March 26, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . The Eighth Station

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

Teach your Church, O Lord, to mourn the sins of which it is guilty, and to repent and forsake them; that, by your pardoning grace, the results of our iniquities may not be visited upon our children and our children’s children; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Jesus, an innocent man, was put to death by the union of religious and political desires – something Isaiah called a perversion of justice.  When church and state are not kept separate, it becomes so much easier to vilify people for “wrong” beliefs and punish them through state-sanctioned violence.  Things like the Spanish Inquisition, Roman/Protestant conflicts from the Middle Ages down through the battles in Ireland, the Salem witch trials, atrocities committed against Native Americans, and attacks against lgbtq people are just a few examples.

When the Church manages to convince governments to be an instrument of God’s wrath rather than of God’s mercy, it has effectively fallen into idolatry and heresy.  Idolatry for accepting the devil’s offer and worshiping power.  Heresy for thinking we alone know the mind of God and are therefore given permission to act as we choose.  These two sins, idolatry and heresy, are the opposite of loving God and neighbor, and from those two sins all others fall.

In this season of Lent, may we mourn the sins of which we are guilty, repent, and amend our lives.  May we repent of the evil we have done individually, and the evil done corporately on our behalf.  And may we make full amendment of life in order to live in a holy relationship with God and our neighbor.

Blessings,

**Stations of the Cross devotions are held every Wednesday in Lent at Noon at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church.  These services are also livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person.  https://www.stlukesbuffalo.church/services

March 19, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . The Fifth Station

The cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene

As they led Jesus away, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross to carry it behind Jesus..

After his “trial” by the religious authorities and his meeting with Pilate, Jesus suffered a number of physical traumas.  Roman guards spit on him.  He was whipped, leaving deep wounds on his back.  He was punched and slapped in the face.  A crown of thorns was beaten down onto his head.  He was verbally humiliated.  And then, after enduring all this, the Gospel of John records that he was forced to carry the instrument of his own death to the execution site.

The Synoptic Gospels do not record that Jesus carried his own cross, but they do record that the soldiers conscripted Simon to carry the cross for him.

In our own lives there are times we suffer physically.  There are times we suffer spiritually and mentally.  And there are times we suffer all three at the same time.  Sometimes, like in John, it feels like we are carrying these burdens of ours all by ourselves.  But other times, as in the other three gospels, someone is there to help us.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Don’t be afraid to allow someone to walk with you through whatever struggles you are facing.

This journey may be the most difficult thing you have endured; but as we discovered with Jesus, there is life on the other side.

Blessings,

**Stations of the Cross devotions are held every Wednesday in Lent at Noon at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church.  These services are also livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person.  https://www.stlukesbuffalo.church/services

March 12, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . The First Station

Jesus is Condemned to Death

“As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to Pilate.  And they all condemned him and said, ‘He deserves to die’.”

In the First Station, an innocent man is condemned to death through the machinations and alliances of religious and government leaders looking for an expedient way to dispose of a troublemaker.  His trial before the religious authorities was a kangaroo court where the verdict was already predetermined.  The governmental leaders, not wanting to upset the powerful religious leaders, found a legal way to execute the accused.

In our own day we need to be watchful for, and wary of, the joining of religion and government.  A religion that insists on controlling the government, and a government that insists on one religion, are both dangerous combinations.  We have seen the terrible results of these alliances from the time of Jesus on down through our own day.

May we have the courage to speak out against anti-Christ behaviors.  May we be willing to act counter to mob mentalities.  May we be willing to be condemned for putting Christ first.  And may we respond as Jesus did:  with dignity, compassion, and unyielding loyalty to God alone.

Blessings,

**Stations of the Cross devotions are held at Noon (MDT) at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church every Wednesday in Lent.  These services are also livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person.  https://www.stlukesbuffalo.church/services

March 5, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . The Prayer Boat

At this past Monday’s weekly prayer group, we were talking, of all things, about prayer.  It was said, “Sometimes I think people view prayer only as an emergency lifeline that is used when things get tough.”  They went on to say (and I’m paraphrasing here) that prayer should be the engine that drives everything and not simply the spare tire used when we’re in a crisis.

To which I responded with something like, “Prayer should be the boat we’re in to navigate the waters of life, not the rescue boat that comes to save us when we’re drowning.”

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  At each service (7:00, Noon, and 6:00) I will invite the people to the observance of a holy Lent.  Part of this observance includes “prayer, fasting, and self-denial.”  As I’ve said before, whatever our Lenten disciplines, they should not be disciplines taken on for the simple sake of being miserable over the next 40 days.  Lent is about making a lasting change that leads to a new life as represented in the new life Easter brings. 

Thinking about this past Monday’s prayer group, prayer and our approach to prayer might be a good Lenten discipline.  Asking yourself how and when you pray, and then giving an honest answer, could be a good place to reevaluate your prayer life.  Do you pray on a regular basis?  Is your primary time of prayer on Sunday morning?  Do you primarily pray when there’s a crisis of some kind?  When you pray, do you spend time listening?  This is not an exhaustive list of questions, but you get the idea.

If you primarily view/use prayer as a rescue boat coming to save us in time of trouble, this Lent might be a good time to get into that boat and use it on a daily basis to help navigate the daily currents of life.

Blessings,