Lenten Meditation
Listen to a Lenten devotion from Metropolitan Yohan (1950-2024) of blessed memory.
Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favour, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Scripture Readings
Deuteronomy 30:15–20
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Psalm 37:1–17
Exhortation to Patience and Trust
Of David.
Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil. For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight in abundant prosperity.
The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Philippians 3:12–21
Pressing Toward the Goal
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Our Citizenship in Heaven
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
St. John 17:1–8
Jesus Prays for Himself
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
We are to be people willing to exchange anything and everything we have for the pearl of great price—the Kingdom of God.
excerpt from Road to Reality
Metropolitan Yohan
Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 128g uncooked regular pearl barley
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed
- 218g ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots, halved crosswise
- 128g sliced celery (2 medium stalks)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 64g)
- 64g chopped green bell pepper (½ medium)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large dark-orange sweet potato, peeled, cubed
- 218g frozen corn (from 450g bag)
- 218g frozen cut green beans (from 450g bag)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cans (398ml each) vegetable broth
- 1.4L water
- 1 can (428ml) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
Directions
- In 5- to 6-litre slow cooker, layer all ingredients except tomatoes; do not stir.
- Cover; cook on Low setting 6 to 8 hours.
- About 10 minutes before serving, stir tomatoes into soup. Cover; cook on Low setting 10 minutes longer or until tomatoes are thoroughly heated. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Trying to find peace, Nadette often went to the temple with her grandmother, Rivekka, to meditate and pray. If Rivekka wasn’t available, Nadette went alone. She may have been thwarted in her aspirations for her education, but she could pursue a godly life and learn what she could through worship.
One day, while walking down the village road, Nadette received a small piece of Gospel literature from a man dressed in a long, white tunic. Seeing his clothing, Nadette knew he was a missionary who belonged to a church, but because poverty had crushed her dream of studying other religions, she knew nothing of Christianity. The literature intrigued her. Here in her hands was an educational resource, and it was about a different religion. Any type of literature was a valuable commodity, and Nadette devoured it. She wasn’t able to study through school anymore, but that wasn’t the only way to learn a subject. She found the church’s address on the back of the pamphlet and decided to experience it firsthand. She wanted to learn more about Jesus, who, according to the literature, could bring joy into her life.
That Sunday, Nadette searched for the church and found it nearly four miles from her house. The building cast long shadows in the evening light. Voices drifted from inside. Nadette didn’t know what Christians did or how they worshiped. She had no idea what to expect. Should she have told Rivekka where she was going? Should she give up her desire to learn and go home?
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Source for Collects: The Collects are from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
Source for Scripture Passages: Scripture texts are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
