as morally superior as the Pharisee (what
with all that tithing and fasting) can be confident in his position in the world.
We can read this passage and take away the lesson that it is better to be humble. (Although at the
same time, we can think, well ,is this really relevant? After all, don’t you need a healthy self image in
this day and age?).
Or, we can look a little deeper and see that the Pharisee’s view of the tax collector is one of contempt.
The tax collector is “the other”. Contempt ,a uniquely human emotion, is perhaps one of the most
destructive. Luke wants us to know that God is having none of it. The Pharisee and his bloated selfinterest, yes, are ugly, but even uglier is the fact that the Pharisee would “exalt himself” over another.
It is this that will bring him down.
How many times in our lives do we fall into the Pharisee’s trap? How many times do we see a fellow
man as something beneath consideration? As we move through Lent, let us be on the watch for both
the Pharisee and the tax collector. Let us remember there is no “other”. We are not one. We are all.
Cynthia McChesney
Christ Church, Short Hills
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Thursday | March 2
John 1:29-34
“He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who
baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit is my favorite member of the Trinity; the one that I find it easiest to relate to. The
Spirit descended on Jesus at his Baptism and I believe that it does the same at our baptisms. I am
overwhelmed by awe and also comforted that the Holy Spirit ties me together with all baptized
persons through all times – the great Cloud of Witnesses. Like most of you, I was baptized as an
infant so I can claim no initiative or insight on my part. I was just claimed by the community on my
parent’s initiative. It is quite a generational gift.
Over the years of participation in EFM, I more often sense the Holy Spirit moving through the room.
While it is particularly true when we share and reflect on stories of our own faith journeys, it also
happens when we are just having fun together. While far better theologians than I am may have a
totally contrary opinion, I’m not sure it is possible to have deep joy in a group without the presence of
the Holy Spirit.
Another EFM gift has been the weekly focus on where in the past week you saw one of the members
of the Trinity at work. While it took a while for me to “catch” the perspective, once you see your
daily life through that lens, the Holy Spirit is everywhere and very active! The sighting of these
numerous instances in an ordinary week has led me to many more instances where I identify myself
as grateful. This can be quiet gratitude or, in the right setting, an open acknowledgment of gratitude.
My prayer for you this Lent is that you start catching signs of the Holy Spirit at work in your life and
the lives of the people around you. (Hint: The HS is also quite active during worship services, if you
need some leaven to get started.) I also pray that if you haven’t been baptized or have children who
are not baptized, you will take that initiative.
Sandra T. Johnson
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Friday | March 3
John 1:35-42
“And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
John the Baptist was a great prophet with many disciples. He recognized that his disciples could
benefit more from Jesus’ teachings than from his own and commended them to Jesus. That is an
act of humility and grace. Imagine you are a teacher with a prodigy of amazing potential, potential
greater than you can help that prodigy realize. So you send the prodigy to an amazing teacher so that
the potential can be realized.
When the disciples addressed Jesus as rabbi and asked where he was staying, rather than where he
was going, they were devoting themselves to him and to learning about his spiritual views.
Andrew sought out his brother, Simon, and brought him to the Messiah. Andrew and the unnamed
disciple sought Jesus upon John the Baptist’s declaration. Andrew brought his brother to Christ.
This is the first instance in Jesus’ ministry of a person being brought to Christ.
Jesus looks intently at Simon and knows all about him. He says that Simon is to be called Peter
which means rock. Jesus knows immediately or perhaps always knew that after his Crucifixion and
Resurrection, Peter will be the foundation upon which the church will be built.
“If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus and say, “He died for all.”
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.”
Tom Gordon
Christ Church, Short Hills
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Saturday | March 4
John 1:43-51
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
In this passage, Nathanael—who has been recruited by Philip to come listen to Jesus, whom Philip
believes to be the savior predicted by Moses and the prophets—questions whether Jesus could really
be the messiah. Philip is dubious because he would have expected a great man to come from a great
place, not an insignificant little village like Nazareth. Philip’s rejoinder to him is, “come and see.”
There is, of course, nothing unusual about this in the bible, for victory by the meek over the powerful
is a dominant theme in both the Old and New Testaments: Moses over Pharaoh, David over Goliath,
plowshares over swords, love over hate, life over death.
In our society, we suffer from the same myopia as Nathanael. We tend to give more credence to
those from the coasts or prestigious institutions than their counterparts in “flyover country” or from
lesser-known academies. Most of us want our children to go to the highest-ranked colleges. We
presume that others would love to be able to live the way that we do here in Short Hills.
But sometimes our eyes are opened to a different reality. When I was graduating from prep school,
most of my classmates were accepted at highly competitive universities while a small number were
forced to go to UNH, which was, for many, their “safety school”. When my favorite, most inspiring,
professor at Dartmouth turned out to be a visiting scholar from UNH, I had to appreciate the irony.
Since settling in New Jersey, my family has twice had visitors from rural areas who basically spent
their time with us asking the question: how can you live like this? It is difficult not to be offended
by their judgment of our family’s values, but we recognize that the urban/suburban life isn’t for
everyone.
At the national level, we have just seen the result of underestimating the rural population. While
many of us can reasonably question the vessel that they chose for their protest (a vulgar billionaire
from New York?), one must respect the message that was sent. Pay attention to what is happening in
Nazareth!
Dear Lord, open our eyes, minds and hearts to the world beyond the borders of our community and help us to see,
understand and care for those who are foreign to us.
Sam Reckford
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Monday | March 6
John 2:18-22
“Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his
glory; and his disciples believed in him.”
Dear Lord
You astound us with your signs
You frighten us with your signs
You anger us with your signs
You blind us with your signs
You awaken us with your signs
What are we to make of the signs we see around us today?
Where is Christ in the signs we see around us today?
How can our minds and our hearts bend to accept what is suddenly our new reality?
Are these signs not as potent and as difficult to fathom as Christ’s first sign, turning water to wine, was to his
disciples?
Give us the strength and wisdom,Oh Lord, to do as the disciples did and turn towards the signs we see instead
of away from them.
To look not at the sign itself, but the meaning of the sign;
The purpose of the sign;
The implications of the sign;
The ramifications of the sign;
The possibilities of the sign;
Oh Lord, where has our belief in signs gone?
Where has our willingness to journey beyond ourselves gone?
Not simply to stand in the turbulent waters of opposition and solidarity, but to cross
And to help others to cross with us
To collectively reach a new shore, touch new ground and walk towards a new horizon
To believe that our purpose lies not in self but in spiritual destination
Not in where we take ourselves, but where we allow ourselves to be taken
Help us, Lord, to be disciples.
To seek Christ as the disciples did even before Christ revealed himself to them.
To believe in letting ourselves be guided.
To take time to think through the signs placed before us and put them in the context of our spiritual journey.
Let us be trusting, anchorless vessels guided by your light, your current and your tide. Amen
Benjamin Fay
Christ Church, Short Hills
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Tuesday | March 7
John 2:13-22
“...Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”
Wait. Jesus is angry, mad, agitated, aggressive, and a bit violent? No! Well yes, Jesus is emotionally livid in
this passage.
This action of Jesus “cleansing the Temple” is found in all four of the Gospels. However, in the Gospel of
John, it appears at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and is not associated with his Passion as in the other three
Gospel narratives. The Jewish Temple is a place where many people, both Jew and Gentile alike had strong,
visceral, emotional reactions. Centered in Jerusalem, the Temple was both the geographical and spiritual
center of life for very many. The Jewish Temple was the beating heart of life, community, and economy both
religious and secular. Standing as a superb edifice of the intersection of power and privilege for some and
poverty and marginalization for others. This was the node of Jesus’ authority versus the traditional temple
authority.
Passover was the major feast for the Jewish community. Celebrated in March or April of a given year, Jewish
Pilgrims would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the memorial of their redemption from slavery in Egypt.
