Tuesday in Holy Week, March 30 Isaiah 53:7-12 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. Jesus died on the cross for the sin of the world. The people had been waiting for God to send his Messiah. They were waiting in expectation of their coming King. Yet, when he came, they rejected him. He did not appear as the King they expected. They despised him, crying, “Crucify him, crucify him!” (John 19:6). Standing in judgment before Pontius Pilate, Jesus did not open his mouth. He did not defend himself. He was innocent. It was our sin that nailed him to the cross. He willingly accepted the punishment that we deserve. He suffered for all sinners that we might have peace with God. We expected a King, but Jesus came as a humble servant. And it is to this humble servant that we come when we recognize our need for our Savior. We come to Jesus, humble Jesus, servant Jesus, whose arms are opened wide waiting to embrace us. And Jesus is indeed our King. Seated at the right hand of God, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come (Ephesians 1:21). This is Christ our King. He humbled himself before man, and God exalted him at his right hand as Lord and Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:31). Lord Jesus, I am humbled by your mercy. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for bearing the burden of my transgressions and my iniquity that I may have peace with God. You are the humble King. Help me to lay down my life before you and be your humble servant. You are my King! Now and forever. Amen! ...
Wednesday in Holy Week, March 31 Psalm 22:1-11 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Spoken by Jesus as he dies on the cross, such haunting words open Psalm 22. The text allows us the privilege of growing closer to Jesus, of penetrating the mysteries inherent in his song of suffering and victory. Here we find a meditation on the being of God. His just rule, merciful love and eternal dominion are all stressed as favorable qualities contrasting with those of our own. With its stark inversions, the Psalm has been recommended as one to be read in times of spiritual dryness. Fickle and transitory in interest, biological Israel forms a metaphor of our own flagging efforts operating apart from God. God does not repay us according to our iniquities. Why not? Because he is better than we are. A sinless savior pouring out his blood to bring the wayward all the way home...
Maundy Thursday, April 1 Philippians 2:5-11 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus came to earth as fully God and fully man. Unlike mankind, His attitude towards His Father as well as the people around Him was humble. Today on the church calendar it is Maundy Thursday. The day we commemorate Jesus establishing the Eucharist as a way for us to remember the sacrifice of His body and blood. (Mark 14:22-25) As well as Christ’s visible servanthood in washing the disciple’s feet. (John 13:1-15) The new covenant that Jesus was revealing unfolded before the disciple’s eyes. It is likely that the disciples did not fully understand what was happening. However, the next day as Christ suffered in inconceivable ways as He was led to the cross, I imagine they did begin to understand. Jesus chose to be stripped bare and humble Himself in obedience to His Father. God honored His Son’s obedience and there will come a time when all will bow down and confess Jesus as Lord. Thomas Merton, Roman Catholic Priest and Trappist Monk (1915-1968), reminds us: “It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is the beginning of blessedness and the consummation of humility is the perfection of all joy. Humility contains in itself the answer to all the great problems of the life of the soul. It is the only key to faith, with which the spiritual life begins: for faith and humility are inseparable. In perfect humility all selfishness disappears and your soul no longer lives for itself or in itself for God: and it is lost and submerged in Him and transformed into Him.” Thank you, Lord that Jesus though He was God in flesh, humbled Himself on our behalf. Help us to become more like Him in every way. Amen. ...
Palm Sunday, March 28 Isaiah 52:13-15 13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 14 As many were astonished at you...
Monday in Holy Week, March 29 Isaiah 53:1-6 1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned...
Friday, March 26 John 12:20-26 20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. “Be fruitful and multiply.” Most of us would recognize this as God’s command to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, shortly after their creation. But he gives this same command to Christians in the new creation, and Jesus is the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:42-49). Bear much fruit. Multiply and fill the earth with the glory of God. How can we accomplish such a monumental task? Jesus has shown us the way. It is the way of the cross. The way of the cross is the way of death to self. Jesus says it so succinctly, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” We cannot follow Jesus and cling to our life in this world. If we serve him, we must follow him to the cross and die to ourselves, for as St. Francis of Assisi said in his famous prayer, “it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” It is in dying to ourselves that we can bear much fruit for the kingdom of God. What is holding you back from bearing fruit? Lord Jesus, you are the Way to eternal life. By your blood shed for us on the cross you purchased us for yourself, and you invite us to follow you to the cross and put our sins and old life to death that we might live with you forever. Grant us the grace to do this, that we might bear much fruit and bring honor and glory to your name. Amen. ...
