Hello, friends! It's been quite the week. After returning from Campus Leadership Training over the weekend, I had Monday to recover and then jumped into work feet-first on Tuesday. I didn't notice until Tuesday morning that I'd scheduled meetings/activities for 9, 12, 3:30, 4:45, and 6:30. Sheesh! Wednesday I had 4 meetings/activities, and today was (thankfully) slower. It was good to stay in for awhile!
However, I did do something today that I'd like to share with you. As most of you probably recall, last semester I spent a lot of time volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank. Second Harvest in Tallahassee has a giant warehouse. Last semester, the entire warehouse was always filled up with food donations. They never lacked for jobs to give their volunteers; they always needed people to sort food or fill backpacks. The sheer amount of food they were able to give away was incredible. I'd never seen the like of it.
Unfortunately, Second Harvest has been experiencing trouble lately. I don't know exactly what happened, but I heard something about a pest infestation and a big problem with mold. When I went to volunteer today (per my friend Rina's suggestion), my first impression of the warehouse was that it was like a ghost town. It was dark and eerily quiet. The dozens of shelves reaching up to the ceiling were... empty.
My job today was to throw away expired/ruined food donations. I only did it for an hour, and I was able to share the task with someone, but it still made my heart heavy. Second Harvest does so much good, and it hurts to see it struggling the way it is at the moment.
Our final AND statement of Lent was this: least AND greatest. Jesus became the least, and through this, he showed that he was the greatest. He told us to do the same: "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all" (Mark 10:43-44). Our least-ness is our greatness. I was reminded of that today as I was volunteering to do the thankless tasks Second Harvest needed done. No matter what we are asked to do, if it can be beneficial, we should do it. I think this is the essence of volunteering and service. It's never about us. It's always about what is needed for others.
That's all for today. This is Iowa Girl Meets World, signing off.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Death AND Life on St. George Island
Hello, friends! As you might recall, last week was spring break, and that meant a slow week around University Lutheran. It so happened that this allowed me to take Friday off and go to the beach! Anna and I drove down to St. George Island to enjoy the sun, sand and sea. At some point during our adventure, Anna turned to me and said, "You're going to blog about this, aren't you?" Yes. Yes I am.
When we first got to the beach, we were pretty hesitant to get into the water. We walked for awhile along the shore, and we went on a nice trail, but we only got our feet wet. It was somewhat chilly outside and the sky was cloudy. Instead of getting in the water, we amused ourselves by watching the birds. After a couple of hours, the sun came out. That made all the difference! We got into the water and were shortly completely soaked. (I may have helped Anna along in this process a little bit... I tend to splash people.)
This experience reminds me of the AND statements we've been talking about during Lent. This week's statement was death AND life. Nothing about this statement makes sense unless you put the Son it in. Then, it not only makes sense, it makes all the difference! Death and life don't go together. Normally, when you think about death, that's an ending, not a beginning. But death and life DO go together in Jesus. He died so that we might live. In our baptism, our old Adam dies and we rise to new life. In communion, we are partaking of Jesus's body and blood -- his sacrifice, his death -- which gives us renewed life. Everything about Jesus, and everything about us as Christians, is about the paradox of death and life. One without the other would be worthless. But the two together with Jesus at the center is worth everything.
Here are some pictures from our day trip! The first is our lovely view on our drive. Most of it was along the shoreline. The second is my favorite road sign ever. Watch out for bears! The third is of Anna and I enjoying some ice cream on the island. We are cool; there's no denying it.
When we first got to the beach, we were pretty hesitant to get into the water. We walked for awhile along the shore, and we went on a nice trail, but we only got our feet wet. It was somewhat chilly outside and the sky was cloudy. Instead of getting in the water, we amused ourselves by watching the birds. After a couple of hours, the sun came out. That made all the difference! We got into the water and were shortly completely soaked. (I may have helped Anna along in this process a little bit... I tend to splash people.)
This experience reminds me of the AND statements we've been talking about during Lent. This week's statement was death AND life. Nothing about this statement makes sense unless you put the Son it in. Then, it not only makes sense, it makes all the difference! Death and life don't go together. Normally, when you think about death, that's an ending, not a beginning. But death and life DO go together in Jesus. He died so that we might live. In our baptism, our old Adam dies and we rise to new life. In communion, we are partaking of Jesus's body and blood -- his sacrifice, his death -- which gives us renewed life. Everything about Jesus, and everything about us as Christians, is about the paradox of death and life. One without the other would be worthless. But the two together with Jesus at the center is worth everything.
