Day 19: We Are Nothing Without Love

"Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.  Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you."
-Deuteronomy 4:1-2




I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know a lot about the Bible. I can’t quote verses or tell you what book comes before or after another book, but I do know that a lot of times verses can have different meanings depending on how you look at them. The first time I read this passage from Deuteronomy, I was a little annoyed, because I believe that spirituality and belief can be very fluid. “Where’s the flexibility?” I wondered. “You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you” Deuteronomy 4:2. It’s very strict. But after reading the words a few times, I had an “aha” moment.

We learn, most of us, from a very young age about the Ten Commandments. And what do the Ten Commandments say really? Don’t hurt each other, love God and each other, and treat each other with respect. This is essentially what the Ten Commandments boil down to, these are the only rules we need to follow in our lives, and this is what I believe the passage is talking about. I believe that this passage is telling us that we have to treat everyone well and it doesn’t matter if their belief system is different from ours.

The Christian tradition, historically and now, is one of persecution. There has always been someone who is wrong, who is not welcome, who is different and we shut them out because of these differences. How do we follow the commandments God gave us, and only those commandments, if we continue to persecute people who believe in something different from what we believe? What are we teaching our children and our children’s children and those who come after with these actions. Are we really protecting each other, loving each other, respecting each other?

So what I believe this passage is saying, is that regardless of someone’s belief systems, race, sexuality, coffee preference, we don’t hurt each other. We love each other. We treat each other with respect. By doing this, we follow God’s commandments and only God’s commandments. We don’t add, we don’t take away. By doing this, we fill the world with love. We teach love to those who come after us. Because we are nothing without love.

Claire Harkey is 26 years old and from the Diocese of Mississippi. 
She currently spends her days hanging out with the high school students of 
La Escuela Episcopal El Buen Pastor in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

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Day 11: Love Your Enemies

"But love your enemies, do good, and lend, despairing of no one. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. " 
-Luke 6:35




I’m not good at this.  I find it easy to be loving and compassionate to a lot of people, but I find it really hard not to give up on some who frustrate me the most.  Like many Christians, I sometimes wish there was an asterisk in the Biblical text, leading to a footnote explaining that of course Jesus didn’t actually mean those people, even if I define those people differently from some of the more loud-spoken Christian sects.  I want there to be some limits on whom I should have to look to for God’s presence.  I want to be given the allowance by God to just storm off in a huff and leave certain people to their own problems.  I want to be able to focus on just winning an argument with these people, to prove myself right over whatever issue we’re arguing about this decade.  Like most people, I sometimes want my religion to be easy, to have control over it.  I want to stick God in a box because a God who fits into the box I’ve defined is less scary and demanding.

No one said Christianity was going to be easy.  Well, okay, Jesus did once in Matthew 11, but not nearly so many times as he pointed out that it was not easy to follow him.  Love is difficult, it is a conscious choice every day to work for the best for the people around you.  Love means giving up the need to prove yourself right in every argument, to sometimes say that the point is to remain in the conversation even when you violently disagree.  In my lay institute class, this came up as a part of our discussion, that the strength of the Episcopal/Anglican communion is that we are in communion.  Even when it is tough, even when we argue and disagree on fundamental, earth-shattering issues, we keep talking to one another.  Okay, sometimes it’s more like yelling at each other at the top of our lungs, but at some point we have to stop yelling, if just to grab a breath, and it’s then, while we are still in communication, still present with one another, that we can remember that we are called to love, not to agree.

Love is scary.  Love means not being in control.  Love is being vulnerable to other people, and still working to be good to them.  Love is not giving up on other people as part of God’s creation.  Christian love isn’t safe, isn’t easy, and doesn’t promise happiness.  It just promises that we are acting like God wished.


Or to give the internet shorthand version:

Margaret Clinch is 28 years old and from the Diocese of Southern Ohio. 
She is serving as a teacher at Easter College in the 
Diocese of the North Central Philippines.

