Grace for Our Days

The idea that the year begins in early December instead of January 1 suits me just fine. I’m just contrarian enough to enjoy upsetting the calendar. You see, calendars do more than help us show up on the right day for the dentist; at a deeper level they reflect a world view, even a way of longing for the good life and the right end to things. They are somewhat arbitrary and can be changed, indeed have been. So the Christian calendar is not just different, it contains a contrary vision of the good life from the one that governs so much of our daily life. As Fleming Rutledge—an  Episcopal priest and writer—puts it, it’s a Means of Grace (Eerdmans, 2021). 

Early December. It is the first Sunday in Advent. What a way to start the year, longing for Jesus. Rutledge begins her collection of devotions with one on Mark 13:33. What? Wait! It seems we’re still waiting. Mark is telling us one of Jesus’ parables, about a doorkeeper. The household was established by a master. He is away, but coming back. Meantime, it is dark and crazy around the house while they wait; and also out there in the neighborhood. You might say, the TV and the papers and the online gossip are full of bad news; with a doubtful end in sight.

The master was there; he’s away; he’s coming back. Jesus has come; Jesus is away; he’s coming back. We’re in between the comings, the Advents. Rutledge writes:

        It is the Advent clock that tells the church what time it is. The church that keeps Advent is the            church that is most truly herself. The church is not supposed to be prosperous and comfortable         and established. It is Advent—it is dark and lonely and cold, and the master is away from home.         Yet he will come. Keep awake. (5)

Rutledge goes on like this with a devotion for each Sunday in the year; challenging the accepted wisdom of this age and offering the wisdom of the good news of Jesus. She does it by following the church’s liturgical calendar and its big days: Advent, Nativity, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost. She uses the schedule of readings that takes the church through the year, forming people’s loves and visions. Instead of national holidays and Hallmark holidays and their vision of the good life (they can show up if they’ll behave).

The clocks and the calendars: which ones can you trust as you make your way past covid (maybe); which ones will nurture your longings and loves? I’m with Rutledge and the church’s calendar.

—Larry Sibley

Enriching Our Prayers

 If your prayers seem thin and dull, or a bit too frenzied and infrequent, LeAnne Hardy has just the book for you. Honey from the Comb: A Guide for Focused Prayer Using the Scriptures (Birch Island Books) is the fruit of a lifetime of praying, experimenting and searching; seeking a better way to talk to God.

She writes, “it is easy to focus on the problems instead of the one who is able to  calm the storm.” She recommends enriching prayer by refocusing on who God is, what he is like, before rushing in to make requests or demands. And, adding thanksgiving and confession to the mix: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. ACTS. As another writer put it, a full diet of prayer.

Hardy’s book does not contain prayers, but hundreds of Bible verses that she has collected over the years, organized around the four aspects of prayer. For Adoration, for instance, she lists more than 40 aspects of God’s character and actions with verses for contemplation that later can turn to prayer (almost 100 pages worth!).  

After watching the evening news—all that suffering and chaos—she recommends turning to the section on the Almighty and focusing on “Is anything to hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14) and “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed.” (Job 8:10); rephrasing each verse and praying it back to God in adoration, before asking God to help that devastated family or to protect your own.

I’ve been focusing on enriching my use of the Lord’s Prayer, especially the first phrase, “Our Father.” With Hardy’s book in hand, I found a verse in Adoration on God as Father: “I am Israel’s father” in Jeremiah 39:1 that echoes Exodus 4:22, “Israel is my son, my firstborn. Let my people go.” God is coming to claim his son. In the section on Confession, I found “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:21) And did some self examination—working back through the previous verses—to see where I fall short and confessed it. In Thanksgiving, I found “In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship” (Eph 1:5) and thanked God for taking me in. Then, in Supplication I found “Be openhanded and freely lend.” (Deut 15:8) Adoption is into a kingdom that is a family, and family members need help—and I need help in being generous. That menu makes quite a meal for one day!

I first met LeAnne Hardy about 50 years ago and have enjoyed praying for her and her husband Steve as they served in six countries around the world. So, get yourself a copy and enrich your prayers, expand your menu.

—Larry Sibley