Third Week of Lent
March 7, 2021

Opening
Lord, as we draw close to you in these moments, quiet us within that we may hear You and follow where you lead.

Reflection
As we continue on this Lenten journey, we are reminded abiding in the Word brings life.

Invitation
Read the scripture through slowly a few times. The second time, notice the word or phrase to which where you are drawn. The third time, reflect on how this word or phrase speaks to your life right now.

Scripture: Psalm 19:7-10, 14
The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb… May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Prayer of Response
Divine One, You have shown us the way of life It is found in You and in Your Word When we abide there, it permeates throughout our life and relationships as yeast does with the whole loaf. Forgive us when we move away from you and stray from Your life giving Word Your Word centers us and fills us It changes us and blesses us. Help us to feast on it that we may be nurtured and sustained through it. Transform us through it Divine One, That we may be reflections of your love and grace. Praise to You our good and gracious God, Amen.

Rev. Eva Sullivan-Knoff, Founder and Executive Director

Second Week of Lent
February 28, 2021

Opening
Lord, as we draw close to you in these moments, quiet us within that we may hear You and follow where you lead.

Reflection
As we we enter the Lenten journey again, we are reminded that Jesus offers us the Words of life, as He is the Word that gifts us with life.

Invitation
Read the scripture through slowly a few times. The second time, notice the word or phrase to which where you are drawn. The third time, reflect on how this word or phrase speaks to your life right now.

Scripture: Mark 9:2-9
“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”

Prayer of Response
Our True North, How many times gracious God are we so easily distracted, and heading in the wrong direction. You remind us to quiet ourselves and just to listen, to listen deep within to your voice which resides within. When we don’t know what to do or what to say, when we feel out of sorts and have lost our way, help us to turn within once again, listening and following You. You are our True North. We are at home in you as you have made your home within us. Bless You our True North, Amen.

Rev. Eva Sullivan-Knoff, Founder and Executive Director

First Week of Lent
February 21, 2021

Opening
Lord, as we draw close to you in these moments, quiet us from all the noise within and from without. Stir us with your presence. Quicken us to hear your voice. Deepen your words, your truth, your love within us.

Reflection
Because of the pandemic and the layers of suffering that this last year has brought, we may feel more scattered than we normally do. We may find we have less energy, and fewer inner resources to draw upon. We may feel enshrouded in grief because there has just been too much. So before continuing, I invite us to just to take a few deep breaths for a moment or two… As we continue to breathe deeply, we enter the Lenten journey once again, reminded of how very deeply we are loved. Jesus not only meets us where we are, but He enters into our human story, and into the very fabric of our lives. As we accompany Jesus on his way to the cross, and then to the empty tomb, may we remember our tears are on His face. So as we journey with the One who loves us beyond our understanding May we be deeply moved and changed by it. May God’s grace heal, restore, and transform us again and again.

Invitation
Read the scripture through slowly a few times. The second time, notice the word or phrase to which where you are drawn. The third time, reflect on how this word or phrase speaks to your life right now.

Scripture: Mark 1:9-15
One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.
Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

Prayer of Response
Our Dearly Loved Parent,
Just as you named Jesus
as your dearly loved Son,
so you name us as your dearly loved
daughters and sons, because of Him.
Just as Jesus went through trying times,
so do we, and sometimes
they rock us to our very core.
Help us to remember always
that Jesus went before us,
that your Spirit lives within us,
And that you do name us
as your dearly loved.
May that unfathomable blessing
and the gift of
Your Triune companionship
remain within us in our very core,
from where we can draw strength and peace.
May we live from this identity
and reflect you in it,
as we seek to follow you
in all our ways.
Amen.

Rev. Eva Sullivan-Knoff,
Founder and Executive Director

Ash Wednesday
February 17, 2021

Opening
Lord, as I sit here with you, please quiet my heart and mind. I come as I am, inwardly jumbled from too many things. Awaken me to your presence within and around me. May I rest in you as I listen and follow where you lead.

Reflection
Because of the pandemic and the layers of suffering that this last year has brought, we may feel more scattered than we normally do. We may find we have less energy, fewer inner resources to draw upon. We may feel enshrouded in grief because there has just been too much. So before continuing, I invite us to just to take a few deep breaths for a moment or two… As we continue to breathe deeply, we enter the Lenten journey once again, reminded of how very deeply we are loved. Jesus not only meets us where we are, but He enters into our human story, and into the very fabric of our lives. As we accompany Jesus on his way to the cross, and then to the empty tomb, may we remember our tears are on His face. So as we journey with the One who loves us beyond our understanding May we be deeply moved and changed by it. May God’s grace heal, restore, and transform us again and again.

Invitation
Read the scripture through slowly a couple of times. Pause where you are drawn.

Scripture: Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12
Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.

Prayer of Response
Gracious God, we are broken within from all that has been. Overwhelmed and wrapped up by our own cares, we lose sight and connection with you,
who is our “refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.” Forgive us. Heal us. Reconnect us with you, that we may move beyond ourselves, hearing you not only from within, but also from without- through the people in need right in front of us. You come to us through them. Help us to love as You love, to care as You care, to reach out in all the ways that You do. Help us to be true living, loving reflections of you, in thought, word, and deed. Deepen our awareness of you and please keep us rooted there.