Saturday, March 27 John 12:27-33 27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. When Jesus says that he will be lifted up from the earth and draw all people to himself, we hear echoes of Numbers 21 when the people of Israel, because of their sin, are suffering from serpent bites. God then instructs Moses to erect a bronze serpent to which the people only have to look, and they will be healed from their ailment. Jesus says in John 3:14-15: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” And then here, in John chapter 12, Jesus reiterates his being lifted up to “draw all people to himself.” This is an incredibly difficult moment to read and to ponder. What kind of Father is glorified by the death of his son? And what type of son, who created the universe, willingly leaves his heavenly dominion to live a life in poverty and be put to death? And yet, we know that all of this is for our good, for our healing. If only we look and believe. If any moment renders us to worship, it is certainly this one. The courage, the humility, the surrender. Sometimes, worship is in words, and sometimes worship is in silence and awe. In your mind’s eye, picture Jesus “lifted up” on the cross. Spend a moment there before your Savior in worship. Words are not needed. Let the gravity of the moment sink in, and the truth of who Jesus is and what he chose to do sink in. Lord, thank you that you love me unconditionally and that you made a way for me to know and love you. I am in awe. Amen. ...
Wednesday, March 24 Psalm 51:14-19 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar. God calls David “a man after my own heart.” Yet David was a deeply flawed man. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and to conceal that sin, David had Uriah (her husband) killed in battle. This is likely the bloodguiltiness that David refers to in v. 14. How can such a man be a man after God’s own heart? Perhaps because David acknowledged his sin: he had a broken and contrite heart before God. “A heart crushed is a fragrant heart. Men contemn those who are contemptible in their own eyes, but the Lord seeth not as man seeth. He despises what men esteem, and values that which they despise. Never yet has God spurned a lowly, weeping penitent, and never will he while God is love, and while Jesus is called the man who receiveth sinners.” -- Charles Spurgeon God does not look at our broken and contrite heart as the world does. He delights in it because it proves that we understand our need for Him. So, come to the throne of God with a broken and contrite heart with confidence that you will not be spurned. If God can forgive David of adultery and murder, He is perfectly capable of forgiving you of your sin. What a comforting thought that no sin is too big for God’s forgiveness! Or as Richard Sibbs put it “there is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” Lastly, note how David responds to God’s mercy. In vv. 14-15, David praises the God of his salvation. May the magnitude of God’s salvation cause us to praise Him! Father God, we come to You with broken and contrite hearts. We acknowledge that we need Your salvation. And we praise You that there is more mercy in Your Son than sin in us! Amen. . ...
Thursday, March 25 Hebrews 5:1-10 1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Priests often made sacrifices for the people in the Old Testament. It was the only way to atone for their sins. They were stuck in the law. This is where grace comes in for us Christians because Jesus is the ultimate high priest. Unlike the Old Testament priests, He only had to make one sacrifice. One sacrifice that was eternal. One sacrifice that did not need to be resubscribed to, a steadfast sacrifice. That sacrifice is what we are marching toward in Lent. And this march involves praises for freedom but at the same time was formed from immense pain and tears. A march that involves a pavement not made of concrete but blood of a blameless lamb. At the same time a pavement formed of obedience. This is what our march to the cross is built on. It is not something pretty and our own walk emulates it, of course not to the same degree. So, take this image and ponder it today. I’m a visual person, so take a stroll on some pavement. Ponder the pain but also the grace. Ponder the road to the cross. Ponder the finale and give thanksgiving to God. Lord we give Thanksgiving for the finale, the final and last sacrifice that our High Priest gave. Help to see the blood and pain. Help us to see the hope. Help us to see the eternal. Amen ...
Monday, March 22 Psalm 51:1-6 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. “Mercy occurs when the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything.” (Fil Anderson, Renovare podcast) This passage is all about God’s mercy. David’s sins were some of the worst: premeditated murder, adultery, deceit, all done to others but ultimately God is the one who was sinned against. We have no right to expect anything from God just like David, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) God forgave David because he acknowledged that he was born a sinner and fell on his face in repentance. David knew he would have to live the rest of his life with the consequences of these sins. David also knew God was a God of mercy and would forgive him if he asked sincerely. Contrast that with Judas Iscariot who after betraying Jesus saw no hope, only despair. So, in despair of what he had done, he went and hanged himself. But we can be like David and accept God’s mercy freely given when he sent his Son to die for us and remove our sin. Hallelujah! I will love you, O Lord, and thank you and confess to your name because you have forgiven my greatly wicked deeds. To your grace I ascribe it, and to your mercy, that you have melted away my sins as if they were ice. --Augustine’s Confessions 2.15 (44) ...
