Lenten Devotional...Ash Wednesday

Luke 5:1-11

 

“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’  Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’”

(Luke 5:4-5 NRSV)

 

Life can change with the turn of a calendar page.  Simon, James, and John had spent a miserable night fishing, catching nothing.  They returned to shore to mend and clean their nets, and most likely, share their stories of misfortune.  Jesus got into Simon’s boat and told him to move to deeper water and cast his nets again.  Simon’s response indicated a reluctance to let go of the previous day’s experience, yet with certain resignation he did as he was told.  A new day brought new opportunity, so much so that it was hard to take it all in.

 

In turning the calendar page from Fat Tuesday to Ash Wednesday, we move from our often self-centered ways to the quiet reflection of Lent.  Christ calls us to cast our nets again and in doing so, find the immeasurable depths of God’s grace.  Weariness and cynicism make us question the call, but faith leads us anew to God’s provision.

 

Today is February 18…a new day.  As you begin this Lenten journey, trust the One who calls you to cast yourself again into the waters of repentance, finding there mercy and grace beyond what you deserve.

 

Prayer:   Dear Lord, I confess my sin before you and cast myself upon your mercy. Through Jesus, the Christ, I pray, amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

Welcoming All in Jesus' Name

One of the blessings of Hypothermia Week at Westwood is the interaction between guests and volunteers.  As our guests check in each night they are welcomed, fed, and encouraged by folks who have chosen to give of themselves in service to others.  Some might argue that this small act of hospitality does little to change the plight of folks whose struggle each day most of us cannot begin to understand.   Perhaps on a larger scale, there is truth in that argument.  Opening our facility to house the homeless one week out of the year is not a heroic act on our part, nor does this week fully define our efforts to reach out to our community with the love of Christ.  There are, however, in these brief moments in time, encounters that touch and shape the lives of guests and volunteers alike.  To share a meal and conversation with someone whose life circumstances and perspectives are different than your own could easily seem to reinforce differences.  But often, it has just the opposite effect, for the more you share…the more you listen, the more you recognize what you have in common.  The need for community, love, respect, and basic human dignity should not be limited by human condition.  Taking time to acknowledge this truth by intentional interaction, particularly in the context of Christ-like love and service, even for a moment, does make a difference: the hungry are fed, the homeless find shelter, and isolation finds community.   And those who serve…they find Christ in the face, voice, and story of one thought different, who is actually yet another child of God.  I am grateful for the privilege of such a reminder and compelled by these experiences and the call of Christ to more intentionally welcome all in Jesus’ name, every single day.

Andre Towner is preaching Sunday and I know you will be blessed to hear him.  A report from Hypothermia Week will be shared, including a word from Pastor Rafael Santamaria.  Please be aware that with the brutal temperatures and wind chills forecasted for Sunday morning, our hypothermia guests may stay with us for part of the day before moving on to their next church.  Welcome them warmly and share the love of Christ with them.

Jim Abernathy  

Welcoming Others

We have been told to expect more than forty guests next week as we host hypothermia prevention week at Westwood.  Spaces will be lined out in the narthex and in the hallway of the newer educational wing for mats and sleeping bags to fill.  Now, one might think the sanctuary would be a more fitting place for our guests to sleep since some folks find it quite conducive to sleep on Sunday mornings.  Warm meals, a safe place to rest from the cold, and an atmosphere of welcome are gifts we seek to share with our guests in the coming week.  New friends will be made, perhaps greater understanding will be achieved in overcoming barriers that too often separate us, and maybe, just maybe, as we share together, we and our guests will see Christ in one another.  Offering someone shelter in Jesus' name is an ancient tradition of faith.  So too is the blessing of service and acts of hospitality. Together, let us follow in the steps of generations gone before whose open hearts and generous spirits mirrored the words of the One who said, "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."  

 

God is at work all around us.  Let us join together with God in welcoming others in His name. I look forward to seeing you Sunday and throughout next week!

 

Jim Abernathy

Gathering Together

Perhaps more significant than the estimated 111 million people who will watch Super Bowl XLIX this Sunday, is the more than 1.25 billion chicken wings that will be consumed during the game.  The Super Bowl is an event unlike any other, drawing people who have little interest in football to gather together with friends.  Yes, some will be very interested in the game, but many will be more interested in the commercials and in the wings and all the good food that will accompany.  

 

Lots of things bring us together.  We enjoy the camaraderie of shared cerebration and personal relationship. Whether it's a sporting event, family celebration, or any of a number of occasions that draw us together with others, our need to exist and grow beyond ourselves is an important part of the human dynamic.  In the context of faith, the writer of the book of Hebrews encouraged his readers not to forsake gathering together with others in the name of Christ.  Then, as now, the busyness of life, with all its distractions, crept in and threatened the fellowship of believers.  Sharing the joy of Christ with others is a privilege and a calling that should never be taken for granted.  The Super Bowl, the commercials, and yes, the wings are good reason to gather together.  Our greatest treasure of fellowship, however, is found in the fellowship and worship we share with brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

We won't be serving wings as we gather this Sunday morning for worship, but we will celebrate the living Lord who is still at work among us.  That is the best reason for gathering together that I know.