They would eat, tell the story of liberation and unleavened bread, and sing praises. Because they could not
bring their own sacrifices required in the festal celebration, the Temple Authorities made these available in
the market places outside the Sanctuary so folks could exchange currency and purchase what was liturgically,
ritually, needed. Profit was made by sellers in exchanging money and supplying the paschal lambs which were
slaughtered from about 3 to 5pm, and then the festival meal was eaten. A long tradition, safely practiced until
Jesus’ demonstration.
Jesus combats the authority of the Temple and his own legitimacy in this direct action. The “Word made
flesh,” an outsider to these sacrificial economic practices, postures himself as superlative, legitimate, and
supreme. By taking action, Jesus strikes at the very foundation of the Temple, the longstanding secular and
religious indebting system of the less fortunate. Jesus throws into chaos the “business” of sacrifice - the money
making, interest earning system - so that no tithes or sacrifices from foreigners could be assessed and collected.
Jesus is incensed that a religious liberation festival was made into a commemoration to shackle and bind
people into fiscal and spiritual debt. He became emotional, and acted.
Where have the Christian Churches’ doctrine and practices been similarly solidified and established so that
we bind, shackle, subjugate, vilify, and exploit others? Is the Church, bathed with traditional certainty, closed
from change, renewal, and reform? Jesus clearly admonishes us that liberty and equity of others are the visible
signs of the love of Jesus Christ.
This Lenten Season, may we allow Jesus to cleanse our temples by changing our consciousness and turning
over the tables of our heart! Amen.
The Rev. Dr. Tommie L. Watkins, Jr.
Canterbury Chapel, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Newark Shared Ministries
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Wednesday | March 8
John 2:23-3:15
“You must be born again… Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives
birth to Spirit.”
When I read today’s passage, I had such a clear image of “being stuck” – stuck in a box of small
thinking - crowded, limited, unwilling to stretch into new beliefs, or a new way of living. I first got
that sense when I read that many people’s belief in Jesus was superficial; they would believe only
in the miraculous signs which they saw. They lacked the ability to believe bigger or to see beyond
what was given to them in plain sight. Jesus would have none of that because he recognized the
shallowness of that type of believing and of living.
Then there was Nicodemus, a religious leader who recognized something more about Jesus and His
teaching, and who wanted to understand at a deeper level. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “You must be born
again…Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit.” Like the others, Nicodemus
could not wrap his head around that concept. He was too literal – “How can a man enter his mother’s
womb a second time to be born?” He was stuck in his way of thinking, of believing, and though he
went directly to Jesus to try to free himself from his disbelief, he couldn’t move beyond his own
experiences, his own understanding, his own learning, his own narrow way of looking at life.
I was reminded of Richard Bach’s classic book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, about the gull who
believed that there was more to life than just being a scavenger bird, simply surviving by picking at
garbage and dead fish along the sea shore. Jonathan wanted more out of life! He wanted to fly – to
soar – to break out of small-minded expectations of all that life could be. He said, “Don’t believe what
your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding. Find out what
you already know and you will see the way to fly.”
Like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Jesus longs for us to move beyond our limits, to move beyond
believing only what are eyes can see, and to break out of beliefs that keep us stuck. He challenges
us, like Nicodemus, to break free from the shackles of understanding only with the “flesh,” and
soar higher to be born of the “Spirit.” We are limited only by ourselves, our thinking, and our
shallow beliefs. Let’s commit ourselves to unlock our Spirits and soar to new faith, and a new way of
experiencing God and life that will propel us to our highest potential.
The Rev. Karen Rezach
Kent Place School, Summit
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2017 Lenten Devotional
Thursday | March 9
John 3:16-21
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
My mental association with John 3:16 is seeing this verse written on a piece of cardboard held high at football
games. This form of evangelism is not part of our Episcopal tradition and can make me squirm a bit. But there
is good reason that John 3:16, of all the verses in the Bible, is cited – Martin Luther called it “the gospel in
miniature.”
This passage tells us of God’s radical love for us. He sent his son to live and die as one of us so that we might
be saved and not feel alone, abandoned, or condemned. Jesus is the light of the world and came to be light and
love, even when we cannot see it.
Lent is a time of entering into the darkness, intentionally and prayerfully. As Christians, we look within to
listen to God and ask Christ to help us remove the blockages we have in our soul that prevent us from seeing
the light.
In the Northern Hemisphere, we are literally in the last long nights of winter. In a few more days, when
Daylight Savings begins, we will finally have one more hour of evening light. The days will be two hours
longer at Easter than they were on Ash Wednesday. We are waiting and watching for spring, rebirth, and
resurrection – yet during Lent, we are called to be still and listen for God in the darkness.
“The Other” by R.S. Thomas.
There are nights that are so still
that I can hear the small owl calling
far off and a fox barking
miles away. It is then that I lie
in the lean hours awake listening
to the swell born somewhere in the Atlantic
rising and falling, rising and falling
wave on wave on the long shore
by the village, that is without light
and companionless. And the thought comes
of that other being who is awake, too,
letting our prayers break on him,
not like this for a few hours,
but for days, years, for eternity.
Perhaps the person with the John 3:16 sign holds it high not to condemn, but to invite others to know God’s
radical love for the whole world. Jesus came so that we need never feel alone, abandoned, or condemned. We
are God’s children, believing in the promise of embrace, love, and light for eternity.
The Rev. Bowie Snodgrass
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Friday | March 10
John 3:22-36
“For this reason my joy has been fulfilled.”
“Joy” is a super powerful emotion. I suspect many people struggle to find “joy” in their daily lives,
particularly in their work. I can understand why. In today’s 24/7 culture, work is physically and
emotionally strenuous; it can be brutally competitive; and people are often sacrificed for the sake of
the bottom line.
“Joy” is a high standard to achieve. For most people, money, promotions, and the acquisition of
things are not enough to engender true, lasting “joy.” So how does John the Baptist find it? In a few
ways, as illustrated in this passage, which can be instructive for all of us.
First, John does not let his ego or personal ambition get in the way. He is accepting of the fact that he
is not the Messiah and that Jesus “must increase, but I must decrease.” In a world where there is so
much pressure to succeed, I think this is a trap for many people who believe if they are not on top it is
simply not good enough.
Second, John resists the urge to compare himself to Jesus and perhaps more importantly, he
acknowledges the significance of his role. The disciples are a bit snarky in pointing out to John
that bigger crowds are now following Jesus and they insinuate that they don’t agree with all of
what Jesus is doing. John does not take the bait and instead re-emphasizes that it was his job to
come before Jesus and he is gratified that he has fulfilled that role as evidenced by Jesus’s success.
Jealousy of others and the tendency to discount the importance of our own contributions is another
trap that impedes finding “joy.”
Finally, John recognizes that faith in God transcends everything else: “The one who comes from
above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks only of earthly things.”
John has completely entrusted himself to God and accepted God’s plan, which enables him to find
“joy.”
If only we could do the same! We are so consumed with “earthly things” we forget to reflect, pray,
and simply be open to what God’s plan is for us. I think Lent is a good time to do that. I am feeling
more “joyful” already.
Linda Walker
Christ Church, Short Hills
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Saturday | March 11
John 4:1-26
“How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”
Neither the division of man and woman nor of Jew and Samaritan inhibits Jesus’ conversation with
the unnamed Samaritan woman (She is unnamed: perhaps so that we might all imagine ourselves
as this woman, and perhaps because the greater contours of her identity as an outsider are more
important than her name.) He greets her and interacts with her at her level – completely logical
given that He is in her city, at a well squarely in her territory. Despite being essentially a foreigner in
her land, He remains as much at home as He would have been anywhere else.
This is a natural conversation between apparent equals: even her realization that He is the Messiah
changes this not. There is camaraderie: Jesus refers to (and I imagine this as a gentle, knowing jest)
to her “five husbands” (in current presidential parlance, presumably this makes her a “nasty woman”)
– with little judgment. This is not merely tolerance of her unattached status and her number of
“husbands,” but acceptance of it.