Tuesday, March 23 Psalm 51:7-13 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. What exactly is a clean heart? When we clean something, we remove the dirt and filth. We might tidy up a mess and say that we have cleaned up. When God cleans, I think he does more than just tidy up or remove the dirt and filth. He leaves us better than we were before. God removes our dirt and filth: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies (Galatians 5:19-21), anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk (Colossians 3:8), evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness (Mark 7:21-22). He removes those things from us and then fills us with compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Colossians 3:12), love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We are much better than before. Ponder the list of dirt and filth above. Which of those is the Holy Spirit calling you to turn away from? Confess your sin to the Lord and let him create a clean heart within you. Remember, nothing is too hard for the Lord. Nothing. Now contemplate the good things that God intends for us. Pray to God to grow these attributes in you. Open yourself to be molded by our Perfect Creator. Allow him to renew a right spirit within you. And as God creates in you a new heart, share your joy in the Lord with others, share how he has worked in your life that others may return to the Lord and be restored, just as you have been. Faithful Father, use this Lenten season to create in me a clean heart, one that radiates your love and abides in your presence. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Amen. ...
Saturday, March 20 John 6:1-15 1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. Faith is hard in the face of need: financial need, emotional need, physical need, spiritual need, all of the above need. We, like Philip, look at the vastness of the need before us and then, like Andrew, at our less than sufficient resources, and conclude that it doesn’t add up. Need is an excellent revealer of what our faith is in. The text tells us that Jesus was testing Philip, because he already knew what he was going do to meet the need. What type of answer was Jesus hoping for from Philip? Or what type of answer was he hoping to cultivate in Philip? When Jesus asks Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” you can almost hear him asking behind that question, “Do you believe yet that I am who I say I am?” But both Philip and Andrew fail to realize that the Bread of Life is asking them, “Where are we to buy bread?” and they stare at the seemingly impossible equation before them. Where do you feel a need today? Are you quick to think of its vastness like Philip, or of your limited resources like Andrew? Now imagine Jesus before you, and perhaps for the first time, or for the hundredth time, look at Jesus. Jesus has provision for you. Offer him your fish and loaves. Ask him to open your eyes, to refresh your faith, to meet you again in your need. He very much wants to. Lord, here I am again. Thank you that you have provision for me, even in this. Help me to come to you and turn my eyes from my own resources. Remind me of you faithfulness. [Sing] “Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father. There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changes not, thy compassions, they fail not. As thou hast been thou forever wilt be. Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!” -- From the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” ...
Fifth Sunday, March 21 Jeremiah 31:31-34 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Here is something mind boggling. You know more about God’s ways than Abraham, Moses, or David. None of these spiritual giants knew the specifics of Jesus. You do. That’s because God reveals his plans gradually. Through the ages, truth builds on truth. Over time, things become more understandable. Today’s passage is an important part of this process. Jeremiah said that someday God would make a new covenant with his people (v. 31). This new covenant was needed because God’s people consistently broke the covenant they made at Mt. Sinai. The essence of that old covenant was God is God and the Hebrew people were his special, chosen people. Although God kept his part of the deal, his people did not. Time after time, they broke various terms of the covenant. The most egregious violation was the periodic worship of idols. That was unacceptable. So, God planned a new covenant for his people. This covenant would not be written on stone, but on the human heart. Jeremiah did not describe how or when that would happen, only that it would happen. For about 600 years, this new covenant remained a future hope and a mystery. It was only when Jesus appeared that things became clearer. At the Last Supper, Jesus “took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:19-20) We participate in God’s new covenant by following Jesus and (as we say at communion) by feeding on him in our hearts by faith, with thanksgiving. Read the passage again. It is about you. Thank you, Father, for the New Covenant. Amen. ...
Friday, March 19 Ephesians 2:1-10 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience...
Thursday, March 18 Psalm 122:6-9 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! 7 Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” 8 For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. Don’t we all long for peace, yearning to live in a world where gentleness and justice are the norm? There are approximately 400 references to peace in the scriptures. In this Psalm, David is asking for prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. He is praying for the temple and his brethren, that their place of worship would be secure and filled with peace. The Lenten season provides an opportunity for us to be self-reflective and repentant. It is a chance to intentionally seek God and examine our hearts. We remember the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us and prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christ’s victory over death through His resurrection. We can do as David did and ask the Lord to pour out His favor on our “house of the Lord.” In v. 6, David says “…may those be secure who love You…” This is a reminder that real peace can only come through faith in God. It is only as we surrender to Christ and obey Him that we are able to find true inner peace that circumstances cannot shake. Until Jesus returns and sets all things right, we may struggle in this world to always feel peaceful. But as John 16:33 tells us “…In the world we will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” We can be thankful and rejoice that our future is certain, that a time is coming when eternal peace will reign. Father, thank you that you have sent us Your son Jesus, our King of Peace who has conquered death and promises us eternal life and unending peace. Amen. ...
Wednesday, March 17 Psalm 122:1-5 1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” 2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem...
Tuesday, March 16 2 Chron 36:22-23 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’” The end of the book of 2 Chronicles leaves us with hope. Our gracious Father had initiated the restoration of his temple in Jerusalem and of his people from their disobedience and unfaithfulness. The people had turned away from the Lord like never before. They were exceedingly unfaithful; they polluted the house of the Lord (v. 14). This was likely a period in their history that they would rather forget. Don’t we all have periods in our life like that, periods that we would rather just forget? Things we are ashamed of and would rather not have anyone else know about? But now, as we stand on the other side, we are able to look back at those times and realize that although we may have been exceedingly unfaithful, God...
