Archive for the ‘devotional’ Category

19 Dec

Advent Day 22: Confession

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , .

Advent Day 22

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and put a new and right spirit within me.  (Psalm 51:10)

I heard about a website on which you can unload all your dirty secrets anonymously.  Someone else in the room, when we heard about the website, protested that confession to some unknown person is a cop-out.  You need to acknowledge what you did wrong to real people, especially anyone you wronged, the argument went. 

How to say “I’m sorry” is huge debate within Christianity.  Should we confess our sins to a priest?  Should we say a group prayer of confession on Sundays?  Should it all be private?  And hey, why do we concentrate on sin so much?  We look like the monks beating themselves on the head in “Monty Python and The Holy Grail” …

I agree with what the wise person in the room said when we heard about the confession website:  bring it back to real people.  It’s a beautiful thing when one person sincerely says “I’m sorry,” the person who was wronged sincerely says, “I forgive you,” and they both work at getting back on track.  The whole process may take a while but when it goes right, it simply overflows with grace.

Even though this is a joyful season, you may have a strained relationship with a family member or hometown friend this year.  Go ahead and confess!  You may not be the only one at fault, but you can begin a process of making it right.

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/19/

18 Dec

Advent Day 21: Forgiveness

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , .

Advent Day 21

Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’  Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.  (Matthew 18:21-22)

Today, work on forgiving someone.  If you are new at this, start small.  Begin with something that has had a very minor impact on you, not a major wound that has changed the direction of your life.

Here’s an example.  My office is off-campus, so at least once a week I go on campus to spend time with students.  Often I’ll see undergraduates handing out flyers or advertisements as I go to the lunch spot.  One day a student was handing out flyers for a religious event sponsored by another campus ministry.  I read the flyer and thought, “Arrgh!  Why didn’t I think of this?  This sounds great!”  For a moment, I was jealous and angry that someone else had this good idea first.

Well, I thought about it, considered some ways I could improve on the idea if our group ever did it, and let it go.  Now, what happened here wasn’t much of a sin, if at all.  No one set out to hurt me on purpose.  I chose to be jealous.  Still, I felt a need to forgive myself, and to “forgive” the other person for being so smart.

The questions I asked myself that day can be used for many of the “small” sins and hurts that we inflict on one another.  Give these questions some thought.  (Again, if you have a huge wound in your life, you may want to take a different direction; get some help from a trusted wise person if you want to begin the process of forgiving someone who severely wounded you.)

  • Who hurt me?  Was it really intentional?
  • Have I really been insulted or disgraced, or is my feeling of hurt something more like jealousy?  It could be a combination:  for example, feeling insulted when a respected professor doesn’t like your idea, and being jealous of that professor’s power.
  • Does it do me any good to hold on to the hurt feelings?
  • Next time a similar situation happens, could I choose to react differently?  (In the case of the professor, I could choose to bolster my next idea with more references.)

I think all these questions can go “up the ladder” to more difficult situations as well, but again, I recommend starting small.  Most of us have a tough time forgiving others, which is why Jesus preached about it so much!

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/18/

17 Dec

Advent Day 20: I Believe

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , , .

Advent Day 20

I believe; help my unbelief!  (Mark 9:24)

Generations ago, there was a big fight among Protestant Christians.  Should worshipers recite any creeds during the worship service?  (A creed is a written statement of religious belief.)  Some thought the creeds were essential for helping everyone stay on track.  Others thought that reciting a creed compromised their freedom.

I find that everyone has a personal creed, regardless of what kind of church service they attend.  Over a lifetime, each of us develops, challenges, changes, and reinforces our beliefs.

So here’s a challenge for today:  write a statement of faith.

Make your statement as long as you want.  To get started, use these questions:

  • What do you believe about God, Jesus,and  the Holy Spirit?
  • What happens after death?
  • How we should live our lives?
  • What is sin, what is forgiveness, and how do they relate to one another?
  • Why do we have evil?  Or why do we bother being good? 

Look back over your statement from time to time. 

  • Has writing helped you make sense of anything?
  • What “unbelief” do you still have? 
  • Does your statement of faith make sense?  (For example, did you write in one place that people are basically good, and in another place that people are basically evil?  You can say both, but you need to know why.)
  • Compare your real life and real actions against the statement:  are you practicing what you preach? 
  • Which needs to change:  your beliefs or your actions?  Or both?

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/17/

16 Dec

Advent Day 19: Fasting Again?

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , .

Advent Day 19

A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
   make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  (Isaiah 40:3)

I’m smiling as I post another idea about fasting.  As I mentioned in the last post about this, fasting is not an idea that I relish.  However, I’m still intrigued by the idea of fasting from something.

As best I can understand it, part of the art of fasting is to get us out of routines that are at best dull, and at worst destructive.  It seems that if we have more than enough of anything (food, time) we somehow find a way to misuse the excess, often in a botched attempt to fill some kind of emotional void. 

Marjorie Thompson writes in Soul Feast about a wise old monk who advised a younger one about fasting.   Take in your daily bread, said the old monk, and fast from excess.  The older monk knew that an abundance of food could lead to a spiritual desert.

