Discipline
Drama
Watch And Pray
Meditations In Dramatic Form For The Season Of Lent
1 - WATCH AND PRAY.
2 - The season of Lent is nearly over.
3 - Five weeks ago, some of us may have made some promises to ourselves and to God.
4 - This year, I'm giving up chocolate for Lent.
5 - This year, I'm giving up television for Lent.
6 - This year, I'm reading a book on prayer for Lent.
7 - This year, I'm giving extra money to charity for Lent.
8 - These are the things we might choose for a Lenten discipline.
9 - Lenten disciplines help to remind us of the time of the year.
10 - They are supposed to help us focus on the suffering of Christ.
11 - By this point, however, many of us have given up our chosen disciplines.
12 - We are not here to make anyone feel guilty about setting aside his Lenten disciplines.
13 - In the greater scheme of things, these little promises probably don't mean that much to God anyway.
14 - But we do want to remind you of a greater promise.
15 - It is the covenant God has made with his people.
16 - WATCH AND PRAY.
17 - A reading from the book of Jeremiah.
The Lord says, "The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant. The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. None of them will have to teach his fellow countryman to know the Lord, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken."
Here ends the reading.
18 - He will write his law on our hearts.
19 - And he will be our God and we will be his people.
20 - This is the covenant.
21 - This is the promise that God wants us to keep with him.
22 - But it is still a covenant that requires self-discipline.
23 - Even with God's law written on our hearts, we all too often choose to break this covenant.
24 - All too often, we reject what we know in our hearts is right.
25 - And we refuse to be God's people.
26 - WATCH AND PRAY.
27 - A reading from the first letter to the Corinthians from Paul the Apostle.
Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.
Here ends the reading.
28 - An Olympic-level athlete can be a marvel to behold.
29 - The grace of the gymnast.
30 - The strength of the power lifter.
31 - The endurance of the marathon runner.
32 - Few have the discipline required to achieve that level of performance.
33 - But this is how Paul challenges us in tonight's reading.
34 - We, as Christians, should train ourselves as an athlete trains for competition.
35 - We are challenged to submit to strict discipline in order to be crowned with a wreath that will last forever.
36 - The prize that only Christ can give.
37 - WATCH AND PRAY.
38 - Generally, in regards to a Lenten discipline, we try to correct a bad habit.
39 - But what is a bad habit?
40 - It is simply learned behavior that we perform over and over until it is second nature.
41 - A virtue is the same thing: a good behavior performed over and over until it, too, is second nature.
42 - Where we often fail in trying to overcome a bad habit is that we try to do too much too fast.
43 - But just as an Olympic runner didn't run a marathon the first day he ran, we shouldn't expect to correct a bad habit that may have developed over several years.
44 - The journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step, says an ancient Chinese proverb. That first step is often fairly easy.
45 - But to take the second step requires discipline.
46 - As does each step that follows.
47 - WATCH AND PRAY.
48 - A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew.
49 - GLORY TO YOU, O LORD.
50 - At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property. He gave to each one according to his ability: to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip. The servant who had received five thousand coins went at once and invested his money and earned another five thousand. In the same way the servant who had received two thousand coins earned another two thousand. But the servant who had received one thousand coins went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money.
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The servant who had received five thousand coins came in and handed over the other five thousand. "You gave me five thousand coins, sir," he said. "Look! Here are another five thousand that I have earned." "Well done, you good and faithful servant!" said his master. "You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!" Then the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, "You gave me two thousand coins, sir. Look! Here are another two thousand that I have earned." "Well done, you good and faithful servant!" said his master. "You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!" Then the servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, "Sir, I know you are a hard man; you reap harvests where you did not scatter seed. I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground. Look! Here is what belongs to you." "You bad and lazy servant!" his master said. "You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not plant, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed? Well, then you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned. Now take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins. For to every person who has something, even more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away from him. As for this useless servant - throw him outside in the darkness; there he will cry and gnash his teeth."
The Gospel of the Lord.
51 - PRAISE TO YOU, O CHRIST.
52 - There may be many ways to interpret this parable.
53 - But let's say the gold coins represent faith or discipline.
54 - Someone who has much faith and invests it wisely will gain more faith.
55 - And someone who exercises a little discipline will build more discipline.
56 - But someone who has faith but does not participate in a community of faith may lose what faith she or he has.
57 - And one who exercises no discipline will be left without any self-control at all.
58 - Perhaps this is a reason to practice a Lenten discipline.
59 - The season of Lent is nearly over.
60 - We challenge you tonight to pick up that Lenten discipline you may have dropped.
61 - Or start one if you had not previously chosen one.
62 - Then pray that we may be found faithful in small matters
63 - so that we may be given the chance to be faithful in larger matters.
64 - So that we may be able to keep the covenant spoken to Jeremiah.
65 - I WILL BE YOUR GOD AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE.
