March 23: Be Strong
♫ Music:
Day 38 - Friday, March 23
Title: Be Strong
Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-7
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Poetry: Friday
By Elizabeth Jennings
We nailed the hands long ago,
Wove the thorns, took up the scourge and shouted
For excitement's sake, we stood at the dusty edge
Of the pebbled path and watched the extreme of pain.
But one or two prayed, one or two
Were silent, shocked, stood back
And remembered remnants of words, a new vision,
The cross is up with its crying victim, the clouds
Cover the sun, we learn a new way to lose
What we did not know we had
Until this bleak and sacrificial day,
Until we turned from our bad
Past and knelt and cried out our dismay,
The dice still clicking, the voices dying away.
BE STRONG
BE STRONG. That’s what today’s scripture tells us, right? Not only that, it reinforces the command by giving us imagery of workers who sweat, bleed, and steel themselves for the goal. BE STRONG like a soldier. BE STRONG like an athlete. BE STRONG like a farmer. This makes sense in my context: I know how to work hard for a reward. I know how to muscle through a task until I’ve finished. Okay, I’ve got this.
Wait, I’ve got this?
If you’re like me, you might have skimmed right over that part that says “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” As well as that part elaborating why we need to be strong, so that we can “Suffer hardship...”.
Unsurprisingly, my own way of being strong is the opposite of what I’m called to as Christ’s disciple. The strength that comes from God’s grace is not my strength at all. This is something I “know” but very rarely embrace. Maybe “to be strong in” the grace that is in Christ means “to be well-versed in” or “to be characterized by” living in grace: to be well-practiced in throwing myself at His feet in repentance, acknowledging my weakness, accepting His grace, daily taking up my cross and following Him. In today’s poem, Elizabeth Jennings holds two options before us: either remain removed from the reality of our brokenness, or enter into the death of repentance and the new way of sacrifice. Paradoxically, I can only BE STRONG by embracing weakness.
Embracing weakness, in our culture of self-sufficiency, takes a very particular kind of endurance. And that’s where I think the imagery of soldiers, athletes, and farmers actually becomes very helpful. Rather than looking at each as examples of self-made glory, we should look to them for lessons in daily humility and submission.
Good soldiers expect to endure hardship and battle. They bear these expectations patiently, always listening to their captain. Athletes don’t get to make the rules of the game. They train for mental and physical mastery while constantly met by their actual limitations. Farmers work themselves raw for uncertain rewards. They must submit to nature and be characterized by patience; otherwise they might forfeit the crop.
I’d encourage you to reread today’s passage before entering into a time of reflective prayer. Be patient with yourself. Allow space to encounter weakness. As you consider the questions below, share what you experience with Jesus.
.
.
Imagine yourself as a soldier.
What civilian luxuries have you given up?
What fears do you have about battle?
What is your commander saying?
.
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Imagine yourself as an athlete.
What muscles feel the weakest?
What rules are hardest to follow?
What is waiting for you at the finish line?
.
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Imagine yourself as a farmer.
What chores feel the most mundane right now?
What things do you need to stop trying to control?
What harvest are you longing for?
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Prayer:
Jesus, Captain of our Salvation, draw near to us as we acknowledge our weakness. Embrace us as we encounter suffering. Grant us courage to take up your cross, and lead us in the way everlasting.
Amen.
Rachel Glazener
Alumna of the Conservatory of Music, Biola University
CCCA Advent/Lent Project V Music Curator
About the Artwork:
Finish Line
Kim Roberti
c. 2000
Oil on panel
20.32 x 20.32 cm
We don't know from this image if the runner has won or lost the race. Has all his hard work and training paid off? Is he disappointed or just exhausted? His shadow reads almost like another person behind him – someone standing with him in this moment of victory or of devastation. The athlete, like the Christian, although appearing to be alone in their goal to win the prize always has the voice of the coach encouraging and supporting them along the way.
About the Artist:
Kim Roberti (b. 1950) is an award-winning Vietnamese-born American painter who made painting her full-time vocation since 2000, exploring various mediums and genres. Roberti began studying art from 'how-to' books and learning from various artists, including six years of private studies with master painters Sherrie McGraw and David Leffel. In 2007, she participated in the Daily Painters.com group, and since then has painted from 1 to 3 small paintings a day. Roberti prefers working with the figure and doing portraits. In 2017 she began working on larger format landscape pieces that emphasize colors and brushwork. She teaches classes in her studio and gallery in Cottonwood, Texas.
About the Music:
“Wet the Day” from the album One Day I’ll Be On Time
About the Composer/Performer:
The Album Leaf is an American solo musical project founded in San Diego, California, in 1998 by Jimmy LaValle. LaValle is known for his use of electronics, synthesizer, and Rhodes piano. His performances often feature projected visual art. In 1998, LaValle began playing drums for San Diego band GoGoGo Airheart. Their singer and guitarist, Mike Vermillion, recorded LaValle doing improvised material on a Rhodes Piano to a vintage Roland drum machine. This material would eventually comprise The Album Leaf’s first full-length record, An Orchestrated Rise to Fall.
About the Poet:
Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001) was an English poet. She attended St Anne's College in Oxford and after graduation she became a writer. Jennings' early poetry was published in journals such as Oxford Poetry, The New English Weekly, The Spectator, Outposts and The Poetry Review. The lyrical poets she cited as having influenced her were Hopkins, Auden, Graves, and Muir. Her second book, A Way of Looking, won the Somerset Maugham Award and marked a turning point, as the prize money allowed her to spend nearly three months in Rome, which brought a new dimension to her religious beliefs and inspired her imagination. Regarded as traditionalist rather than an innovator, Jennings is known for her lyric poetry and mastery of form. Her deeply held Roman Catholicism coloured much of her work.
About the Devotional Writer:
Originally from Arizona, Rachel Glazener transplanted to California to attend Biola in 2006 to study flute and piano performance. From 2012 to 2016, Rachel served as Networking Coordinator for the Conservatory of Music. Rachel selected all the music for the Advent and Lent Projects this year. Her husband Chad, who works for the Torrey Honors Institute, also contributed a Lent devotion. The Glazeners have been married since 2011 and have two beautiful daughters, Madeleine and Lucy.