Within this collection of stories, reflections, and writings, you will find windows into the mystery of God. Members and friends of our parish have written pieces for use as devotionals in this season of Lent. Most all of the works are original, and they range from poems to personal stories to reflections on scripture. Some will evoke tears or laughter, while others may not do much for us at all. The pieces are as unique as the writers, and they may not resonate with everyone, which is fine. But it is my hope that with each daily entry we will all find some way to connect with God.


My thanks to those who contributed to this project. It takes courage to offer something publicly as we have done with this collection. I know that some of you have gone well outside your comfort zone to reflect spiritually on parts of your life or to share ideas that you have treasured for yourself. I also want to thank Tiffany Ayers who used her skills as an editor to put this collection together and catch all of our typos and literary bobbles.


I pray that each of us would find this Lenten Season a holy and special time.


In Christ’s Peace,

Fr. Tom+

Saturday, February 20, 2010

February 20

Luke 5: 27-32

Today’s Gospel about Levi, the tax collector, being called to follow Jesus reminds me that at each moment, we are all called to follow Jesus. Levi was simply doing his job, and Jesus walks up and says, “Follow me.” This is how it is for all of us. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we are doing, we are called to follow Jesus.

I struggle with what it means when it says Levi “got up, left everything, and followed him.” It does not say Levi becomes an apostle, so what does it mean that he left everything? What would it mean for me to leave everything and follow Jesus? Can we leave everything and still live our lives with our families, friends, and jobs?

I think there is an answer in the next verse. Levi throws a great banquet for Jesus and invites all of his tax collector friends and others. It seems to me that Levi has not abandoned his old life completely, but he is no longer attached to his financial possessions. He uses his money in a way that he might not have thought to before he chose to follow Jesus. And he is so changed, that he wants others to meet Jesus and get to know him as well.

Lent is a time when we get the opportunity to stop and look at our attachments and think about how they are keeping us from fully experiencing the power of God’s grace and Jesus’s love, and how we share it with others.

I like that Levi hosts a banquet as a way for others to come to know Jesus. It echoes with other stories in Jesus’s ministry where he is known through shared meals. It reminds me of why I love Communion.

Finally, the verse ends with the Pharisees complaining to the disciples that Jesus is eating and drinking with “tax collectors and sinners.” Jesus answers, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus’s answer reminds me that if I choose to leave everything and walk on Jesus’s path, I must give up all judgment about who is or is not worthy. By opening ourselves to the possibility that everyone is worthy, we manifest Jesus’s love, healing, and redemption for ourselves and others.

Kathy Jankowski



Photo Credit: visualbiblealive.com
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