Here are some pictures from our day trip! The first is our lovely view on our drive. Most of it was along the shoreline. The second is my favorite road sign ever. Watch out for bears! The third is of Anna and I enjoying some ice cream on the island. We are cool; there's no denying it.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Take a Break, Read a Devotion
Hello, friends! It's been a slow week here in Tallahassee. All of my students are on spring break, leaving me with little to do. However, it did give me extra time to spend writing my devotions for the week. Normally, I use one of the four assigned readings for each day. This week I changed it up a bit and used two readings per day, repeating the first one on the last day.
Our AND phrase for the week was this: Law and Gospel. Jesus brings those two opposites together in ways we never would have come up with. I think I described them fairly well in my devotion from Tuesday, so today you're getting a repost! I hope you enjoy! :)
P.S. If you like this devotion, there's plenty more where that came from. Check them out at http://universitylutheranchurch.org/blog/ ;)
The Gift of God: His Holiness
Exodus 20:1-17 is a list. This list is uncomfortably long and descriptive. If there ever was a demonstration of the word “Law,” this is it. The list, of course, is the 10 Commandments. “You shall have no other gods before me. … You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. … Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (verses 3, 7-8). These are only the first three, but already we’re starting to sweat. We’ve bowed down to the gods of money or pride. We’ve used God’s name inappropriately in frustration and anger. We’ve forgotten about the Sabbath day.
So what now? Do we give up? After all, these are unattainable expectations from the start. They mean so much more than they seem to say directly. Luther’s Small Catechism gives this explanation of the fifth commandment, “You shall not murder.” “What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.” Not only does this commandment forbid us from harming our neighbors at all, it charges us to help and support them whenever they need it. That’s a lot to expect from people who can’t get past the first commandment without tripping!
Right now, we’re feeling pretty foolish and weak. We might even be feeling low and despised, unworthy of the gaze of God. “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1st Cor. 1:27-29). We have been chosen, this passage tells us, and we are not even to try to boast in ourselves. That’s good news, because we have nothing to boast about.
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (1st Cor. 30-31). It turns out we do have something to boast about: our chosen state, our holiness given to us by Christ Jesus! We would have no chance of holiness if Exodus was all we had to go by – if the Law was all we had. But we do have that chance of holiness found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because God has chosen us, because he sent his Son to die for us, we have the holiness of God.
Our AND phrase for the week was this: Law and Gospel. Jesus brings those two opposites together in ways we never would have come up with. I think I described them fairly well in my devotion from Tuesday, so today you're getting a repost! I hope you enjoy! :)
P.S. If you like this devotion, there's plenty more where that came from. Check them out at http://universitylutheranchurch.org/blog/ ;)
The Gift of God: His Holiness
Exodus 20:1-17 is a list. This list is uncomfortably long and descriptive. If there ever was a demonstration of the word “Law,” this is it. The list, of course, is the 10 Commandments. “You shall have no other gods before me. … You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. … Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (verses 3, 7-8). These are only the first three, but already we’re starting to sweat. We’ve bowed down to the gods of money or pride. We’ve used God’s name inappropriately in frustration and anger. We’ve forgotten about the Sabbath day.
So what now? Do we give up? After all, these are unattainable expectations from the start. They mean so much more than they seem to say directly. Luther’s Small Catechism gives this explanation of the fifth commandment, “You shall not murder.” “What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.” Not only does this commandment forbid us from harming our neighbors at all, it charges us to help and support them whenever they need it. That’s a lot to expect from people who can’t get past the first commandment without tripping!
Right now, we’re feeling pretty foolish and weak. We might even be feeling low and despised, unworthy of the gaze of God. “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1st Cor. 1:27-29). We have been chosen, this passage tells us, and we are not even to try to boast in ourselves. That’s good news, because we have nothing to boast about.
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (1st Cor. 30-31). It turns out we do have something to boast about: our chosen state, our holiness given to us by Christ Jesus! We would have no chance of holiness if Exodus was all we had to go by – if the Law was all we had. But we do have that chance of holiness found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because God has chosen us, because he sent his Son to die for us, we have the holiness of God.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Copiers, Carrots, and Covenants
Hello, friends! I hope you are all having a delightful day. I'm going to continue on my Lenten theme today by talking about how Jesus connects the old covenant with the new covenant (how Jesus is the AND between the two). And I'm going to do this by talking about copiers and carrots.
