Lent 2014
March 28, 2014

 Read Scripture: Psalm 23 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. — Psalm 23:1-3 

“I couldn’t do my homework. We don’t have Internet at home. My mom was out of gas and couldn’t take me to the library.” 

“We’ve gotta move again. I don’t think we will be going to this school anymore.” 

“I don’t have a pencil. Dad said he would get paid Friday. We might be able to get one then.” 

One small five year old boy entered the classroom with the principal who introduced him as a new enrollee. From the moment he walked into that room the entire atmosphere changed. It seemed he could not do or say anything that was not disruptive to the lesson plan or the learning process. The entire school day was centered on him. No one in that kindergarten class was enjoying school. It was a relief when he just stopped coming. 

The toll of challenges facing schools each day adds up. It is crucial that the staff and, yes, the volunteers, take the time each day to refuel spiritually, physically, mentally, and socially in positive ways. The most positive way I know is to turn to our Shepherd for some soul restoration. Building in soul breaks throughout the day may be the best way to take care of oneself when time is precious. Getting some exercise, eating healthier foods, reading a short devotion, or repeating the Jesus Prayer—Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner—will do wonders to hold off burnout, if we spice them throughout our days.  Try it. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 27, 2014

 Read Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-32 

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil…. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. — Ephesians 4:25-27, 31-32 

The crafters of the lectionary know people well. Yesterday they got into our faces with the stern words of the prophet Jeremiah making me, for one, angry at the current state of the world in which we live, and today they remind us that we are children of a loving God who expects us to also be loving, no matter the state of the world. Paul tells us here that a little anger might be healthy but we need to guard against it motivating us to sin against those with whom we are interacting. In my case, the one with whom I am most angry is often me. I sense that I commit more sins of omission than commission—that may be true of others, too. 

In the complex, pluralistic world in which we find ourselves it is really hard to communicate meaningfully.  I say one thing; the listener hears something else perhaps because their perception of the world is so totally different than mine. I generally say what I think sometimes when it is not wise to do so.  Others cloud their speaking in guarded phrases fearing reprisal. Some lack confidence in what they think, feel, or experience and fear expressing their thoughts. We all have to make the effort to communicate with loving understanding. It is the only way we can find solutions to the problems that plague our communities and schools. 

As Christians, we have a framework for modeling communications that work. We are called to wrap our prophetic fires in love as Jesus did. It is one of the gifts we can give our schools, if we choose to invest ourselves in their successes. 

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, enable us to wrap our prophetic fire in your love. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 26, 2014 

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.—1 Corinthians 10:1-4  

Our scripture today flashed me forward to Revelation 1:8: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. For some reason I take great solace in the understanding that Christ was with or of God from the beginning, always has been, and always will be. I probably feel this way because in and through the man Jesus, I have been able to comprehend more about God than I would have been able to without knowledge of Jesus who was the Christ. The motto of my church, Loving God and Loving the Way Jesus Loved, stems from that same vine. 

There may be some who can love the way Jesus loved without first knowing God but I doubt it. Loving as Jesus loved takes all of oneself and then some, but that is what we are called to do. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves and therein is a hint at how loving the way Jesus loved is possible. We must accept that God loves us totally, completely, and without reservations.  

Now most of us know we can be pretty unlovable at times. God’s grace given freely through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Rock on which we can rest our lack of loving and it is through the living waters that pour forth from that Rock that our cleansing is realized. We do have to lean on the Rock to receive its strength and that requires repentance. In cycling through our growth in Christ we are renewed to love even more. 

There is a whole school full of children out there who desperately needs our love. It is time for us to get on about the business of bearing the fruit of God’s amazing and enabling gift of grace and love.  

Prayer: O Great Redeemer, continue to make us whole as you persist in pulling us out of complacency to answer your call to love. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 25, 2014

 Read Scripture: Jeremiah 2:4-13 

Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
   be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord,
  for my people have committed two evils:
   they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water,
   and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns
   that can hold no water.—Jeremiah 2:12-13

 One thing we must admit, prophets do not mince words. On the one hand Jeremiah tells us there is an abundant and never ending source of water. On the other hand, there are people ignoring that source of quality water while investing all their time and energy in digging holes and shoring them up with plaster that cracks, thus their thirst cannot be assuaged. 

That pretty much describes the current state of public education in the USA. We know what works: well-trained and well-supported dedicated teachers; reasonable classroom sizes; early childhood education; appropriate amounts of books and other resources for each child; children who are well nourished, get adequate sleep and exercise, and are secure in their home lives; parents engaged in their children’s education; and ongoing research and the application of its findings regarding how people learn and how to enhance learning. We actually have millions of students across this country who are getting exactly that type of schooling and thriving in it. I fear, in many of our areas overcome with poverty, however, we are tossing children into cracked cisterns and calling it good enough. It isn’t. 

