FAITHFUL: Lenten Devotion Day 25

Lenten Devotion Day 25

FAITHFUL

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.

 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. 

Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 

Psalm 30:4-5

Perhaps you have heard the phrase "fair-weather friend." It defines someone who is only a friend in the best of times or in times in which it benefits them. If, however, you find yourself in need of support and true friendship in a time of trouble this "friend" is suddenly unavailable. They only want the good and happy part of you - not the troubled and suffering part. 

It is a sad reality but the truth is you don't truly know who your friends are until you face hardship - then it become quite apparent who will stick by you as a faithful friend. 

In our Lenten devotion today we are challenged to ask ourselves what kind of "friend" we are to God. What kind of Christian are we? What kind of follower of Christ?

Can you count yourself among the "faithful" who are steadfast followers or are you a fair-weather follower? Scripture makes it all too clear that God is faithful to his children..."I will not leave or forsake you" is a message repeated more than once. We can trust in the faithfulness of God but can God trust in your faithfulness? Or does the threat of the rooster crowing before dawn ring all too close to home for us? Are we, like Peter, sure of our faithfulness to follow until threatened and then we crumble in our resolve - denying our walk with Christ?

Jesus calls us to worship a faithful God.

Are you

FAITHFUL

in return?

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FIND: Lenten Devotion Day 24

Lenten Devotion Day 24

FIND

From there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search after him 

with all your heart and soul. In your distress, when all these things have happened to you 

in time to come, you will return to the Lord your God and heed him. 

Because the Lord your God is a merciful God, he will neither abandon you nor destroy you; 

he will not forget the covenant with your ancestors that he swore to them. 

Deuteronomy 4:29-31

If you have ever owned a dog that was bred for hunting you know that they are always seeking to find. As I walk my little hunter each morning she goes forward, nose to the ground and stopping every three feet or so to dig or uncover some scent that only she can detect. On our walks she usually finds some treasure...a lost toy, a new discovery, an animal she has never encountered (she's only five months old she hasn't encountered much.) My point is, she is constantly seeking to find....something.

Our Lenten reflections are also supposed to be about seeking and finding...the kind of seeking and finding mentioned in Deuteronomy. The kind that promises if we seek God with all our heart and soul you will find him. 

This Lenten season you must ask "How hard am I looking to 

FIND 

God?" 

NO: Lenten Devotion Day 23

Lenten Devotion Day 23

NO

He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, 

and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 

He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff;

 no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 

Mark 6:7-8

It would appear that "NO" has become one of the most dreaded words in the church today. In these economic times we are cautious and fearful of dwindling bank accounts and half empty offering plates therefore "NO" has become our answer to most questions. Can we start a new ministry? NO, it will cost too much. Can we give our staff a much need raise? NO, we can't afford it. Can we go into the poorest sections of town and invite them to come to church? NO, we need people who can give to the church. It is sad but I've heard each of these excuses over the past 20 years of being involved in churches. I believe our Bishop said it best last year when he said our churches are operating in a spirit of scarcity - always afraid they will run out or not have enough and therefore they are doing nothing, or a least the bare minimum they can get by with.

I wonder then, as a church, what we are to make of Mark 6:7-8. Jesus is sending his Disciples out into the world for ministry. Did he worry that there weren't enough of them? NO, he send them out only two in a group. Why then do we say we can't do ministry with only 25? Did Jesus worry that they didn't have enough resources? NO, he send them with no food, no facility to store their "stuff" because they had no stuff to store. Did he worry about lack of funds and decreased giving? NO, he sent them with not a dime in their pockets. There they went, two by two, with nothing but a staff and the clothes on their body. Did they go with a spirit of scarcity?

NO

They went with the Spirit of God. They went with the faith to believe Jesus when he said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" (Matthew 6:25) They went forth with nothing and yet expecting everything....expecting God's blessing, expecting God's provision, expecting God's Spirit to take them where the needed to go and do with them what needed to be done.

NO is a powerful word and like all things powerful it can be used for good or for evil. Take some time to examine how your church has used that word lately. It is a word employed by fear of not having enough? Or is it a word embracing the power of God to provide all you need? 

Jesus said NO when sent his Disciples out to fulfill the mission of seeking the lost and healing the sick - NO - to worry about what they had, NO - to trying to protect themselves, NO - to doing it their way....and in return they said NO thing and NO one will stop us from doing as you say Jesus.

NO

How does your church use that powerful word?

SHADOW: Lenten Devotion Day 22

Lenten Devotion Day 22

SHADOW

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the way of peace." 

Luke 1:78-79

As I was out on an early morning walk with my dog I found myself reflecting on the powerful words of the priest Zechariah upon the birth of his son - John the Baptist. His words have been in my heart often lately because he is proclaiming what a savior will mean for the world...and it is beautiful news.