I remember a college friend who was having a rough semester and sought comfort in ice cream and soap operas.  She often invited me to join her.  I remember feeling a little stress that semester, but maybe I looked worse than I felt!  Looking back, I wish I had suggested that we just talk, or even take a joint trip to the campus counseling center.  Her little dorm room, with its free cable and mini-fridge, became a desert instead of a place of solace and refreshment.

I also remember a couple from my high school who found themselves in a desert.  Both high achievers, they sought relief in one another’s arms during those few hours between the end of the school day and their parents’ arrival home from work.  They conceived a child, and the girl was promptly whisked away to an abortion clinic.  I never knew the story until it was all over, and it made me stop and think.  What looked like every teenage girl’s fantasy (a boyfriend, attention, “practicing” marriage) was nothing more than a dry place of pain.  I became thankful for my “daily bread” of an after-dinner walk with a boy I was dating in the neighborhood.  That was all we could get away with!  But it was a refreshing break and never got us in trouble.

Today, practice having your daily bread, and break daily bread with a friend.  Think about what you really need to sustain you for today.   Try fasting from anything beyond that daily bread, as abundant as it may seem.

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/16/

15 Dec

Advent Day 18: Kindness

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , , .

Advent Day 18

He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.  (Isaiah 2:4)

A while back a student taught me a meditation method that helps you imagine more kindness in your life.  More kindness coming from you, that is.  Perhaps it seems a little simplistic … but within the Christian tradition there is a great emphasis on allowing your actions to be determined by your spirit, which is in turn fed and directed by the Holy Spirit.  In other words, someone who doesn’t really care about turning swords into plowshares will never attempt to do it.   So try this and let God direct you toward a kind action.

 Imagine the warm feeling flowing from you toward someone you love.  Next, imagine that warm feeling flowing toward the following people:

  • Someone who seems nice, but is not close to you
  • A stranger who you saw earlier in the day
  • Someone who slightly bothers you
  • Someone who really bothers you
  • Someone you could not imagine loving at all.

Finally, imagine all the warmth circling around back to you.  This exercise probably won’t produce any instant results, but over time, it could change how you interact with others.

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/15/

14 Dec

Advent Day 17: Generosity

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , , .

Advent Day 17

Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you.  (2 Corinthians 9:13-14)

The LORD watches over the strangers … (Psalm 146:9)

Once a man proudly announced to me, “I take care of my own!”  He meant that he took care of his family, and he was proud of that.  Part of me could understand what he meant.  He came from a rural area where people struggled to earn a living, and some had given up trying. 

Yet a little voice in my head said, “So?  Why should you go around announcing that you did your duty?  Do you expect a gold star?”  (I think I said the same thing out loud, but with a little more good Southern manners.)

Jesus wasn’t too pleased with the so-called faithful people he encountered whose concern for others never left the front door.  (see Luke 6)  Giving something away, and trusting that God will do the right thing with it, is an act of faith.  God has enough faith in us, after all, to entrust the care of others to us!

So, today’s spiritual practice is a combination of genrerosity and trust.  Set out a jar or dish for loose change and “lost” money, like bills that end up in the washing machine.  Don’t touch it until it reaches $5 or $10, and then give it away.  As the change accumulates, pray for whoever will receive the money.  If you feel weird about giving away a ton of change, look for places that purposefully collect loose change.  Our church collects “Pennies for Hunger” in addition to our regular offerings– part of the fun is listening to the change clang around in the bucket.  This offering raises so much money, you’d be surprised. 

To be sure, what I’m proposing does not top the charts in terms of generosity.  I’m simply offering this to you as a starting point.  Try praying every day for whoever will receive this gift.  Try giving without hiding behind excuses, such as “What if the recipient wastes my money?”  Read more of Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, in which he reminds the givers that the recipients are praying for them.  Who might be praying for you to be generous?

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/14/

13 Dec

Advent Day 16: Being Present

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , .

Advent Day 16

…on your wondrous works, I will meditate.  (Psalm 145)

Do you know anyone who will drop everything to be “in the moment” with a friend in need?  Or anyone who is easygoing, willing to change if the needs of the moment change?  Those are great attributes to have in a friend, and many times, in a supervisor.  Yet I know many young adults struggling to change their easygoing, in-the-moment nature, because that way of being gets them in trouble at work. 

What kind of friend would we like God to be?  The friend who goes with the flow, or the friend who keeps us on schedule?  I think the answer to that question depends on the individual.  However, I do have a thought about our side of the relationship with our Creator.  Regardless of our personalities, we could benefit from being in the moment with the One who loves us.

Our lack of attention to the present is both a symptom and a cause of our disconnected relationship with God.  How do we start paying attention?  It would be great to have hours for quiet prayer each day, but for your average young adult, taking that much time would only result in feeling further behind.   Try one of these two options as a different way of using the moments you are given.