The first who truly understands who Jesus is: not only a woman, but a Samaritan woman (“Jews
do not share things in common with Samaritans.”) Jesus was an outsider dwelling among outsiders.
The institutional power structure and conventional society denied His identity as Messiah.
Outsiders, like the Samaritan woman, had no stake in that structure. She had far less stake in the
status quo: she was uniquely positioned to see His truth. She has little to lose, and heaven to gain,
by standing as the first witness to truly understand who He is. She one of the many women witnesses
who understood, and proclaimed, well before their male counterparts (who, even among the apostles,
often appeared more inclined to accept the more reasonable idea that Jesus was a prophet) the
revolutionary and world-altering truth of the Messiah’s arrival. Despite being warned, and given an
explanation, these women nevertheless persisted. Society could not silence their acts of witness.
Jesus’ mortal transcendence of the divisions between different groups on earth not only foreshadows
the glorious notion found in Paul’s writings in Galatians that in heaven there shall be “no longer slave
or free… no longer male and female,” but instead “one in Christ Jesus,” but also foreshadows the
ultimate bond that Christ breaks: transcending the division between the living and the dead. It is
most fitting that a woman first portends this truth.
Melissa Bristol
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Monday | March 13
John 4:27-42
“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.”
He has food. He has mystery food. Nobody knows what it’s about. I was Jesus seeing all the people
coming to him and trying to find out about the mystery.
Then I followed him. He invited me to stay with him. I was trying to find out what the mystery food
was so I could get a taste of its goodness, and I learned about the mystery food.
Jesus said, from God I grant wishes that are necessary for church. Poor people are good. Make some
get a house, have a life, education, survive, get money and clothing, socks and sneakers that they
need, have a full life.
I know how it was good because he would not make anything bad because of the word that he told
me.
Shine the light on me
Let the light come through
Never let it go
It’s stirring in you.
Cayla Byron
House of Prayer, Newark
Cayla Byron, 9 years old from House of Prayer Episcopal Church, Newark. This is Cayla’s meditation as told to
Rev. Joyce McGirr. After the first reading, I notated her responses. During the second reading, she listened with her
eyes closed and then I notated more of her response to the reading which included her poem that she also sang to her
own melody. When she can, Cayla, attends The Good Shepherd Catechesis Sunday School program with her teacher
Lucye Millerand, serves as a junior acolyte, and has just begun to be one of our youth readers.
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Tuesday | March 14
John 4:43-54
“Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
Jesus came from Cana of Galilee, where he had performed the miracle at the wedding feast by
changing water into the best wine they ever had and the people were amazed.
Knowing that Jesus was in Cana, a certain man, who was the attendant of the king, asked Jesus to
go with him to Capernaum to heal his son who was dying. Jesus said to him: go home and your boy
is living. As he approached his home, he was told the hour his son became well and he realized it was
the hour Jesus spoke and said your boy is alive. The man believed Jesus’ word and had the faith and
trust that his son was healed.
This was the second miracle Jesus had done and all the people believed. But Jesus wants us to walk
by faith in him and not by sight. If we believe in our Lord and Savior, we will discover his love for us
and acknowledge all things are possible if we only believe in him when we call upon him for help in
our time of need. We must pray in every situation. We do not have to wait for miracles. All we need is
sincere faith and trust in our redeemer.
Stella Morris
House of Prayer, Newark
Newark Shared Ministries
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Wednesday | March 15
John 5:1-18
“Do you want to be made well?”
How many of us are laying at the door of our (emotional, mental, physical) healing and never bother
to cross that threshold? In other words, why do we choose to be sick, when we can be well? In John
5, we see a lame man lying on a porch surrounded by sick people. All of them waiting for the same
thing - healing. But are they? I imagine the five porches by the pool, with all the sick people, became
a place of comfort for the man.
The scripture says that Jesus knew the man had been lame all of his life. Jesus asked the man, “Do
you want to be made well?” The man didn’t answer yes; he instead answered: “There is no one to put
me in the water when it’s stirred”. Then Jesus commanded the man to “get up, pick up your mat and
walk.” The man got up, picked up his mat and walked away. Why didn’t the man answer yes and
why did Jesus command him?
Jesus knows that sometimes we are so sick, that we will make excuses for not being well. He
understands that sin has tricked us into staying in our same condition with others to make ourselves
feel comfortable in our lameness. But this is never his best for us. Jesus understands that making a
commitment to our healing requires us to trust God, even when we see no evidence that our situation
can change. This is why he died on the cross, so the bondage of lameness, negative thinking, and
excuses, no longer have power over us.
Today, don’t wait for a sign (an angel stirring the water) to believe that you can be healed. Just
begin to walk in your complete healing from all the infirmities that try to keep you lame. Follow
his commandment to “get up!” and then keep moving away from the things that make you feel
“comfortable” with your lameness. His resurrection power has been waiting for you to move in God’s
power and love.
Babette Baker
House of Prayer, Newark
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Thursday | March 16
John 5:19-29
“the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of
the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
I always had difficulty learning to tie my cincture. When it was my time to serve in worship, some
kind person near me would always reach out to help me with the task of neatly making the loops and
knotting the cincture so that it would stay in place around my waist. Maybe some of you have had
the same problem. I finally went online and watched a video that taught me how to do it for myself.
I was able, without the help of the video, to remember each step of tying my cincture by talking my
way through it. To this day, when I am making the two loops that look to me like two big bunny
ears, I say those words of Jesus, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:9, English
Standard Version). It not only reminds me to make the loops look like bunny ears, the words also
remind me to ask Jesus to keep me open to hearing his voice within me wherever I am.
Jesus says in this Gospel of John –“the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the
voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
There is a cacophony of voices all around us today that continually deafen us and seek to keep us
dead to the love and goodness of God that is within us and all of God’s creation. It is a constant
battle to turn from those deafening voices of darkness and death and instead turn to the voice of God
that is the awakening and compassionate voice of light and life. I am so thankful to God that we
have been given the gifts of prayer and sacrament. They are the means of grace given out of God’s
great love and compassion for us that provide us with the strength and courage to say “no” to those
deafening voices of death, and say “yes” to the spirit of resurrection life as we know it in our life in
Jesus. And a little help from bunny ears goes a long way too.
The Rev. Joyce B. McGirr
House of Prayer, Newark
Newark Shared Ministries
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Friday | March 17
John 5:30-47
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just,
because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
What resonated within my spirit was “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my
judgment is just because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. The works
that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that
the Father has sent me.” In a way, this reminds me that only what you do for God will last.
I can do nothing on my own,
The will of He who sent me I must do
And sometimes I can almost see his throne,
But weak and tempted my heart is untrue.
If only I’d believe in He who saves me
From darkness, shame and human disbelief
I’d know that it’s the Father who doth claim me,
Away from Satan’s lies and liars grief.
Within the 40 days, my faith has grown;
I testify the one thing that holds true
That I can do nothing on my own,
For it’s the will of God which I must do.
Rose Clarke
House of Prayer, Newark
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2017 Lenten Devotional
Saturday | March 18
John 7:1-13
“My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.”
Waiting with Jesus.
In my opinion, I feel like the Jews and his brothers were all persecuting Jesus to force him to show
everyone what he actually does. But yet, Jesus was telling them it isn’t his time; it’s their time, it’s
always their time. They were all persecuting him to go to the feast but Jesus told them that it wasn’t
his time to go and that when he’s ready he will actually go. When he did eventually go, he went to be
near his family but he made sure to not be seen because he knew the Jews were looking for him.
That’s like in the real world today, there are a lot of people that hear that someone is a bad person,
but then there are those people who say: no, he’s a good person. No one knows when there time will
actually come. But like they say, Jesus works in quiet ways. Just because things don’t happen when
you want them to doesn’t mean that they will never happen.