Fourth Sunday, March 14 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem. 15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy. Today’s passage offers a brief account of the end of the political reign of the Davidic monarchy that took place in 586 BC. The “likewise” refers to the last political king of the decayed lineage, Zedekiah. The events that preceded this end are recounted in 1 and 2 Kings, and in 1 and 2 Chronicles. It is instructive reading that might prove helpful as a corrective if you find yourself paying a lot of attention to politics these days. A great “executive summary” of these four books can be found in Jesus’ Parable of the (Wicked) Tenants in the synoptic Gospels. It might be worth remembering, too, that Jesus is truly the last king of the Davidic monarchy; in fact, Jesus is the only true king in all human history, which will be supremely helpful as a corrective if you find yourself paying a lot of attention to politics these days. But the thrust of our passage today is not meant to be merely helpful for our confusion of the profane with the divine. Rather, today’s passage is meant to be sobering, very sobering, and it is the last clause that makes it so: “…until there was no remedy.” God’s steadfast love is everlasting...
Monday, March 15 2 Chronicles 36:17-21 17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. When I started to write this reflection, I thought, “What has this to do with the resurrection of Jesus?” This is just a description of when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. But these verses are about God’s fulfillment of his promises to his creation. Israel had never observed the seven-year sabbath of the land where the land was supposed to lay fallow and rest. The Babylon captivity was partially to give the land its sabbath rest. This event was prophesied hundreds of years earlier in Leviticus 26:34-35 “Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies land, then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate it shall rest; for the time it did not rest on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.” But in Jeremiah 29:10, the Lord says “when the seventy years for Babylon are complete. I will attend to you and confirm my promise concerning you to restore you to this place. For I know the plans I have for you. For I know the plans I have for you, plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and the Sabbath was made for man to give His creation a rest from their labors. Jesus is also our rest, come and rest in Him, Matthew 11:28 says “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” God fulfilled his promises to the land and to the Israelites. He will fulfill his promises to us, as believes, as well. Thank you, Lord, that we can rest in you and not have to carry the weight of our burdens ourselves. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. ...
Friday, March 12 Romans 7:21-25 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. A favorite song from summer camp begins this way: “I stand to praise you, but I fall on my knees. The spirit is willing, but my flesh is so weak.” I think of this song often in times of temptation and in times of failure. I have a strong feeling that it will be my swan song at the end of my days. Lent is a time to push aside our normal allowances and focus on at least one weakness that separates us from closer communion with our Creator. It is a difficult cutting away and reworking of the heart to discipline our habits and natures, but our “success” depends very little on our own willpower. Our true strength is in the power to surrender. The song continues: “I feel your arms around me as the power of your healing begins. Your Spirit moves through me like a mighty rushing wind.” In these bodies, we will never be completely rid of these flaws, but it is a beautiful thing to experience the transforming power of God’s Spirit on this side of Heaven. Allow your weakness to be a cautionary flag to alert you to the need for change rather than a banner of your shame. Remember, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; there is only freedom. Pray the words of the chorus with me. Lord, light the fire in my soul. Fan the flame. Make me whole. Lord you know just where I’ve been. So, light the fire in my heart again. Amen. ...
Saturday, March 13 John 2:13-22 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. This is a moment in the Bible that we cannot brush off as mental assent to a set of belief statements. Jesus’ example is beyond his having a rational understanding of God; He is “consumed” with “zeal.” His behavior in the temple exhibits both a passionate love for his Father and his being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. First, we worship what we love, and love for God is cultivated when we worship him. We take our eyes off ourselves, or our circumstances, and put them on God. Jesus, although being God, did not seek his own glory, but the glory of the Father. The heart of Jesus directly contrasts with the hearts of the merchants in the temple...
Thursday, March 11 Romans 7:12-20 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. This Passage is the perfect example of the inward battle we fight daily. We want to be in full pursuit of the cross, yet the old pleasures like to say hi, and creep back in. The image this passage brings to mind is an old, obscure David Crowder Band song named Shadows. The chorus goes: When shadows fall on us We will not fear We will remember When darkness falls on us We will not fear We will remember When all seems lost When we're thrown and we're tossed We'll remember the cost We're resting in the shadow of the cross The song brings an image of security that the cross brings. We are standing behind the cross as it protects us from wickedness. The cross empowers us and transforms us from the flesh that once took hold. We slowly transform into a shadow ourselves, which creates multiple images, one by becoming more like the cross and one that is covering us. Both are equally beautiful, which we should pursue. We must reflect on how we get there. A good start is humbling ourselves before the cross like Paul, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” So, pray with me: When darkness falls on me, allow me to stand firm and strong. Allow me to stand firm and not fear. Help me remember the cost of the shadow from Jesus, and the cost of living as His shadow. Transform and humble me Lord. Amen. ...
