Walking with Jesus: Tuesday in Holy Week

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son

you made an instrument of shameful death

to be for us the means of life:

Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ,

that we may gladly suffer shame and loss

for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ;

who lives and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

AM Psalm 6, 12; PM Psalm 94

Jer. 15:10-21 + Phil. 3:15-21 + John 12:20-26

This Lent my intent was to attend Morning and Evening Prayer more frequently at St. Mary's. I don't know about you, but when I try to be more intentional about some spiritual practice, too often more and more obstacles seem to fall in my path.

I have a back up plan which I often do when I can't join my brothers and sisters at St. Mary's in the Prayer Garden for the daily office. It does connect me with brothers and sisters in the larger Anglican Communion. David Guthrie from the Anglican Church in New Zealand has a twice daily podcast of Morning and Evening Prayer. I download it and keep it ready on my ipod for when I'm driving during Morning or Evening Prayer at St. Mary's.

The thing about our Holy Week walk with Jesus is to do something sometime. The thing is to find some pocket of time somewhere and do some spiritual practice. I think we start out with lofty plans, and when we fall short, too often dismiss the smaller moments of time that God gives us each day. In the same way that we love to have people we love be with us, a short visit better than no visit at all, God loves to have those God loves with God, and will always give us time for that visit, no matter how brief.

So if you haven't taken time yet to say at least a small prayer, to read one verse of Scripture, the day isn't over yet. In fact, if the last thing you do before you go to sleep tonight is to say a prayer and one verse of Scripture (even "Jesus wept," or "God is love")--then your day is better for it.

And after all, tomorrow is a brand new day to walk with God.

P.S. Tomorrow is Holy Wednesday, and we will celebrate Holy Eucharist with Healing at 9 AM. Please join us if you can.