Shayla Graham
House of Prayer, Newark
Newark Shared Ministries
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Monday | March 20
John 7:14-36
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
These days, it has become so difficult to discern what is true, what is factual. We hear facts and
alternative facts. Things that we thought were well established by solid evidence are disputed by
leaders and neighbors alike, and things that strike us as absurdly beyond belief are believed by
vast segments of the populace. We have a leader telling us not to believe the press. We’re made to
question even what photographs seem plainly to show because pictures can be altered.
The truth is, of course, that for what we have not seen with our own eyes, in person, we have no
grounds for belief either way except as a matter of faith. We truly do not know whether photos we
see were or were not altered. We cannot know, for we were not there and did not take the pictures
or witness the events. If we did not gather the data first hand ourselves, we cannot know whether a
published study relies on manipulated data. Either we choose to believe that our information sources
can be trusted or decide that they cannot be. But either way there is nothing we, with no access to
original files or opportunity to interview and cross examine those involved, can do to verify or negate
the claimed facts with which we are presented every day.
So what do we do then? Throw up our hands, withdraw and reconcile ourselves to a world of
hopeless ignorance? No. Jesus, while telling us not to judge by appearances, in the same sentence
affirmatively commands us to judge, not to abdicate. Judge we must, but with right judgment.
And what can make our judgment right? Striving to make sure that when we exercise our minds, our
hearts are in the right place. Speaking of his own teaching, Jesus says: “Anyone who resolves to do
the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God.” If we resolve to do the will of God in
all that we do, God’s grace will give us the tools we need to discern where to put our trust.
Joe LaVela
St. Paul’s, Chatham
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Tuesday | March 21
John 7:37-52
“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will
flow from within them.”
During Lent we are called to self-examination and repentance. As I reflect on the reading for today,
I am struck by how over the past two thousand years Jesus has called each of us whether in a loud
voice (or possibly a whisper) to believe and follow Him. For many, we have questioned how God’s
gift could come from Galilee (like the Pharisees) or more specifically, if Jesus really is the Messiah,
our Savior. And when we say yes, what do we do about it? I suspect if you are like me that question
may be hard to answer.
The challenge we all face is whether to believe (or not) in Jesus, and if we do, allowing the gift of
God’s living water to flow through us. As I look at the world today - the racial and political tensions
in our country, the unrest and chaos worldwide - I wonder where God is. What is happening around
us and what can I do about it? And then I am reminded that we are the Body of Christ, and God’s
Love. It starts with me and you; not alone, but with God. If we don’t make a difference and share this
living water where we are, who will?
During this Lent season, reflect on how God’s Light can be visible in the environments you live
in. How can we remind people that Jesus is real and within each of us? My prayer for you is that
God’s Living Water flows in you and all that you do, and may the Holy Spirit give you strength and
courage to believe.
As a child of God, you are God’s Love and Light in this world. Pass it on!
Thomas D. Osucha
St. Paul’s, Chatham
Newark Shared Ministries
|
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Wednesday | March 22
John 8:12-20
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness but will have the light of life.”
Today’s passage begins with one of the “I am” sayings that John attributes to Jesus. These metaphors are
meant to define Jesus in the context of the answer God gave to Moses when he asked God’s name: “I am who
I am”.
I am the bread of life.
I am the light of the world.
I am the door.
I am the good shepherd.
I am the resurrection and the life.
I am the way, the truth and the life.
I am the true vine.
Defining that which exceeds depiction is a difficult task. Some Jews do not casually write any Name of God.
Most Muslims do not pictorially represent the Divine.
We Anglicans join Jesus in journeying to the farthest reaches of our vocabulary to search for those best words
that can be brought home to reveal God to us. From the time of our first Prayer Book, we have appropriated
the biblical language that dances and sings to attempt to recount the Divine Reality. Such a Reality exceeds
space and time so we cannot describe it with the use of normal space-and-time language (i.e. nouns and verbs).
We can join Jesus in using the language of metaphor to most truly suggest the reality of God.
The New York Times is important! The directions from Ikea are vital (especially if you just bought a
Flesxtoshuberfarken)! But Jesus is hoping that you will perceive him not through prose but through poetry
this Lent. He is challenging you to experience and share those realities of faith that resist quantification.
Living in poetry is an uncertain proposition. The idea scared the Pharisees and they attempted to use the
Deuteronomic Code to pull Jesus back into a life of prose.
But your life-poem can break some rules. It doesn’t have to rhyme. It needn’t scan. It only has to be real and
bright and true. That’s what Jesus is hoping for.
O gracious and holy One, Give us wisdom to perceive You, diligence to seek You, patience to wait for You, eyes to behold You, a
heart to meditate upon You, and a life to proclaim You. Amen
Dave Jones
St. Paul’s, Chatham
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Thursday | March 23
John 8:21-32
“...if you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will
know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
In a time when “truth” is debated within our political discourse, this passage is especially timely. Dr.
Ellen Charry of Princeton Theological Seminary explains that the word we translate as truth could
similarly be translated as beauty - as in the beauty of God. A slight adjustment to the traditional
translation of the passage could read, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and
you will know beauty and this beauty will set you free”. This is a very different understanding of
the passage. As Jesus tells the disciples about his death -- he promises beauty. He doesn’t provide
a framework for theological debates or hostile discussions about God’s law. No. Jesus promises
beauty.
Some people might claim that the City of Newark is not beautiful. However if I may be so bold, I
think the good people of Newark Shared Ministry have been let into one of God’s secrets: Newark is
especially beautiful. The people, the cultures, the faith communities, and the possibilities...all point
to God’s beauty. The diversity of countries represented, the beautiful colors throughout the city, the
mixture of business people with street vendors of food from around the world all add to the beauty of
the city. However, an even deeper beauty happens in more quiet corners...in a small classroom on the
second floor of House of Prayer, tutors and students alike commit themselves to learning; the women
of Apostles House lean into the struggle of being a single mom and fight for a better tomorrow for
themselves and their children; relationships between suburbanites and urbanites come to life and
possibilities never before imagined become reality. The fabulous people of Newark Shared Ministry
know this to be true deep within ourselves and we seek to point to this beauty more readily.
In Lent, we remember that God died on a cross to prove to us that love wins. Sometimes this love
takes sacrifices, hard work, sad days, commitment, and perseverance -- and these things almost seem
to prepare us for beauty. For those who point to this beauty by participating in Newark Shared
Ministry, thank you! For those who desire something beautiful, please come and see! For wherever
we land amidst the political debates of our time, I hope we can all agree that we need true and lasting
beauty-- the kind that can only come from God, the kind of beauty that is so evident in Newark, New
Jersey.
Chris McNabb
St. Paul’s, Chatham
Newark Shared Ministries
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Friday | March 24
John 8:33-47
“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I
have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.
Why is my language not clear to you?
Because you are unable to hear what I say.”
John’s Gospel reveals to us a God who is Love. On one hand, that Love is transcendent, beyond
all our imagining. But on the other hand, in John, God’s Love is immanent, made “flesh” in Jesus,
present and tangible in the world around us through the Love around us.
Today’s reading presents us with some serious questions about God’s truth - God’s Love - in the
world. How do we know that we are the children of God? How do we know The “Truth?” How can
we know God’s “Truth?”
The answer to these important questions of our faith, Jesus says, is Love. We know the God’s Truth
whenever we encounter the energy and force of Love. Love is God made flesh and dwelling among
us. Love is God active in the world. And Love is God working through all of us.
Recognizing the face of God, the Truth of God, can be challenging because the face of God comes to
us in so many different guises. But the face of God is revealed to us whenever we experience Love.
Our story is and has always been a part of God’s story. And through Christ, our story is a story of
incarnation (of God daring to become human, like us), a story of resurrection (an Easter story), a
story of eternal life, and a story of remarkable Love. That is “The Truth.”