We all need some beautiful news once in a while do we not? Zechariah provides it as he relates God's promise to bring a light into this world darkened by suffering and loss. This light is one meant especially for those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. The light, he says, will guide us into the way of peace.

I wonder about that peace. As I watch people I care about struggle with heartbreak and loss I yearn for that peace for them. As I watch the news and imagine what it must be like to try to raise my child in a country where acts of terrorism are a daily reality I yearn for that peace. 

Out of the shadow of death and darkness Jesus will guide our feet into the way of peace. He will guide our feet...it occurs to me that we often sit back and wait for Jesus to make it all better. Jesus will bring it...Jesus will do it...Jesus will make it...but Zechariah said Jesus will guide us. According to the dictionary to "guide" is to "show the way by leading, directing, or advising or one who serves as a model for others, as in a course of conduct." 

Jesus came to guide us - to model for us and to show us the way - so that WE might be the ones to do and to be and to act. If we want peace it is up to us to work for it. Jesus came to show us the way and guide our feet to it...but it seems to me much of the work along the journey is our responsibility. 

Jesus showed the way out of the 

SHADOW

it is up to us to step into the light

and live

as he taught us.

NIGHT: Lenten Devotion Day 21

Lenten Devotion Day 21

NIGHT

Then Jesus said to them, 

"You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, 

"I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 

But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." 

Peter said to him, 

"Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you." 

Jesus said to him, 

"Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." 

Matthew 26:31-34

I wake up each morning with the grand intention of being an obedient disciple of Christ. I pray I will devote my every move to his call and I vow that all my heart, mind and soul will be devoted to him. I have no doubt it is a similar feeling to Peter as he declared to Jesus, "I will never desert you." I am sure it was unfathomable to him, after all he had given up and all he had seen in the last three years, that he could walk away and leave this man he loved so much. I'm sure it was heart-wrenching for him to hear Jesus prediction and think - He doesn't trust me! How can he not trust me after all we've been through.

And then night came.

In the night comes our deepest fears, insecurities and anxieties. As the darkness creeps in so does the second guesses and the weaknesses. Every bump in the basement is a threat, every creak of the stairs a sign of impending terror. Confidence is easy in the light when you can brace yourself for what you see coming your way...

and then comes night...

Reality that we aren't as confident as we had hoped and we aren't as dedicated as we have vowed is what dawns in the darkness. It is the fear of what we can't see and know, the doubt of what we thought we were so sure of. 

In the night it comes and we don't even know it at first...and then the cock crows...and we remember.

We look around at the faces surrounding us and we know - suddenly - we know that we failed to keep the intention of discipleship...we failed to be devoted to his call....we failed to keep the vow of dedication. We hope we can keep our shame hidden in the darkness with us until we remember - Jesus knew - he called it already. You will fail...you will desert...you will scatter...

in the night.

But

Dawn breaks

Sun rises

We remember 

3 days after the darkness

Son rises

New life

begin again

forgiveness

redemption

LOVE

it all comes

after 

NIGHT

BLESS: Lenten Devotion Day 20

Lenten Devotion Day 20

BLESS

And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone.

 I will make a companion who will help him."... Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam. "At last!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man." This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 

Genesis 2:18, 22-24

From the first sentences of Genesis we are drawn into intimate relationships.  When God created man it was important that he not be alone. We were not created for isolation and loneliness - we were created for relationships...for intimacy...for love.

Today's Lenten word is BLESS and our challenge is to stop and think about all the many blessings God has poured out upon us. I'm sure we could list hundreds if we thought about it enough but as I contemplated that word this morning I looked down to see my husband's hand reach over and take my own. It is something we don't think much about anymore...but something that I realize is one of the biggest blessings in my life....relationship...intimacy...love.

On March 17, Tim and I will be married for 23 years and the fact that, when we are riding in the car, he still wants to hold my hand fills me with great blessing. I know that God blessed me through this man I share my life with. I know God has blessed Tim through me. I also know that Tim and I both hope that our marriage is a blessing to God. Blessings after all are a two way street...we are blessed so we can be a blessing.

What blessing is on your mind today? 

How are you a blessing to others?

BLESSING

THIRST: Lenten Devotion Day 19

Lenten Devotion Day 19

THIRST

 "Please, sir," the woman said, "give me some of that water! 

Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to haul water."

John 4:14

I love every Sunday morning but there is always an extra spring in my step on Communion Sundays because I feel most like the woman at the well on those days. 

"Please, sir...give me some of that water! Then I'll never be thirsty again."

It is always amazing to me how a tiny bit of bread and a small sip of juice can be so filling 

and yet it is...heart, mind and soul. 

All day long I am full of Christ

the sweet taste

the nourishing morsel

the body

the blood

All day long I am full of Christ

the sound of whispered "amen"

the touch of a neighbors hand

the sight of the little children with delight in their eyes

the body

the church

Thank you, sir for the water

I

THIRST

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