Second Sunday of Lent
After
these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be
afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But
Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless,
and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said,
"You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be
my heir." But the word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not
be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He
brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if
you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your
descendants be." And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him
as righteousness.
Then he said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you from Ur
of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess." But he said, "O
Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" He said to him,
"Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three
years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." He brought him all these and
cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut
the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram
drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a
deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot
and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a
covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from
the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates...."
Genesis 15:1-12,
17-18
Look Toward the Heavens
He Qi
contemporary
China
Dr. He Qi was among the many people sent to the countryside
during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. As a young man, he escaped hard labor
by painting pictures of chairman Mao Zedong. During those years, he once found
a copy of Renaissance artist Raphael’s Madonna and Child in a magazine, and was
so moved by it, that he began to paint copies of it at night.
He Qi earned a doctorate in religious
art from Nanjing Art Institute, having studied medieval art in Hamburg,
Germany. He was a professor of Christian Art at Nanjing Theological Seminary
before moving to St. Paul, Minnesota in 2004. He is a member of the Chinese Art
Association, and a council member of the ACAA (Asia Christian Art Association).
His work has been seen in many international journals and media outlets, and he
has exhibited in Asia, Europe and the United States. His wife is a musician,
and his son is a student at Augsburg College in St. Paul.
We are living in a time where there is much violence. There is little peace. We need to listen to the voice of heaven.
— He Qi
https://www.omsc.org/artist-he-qi
The moments when we meet and reckon
with contradictions are
turning points
where we either enter or evade
the mystery of God.
~
Parker Palmer
Just remember, there's a right way and a wrong way
to do everything and the wrong way
is to keep trying to make everybody
else do it the right way.
~ Colonel Potter, M*A*S*H
Nunsense
Center Stage
Evergreen, Colorado
Sondra
Kellogg and I saw Elaine Sohrweid (on the right) before the show.
Elaine
played Mother Superior. What a show! What a cast!!!
Our Rotary Club met at
Evergreen Audubon Education Center
Bill
Manning, Larry Caine
Tim
Eagan again organized head and beard shaving
to
raise funds for St. Baldrick’s Foundation
to
conquer childhood cancers.
Ron
Catterson showed some trepidation.
Annette
Bradley in the center with Winston and Mel from
the
Winston and Mel Morning Show
on
KOOL105.com .
Winston
and Mel emceed the event.
A
Farewell Reception for Bob Meade at The Wild Game.
Bob
will soon be moving to Oregon closer to a son and his family.
Bob
was greeted royally!
If you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.
~
Wayne Dyer
March 17, 2019 Second Sunday in Lent Year C
Previous OPQs may be found at:
At
that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here,
for Herod wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go and tell that fox
for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and
tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the
next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be
killed outside of Jerusalem.' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to
gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and
you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will
not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in
the name of the Lord.'"
Luke 13:31-35
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Psalm
27
Philippians
3:17–4:1
Luke 13:31-35
Genesis
15:1-12, 17-18
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a
vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be
very great." But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for
I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my
house is to be my heir." But the word of the Lord came to him, "This
man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir."
He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars,
if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your
descendants be." And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him
as righteousness.
Then he said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you from Ur
of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess." But he said, "O
Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" He said to him,
"Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram
three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." He brought him all
these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did
not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses,
Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a
deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot
and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a
covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from
the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates...."
Psalm
27
God is my light
and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
God is the stronghold
of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh —
my adversaries and foes —
they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp
against me,
my heart shall not fear.
Though war rise up
against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of God,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of God
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of God,
and to inquire in God's temple.
For God will hide me
in God's shelter
in the day of trouble;
God will conceal me
under the cover of God's tent;
God will set me high
on a rock.
Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies
all around me,
and I will offer in God's tent
sacrifices
with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody
to God.
Hear, O God,
when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me
and answer me!
"Come," my heart says,
"seek God's face!"
Your face, O God,
do I seek.
Do not hide your face
from me.
Do not turn your servant away
in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off,
do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me,
God will take me up.
Teach me your way,
O God,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Do not give me up
to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen
against me,
and they are breathing out
violence.
I believe that I shall see
the goodness of God
in the land of the living.
Wait for God;
be strong,
let your heart take courage;
wait for God!
Philippians
3:17–4:1
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those
who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of
the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even
with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory
is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship
is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be
conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make
all things subject to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my
joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
Luke
13:31-35
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get
away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go
and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures
today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow,
and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to
be killed outside of Jerusalem.' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to
gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and
you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will
not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in
the name of the Lord.'"