Wednesday, March 10 Psalm 19:12-14 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. In the beginning of Psalm 19, David covers how God’s perfection is seen in nature and in the law. He describes God’s law as perfect, reviving, sure, right, pure, enlightening, true, desirable, and sweet. But at the end of Psalm 19, David turns from contemplating the perfection of God and His law, to realizing his own inadequacies in comparison. The more we become aware of the holiness of God, the more we become aware that we will never measure up. We are so sinful, that we cannot even accurately perceive our own errors. We make excuses for our actions; we compare our sins with other sinners; but we hardly ever measure ourselves against the holiness of God. But the good news of the gospel is even brighter when we realize how dark our situation was without God! Let us have an honest view of our sins, but not dwell in it. Let us follow the example of David; when we know our unworthiness before God, ask Him to sanctify us both in our actions and in our deceptive hearts. And know that when we do not measure up to the perfection of God’s holiness, the Lord is our rock and redeemer. Christ was not only sinless, but He also perfectly fulfilled all the requirements of God’s law. He was the perfect sacrifice, acceptable in God’s sight, redeeming a people for Himself. Remember that when we stand before a holy God, He sees Christ’s righteousness! Almighty God, you have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; grant that we, who for our evil deeds deserve to be punished, by the might of your grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. --Prayer 79. For Mercy, BCP 2019, p. 669 ...
Tuesday, March 9 Psalm 19:7-11 7The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. These verses of Psalm 19, written by David, call to mind God’s Word: law, testimony, precepts, commandment, rules...
Monday, March 8 Exodus 20:12-21 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.” 18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. “Do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” How sad! God’s people were scared to hear God’s voice directly. They knew that to be in the presence of a Holy God would mean death for them. God’s people, the Israelites, are asking Moses to be the mediator between them and their God because of their sin. When the Temple was eventually built, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies where God dwelled. He was the mediator between God and his people. A cord was even tied around his waist so he could be pulled out if he died in the presence of a Holy God. The Holy of Holies was guarded from the people by a tall and very thick curtain signifying God’s separation from his people. Only a new mediator sent from God could restore a direct relationship with the people. That mediator was Christ our Lord. With his death and resurrection, he opened the way to God for all men through him. When Christ died the curtain symbolizing God’s separation from man was torn from top to bottom signifying that Jesus has restored our fellowship with the Father. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.” (1 Timothy 2:5) This Lenten season think on the significance of the torn curtain and what it cost our savior to restore a right relationship with the Father. We can now go directly to the throne room of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise his Holy name! Father, we praise and worship you for sending your one and only son to open the doorway to you. Amen. ...
Third Sunday, March 7 Exodus 20:1-11 1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. DO NOT speed through Fulshear. It is a well-known speed trap. One thing though. If you are stopped in Fulshear, you are guilty of speeding… even if it is only one mph over the posted speed. It is the same with the ten commandments. A person cannot sort of break them or partially break them. They are binary. Innocent or guilty. And I am guilty. So are you. Don’t think so? Where would you like to start? Other gods (is God REALLY the most important thing in your life)? Using the Lord’s name improperly (it is way more serious than cussing)? Not to mention lying and coveting, which follow today’s verses. Here’s the thing. God isn’t a traffic cop waiting to ambush you if you mess up a little. No, these commandments are intended to help us in several ways. First, they are revelation about God himself. God is the only God. All of life should be ordered around him and should reflect his character to the world. God is holy, worthy of honor and worship. Second, they are instructional. Remember, the ten commandments were part of a larger body of law given to the Hebrew people after their exodus from Egypt. After 400 years of slavery, God had saved them. And now, he was explaining how to live under his rule rather than Pharaoh’s. Third, they are convicting. As noted above, we all fall short. Take these commandments seriously and you will understand why we need a savior. Here’s a thought. Consider each of the commandments in light of the three purposes mentioned above. What do you learn about God? How should you live? Where do you need to change? Doing that will make you a better you. Alas, it won’t help you if you speed in Fulshear. Lord, please bring your commandments to life for us. Amen. ...
Saturday, March 6 Mark 8:31-38 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Following Jesus is what it means to be a Christian. We like things, especially now, to be sanitized and easy. We want following Jesus to mean pleasant hikes on clearly marked, wide-paved paths. Well, the path is clearly marked but it does not point to a leisurely stroll: it points to the Cross. And, like Peter, we want to balk at this because it offends our expectations and sense of self-preservation. Peter could not understand how a crucified Messiah could usher in the kingdom of God. In Peter’s naive boldness, he rebukes Jesus. (Ridiculous to us when we read it. But every time we say “yes” to self and “no” to Jesus, are we not doing the same, claiming there is a “better” path?) Peter’s suggestion of a different path is no simple miscalculation either. Jesus calls it at odds with heaven; even satanic! (Eve’s conversation with the serpent should be echoing in our minds!) Jesus is severe in calling this out. And again, we are uncomfortable. But Christ is relentless: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” In a land of plenty and opportunity, self-denial does not come naturally...