 

Jim Abernathy

Who Is Your Neighbor?

A legal expert engaged Jesus in conversation with a question about eternal life.  Jesus turned the man's question back to him by asking the scholar what the scripture said.  The man correctly quoted the law's decree that one was to love God wholeheartedly and one's neighbor as one's self.  Jesus told him he had answered well, but the man was not satisfied. He then asked, "Who is my neighbor?" 

 

It's a great question that we continue to ask today.  Jesus addressed the question with a story about an unlikely hero who would have been despised by this legal expert and others who had been taught lessons of petty prejudice and pride.  The story of the Good Samaritan is a story of breaking down barriers that too often limit our understanding of the value of every person.  Samaritans were despised by the Jews of Jesus' day and to say that this lawyer and others who were listening to the conversation were stunned that Jesus made the Samaritan the hero of the story might be an understatement.  Jesus often turned convention on its ear, pointing his listeners to outcomes they might never have imagined.  Love your enemies, forgive those who have harmed you, do not throw stones at sinners unless you are sinless...He came preaching a different path, a different way of relating to others that didn't isolate and condemn, but welcomed, forgave, and restored.

 

It would be good for people of faith to remember these lessons today.  Our nation and world continue to struggle with the heavy shadows of prejudice and misunderstanding that are as old as human history.  The color of one's skin, the nation of one's birth, the preference of one's religious or political persuasion...these are but a few of the things that divide us and fuel the anger, fear, and pettiness of prejudice. 

 

The observance of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday this weekend reminds us of another path...a persistent path of grace, mercy, and love. "I have decided to stick with love," Dr. King once said. "Hate is too great a burden to bear."  I believe that is the message of Jesus' teaching, the message of the parable of the Good Samaritan.   

 

Who is your neighbor?  Look around you...take a moment and truly look around you.

 

Jim Abernathy

Hypothermia Prevention Week is Coming!

There are three pictures in the Washington Post this morning that tell the chilling story of homelessness.  One shows a woman in a shelter setting up bedding on a cot, another depicts a man spreading a blanket over what appears to be icy steps near Union Station, while the final picture shows people covered by thin blankets in the limited shelter of a bus stop on Massachusetts Avenue.  I know how cold I have been moving from place to place over the last few days in the frigid, wind-driven winter weather.  It is hard to imagine trying to sleep outdoors under such conditions.

 

Several years ago Westwood became a partnering church with Facets and Fairfax County in an attempt to provide shelter for homeless folks in our area during the cold winter months.  We first partnered with other churches to support them in their facilities, before making the decision to open the doors of our church to welcome these guests.  It has been a rich and challenging experience for our faith community, not only in providing a warm and safe place, but in getting to share around the dinner and breakfast table with men and women whose stories are often not that much different than our own.  We have been reminded throughout this experience that open doors, hearts, and minds truly do make a difference. 

 

Hypothermia Week at Westwood will be February 8-15.  As many of you know, it takes a lot of folks to make this ministry work.  We are blessed to have support from Burke Presbyterian Church and the Iglesia Bautista Remanente De Dios congregation that meets in our building. Together with these brothers and sisters in faith we share the love of Christ.  I would ask you today to consider how you might participate in this special week.  Some may help in greeting and registering our guests, others cooking or cleaning up after meals, while others might provide security, clean rest rooms, or help set up at the beginning of the week or tear down afterward.  There is a ministry opportunity for all who want to be involved, so I encourage you today, or particularly tonight, when you go out into the cold, to think about what it would be like to be without shelter.  Then think about the possibilities before you to be a blessing to those in need and sign up this Sunday at the welcome center.

 

I hope you will join us for worship and Bible study this Sunday.  I will be preaching from Genesis 1:1-5 about the wonder of God's creation.  Invite a friend to join you. 

 

Jim Abernathy

Stepping Out Into the New Year

Blessings to you on this first Friday of 2015!  The major bowl games are over, Christmas break is coming to a close for students and teachers, and spring training is just about six weeks away!  Cindy was out early this morning in a local store and reported that Christmas decorations have been replaced with Valentine's Day decorations and summer clothes.  Time marches on!

 

2015 holds joys, opportunities, and challenges yet unknown.  Faith is not a shield against the unknown, but rather a companion in the midst of the unknown that reminds us that in everything, we cling to the promise of God's presence.  So, we step out into the new year not in fear, but hope, seeking God's guidance for each step.  Paul's admonition in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 is very appropriate for us as we move into the unknown of 2015; "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  From the vantage point of today, January 2, 2015, these are good words to build on for a new year.

 

I look forward to joining you for this first Sunday of the new year as we worship the living God together. 

 

Jim Abernathy