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Day 10: Grow Up

"‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,* what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." 
-Matthew 5:43-48

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” – To be honest, every time I read this, I think, “This is insane. How in the world are we supposed to do this?” It almost seems like it goes against the laws of nature. Typically if someone mistreats you or does you wrong, your immediate reaction is not to love them. It’s actually quite the opposite. You want to write them off, you want to make them feel the same way that they made you feel. That’s just the natural reaction.

The thing is, maybe they do not “deserve” for you to treat them well. But that’s the beauty of grace – God’s grace. God is asking us to treat others not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated. He wants us to show them the kind of grace that he showed us. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” – God loves everyone. It’s plain and simple. He treats everyone the same, regardless of who you are or what you have done.

What I think is most fascinating about this passage is that he continues to say, “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?”

This is something that I think we are all guilty of. Of course it’s easy to love people who love us – it’s easy! But the question is, what good are we doing here?  Yes, we are loving our neighbor, but we are only loving our kind neighbors.

God is giving us a challenge. I believe he knows that loving our “enemies” or people that treat us wrong is one of the hardest things to do, and at times may even seem impossible. But I think this is one of the greatest challenges, and I especially love a good challenge.

For me right now, I find this especially relevant. Being a teacher of kids that are 15 and 16 years old, I find it especially difficult to treat everyone the same, regardless of how good or bad they behave. Don’t get me wrong, some kids are absolutely wonderful and I just want to call their parents up and tell them that they have the greatest and coolest kid. But there are also days where there is so much chaos and insanity in the classroom that I feel like I’m just going to lose my mind. But as a great teacher once told me, “They’re going to misbehave. They’re going to make you crazy. But no matter what they do, love them anyway.” That just blows me away every time.  And this is what I think God is asking us to do. There are going to be days where someone just tears you apart, and I’m pretty sure the last thing you want to say is, “You know what? I love you anyway.” But that’s the challenge. God is asking us to love them anyway.

It all comes back to the last line, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.

Okay, now this is crazy. We all know that humans are imperfect, no matter how hard we try to be perfect. But wow, what a great goal to have! God is setting the bar pretty high for us, and that is the coolest part. We have this super ambitious goal to reach, and every single day we should consciously try to make baby steps to be as gracious as our Father.

I know that for me, this transition certainly won’t happen over night. I don’t think I’m going to wake up in the morning and immediately feel an overwhelming love for my enemies. But I’m willing to accept the challenge, and I am aware that there will be days that I make steps forward, and days that I might even take a step back. But I’m ready for this goal, especially during the season of Lent. I have always been a firm believer in taking something on during Lent, so I hope y’all will join me in taking on this challenge!

I want to leave you with an interesting interpretation of the last line (Matthew 5:48) that I found in “The Message”.

“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”


So maybe saying “grow up” is a little harsh. But I think it’s pretty cool that is says, “You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it.” It’s an ambitious life-style, but I’ll surely give it a go!

Rachel Carter is 22 years old and from the Diocese of East Carolina. 
She is currently serving in Panama City, Panama. She is teaching 
World History for 9th and 10th grade at St. Christopher's Episcopal School in Panama.

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Day 4: Calling all Sinners

"After this he went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booh; and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up, left everything, and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others sitting at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with the tax-collectors and sinners?' Jesus answered, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentence.'” 
-Luke 5:27-32

Jesus shared meals and conversation with people who were known for their sin. The Pharisees and scribes, the ‘holy men’ of Jesus’ time, could not understand why he would do such a thing. Jesus’ response to their questions makes a lot of sense. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.” A doctor wouldn’t come to treat people who were already healthy; a doctor comes to treat sick people. In the same way, what good would it have done for Jesus to come into the world just to sit around talking theology with the Pharisees, if he never put it into action?

But that’s not what he does. Jesus says clearly in this passage what his purpose on earth is – to call sinners to repentance. He was there to share in fellowship with sinners, but moreover he was there to bring sinners back into right relationship with God. Jesus came into the world not simply to forgive our sins, but to take away our sins, to free us from our sins.

Lent is a time for fasting. It’s a time to remember the temptations Jesus faced in the desert. During Lent, many people give up or take on some type of practice – be it food, electronics, or a certain activity. But if we stop eating chocolate for 40 days just so we can say we went 40 days without eating chocolate, we are missing the point. It isn’t about suffering. It’s about training our wills with physical things so we will be ready for spiritual temptations. It’s about reflecting on our spiritual journeys and preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of our Lord.