Friday, March 5 Romans 8:31-39 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died...
Thursday, March 4 Psalm 16:9-11 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Lent tends to be a more solemn season of the church calendar. It is meant for self-reflection and fasting. This Psalm doesn’t feel like it fits that kind of narrative. It feels odd and out of place, so humor me until the end. We should have a glad heart and rejoice during Lent. We have a God that came into human form and sacrificed himself for us, that seems like a reason to rejoice. God is a god that is teaching and rearing us, which is another reason to rejoice. The Holy Spirit helps us to reflect not just on scripture but on ourselves as well. Jesus becomes the ultimate mediator between us and God. And so on, and so forth. As you can see there is so much to rejoice about all because of death on a cross. All this above happens because of the restored relationship of the cross. So, we need to rejoice, we need a fullness of joy, and have pleasure in our Lord. So, take today not to be solemn but delight in the Lord your God. Rejoice and make a tremendous noise before the Lord. See, I am not crazy. This Psalm deserves to be here, because of the cross. Lord thank you. Show me how to rejoice. Show me how to be joyous. Help me to delight in you through this road of pain and suffering. I lift this up to you my Lord. Amen. ...
Wednesday, March 3 Psalm 16:5-8 5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Why do some persevere in pursuit of a difficult moral goal? Because for them God lies at their right hand (v. 8). To abide alongside a Near Eastern monarch was alike a sign of high favor and to be placed to bestow favor. Such an honor will be enjoyed in Heaven by Christ, situated at his Father’s right hand. (Acts 7:56) And as men are in Jesus, so shall they be bathed in the light sempiternal, betokening divine mercy and favor without end. But the shining white radiance of that light falls after Judgement Day. Here below, the modern poet Thomas Moore interpreted rays of light as symbolic of blessings rained down on the penitent: Then sorrow, touch' by thee, grows bright with more than rapture's ray; As darkness shows us worlds of light we never saw by day. "Light, even though it passes through pollution, is not polluted," Augustine observed in Antiquity. Here the saint underscores that Jesus, the spotless Light of the World, courses through us sinners to guide lost sheep back to him. Hands. Rays of light. Since biblical times, artistic creativity has informed explorations of the sacred. Makes sense. Symbols are what we presently live by and, through grace, what our transhistorical destiny may in fact become. Lord Jesus, as you blessed the Pilot Paul, so endow us with eyes to see and hearts to understand that the things of eternity lie thick around us. Amen. ...
Tuesday, March 2 Psalm 16:1-4 1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. 4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. What does it mean to take refuge in the Lord? What does that look like? What did it look like in David’s life? Trust. Quiet confidence. Humble obedience. Courage. David was able to stand up against Goliath and defeat him because David trusted in the Lord. He had confidence that because the Lord had been with him as he protected and defended his father’s sheep, God would be with him to protect and defend his Father’s people. While Saul was still king, David was anointed king by Samuel. Though David knew the crown belonged to him, in humble obedience he waited for God’s timing. He had multiple opportunities to overthrow Saul but didn’t take matters into his own hands. He waited for the Lord to act. When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed to cover his sin, God told David he was going to take the child’s life. David fasted and prayed before the Lord. He had repented of his sin and desperately called upon the mercy of God to spare his child’s life. God did not relinquish. Yet David did not turn away from the Lord in his pain and sorrow. David fought and defeated many enemies of the people of Israel. He became a mighty warrior. He drew his strength and courage from the Lord. With all the adversity David faced in his life, he was able to stand firm in his faith in God. God was his refuge. There was no good apart from God. O Lord my God, you are my chosen portion and my cup. You hold my lot. Help me to take refuge in you, in trust and quite confidence, with humble obedience and courage. Preserve me O God, for I have no good apart from you. Amen. ...
Monday, March 1 Genesis 22:9-14 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” This portion of scripture is one that we would like to skip over. God is asking Abraham, father of the Israelite nation, to sacrifice his only son Isaac, the son born in his old age that God had promised many will be blessed through. It makes no sense! We ask how could a loving God ask this? It makes us wonder how much God will ask of us. Chapter 22 begins telling us that this is a test for Abraham. When God calls, Abraham immediately responds, “Here I am.” Abraham does not hesitate when he hears God’s command to offer Isaac as a bunt offering. There is more than obedience here; there is trust. God never intended Isaac’s sacrifice but only to test Abraham’s commitment to him. Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac trusting that God would somehow restore his son. Through Abraham’s commitment, he saw God’s provision, a ram to sacrifice. But God provided more. He promised that because of Abraham’s obedience and trust, he would be blessed, and his offspring multiplied as the stars in heaven and the sand on the seashore. During this Lenten season, remember that God did give up his only son, his only son that he loved. He was the lamb that was sacrificed for atonement of our sins. Think about sacrifice in your life. To sacrifice is to give up something you love. God will not ask you to offer up your child as a burnt offering, but he will look into your heart and the place he holds there. Seek what he wants you to sacrifice, trust him and know that through obedience he will provide you with more blessings than you ever expected. Loving God, help us to look inside our hearts and see the place you hold there. Help us to become more trusting in your love and provision. Amen. ...
