lent 2 - Love is Patient II

Patience by Simon Taylor
For sale on Artmajeur.com

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15: 20

Have you ever been waiting for a loved one to respond?  Days can go by, and they are distracted, or they don't seem to be bothered.  Well the Creator experiences this with me.  I am reminded, "yes, I too am waiting for you to give me some of your valuable quality time."  Love is vulnerable.  It involves waiting patiently.

It has only recently struck me that the greatest patience is needed for those who are bereaved.  Now that is waiting for an eternity.

PRAYER:  Give me the energy to show steadfast love, and thank you for loving me through everything I do.

Lent 1 - Love is Patient

Oli Kellett: Cross Road Blues
Credit Hackelbury.co.uk

Community

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34 5-7

Love is patient, but it is not soft.  Think of the full range of  human existence.  Much that is truly despicable has happened, including the destruction of whole civilisations through genocide. And nothing has really changed.

It is difficult to understand why the Creator allowed this high degree of freedom for us to be so horrendous.  But perhaps it is the balance to the opposite, which is the potential for humans to be wonderful, creative and humane.

PRAYER:  The source of your love helps me endure the horror in this world.

Shrove Tuesday

Battle between Carnival and Lent- Hieronymus Bosch.
St Catharijneconvent, Utrecht.
Credit: Wikiperia.org

Eat, drink and be merry, because tomorrow is the start of lent.  I will follow this with reflections on the nature of love, as explained through the bible. These come in pairs, with one having a community perspective, and one, for the individual.  These will come in units of six days.  On the Sabbath - rest, relax and worship with your community.  I have used this these Sundays to remind myself of the ten commandments, just as the the board at the front of the city of London churches do.