66 - WATCH AND PRAY.
67 - We are at the foot of the cross.
2 - The season of Lent is nearly over.
3 - Five weeks ago, some of us may have made some promises to ourselves and to God.
4 - This year, I'm giving up chocolate for Lent.
5 - This year, I'm giving up television for Lent.
6 - This year, I'm reading a book on prayer for Lent.
7 - This year, I'm giving extra money to charity for Lent.
8 - These are the things we might choose for a Lenten discipline.
9 - Lenten disciplines help to remind us of the time of the year.
10 - They are supposed to help us focus on the suffering of Christ.
11 - By this point, however, many of us have given up our chosen disciplines.
12 - We are not here to make anyone feel guilty about setting aside his Lenten disciplines.
13 - In the greater scheme of things, these little promises probably don't mean that much to God anyway.
14 - But we do want to remind you of a greater promise.
15 - It is the covenant God has made with his people.
16 - WATCH AND PRAY.
17 - A reading from the book of Jeremiah.
The Lord says, "The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant. The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. None of them will have to teach his fellow countryman to know the Lord, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken."
Here ends the reading.
18 - He will write his law on our hearts.
19 - And he will be our God and we will be his people.
20 - This is the covenant.
21 - This is the promise that God wants us to keep with him.
22 - But it is still a covenant that requires self-discipline.
23 - Even with God's law written on our hearts, we all too often choose to break this covenant.
24 - All too often, we reject what we know in our hearts is right.
25 - And we refuse to be God's people.
26 - WATCH AND PRAY.
27 - A reading from the first letter to the Corinthians from Paul the Apostle.
Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.
Here ends the reading.
28 - An Olympic-level athlete can be a marvel to behold.
29 - The grace of the gymnast.
30 - The strength of the power lifter.
31 - The endurance of the marathon runner.
32 - Few have the discipline required to achieve that level of performance.
33 - But this is how Paul challenges us in tonight's reading.
34 - We, as Christians, should train ourselves as an athlete trains for competition.
35 - We are challenged to submit to strict discipline in order to be crowned with a wreath that will last forever.
36 - The prize that only Christ can give.
37 - WATCH AND PRAY.
38 - Generally, in regards to a Lenten discipline, we try to correct a bad habit.
39 - But what is a bad habit?
40 - It is simply learned behavior that we perform over and over until it is second nature.
41 - A virtue is the same thing: a good behavior performed over and over until it, too, is second nature.
42 - Where we often fail in trying to overcome a bad habit is that we try to do too much too fast.
43 - But just as an Olympic runner didn't run a marathon the first day he ran, we shouldn't expect to correct a bad habit that may have developed over several years.
44 - The journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step, says an ancient Chinese proverb. That first step is often fairly easy.
45 - But to take the second step requires discipline.
46 - As does each step that follows.
47 - WATCH AND PRAY.
48 - A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew.
49 - GLORY TO YOU, O LORD.
50 - At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property. He gave to each one according to his ability: to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip. The servant who had received five thousand coins went at once and invested his money and earned another five thousand. In the same way the servant who had received two thousand coins earned another two thousand. But the servant who had received one thousand coins went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money.
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The servant who had received five thousand coins came in and handed over the other five thousand. "You gave me five thousand coins, sir," he said. "Look! Here are another five thousand that I have earned." "Well done, you good and faithful servant!" said his master. "You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!" Then the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, "You gave me two thousand coins, sir. Look! Here are another two thousand that I have earned." "Well done, you good and faithful servant!" said his master. "You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!" Then the servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, "Sir, I know you are a hard man; you reap harvests where you did not scatter seed. I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground. Look! Here is what belongs to you." "You bad and lazy servant!" his master said. "You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not plant, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed? Well, then you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned. Now take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins. For to every person who has something, even more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away from him. As for this useless servant - throw him outside in the darkness; there he will cry and gnash his teeth."
The Gospel of the Lord.
51 - PRAISE TO YOU, O CHRIST.
52 - There may be many ways to interpret this parable.
53 - But let's say the gold coins represent faith or discipline.
54 - Someone who has much faith and invests it wisely will gain more faith.
55 - And someone who exercises a little discipline will build more discipline.
56 - But someone who has faith but does not participate in a community of faith may lose what faith she or he has.
57 - And one who exercises no discipline will be left without any self-control at all.
58 - Perhaps this is a reason to practice a Lenten discipline.
59 - The season of Lent is nearly over.
60 - We challenge you tonight to pick up that Lenten discipline you may have dropped.
61 - Or start one if you had not previously chosen one.
62 - Then pray that we may be found faithful in small matters
63 - so that we may be given the chance to be faithful in larger matters.
64 - So that we may be able to keep the covenant spoken to Jeremiah.
65 - I WILL BE YOUR GOD AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE.
66 - WATCH AND PRAY.
67 - We are at the foot of the cross.