Second Sunday, February 28 Genesis 22:1-14 1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. You might do well to read James 1:2-4 after you have read through today’s passage. If you do, you should get a clear sense of what a true, deep discipleship looks like. Imagine, if you will, Abraham counting his test from God “all joy” as he underwent it: as he saddled his donkey, as he cut the wood, as he lifted up his eyes, as he took in his hand the fire and the knife, as he answered his son, his only son Isaac, whom he loved, whom he was preparing to kill. My reading of this passage and tomorrow’s completion of the narrative does not uncover any words whatsoever that suggests Abraham, the father of the faithful, joyfully lived out those three days of his “trial.” His joy was placed on hold, perhaps, until those three days were over. Sound familiar? Take joy in this, friend: God wants and wills nothing but the absolute best for his people. Do you believe this? Yes, you may quickly reply, “yes I believe that God wants nothing but the best for me and my family!” Then you had better get prepared for your test, a test that is not given because God doubts, but rather because he already knows the depth of your belief in his ultimate goodness. The test is meant for you, because God wants to show you the depth of your belief in his goodness through you. Lord Jesus, no one has been tested as you were. We who are far weaker follow you to our testing knowing how frail we are, but how strong you are and that you are with us. Live through our weakness, reminding us of the joy that waits. Amen. ...
Saturday, February 27 Mark 1:9-13 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. This scene gives shape to the season of Lent as we follow Jesus in a 40-day period of fasting. If you are fasting, you will find temptation crouching at your door...
Friday, February 26 1 Peter 3:18-22 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. There are so many properties of water. It is a vital source of life for both plants and animals. Its power has been harnessed by machines and used as transportation for millennia. Where there is no clean water, disease and death are sure to follow. When aggravated by wind currents and hidden volcanoes, it can destroy huge swaths of land. It is no wonder that necessary but unpredictable water carries such strong symbolism throughout Scripture. Like a riverbed without moving water, which collects debris and spawns bacteria-filled stagnant pools that cannot be removed, so too is a body trying to live a “good” life on its own. When the Bible refers to life in the flesh, it is not condemning our material bodies (remember, that at the completion of Creation God deemed everything very good), rather it is referring to an incomplete life, a half-life. A body without God’s Spirit is irreparably contaminated and cannot give life to anything else without spreading its own poison or empty promises. If baptism were only about the water, then it would do no more than wipe away the grime of the day. But we are baptized into the flood of the righteousness of Christ...
Thursday, February 25 Psalm 25:16-22 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. 18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Have you ever been living your life feeling safe and content with the Lord? Then something happens that disrupts your faith and makes you feel troubled. There might be other people involved, someone may be angry with you; or increasing turmoil in our society is causing you to feel anxious. You begin to wonder if maybe you are the problem. Sins of the past begin to darken your thoughts; you wonder if maybe you are sinning now or have done something to displease God. In this Psalm, David is crying out to the Lord, and it seems he is feeling the same way. He is lonely, distressed, and troubled. There are enemies that hate him, and he is overwhelmed. David lived many years as a shepherd boy learning to rely on God and to have confidence in Him, yet he is still plagued by these thoughts and feelings. David learned to find peace by not continuing to dwell on how he felt. He cried out to the Lord for help and his prayers were specific, “…Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you…” (v. 20) Repeatedly in scripture we see God guiding and rescuing David. David learns that the answers to the problems he can’t control, as well as the remedy for his own sins, is to cry out to the One who can help him. This is God’s pattern for us as well. When things around us seem impossible, when fear and loneliness are hanging on like a suffocating coat, we can cry out to God and He will rescue us. Father, thank you for the example we have in David...
Wednesday, February 24 Psalm 25:11-15 11 For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. 12 Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. 14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. 15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” (v. 16) I submit that sums it up for more than few of us: the desire to be met with graciously on the part of another. Just here, the text addresses the solution to this dilemma. To fear the Lord who stretches his arms out to us from a cross is hardly to enmesh oneself in an emotional paralysis. Rather, the fear of the Lord is to be open to his guidance, one from above and beyond, along the way of our pilgrimage back to him. It is an awed acknowledgement that the most effective address of sorrows does not flow horizontally, that no other recourse overcomes the isolation and the grief besetting us here below. O Blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in you. Let your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O king of gentleness, king of peace. Amen. --St. Teresa of Avila ...