In what ways have you experienced God’s Truth – Love – in your life today? The face of God is
found in the face of Love. Keep your eyes, ears, and hearts open to that Love, and know that in Love,
you also intimately know The Truth.
The Rev. Mary E. Davis
St. Paul’s, Chatham
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Saturday | March 25
John 8:47-59
“Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
I was there that day, listening to this Jesus person. He said that if I followed his word, I wouldn’t see
death. What a strange thing to say! Everyone dies. The men with me said aloud what I was thinking:
he must be crazy. Yet, there was something in the way he said it, as if he was speaking about some
other kind of death.
I wanted to talk to him. I am a prayerful man and fear God. I wonder what happens when my body
gives way. That is the death I’ve seen. But Jesus was saying something about a different life with a
different way to live that does not end in death.
There are other things that feel like death, like when my spirit feels so desperate and I am sure that
even God cannot hear my supplication. Is Jesus saying I can cross over that kind of death if I follow
his word?
Can it be that my soul and spirit need never be separated from God?
This is almost too radical to believe, but I do.
I must be the crazy one! But, it gives me hope beyond all comprehension and I choose to cling to it.
Jennifer M. Coury
St. Paul’s, Chatham
Newark Shared Ministries
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Monday | March 27
John 6:1-15
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are
they among so many people?”
We have all heard this story. Where did the food come from to feed the large crowd and the 12
baskets to gather what was left over? Was it a miracle that Jesus multiplied what was given to him
or did he set an example of sharing, that others followed? The large crowd was following Jesus
because of the signs he was doing for the sick. They were looking for more signs and in search of a
leader, a king. Jesus gave them yet another sign that day, but he fled because he did not come to be a
king and military leader to fight the Romans.
Reflecting on this gospel story, where does it leave us? Jesus showed us that a little act of kindness/
hospitality, like sharing some bread and fish, can grow into something much larger. If you believe
that each person shared some of their food, then Jesus was able to show that strangers can come
together to act selflessly for the betterment of their neighbor. The crumbs filling the basket
demonstrates that we can contribute to those in need and still have enough for ourselves. If the
twelve baskets represented the 12 Tribes of Israel, couldn’t our baskets represent our nation, or better
yet, the world?
I think Jesus calls us to get out and break bread with others. Learn more about each other. There
are many needs out in the world. What of our time, talent, or treasure can we call upon to help
to resolve a problem? What spiritual hunger can we help feed? I am reminded of a food server in
our cafeteria who brings joy each day with his cheerfulness and positive outlook on life. He treats
each day like it is a blessing, and interacting with him is a blessing. His warmth is contagious and
uplifting.
May we all find a way to contribute, no matter how small, each day. “What are they among so many”
people? It will be meaningful to the recipient and who knows what it can become.
Chris Johnson
St. Paul’s Chatham
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Tuesday | March 28
John 6:16-27
“It is I; do not be afraid.”
There will be sudden storms in life. We all face them. When we are in the midst of a storm (a crisis at
work, job loss, a challenging project, studying for a big test, in the midst of a divorce, awaiting a final
diagnosis, swamped in debt), it’s comforting to know that Jesus can show-up just as he did for the
worried disciples in the floundering boat.
When these storms come upon us, we can cry out and trust that Jesus hears us. Today, find comfort
in these words from Jesus, “Do not be afraid. I am here.” Like those first disciples, we can count on
the love of Jesus and in His saving presence.
Imagine being surprised by God’s presence as those disciples in the boat were when Jesus
approached them amidst the waves.
Imagine how motivated the people who heard Jesus preach and heal were to go out into their
community and surrounding areas to bring the sick and suffering to God.
Or imagine what it was like simply to be among those who came to Jesus for physical nourishment.
His words were encouraging. One encounter with Jesus can change a meal into a spiritual feast.
Disciple, evangelist, newcomer…. Which have you been this week?
Was your boat rocked by life and calmed by Jesus? Did you help someone find spiritual healing
through prayers and presence? Did you step out and welcome a newcomer? Or did you test new
waters as a newcomer to a group? Are any of these roles uncomfortable for you?
Heavenly Father, we give you thanks that you are with us at all times, through all storms, and even
in times of calm. May we be those who welcome you into our boats and our lives. Help us to bring
others to you so that when they face life’s difficulties, they may also be blessed by you.
Amen
Betsy LaVela
St. Paul’s, Chatham
Newark Shared Ministries
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Wednesday | March 29
John 6:27-40
“I am the Bread of Life”
I love this passage. It tells us that “I AM” – God – gives us spiritual sustenance. I welcome the warm feelings
this message engenders, and have felt its blessings first-hand.
I also have trouble with this passage. It presents Jesus, having just fed the multitudes with loaves and fishes,
telling the same multitudes that they must believe in Him – in Jesus – to receive God’s more important
spiritual food.
How do I reconcile these feelings? - Current scholars argue persuasively that the Gospel of John was
written by several authors. Jack Spong posits that they were Jewish mystics attempting to explain mysteries
impossible to understand through the language of literal earthly events.
Though it undoubtedly over-simplifies their intentions, I feel that John’s authors presented this story partly
as an attempt to capture and explain some of the warm feelings and blessings I mentioned above. Jesus was
central to their attempts to understand the mystery of God. They were steeped in the Jewish tradition. They
expected a Messiah and found one. Their story, not surprisingly, was that Jesus – the Messiah – was the one
way to find God.
But was He? Is He? ­— My most meaningful God moments have come from experiences when I have felt in
touch with God in the depths of my soul, for reasons that have had nothing to do specifically with Jesus or
with Christianity. I have felt connections with spiritual forces beyond my understanding, engendering feelings
that I cannot begin to convey in words.
Some of us find mystery in the Eucharist, as do I on a comforting, recurrent basis. My most insightful God
encounters, however – those when I have truly and most meaningfully been spiritually fed – have involved
neither priests nor Eucharistic rituals. They have come at odd times and places – in childbirth, watching dawn
on a sailboat many miles offshore, and communing with a red-tailed hawk though my kitchen window.
In these encounters, I have felt loved and supported – given peace and the strength to face adversities that I
would otherwise have not faced well. I have felt, in my soul, that God exists and has touched my life. I have
known joy and felt empathy at emotional levels in ways that words cannot capture. I have been blessed and
given sustenance by God.
In the larger world, God cannot be limited by the inadequacies of human imagination, and these incomplete,
yet life-changing glimpses of God belie a single interpretation. Disavowing and discrediting the interpretations
of other peoples and cultures dishonors God, whose sustenance we all need – this Lent in particular – as we
face a time of unexpected social turmoil.
Rosemary Wright
St. Paul’s, Chatham
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Thursday | March 30
John 6:41-51
“They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from
heaven’?”
Don’t we know your parents? Didn’t we know you in 5th grade? Aren’t you the one who got a C for
handwriting? Aren’t you the stupid, the drunk, the (insert epithet here)?
The crowd just saw Jesus feed more than five thousand people on five loaves and two fish, and
actually walk on water, yet on closer inspection they realize they “know” him. How can this person
(say a grubby child on the playground) literally be God’s chosen from heaven? No way.
Yet we know Jesus as God of very God, and we Episcopalians weekly partake of him as the living
bread for the world.
And Jesus says here - in the middle of a kind of multi-chapter, call-and-response of miracle,
exposition and disbelief - that he is the food of eternal life for “all” (Jew and Gentile, man and
woman, citizen and immigrant, rich and homeless…).
I used to worry a lot about predestination - did God choose me? Choose you? Now I don’t, I think
that “whoever believes” in Jesus “has eternal life.” I wonder how many of us prejudge people - oh,
I know what people like you are like! And how many of us are prejudged - oh, I knew you when...!
What would happen if we truly treated each other as individuals created, known, and still loved by an
all-knowing, all powerful, ever present God?
Amanda Stent
St. Paul’s, Chatham
Newark Shared Ministries
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Friday | March 31
John 6:52-59
“Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
of his blood, you have no life in you.”