Amen.

Rev. Eva Sullivan-Knoff,
Founder and Executive Director

Opening
Today I remain quiet. Grief is ever present. I meditate on all that has been.

Reflection
Holy Saturday, often overlooked, is a holy day, it is when Jesus lies in the tomb. Darkness and grief, doubts and questions, wailing and morning fill this day for Jesus’ followers. Look at the depths Jesus goes to, to enter the darkness for us, even a tomb. There is nothing He does not know. There is no place his love does not reach.

Invitation
Read the scripture through a few times. Imagine yourself in this story as an observer. What would it be like to watch all this unfold? How deep is the grief of all. Allow yourself to pause where you are drawn.

John 19:38-42
“After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”

Prayer Response
Oh Lord, this day…
This day is filled
with gut wrenching grief
And heart shattering silence.
Your followers mourn
Lost and despairing.
It is confusing and scary
And they wonder what to hold onto,
not yet realizing the magnitude of this day.
For look at what you have done.
Every death we have mourned
Each tear we have shed
Every time our hearts have been broken
by the absence of those we love
Is affected by this day.
This day.
Because on this day
You entered that mournful space.
You lied in an empty tomb.
Look how far your love goes
It reaches every corner of our hearts
Every breath of our experience.
How deeply you understand us.
So as we sit in silence today,
honoring all you have done
and all you have given.
Our hearts are comforted
because your love did not stop.
It entered the tomb.
From the depths of our being
We thank you.

Amen.

Copyright © 2020, Rev. Eva Sullivan-Knoff

Opening
Lord, help us to journey with you throughout this day, ever so mindful of you.

Reflection
This is a day that is hard to take in, the extent of God’s love for us. We pray oh Lord, please stir our hearts and change us as we humbly, enter the story again.

Invitation
Read the scripture through slowly, pausing where you are drawn. Take as long as you need. Imagine you are there. As you read keep your eyes on Jesus. Listen to His words. Imagine his face as He speaks. What do you see in His eyes? Watch his actions. How does He respond? Stay focused on Him as you read. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your prayerful reading.

Scripture: Read John 19:1-6, 14-19, 28-30
(To read the whole account, read from John 18:1-19:42)
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3 They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him…14 Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew[d] is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth,[e] the King of the Jews… 28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Prayer of Response
On this day, words are hard to find.
Moved by all that has been given,
By all that has been done,
I sit in silence with Jesus.
I remain with Him.
I offer my heart in quiet
just as He offers Himself
completely to me.
Amen.

“He loved them to the end.”

Opening
Lord, as we journey with you in these last days, make us ever present to you on your way to the cross and the empty tomb.

Reflection
These days are filled with wonder, questions, amazement, at how we can be so deeply loved. Humbly, we enter the story again. Change us through this week as the story unfolds day by day.

Invitation
Read the scripture slowly. If you are comfortable put yourself in the story as an observer. Stay close to watch Jesus, his actions, his words, his responses.

Scripture: John 13:1- 5, 12,-15, 34, 35
“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him… When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you… “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Prayer of Response
Having loved your own who were in the world,
You loved them to the end.
Loving your own who are in the world,
You love us to the end.
What could mean more than these words?
You love us to the end.
How can we begin to grasp this even a little bit?
When we doubt your love,
when we question,
when we fail You, others, and ourselves,
may the truth of these words
echo deep within us.
“You love us to the end.”
You have shown us the healing
affirming, transforming power of your love,
that says Yes to us,
that says, I love you no matter what.
May this truth sink deep within us,
heal us and ground us
and so much so
that we love each other like you do.
May it be healing, affirming and transforming
to all whom it touches.
May it be said of us,
having loved you,
we who are in the world,
we loved you to the end-
In all the hungry, hurting faces
in which we see you
each and every day.
May we the loved, so love.
Amen.

Copyright 2020 Rev. Eva Sullivan-Knoff

Opening
Lord, as I sit here with you, quiet my heart and mind. You invite me to come as I am and so I come. Open my heart to all you have for me. Awaken me to your voice within.

Reflection
As we continue our journey through Lent
we slow our pace so we can listen well
to what God desires to say to us.
God’s love seeks to heal the broken places within us,
To free us from the things that bind us
To bring light into our shadow places.
God desires us to know life in a fuller way,
And to live from a place of belovedness and belonging.

Invitation
Read the Scripture through slowly a couple of times. Pause where your heart is stirred.

Scripture: John 11:32-44 (Read verses 1-44 to read the whole story)
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Prayer of Response
Beloved One,
How much it means to see your humanity,
to know that you loved your friends so much
that you were moved to tears by theirs.
How much it means to have a God
who loves us so deeply
that you feeling the ache in our hearts cry with us.
How blessed are we that you love us that much!
How blessed are we
that just as you unbound Lazarus
You unbind us and free us
with the life we have in you-
the life that heals, transforms, makes new.
Bless You oh Compassionate One. Bless You. Amen.