Jesus came to call sinners (you and me) to repentance. This Lenten season, I encourage you to reflect on your life. Where are you spiritually sick? Where are you in need of healing from sin? Ask Jesus for forgiveness, but also ask Jesus to free you from that sin. Then, get rid of the distractions and create the space for God to work in you. Changes probably won’t happen overnight, but you aren’t usually cured from an illness overnight either. Give yourself time to heal, and slowly you will find yourself growing stronger.

"Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth your right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Becky is 25 years old and from the Diocese of San Diego. 

She is currently serving at Holy Spirit Episcopal Bilingual School in Tela, Honduras 

where she enjoys teaching English, leading chapel services, and 

helping high school seniors apply for college.

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Day 3: Live Like No One Else

"Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.'” 
-Matthew 9:14-17


Contrary to what many believe (Christians included), being a Christian is not easy. Being a Christian requires us to look inward at our deepest fears and most serious faults – and overcome them. It is also a religion that, at times, calls us to abandon rationality and basic human nature.

Pray for one's enemies? Really?
Love others as much as I love myself? Is that possible?

But perhaps the most difficult thing about being a Christian is that it requires a complete transformation within the individual. This change manifests itself in baptism and confirmation, however the season of Lent serves as a way of reminding us each year of the vows we take as Christians. Lent calls us to reflect on who we truly are, and then transform ourselves through temperance, meditation and fasting. But it's not that easy.

Putting it plainly, our transformation is only as thorough as our sacrifice. If we dedicate ourselves to making a change then change will occur. However we cannot expect to deviate little from our bad habits and expect miraculous change in our lives. No, we must plan and prepare to transform, and then put those plans into action.

In today's reading from Matthew, Jesus is calling us to make this transformation, and to make it thoroughly. He tells us not to sew fresh cloth onto our ragged cloaks, and not to mix fresh wine with spoiled wine. Jesus is essentially saying that there is no such thing as a quick-fix with substantial problems. If true change is to occur, then this change must be made with diligence and perseverance. If it is done without these elements, then what is the point? You've only wasted your time.

I listen to the Dave Ramsey Show every day, and I enjoy it because it's a show about people transforming their lives by getting out of debt and planning for their futures. One of the best parts of this show is when listeners call into Dave to do their “debt-free scream.” It's an inspirational segment where people tell epic tales about the massive amounts of debt they have overcome by following Dave Ramsey's strict, common-sense principles.

It's not rare to get people calling in who have paid off hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. And these callers did not just overcome these debts by accident. No, they liberated themselves by making conscious decisions towards a goal that would make them happier, more successful people. Isn't that what Jesus is asking us to do today?

“No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Those enslaved to debt will never be debt-free unless they dedicate themselves wholly to budgeting and self-denial. Likewise, Christians trying to become more like Christ cannot do so by making half-hearted attempts to break bad habits and sinful behavior. To do both, one must start over and dedicate one's self completely. And when that happens, true transformation occurs and happiness becomes a reality.

The main goal of Dave Ramsey's show is to prepare people for retirement. In order to make sure his listeners are ready, Dave advocates an aggressive “gazelle-intensity” effort to pay off debts and save money. He tells listeners to do unorthodox things like cut up their credit cards, pay for things only with cash and to account for every cent that leaves his/her bank account. In doing so, he promises listeners that if they live like no one else now, then they will live like no one else later.

{image via}

Christianity has a similar goal in mind. As a “product,” Christianity helps people prepare for their future. But it's a future far beyond this world and all comprehension. It is a religion that calls us to take drastic measures like fasting, self-denial and meditation. However, a similar payout awaits those who take such decisive action. This Lent I ask Christians to live like no one else, so that later (much, much later) we can exist truly debt free in that heavenly land of grace and mercy.

Blessings,
Will Bryant

Will Bryant is 25 years old and from the Diocese of Western North Carolina. 

He is currently serving with the Mission to Seafarers in Hong Kong. 

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