The sin we are committing is greed. We are not willing to pay for what we know works. And yes we do want to hold the schools accountable for the use of our tax dollars.  And yes it will cost more per student in the poverty riven schools to provide all these necessary components of education because they do not have all the parts in place that is needed. But if we do not break that cycle, it will not matter how many standardized tests they are given. These children will continue to know only failure and so will their children and their children’s children. Our country and its economy will suffer from the lack of both a well prepared workforce and a middle class with purchasing power.  

Prayer: God of All Children, forgive us of our sin of greed. Open our hearts and minds to wise investment in your children’s future. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 24, 2014

 Read Scripture: Psalm 81 

But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes. —Psalm 81:11-14  

In the late 1960’s when I was fresh out of college and ready to change the world, I visited with a father who was inconsolable. His wife had died a few months before after an extended and family-draining bout with some form of cancer. The couple had three children including an out-of-control teenage girl and two grade school aged boys.  The teenage girl was the purpose of my visit, but the father was the focus of my concern. It seems that what was then called “new math” had been introduced at the boys’ school. The younger boy had done homework two nights before and the father had helped him. I got the sense that the father finally thought he had found something that he actually could do for one of his children. The dad had been pretty good at math when he was in school. However, the son had brought that homework back the next night bleeding red with each problem marked as being wrong even though as far as the father (and I, as a matter of fact) was concerned every answer was right. Apparently the boy was supposed to show how he had gotten the correct answer not just what the correct answer was. I do not remember the exact words the teacher had written on the paper but it was something to the effect that would the father, please, not help his son in the future as the school was trying to teach a new way of doing math and the mastery of the new way was as important as getting the correct answer. The father was literally crying with great sobs as he handed me the paper saying that he was no good for anybody. The teacher, I am sure, had no idea that she was dealing with such a volatile situation. After the father calmed down, I tried to explain what I thought the teacher was trying to say and suggested that he visit the school and ask how he could help his son. I think it helped the father to hear from me that I did not have a clue how to do new math either and I would have had to ask the teacher for guidance myself. 

In our daily life we are challenged to listen for God’s guidance seeing beyond the obvious and opening our hearts to God’s ways of being and doing. We also must deal with our own insecurities, for example, teaching a new way of doing something very familiar. God will give us the courage to enter new paths as long as we turn to God and lean on God’s everlasting arm. God can also make us arms to lean on. 

Prayer: Almighty God, give me the courage to rise above my own insecurities and see the needs of my neighbors who are struggling with insecurities of their own. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 23, 2014

 Read Scripture: Romans 5:1-11 

…knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. —Romans 5:3b-5  

Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way: Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. [Emphasis added] He is right; you know. Paul is saying something very similar in our scripture today. The computer language that we might hear is garbage in=garbage out. All of these pithy sayings are trying to get across the point that what we invest of our time, talent, and resources is really the only thing that can solve the stubborn problems of the world. We would all like to wave a magic wane and say abracadabra and set everything right but we cannot. I honestly think it is better this way, for we are more apt to appreciate something in which we have invested ourselves. 

We thus do not enter lightly into striving with our neighborhood school toward quality education. We are not only called to serve but to suffer with them. For if we are unable to empathize with their suffering, then we are still on the outside looking in. In reality receiving a less than perfect education experience may not seem like suffering at all to children whose only food is served at school. We need to realize that by targeting a quality education, for some of these children, we are applying our values not theirs or their parents’ values. Our interchanges with parents and children may need to involve telling them or showing them exactly why we think education is of importance without making them feel oppressed. It is a tall order to move from suffering to hope; therefore, we must be strong in endurance and always be of good character.  

Prayer: God of Hope, help us to be wellsprings of hope and not the source of further oppression. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 22, 2014

 Read Scripture: John 4:1-6 

[Jesus] left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.’—John 4:3-6  

Our scripture today is a brief postscript to the previous story or a brief introduction to the next. Scholars are not sure and apparently the Greek is unclear. Jesus had been having great success in Judea, at least among the people—not so much among the Pharisees. It appears that his leaving Judea was a well-timed exit to avoid confrontation. That said, the decision to go through Samaria would indicate the need to make some haste in his exist, because good Jews did not normally traverse through Samaria. These two groups did not get along even though the land was full of history and antiquities regarding the people of Israel. One would think the Jew who had to travel through Samaria would not stop to rest anywhere but get on down the road as quickly as possible. Jesus rested by the well of his ancestor Jacob. 

I wonder if our intercity schools are like Samaria to most of us. We drive by them with our doors locked and our windows rolled up on our path from somewhere acceptable to somewhere else acceptable. We might note the condition of the older buildings. We might wonder why anyone would let children play outside in the cold with just a hoodie for warmth. Most likely we will not even notice that we are passing a school at all unless the school zone crossing lights are flashing and then we may grumble at being slowed in reaching our important appointment. 