This is no small request. Eat his flesh and drink his blood? This image is tough to swallow. It is easier
for me to reject. When I thoroughly analyzed it, I concluded that to ingest his body and blood would
mean I must face my imperfections. But who wants to face character defects? Just as those who
were there to witness Jesus’ request, and some to refuse it, I too felt resistant to do as suggested. I
hesitated to personally reflect on something so extraordinary. I feared showing my vulnerabilities thinking I would fail or be rejected.
How can my ordinary words do justice to such an profound proposal?
I thought tirelessly about what to offer. I asked for help. I was given suggestions. I prayed for a
dream that might guide my heart. Restlessness set in. Did the doubters do the same thing? Did they
struggle to trust in Jesus as I struggled to trust myself?
Then something happened. I let go. I gave up.
In that moment of letting go, I considered my God-given gifts. I remembered to follow my intuitions;
to love, to accept, to help, to serve, to recall Jesus’ death and resurrection and what that means to me.
I had to put aside the somewhat gruesome image of eating flesh, and rather, welcome the image of
Jesus’s love for me. As I invited this image of love, I surrendered to my lofty expectations and fear of
judgment.
During his ministry, Jesus spoke his truths. He believed in God’s intentions for him, even with the
knowledge of impending betrayal. He did not reject his authenticity to make doubters believe in him.
He lived simply as himself.
Living into my authentic self: This is what it means to me to eat his flesh and drink his blood. This is
what it means to me to be a Christian. When I embrace both my goodness and my imperfections, I
have faith in my humanity.
When I trust in that, I will have eternal life.
Sarah Clark Schwarz
St. Paul’s, Chatham
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Saturday | April 1
John 6:60-71
“This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”
Jesus had been talking about his flesh and blood being the food necessary for eternal life. His
disciples replied, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”
It was not that following Jesus is too hard to understand. It’s not about cognition. It’s about
commitment. We are called to love and serve God with the totality of our being, from our grey matter
to our green matter. Jesus’ disciples got that.
Some want it to be easy, like belonging to a club where as long as you pay your dues no one cares if
you ever show up. Being a disciple is not like that. To follow Jesus is to show up every day, being the
Spirit of Jesus where ever we go!
They were right; it’s not easy. When Jesus talked about love he said, “Love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you.” When he talked about peace, it was about practicing compassion to the
poor, sick, lonely and imprisoned. There was nothing simple about, “Father, forgive them,” or, “Let
the one of you who is without sin cast the first stone.” There was nothing simple about “greater love
has no one than this, than to lay down his life for his friends.” How mind and heart challenging it is
to redefine “neighbor” not just as the people next door who we really like, but all those who share the
planet with us, especially those we don’t know or like (remember the story of the Good Samaritan).
Those who said following Jesus was difficult realized we can’t be marginally committed. You’re
either all in or not at all, and they had decided to be all in.
In this passage, it wasn’t only Judas who found Jesus’ way too much. Not everyone who turns away
from Jesus leaves him in as dramatic a way as Judas does. Most just slip away quietly, as though
God doesn’t notice. But God does notice when we leave. This passage tells us “many of his disciples
turned back and no longer went about with him.” To which Jesus asked, “Do you also wish to go
away?” Jesus still asks each of us to answer that, and there’s no better time to consider it than in
Lent. Do we also, find fullness of life (eternal life) in following Jesus and his ways? Or is it too …
whatever… to accept, to embrace, to live out every day?
Tim Mulder
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Monday | April 3
John 9:1-17
“I used to be blind … now I can see!”
There are many debates in today’s reading. The disciples ask: “Who sinned, the man or his parents?”
Others ask: “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” The Pharisees say: “It is sinful to heal on the
Sabbath.” Others ask: “How can a sinner perform such signs?” When asked, the man said: “He is a
prophet.” Pressed further, he said: “I do not know…sinner or not… I do know that I used to be blind…
now I can see.”
Richard Rohr says, “Christianity is meant to be a loving way of life now, not just a system of beliefs and
requirements that people hope will earn them a later reward in heaven. Jesus did not come to change the
mind of God about humanity. Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God....God is saving
history, not just individuals...We can see that even “evil” and suffering will be used for good...Most
religion begins with a transcendent God up there in heaven, and then we try to explain everything down
here in relationship to that transcendent God. Jesus taught us to find God incarnate in this world, in our
neighbor, in the Eucharist - that is, in ordinary elements of this earth.” *
Rohr retells a tale: “One night, in a far-away land...a truth falls from the stars. As it falls, it breaks into
two pieces; one piece blazes off through the sky and the other falls straight to the ground. One day, a
man stumbles upon the gravity-drawn truth and finds carved on it the words, “You are loved.” It makes
him feel good, so he keeps it and shares it with the people in his tribe...It becomes their most prized
possession, and they call it “The Truth.” Those who have the truth grow afraid of those who don’t have
it, who are different. And those who don’t have it covet it. Soon people are fighting wars over the small
truth, trying to capture it for themselves.
“A little girl who is troubled by the growing violence, greed, and destruction in her once-peaceful world
goes on a journey—through the Mountains of Imagining, the River of Wondering Why, and the Forest of
Finding Out—to speak with Old Turtle, the wise counselor. Old Turtle tells her that the Truth is broken
and missing a piece, a piece that shot off in the night sky so long ago. Together they search for it and,
when they find it, the little girl puts the jagged piece in her pocket and returns to her people. She tries to
explain, but no one will listen or understand. Finally, a raven flies the broken truth to the top of a tower,
where the other piece has been ensconced for safety, and the rejoined pieces shine their full message: “You
are loved / and so are they. And the people begin to comprehend. And the earth begins to heal.” **
Lord, Help us to see that we are already one with God.
Bobbi Engler
Christ Church, Short Hills
*Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations, From the bottom up, 1/7/17.
** Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations, Union, 12/11 - 12/16/16.
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Tuesday | April 4
John 9:18-41
“Jesus said, “I have come into this world for judgment so that those who
do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.”
“‘I see,’ said the blind man” is a saying we all recognize from our parents’ comments or our own
reading of Charles Dickens or James Joyce. Surely, the origin is The Gospel of John, Chapter 9
(especially vs. 25).
The saying is used to speak of a person’s coming to a new understanding or “knowing.” The verb
“to know” is repeated often in this chapter of John. The man given sight by Jesus in yesterday’s
passage was born blind. In today’s passage, his parents, fearful of expulsion from the synagogue,
deny any knowledge of how his sight was gained. The Pharisees think they know Jesus and
denounce him as a sinner because he does not adhere to their religious rules. The once-blind man
comes to know Jesus and, when Jesus fully reveals himself (vs. 37), comes to faith (vs. 38).
Knowing and seeing, judgment and sin, courage and faith take twists and turns throughout this story
as it continues from yesterday’s passage. Sin is portrayed as the inability to see; knowledge, as the
ability to see. Blindness can be either physical, as in the case of this man, or spiritual, as in the case
of the Pharisees. Though complex in text, this passage’s message has been taught in every Sunday
School: “see” by being strong in your faith in God, through Jesus, and by avoiding sinful actions (vss.
40-41).
I believe that for us—living not as an oppressed people in the Roman Empire, under Caesar, but as
a free people in a democratic republic, in “one nation under God”—“seeing” means having faith not
only in Jesus but also in the validity of our country’s constitution and historic values. I believe that
we need to see facts and news clearly and to come to know the actions of our elected officials and
their appointees. And, like Jesus, we need to have the courage to speak out against those whose
wrongful deeds remain (vs. 41).
Jane Derickson Shafer
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Wednesday | April 5
John 10:1-18
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as
the Father knows me and I know the Father.”