  1. Take a break from the clock.  Some people are always worried about their next appointment, or traffic, or being late.   If you are one of those people, scheduling time for prayer or meditation will be tough, because you will be worried about ending on time.  Try this instead:   go to a church service or holiday choir concert, and show up really early.  Sit and listen to the choir practice before worship, or sit quietly in the sanctuary.  You’ll get a good parking space (hey – I know your type!), and you’ll feel secure, knowing that even if you lose yourself in prayer you won’t be late for the main event.
  2.  Take a break from tasks.  Some people are not so worried about time, but are concerned about getting everything done.  If this applies to you, prayer may feel like another chore on your long to-do list.  Here’s an idea for you:  say you wake up on a Saturday and have a big pile of dirty clothes.  Do laundry for exactly 30 minutes or 1 hour, and then stop.  Take a 30-minute break to do something completely different, such as reading or going for a run.  (Exercise and reading are probably on your to-do list anyway!)  Then go back to your laundry for a set period of time.  This is how some monasteries are run:  each monk does a task for a certain period of time, and leaves when the time is up.  The next monk picks up where the last one left off, and somehow it all gets done.

Finally, regardless of what you do for your prayer time, try to share the wealth and be fully present in the moment with a friend.

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/13/

12 Dec

Advent Day 15: Reviewing the Day

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , , .

Advent Day 15

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze … (Genesis 3:8)

As a joke, the senior pastor at the church where our campus ministry is located made a Festivus pole.  Last week he made a joke about the “airing of the grievances” that is supposedly part of the celebration of Festivus, and another staff member said, “Oh, the airing of grievances?  I thought that was called our annual review!”  I laughed so hard I almost couldn’t breathe.

Well, you can air your grievances to God.  Seriously, there is a long tradition within Christian spiritual practice of reviewing the day.  It’s called examen.  This old word refers to a practice of reviewing what happened during the day, when we felt God’s presence and guidance, when we felt alone and lost, and a little reflection on what that means.

Sounds simple enough, but done well, examen can cut to the core.  (So be careful!)    Examen could reveal that you are a person who loves to air grievances and then take them back into your heart, as if they were precious treasures.  Examen could reveal that you don’t pay attention.  Examen could reveal that your view of the world is overly dark, or overly sweet and naive.  Finally, examen could reveal some beautiful gifts you have inside that you aren’t using.

The question is, if you try examen for a while and discover some things about yourself, what will you do about those things?  You might even try keeping a journal of your daily examen time and look back every once in a while, to see how you have grown and where you still need to stretch. 

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/12/

11 Dec

Advent Day 14: Party

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , , .

Advent Day 14

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
   and crowned them with glory and honour.   (Psalm 8:3-5)

Once I heard about a youth director who never called any teenager by name during youth events.  Instead, she called each of the youth “Image of God.”  Her purpose, from what I heard, was to catch the students’ attention when she had to correct those who were acting innapropriately.  “Image of God,” she thought, would remind them that they were loved and called to a higher standard.

I smiled when I heard that story, remembering my own youth group days.  Who knows if it would have helped for our minister to call each of us “Image of God.”  We were always pumped full of sugar at youth events, especially during Sunday School, when there were sodas and doughnuts in the room each week! 

Today I want to highlight two spiritual disciplines, and an idea to try.  The disciplines are hospitality and self-control.  There is a long tradition in Scripture of welcoming strangers as well as friends, imitating how God welcomes us.  And of course there are plenty of verses in Scripture about controlling what you eat, drink, et cetera.

And here’s the idea.  Next time you are getting together with friends, think “image of God” as you plan what to do.  No, I don’t mean sit around and memorize Bible verses.  What I do mean is, try to throw a quality party.  Have good food, enough chairs, introduce your guests to one another, and have some conversation starters in your back pocket.  If you are short on cash, bring other people in as hosts!  Most people I know who are in their 20s and 30s love a chance to meet new people somewhere besides a bar.  And that’s part of the whole image of God thing:  honoring people’s bodies, developing friendships, and serving others.

In Genesis, we read about how Abraham threw a nice dinner party for some strangers, whom some interpreters regard to be angels (see Genesis 18.)  Who knows what might happen if you threw some “image of God” parties? 

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/11/

10 Dec

Advent Day 13: Ordinary

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , .

Advent Day 13

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.   (Prayer atttributed to St. Francis)

Today, pray in the car.  Or in the shower.  Or while walking the dog.  Pray anytime, and all the time.

When I was in seminary, I helped facilitate an interfaith discussion group for undergraduates.  One person who was Jewish talked about the many prayers in his tradition for ordinary things:  getting up, eating, going to work, whatever.  St. Francis, to whom the prayer above is attributed, supposedly prayed about whatever he saw around him, and other Christians have written beautiful prayers about everyday stuff.

Somehow we think that prayer needs to sound grand, and needs to address a grand subject matter, like world peace.  That way of thinking about prayer just leads to one thing:  not praying.  And why would you want to deprive yourself of time spent with God, unless you’re trying to run away?   (That’s a discussion for another time!)

So today, talk to God about the weather.  Lift up your concerns, frustrations, and celebrations, however small or large.  Lift up prayer for the world around you, and pay attention to what God is doing in your world.

today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/10/

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