Jesus set an example that we are called to emulate. He stopped to meet the neighbors on their ground. If you read the rest of the story you will see that he lets them serve him water and he in return gives them the water of life. Perhaps if we share a drink of water with the students, their parents and the staff at the intercity school, we will open the door to share the love God has given us to share. 

Prayer: Jesus Christ help us be good neighbors not just to some but to all.  Amen. 

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 21, 2014

 Read Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22 

For [Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.’
—Ephesians 2:14-16 

Paul may have felt like a broken record because he had to write so often encouraging fellow Christians to become one. Why was that important? It was important because division usually distracts people from pursuing the purpose to which they are called. [Jesus] … said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.—Matthew 12:25.  It is time we Christians stop fighting against each other and find the things on which we can agree.  

Think what might happen if we could retarget our energies from the battlefields of politics to the enhancement of classroom learning? Surely, through Covenantal Conversations, we can find the common ground that will shape a public education system designed to provide a quality education for every child. What is a Covenantal Conversation? Covenantal Conversation is driven by a deep desire to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. It is designed to help us work toward wholeness, oneness, and justice. Covenantal conversations grounded in love are characterized by:

• Profound listening not only to the words but also with attention to the emotions and the cultures that contribute to the words.
• Openness to being refined by God’s cleansing power as we strive toward a closer and deeper relationship with God.
• Expansion of our perspectives to consider the long-range impact of issues. We are called to weigh each issue that confronts us regarding how it impacts the furtherance of the Kingdom of God today and tomorrow. 

All participants in Covenantal Conversations do not necessarily have to be Christians but all Christians need to practice and model Covenantal Conversations between each other and among all people. Once we find the common ground we then can use the synergy that results from our unity to reshape our schools to better serve our children. 

Prayer: God of Unity, help us find the common ground on which we can grow a brighter tomorrow for our children. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 20, 2014

 Read Scripture: Exodus 16:1-8 

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’  

 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.’—Exodus 16:2-4 

When do we make the transition from helping to healing? That is the questions my church is struggling with regarding our work with Putnam Heights Elementary School. We have been doing some things with or for them for almost ten years. We help with school supplies; with stuffing the Food Bank backpacks sent home with the children on Friday who probably don’t have enough to eat over the weekend; with replacing lost coats, mittens, and gloves; with school uniforms when needed. And we have a few dedicated members who volunteer as tutors. Yet, the children still fail to flourish. 

Our story in the scripture today describes God’s commitment to rescuing the Israelites from Egypt. Once they found themselves removed from oppression, they realized there was more to freedom than just walking away from their captors. They still had to eat. Thus they complained bitterly about the lack of food even to saying they might have been better off had they died in Egypt. God’s response was to rain bread down amongst them. God was willing to do whatever it took to restore the Israelites to wholeness, but wholeness was God’s goal, not allowing them to maintain their status quo.  

Now, I find it scary to consider using God’s actions as our example for providing justice. However, I think God is calling us to do whatever it takes to enable all children, but particularly for us the children of Putnam Heights Elementary School to come unto God as the whole people God created them to be. Of this I am sure, if we too dedicate our life to God’s justice, God will be with us every step of the way and might even rain a little bread on us when necessary. 

Prayer: Mighty I AM, lead us forth out of our complacency into your engagement. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lent 2014
March 19, 2014

 Read Scripture: John 7:53—8:11

 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’—John 8:7-11 

This little story in a nut shell is rich with justice. It really does not matter what the “sin” was or who the “sinner” was. It is about the response of God’s people. The story is about the application of real-time justice. In this instance what is being pursued is swift and in keeping with the law.  What isn’t noted is the law applies to men as well as women. Where is the woman’s partner? We must be very careful when applying real-time justice as it does indeed need to be just. This has always been a challenge in our public schools and applying fair and equitable discipline should always be a top priority. 

But that is not what I want us to focus on today. Today, let us look at the other types of justice we are called to practice: Proactive and Restorative. Whether we recognize it or not, a primary goal of public education is providing proactive and restorative justice. Proactive justice looks at the repeated real-time justice issues, searches for their sources, and applies actions designed to prevent them from happening again. For example, I wonder if the woman in our story had been abandoned by her family and left to her own resources to survive. Or perhaps, she had been taught to take whatever she wanted and to have little regard for the consequences. 

Restorative justice looks at the scars that result from real-time justice issues and applies actions designed to mitigate them. What future did the woman in our story have, after such a public condemnation? Where could she go? Who would welcome her?  

Schools must deal not only with internal justice issues but, probably more likely, the justice issues that impact children at home, in their communities, and in the world in general. Schools invest a lot of time focusing on helping children avoid mistakes and learning from mistakes, whether theirs, someone else’s, or society’s. Teaching children these skills is excellent preparation for being a successful adult. 

Prayer: God of Justice, help us enable children to live through any injustice they may encounter and grow toward becoming the adults you created them to be. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.