The first time I entered the chapel at the General Theological Seminary in New York City, I knew
I was home. The red-brick edifice is remarkable, built in the late 1800s in the Oxford style and
centered in the middle of the seminary’s grounds. Light cascades in blues and reds through lush
stained glassed windows, splashing off of hand-carved woodworking and mosaic tile floors.
But my eyes that first time stayed fixed on the reredos, the marble masterpiece behind the altar,
where at it center was a statue of Jesus holding a small lamb. Near-daily worship in that space over
three years afforded a lot of time to stare at that statue. The hands are arguably too big, and the
brass shepherd’s crook too grand. But the eyes are perfect, and they are affixed on the lamb, which
stares up longingly at Jesus.
Admittedly, that always frustrated me. I wanted Jesus to look at me, not at the lamb. Like an icon,
I wanted those eyes to burn through my own, into my soul, so that when I looked at that statue of
Jesus, I would be reminded of Christ’s affection for me. I love icons, and I love the spiritual intimacy
one can feel by staring at the eyes of Christ. I wanted that from this statue as well.
But I never felt that. Jesus wasn’t looking me; he was fixed on the lamb. On my worst days, I would
think, “Look at me—I need you!” but the statue, never changed. Jesus’s eyes never strayed from the
lamb. Sometimes late at night I would sneak into the chapel and soak up the silence, and in those
moments the statue began to make sense. I was an anxious seminarian, fearful and excited all at the
same time about the life ahead of me, and God, making known through that statue, was reassuring
me, as if to say, “I’ll never take my eyes off the vulnerable; this work isn’t all on you.”
We are called to bear witness to the suffering of others; Jesus makes that clear. But when the weight
of those woes overwhelms us, we must remember that we follow a God who will never abandon the
lost among us even when we do, and who uses his own cross to buttress the unbearable weight of the
world all-too-often smashing down on our shoulders.
The Rev. Matthew Dayton-Welch
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Wayne, Pennsylvania
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2017 Lenten Devotional
Thursday | April 6
John 10:19-42
“If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe.”
Haven’t you been there? Haven’t you wanted a simple and straightforward response to your
questions of faith? Or have ever you been at a loss for words when people ask you why you believe
Jesus to be the Messiah? Sometimes it is easy for us to look at the gospel reading and think that the
players just didn’t get it. But if we are honest, there may be times in our lives when we have difficulty
believing.
It seems as if the evidence was there, but the Jewish leaders couldn’t see it, or probably didn’t want
to see it. After all, all that they had come to believe and know was being challenged. There was a new
player who was performing miracles, people were gathering around, listening to him and they were
not so sure as to where they stood with this man who claimed to be one with the Father.
Believing is hard work. It requires more of us than we sometimes are willing to give. It requires
us to trust, possibly believing in something that cannot be seen, or completely understood in clear
and concise terms - terms that we, as humans would prefer. It may mean us changing the things we
always knew be true to something new. And sometimes believing is something we just don’t want to
face. We are afraid, we are comfortable with things just as they are and we don’t want to change.
How often do we think we have the right answers, without really spending time listening to another
viewpoint? How often do we fail to listen to what people are telling us because we are focusing
on how we will respond? Are we not sometimes like those questioning Jesus on the portico of the
Temple? If you are like 99.9% of all humanity – I imagine you would admit to some of this behavior –
I have.
Being intentional about our faith requires us to not seek plain answers, but to be comfortable living
in the mystery. In the Jewish leaders quest for easy and direct answers, they were not able to see
the full picture of Jesus’ words supported by his actions, yet the people most marginalized did. The
same still holds true today in the 21st century. My prayer for all of us is that as we continue to walk
our faith journey we will be open to hearing the spirit move through our lives giving us a deeper
connection to God and one another.
The Rev. Nancy H. Hennessey
Sherwood Episcopal Church, Cockeysville, Maryland
Newark Shared Ministries
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Friday | April 7
John 11:1-27
“The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever
lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Yes, I do.
Throughout this Bible passage, John narrates the death of Lazarus and how Jesus travels back to
Judea, a place where he was stoned and rejected, to resurrect one of his most dedicated disciples,
Lazarus. This character speaks to the character of both Jesus and God. The willingness to return
somewhere that has caused Jesus incredible amounts of pain and suffering is, for a lack of a better
word, selfless. What speaks to his character even more is his statement listed above. As long as we
remain faithful Christians, who believe in the truth of God and his teachings, we will continue to
walk in his ways.
God has made countless sacrifices for us and for our salvation. The simple truth is that we have
someone in our lives watching over us and our actions to motivate us to be better people, people
deserving of God’s forgiving love. In order to achieve this, we need to not only believe in Jesus
Christ, but love him as well. As long as we believe, our spirits will never perish.
Evangeline Schott
Christ Church, Short Hills
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2017 Lenten Devotional
Saturday | April 8
John 11:28-44
“Jesus told her, “I told you that if you believed you would see God’s glory,
didn’t I?” So they removed the stone.”
Four days after the passing of her brother, Martha takes Jesus to his tomb. He asks her to move the
stone and when she questions him, Jesus tells her to have faith in God. When he says to believe in
God, he is not just talking to her, instead he’s speaking to all Christians. He preaches no matter how
tough the times are, no matter how hard things get, no matter how many things don’t go your way,
never lose your faith in God. There is nothing worse than losing a relative and yet Martha, despite
her despair, believes in God.
After they move the stone, the man who was once dead walks out. This passage shows that good
things happen to those who believe, even in the darkest of times. We have all had rough times in our
lives, but it’s not about the lows that define us, but instead it’s how we persevere. As I come closer
and closer to going off to college, I have reflected on my life so far. Throughout everything that has
happened, one thing has remained constant: my faith in God. As faithful Christians, we have to
believe that at the end of the tunnel there will always be light.
Andrew Clark
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Monday | April 10
John 12:9-19
“They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting ‘Hosanna!’
‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the king of
Israel!’”
As a child, I rarely missed Sunday School. Each week I would sit in a room with other kids my age
listening to prayers and coloring in pictures of Jesus, not really understanding the importance of
what I was learning. Even though I forget many of the Bible passages I once studied as a young girl,
I never forgot the importance of the cross. My favorite memory was watching my teachers fold palm
leaves into crosses for Palm Sunday. The careful attention each cross required has stuck with me
through the years. The palm leaves taught me to pay close attention to everything.
Another essential lesson I learned in Sunday School was that Jesus is everywhere. To believe
in Jesus and to see him in everyone is a thought I have never been able to shake. Jesus affected
everyone to the point where people actively sought out Jesus, especially after news of his miracles
had spread. His miracles changed the lives of the Jews. Jesus’ ability to create prosperity and love
is one of the reasons I love those Palm crosses so much. When we take our palm leaves and make
crosses, we have found Jesus in a part of nature. The shouting of “Hosanna” as an exclamation of
praise shows how much hope Jesus’s miracles gave to those in need.
This year, as we take our palm leaves and fold them into our holy symbol, we will continue a beautiful
tradition. The love I have for these palms represent a small but important miracle in my life. These
small, yet important pleasantries in life remind me of Jesus’s presence in our lives as a community.
And as long as our faith remains strong and our love remains apparent, good will surely continue to
come our way.
Schuyler Bunn
Christ Church, Short Hills
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2017 Lenten Devotional
Tuesday | April 11
John 12:20-26
“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also
my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”
In this passage, the Greeks wish to see Jesus and worship at the feast. The Greeks honor and respect
Jesus by seeking to become acquainted with him. When Philip and Andrew tell Jesus about the
Greeks, Jesus understands the importance of the visit. He knows the Greeks have glorified him
by seeking him out, and soon he will be glorified by his ultimate sacrifice for mankind. He knows,
however, that with his death comes the birth of Christianity. He knows that in dying, he will become
the root of the religion, and bring forth the fruit of faith. He continues and preaches devotion,
patience, and discipline. He states that his followers shall be granted favor with the Father, so long as
they serve him and continue to follow him.