I know you may think this is strange, but track with me for a minute. Since the beginning of January, we've been having trouble with our copier here at church. By trouble, I mean it's decided it hates us and our church administrator Matt is on a first-name how-are-your-kids basis with everyone at Service Plus because he calls them so often. In fact, yesterday I even wrote him a limerick about his copier troubles to make him feel better.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though. Either Service Plus will this week be able to fix the copier with a new part, and all will be well and good again -- or they will say, we've done all we can. It's time for a new copier. (The reason that's a light is because it will mean the end of calling Service Plus once a day, not that it's great that we might have to buy a new copier!)
Now, for a story about carrots. As most of you know, I've been volunteering at a community garden for about six months now. Right before last semester ended, we planted some seeds, including carrot seeds. Last week we were able to pick and eat some of the carrots right out of the garden. The kids love it when they get to eat food from the garden, especially carrots, and I'm not going to lie, I love it too!
I know what you're thinking. "That's nice, Mary, but what on earth does that have to do with covenants?" Well, let me tell you. The old covenant was something that was necessary, but something that we couldn't do on our own. In a similar way, it was necessary for Matt to call Service Plus constantly, but he couldn't fix the copier on his own. It was also necessary for us to plant seeds in the garden, but we couldn't make them grow.
The new covenant is something that was necessary but that we didn't have to do on our own. Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and gave us a new one. He gave us a light at the end of the tunnel -- something to look forward to, something to hope for. In a similar way, Service Plus will come and either fulfill what we can't do (fix our copier) or give us something to hope for (a new copier in the future). Also, the sunlight, water, and soil fulfilled what we couldn't do (make the seeds grow) and gave us something to look forward to and enjoy (delicious carrots).
These are silly analogies, and obviously not perfect. But I think they work for our purposes. As Lent goes on, I'm trying to find Jesus connections in everything, because he is our AND, and he is everywhere. I hope I can plant some seeds (pun intended) in your minds so you will think about Jesus more this season, too. (If you can think of a pun about copiers I could have put in that sentence, please let me know, as I'm at a loss.)
In the meantime, enjoy this picture of me and my friend Megan. We are proud of our carrots.
I know you may think this is strange, but track with me for a minute. Since the beginning of January, we've been having trouble with our copier here at church. By trouble, I mean it's decided it hates us and our church administrator Matt is on a first-name how-are-your-kids basis with everyone at Service Plus because he calls them so often. In fact, yesterday I even wrote him a limerick about his copier troubles to make him feel better.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though. Either Service Plus will this week be able to fix the copier with a new part, and all will be well and good again -- or they will say, we've done all we can. It's time for a new copier. (The reason that's a light is because it will mean the end of calling Service Plus once a day, not that it's great that we might have to buy a new copier!)
Now, for a story about carrots. As most of you know, I've been volunteering at a community garden for about six months now. Right before last semester ended, we planted some seeds, including carrot seeds. Last week we were able to pick and eat some of the carrots right out of the garden. The kids love it when they get to eat food from the garden, especially carrots, and I'm not going to lie, I love it too!
I know what you're thinking. "That's nice, Mary, but what on earth does that have to do with covenants?" Well, let me tell you. The old covenant was something that was necessary, but something that we couldn't do on our own. In a similar way, it was necessary for Matt to call Service Plus constantly, but he couldn't fix the copier on his own. It was also necessary for us to plant seeds in the garden, but we couldn't make them grow.
The new covenant is something that was necessary but that we didn't have to do on our own. Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and gave us a new one. He gave us a light at the end of the tunnel -- something to look forward to, something to hope for. In a similar way, Service Plus will come and either fulfill what we can't do (fix our copier) or give us something to hope for (a new copier in the future). Also, the sunlight, water, and soil fulfilled what we couldn't do (make the seeds grow) and gave us something to look forward to and enjoy (delicious carrots).
These are silly analogies, and obviously not perfect. But I think they work for our purposes. As Lent goes on, I'm trying to find Jesus connections in everything, because he is our AND, and he is everywhere. I hope I can plant some seeds (pun intended) in your minds so you will think about Jesus more this season, too. (If you can think of a pun about copiers I could have put in that sentence, please let me know, as I'm at a loss.)
In the meantime, enjoy this picture of me and my friend Megan. We are proud of our carrots.
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