Tuesday, February 23 Psalm 25:6-10 6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. God is abounding in steadfast love (Exodus 34:6). Steadfast: marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable; firm and dependable, especially in loyalty. David calls the Lord to remember his steadfast love and then also to remember David in light of his steadfast love rather than in light of his own sins and transgressions. This is the very character and nature of God. He answers this prayer of David’s with a resolute “Yes!” God looks upon us...
Monday, February 22 Psalm 25:1-5 1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Waiting is hard for most of us. It seems like we all wait for something even if just in the grocery line or the next TV series. No one likes to wait, especially in a time of difficulty, hardship, or uncertainty. That’s where we find David today in our Psalm. We don’t know the exact situation, but he is in danger from his enemies. What does David do first? He lifts his soul to the Lord. To lift your soul means to ask God with a humble and contrite heart to give direction and guidance by trusting him to teach you his way. It is taking your eyes off the situation and looking to God. David is willing to wait on God’s timing knowing his salvation will come from the Lord. David is showing his trust for God to deliver him from trials, even if he is the cause of them. What does that mean for us? We too must humble ourselves, seek him, lift our souls to him in all situations, and then wait. Wait for his wisdom to guide us through difficulties, trials, or uncertainties. Our circumstances should direct us to examine our hearts, confess all known sin, and cry out to the Lord for his salvation as we seek his way and wisdom. We must not get ahead of God but learn to “wait all the day long” for his path, not ours. Like David said, “we will not be put to shame.” In today’s words, we will not be disappointed or let down by our God. Father, we your humble servants lift our soul to you. We wait for you, trusting you in all areas of our life to guide and direct our path knowing you will never let us down. Amen. ...
First Sunday, February 21 Genesis 9:8-17 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” “A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky.” (Wikipedia) That is like saying a perfectly grilled steak is cooked cow meat. True enough, but it misses the point. Everyone loves rainbows. After a heavy rain with dark storm clouds, it is a relief, a joy to look in the sky and see one. But rainbows have deeper significance than these feelings. A rainbow is a message from God. You remember the story. God’s creation had become corrupt and filled with violence. So, God decided to destroy the earth with a flood. Noah was the exception because Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9) At God’s command, Noah build an ark and filled it with animals. When the ark was completed and loaded, torrential rains covered the earth. Everything was destroyed. Only Noah was left, and those who were there with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:23). Once the flood was over and the waters receded, God said, “I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:11) And God sealed the promise with a sign. “I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13) Since then, God has had ample reason to unleash Flood 2.0. Corruption and violence seem to be the norm, not the exception. But God has kept his covenant. He has not destroyed the earth. Rainbows, therefore, are more than light reflecting through water droplets. They are evidence that, even in the storms of life, God’s promises can be trusted. Thank you, God, that you speak to us in many ways, including rainbows. Amen. ...
Saturday, February 20 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. It always struck me as odd to see Lenten observers walking around school, the grocery store, or work with ashes smeared on their foreheads. This passage would come to mind, and I would arrogantly think, “look at all these gloomy hypocrites, seeking attention for themselves.” To be sure, some observe Lent with an aim to be seen by others. But the point Jesus is making here is NOT that our practices always remain hidden from the outside world; rather that our motivation in living out such practices be focused on God...
Friday, February 19 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. What a relief to be called an ambassador. The implications are that we are not ultimately in charge; there is nothing required of us beyond obedience to the sending authority...
Thursday, February 18 Psalm 103:8-14 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. Lent is a season of examination and reflection. It brings up some pretty scary things deep within our souls...
Ash Wednesday, February 17 Isaiah 58:1-12 1 “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. 3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. 4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11 And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. God has always desired the heart of His people, not the superficial obedience to select rules, while ignoring others. Can you hear God’s desire in this passage? God wants us to care about what He cares about: justice, mercy, generosity. God wants your heart. Yet it is no easy thing to conform your heart to the will of God. It is easier to “check a few boxes” of religiosity. It is easier to read my Bible, than to let the Bible change my mind and habits. It is easier to give a few dollars to someone on the side of the road, than to actually care about their well-being. It is easier to go through the motions at church, say all the right things, than to humble myself before a holy God. It is easier to fast from a certain kind of food, than to be as giving and self-sacrificing as this text describes. How can we get God’s heart? How can we want to do His will? As usual, God supplies us with everything that He demands of us. Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” We say a prayer each Sunday that also sums up the thought that God changes our hearts...
Saturday, February 20 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet be...
Keep ReadingFriday, February 19 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might bec...
Keep ReadingThursday, February 18 Psalm 103:8-14 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, n...
Keep ReadingAsh Wednesday, February 17 Isaiah 58:1-12 1 “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as ...
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