This passage is especially important to the season of Lent. It displays how we must honor Jesus for
his sacrifice and how important it was. The passage reads, “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and
he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” The wording here is strong but
the message is apparent and relevant to Lent. We must give up something we enjoy to show our
discipline and faith. We must not indulge ourselves greed and gluttony, but rather be thankful for
what we are given. We must remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and honor this sacrifice.
Johnny Graves
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Wednesday | April 12
John 12:27-36
“Walk while you have the light,
so that the darkness may not overtake you.”
Did you fear the dark as a child? I know I did. I could not fall asleep unless the hall light was on, and
any noise coming from my dark closet was reason enough to run into my parents’ room. As the years
went on, I learned how to sleep without leaving the hall light on and how to ignore those things that
go bump in the night. But I wonder if any of us really outgrow our fear of the dark.
Over time our fear of the physical dark is replaced with a fear of the proverbial dark. We dread
those moments when we come face to face with our own humanity and those reminders that there
are things we cannot know or control. This is the fear that grips the disciples as they ponder what
Jesus’ death will mean for them. They thought Jesus would remain with them forever, and yet Jesus
is foretelling his death. Jesus has turned the disciples’ lives upside down and now he is preparing
them for life without him, for a time when they will have to maintain this new and strange way of life
all by themselves. If Jesus is the light of the world, his death will once again plunge the disciples into
darkness. Just like us, the disciples worry about things they cannot see and events they cannot plan.
They too fear the unknown.
But Jesus knows what the disciples cannot yet fathom: his light will continue to illuminate their
path long after his death. It is in those moments when we cry out to God – much like we cried out
to our parents in the middle of the night – that we are reminded God puts limits on the darkness. As
the voice from heaven told the disciples, God has glorified the moments that trouble our souls, and
he will continue to glorify them. Jesus reminds the disciples that in the midst of their uncertainty
they have all the light they need, because Jesus is light himself. We too can rely on the light Jesus
provides, even in times of uncertainty, for whenever we walk with Jesus he illuminates our path and
robs darkness of its ability to engulf us. Whenever we walk with Jesus, we can trust that the light
will remain, even if we close our eyes.
Carrie Cabush
Christ Church, Short Hills
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2017 Lenten Devotional
Thursday | April 13
John 17:1-26
“Just as you, Father, are in me
and I am in you, may they also be one in us.”
John 17 takes us deep into the mystical heart of Jesus.
Here is a proclamation of his love for the Father, for his disciples and for us.
This love, this heart of Jesus is so cosmically large that it asks and needs to be shared. Jesus wants us
too, to know the infinite and abiding love of the creator God, who is father and mother to us all. He
tells us that eternal life – is to know God to enter into the heart of God is to enter into the kingdom.
But of course what is really extraordinary about the scripture is that Jesus prays this prayer just
before he enters the garden. At the threshold of his darkest hour,s he prays for us.
He says all this - knowing he is about to be betrayed by one of his community. The very disciples he
is praying for are about to scatter and abandon him in one way or another.
But Jesus sees beyond the present moment and our imperfections with an eternal love that will not
let us go. This love is at the very heart of the gift of Eucharist – that we may be one.
Things are often not what we would have them be. As I try to live my own purpose in the world, I
pray that I will have the ability to see beyond the imperfections in mysel and others and beyond the
frustrations of the present moment.
Help me Lord, to see with the eyes of love that we may be one.
Janet Aulet Maulbeck
Interweave, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Friday | April 14
John 19:38-42
“After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus,
though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him
take away the body of Jesus.”
This is the darkest moment of the Christian year. Jesus is dead, his disciples are hiding, the women
who stayed at the Cross are distraught.
Two men appear to bury Jesus. Who are these men who took Jesus down from the Cross, prepared
his body for burial, and found a “new” tomb in a garden to lay him in?
Both men were “secret” disciples; both were members of the Council and neither of them consented
to Jesus’ crucifixion; both are rich. Nicodemus appears only in John’s gospel; Joseph of Arimathea
appears in all four gospels and is mentioned by early Christian historians, beginning with Irenaeus
in the second century, CE. Both seem to have been very wary of showing their interest in Jesus:
Mark’s gospel describes Joseph of Arimathea as “looking for the kingdom of God”, this passage from
John says he was afraid of the Pharisees; Nicodemus visited Jesus at night, so that no one would
know of his interest.
They are pragmatic businessmen who brought everything needed for a proper Jewish burial (a linen
shroud, myrrh and aloes) and who took a great risk to perform this last service for Jesus.
What are we to understand from hidden disciples taking on this last task for the mortal Jesus, whose
open disciples were mostly hiding? Somehow the roles of the disciples have been switched. And
what is the resonance of this story with the one about Jesus’ birth, where myrrh was one of the gifts
brought to the baby by the wise men and Jesus’ earthly father is another Joseph?
Even though Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are acting in the darkest of circumstances, their
actions begin to hint at the Good News of the Resurrection. We see that even dead, Jesus can infuse
people with courage and the will to do the right thing.
Juli Towell
Christ Church, Short Hills
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2017 Lenten Devotional
Saturday | April 15
Romans 8:1-11
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the
things of the spirit.”
Late last night an angry, unjust, fearful world lusting to grab as much as it could for itself, rolled a stone to seal
Jesus in his cave-like tomb. It took a shared effort to put Jesus in that tomb.
The world did its worst to Jesus. (Paul Scherer once said we all still do.) But Jesus did not play the world’s
games, or give in to becoming as they were. It’s true that hate and wrong did not disappear on Friday, but
what matters is how he responded to it. I love the hymn that goes, “The powers of death have done their worst,
but Christ their legions hath dispersed: let shout of holy joy out-burst. Alleluia!”
So what happened that Saturday, that day in between, that day before the Easter Alleluia sounded? I like to
imagine that tomb was a moment of silence where the din of the world went quiet enough for Jesus to listen
for what new word God might be saying to him. We all need times to listen, times carved out from the din.
If Jesus showed us a different way to respond to the world’s injustice and greed on Friday, then what I think
he received from God was the call to live in a different way after Friday, for all the days going forward.
In the letter to the Romans, we read that the “life of the flesh” is dominated by selfish passions. It invites us to
take care of self first.
But to live according to the Spirit is a different way. It is to belong to the new community of faith, the new
covenant we hear every Sunday at Eucharist. It is the community that begins with Jesus’ love and resurrection
over hatred and injustice, and continues today. It is a community that cares, not only for its own members, but
for the entire human family. It is a community that does not accept the notion of “others,” for all are one in
Christ. That community does not live for self, but for the fuller life for all. Lent on one side of this Saturday.
Easter on the other. We get to choose which side we want to live on.
Jesus did not die on the cross and rise from the tomb just for himself. He did it to form a community that
connects all who live in love, forgiveness and by grace.
If we listen closely enough on this quiet Holy Saturday, we might hear God calling us to get ready – the life of
the new community is upon us – we can almost say Alleluia! again – and always!
Tim Mulder
Christ Church, Short Hills
Newark Shared Ministries
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Newark Shared Ministries
Apostles’ House
24 Grant Street
Newark, NJ 07104
973.482.0625
www.theapostleshouse.org
Christ Church in Short Hills
66 Highland Avenue
Short Hills, NJ 07078
973.379.2898
www.christchurchshorthills.org
The Episcopal Diocese of Newark
31 Mulberry Street
Newark, NJ 07102-5202
973.430.9900
www.dioceseofnewark.org
The General Theological Seminary
440 W. 21st Street
New York, NY 10011
212.243.5150 / 888.487.5649
www.gts.edu
House of Prayer
407 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07104-3310
973.483.8202
St. Paul’s Church
200 Main Street
Chatham, NJ 07928
973.635.8085
www.stpaulschatham.org
CHRIST CHURCH IN SHORT HILLS
66 Highland Avenue – Short Hills, NJ 07078
973.379.2898
christchurchshorthills.org