Easter Sunday

Matthew 28

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priesdts everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, "His disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.



He is risen. He is risen indeed!

Good Friday

Matthew 27:32-60

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."

Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

There were all kinds of reactions, that first Good Friday, to the cross. Simon of Cyrene was forced into service. The Roman soldiers gambled to divide Jesus' clothes. Others hurled insults and accusations at Jesus.

Still, there were those who asked insightful questions, saw the truth of who He was and reached out to minister to Jesus. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Joseph took the body down from the cross and prepared it for burial after Pilate had Jesus certified as dead.

Why is this day so important? Because of this: Jesus went to the cross and died for you, so God offers you salvation. It's His free gift to you. There are no strings attached, there's no manipulation, there are no gimmicks. All you have to do is humbly receive that gift.

The apostle Paul wrote, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

Jesus' crucifixion warrants a response from each one of us. What will your response to Jesus be today?

RDM

Maundy Thursday

Matthew 27:1-31

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."

"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."

Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.

When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."

But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor.

"Barabbas," they answered.

"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.

They all answered, "Crucify him!"

"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"

All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"

Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

May I suggest a moment of quiet today?

I'm not primarily talking about turning off the TV and iPod (though that's a part of it). I'm suggesting a time when you are quiet. And when I am quiet. I'm suggesting this because of a stark contrast found in today's Scripture.

When Pilate asked Jesus to answer the accusations made against Him, Jesus was silent (verse 14). This silence astounded Pilate.

In contrast, when Pilate asked the mob what should be done with Jesus, they shouted "Crucify Him." When Pilate asked them why Jesus should be crucified, they oh so thoughtfully answered the question by screaming "Crucify Him!" louder.

We live in a noisy culture. Traffic and copy machines and weed whackers provide plenty of ambient noise. Music blares in markets and offices and our homes. Pundits shout on talk shows, and we shout at our children.

And with all that noise, it's hard to hear anything. So please, today take five minutes. Maybe you can take an hour. Shut out the noise. More importantly, be quiet yourself. Look at this passage of Scripture. And see if the silence of Jesus will speak to you.

Wednesday of Holy Week

John 13:1-20
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

"I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.'

"I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."

These twelve friends of Jesus knew the meaning of “devotional time with God.”

They didn’t set out fifteen minutes at the beginning or end of each day for a “devo;” they followed the Christ for close to three years: homeless, transient, outcast, and evading arrest.

At the call of Christ, Peter had left everything to follow Him. Surely, he knew what it meant to be devoted to the Christ? Instead, Peter tried to stop Him with a question in v.6 and a retort in v.8 that amount to a very polite way of saying, “Not on my watch, Lord!”

Until now, Peter hadn’t let the Son of God love him and hadn’t allowed himself to be blessed by His love. He hadn’t allowed Jesus to draw him close.

Suddenly, in these verses, his Rabbi and Master approached Peter in the lowest servant’s role dressed to do the least desirable task. Peter recognized that he ought to be the one washing Jesus’ feet.

Jesus modelled selfless servanthood as the greatest devotion that anyone could show. Jesus restored the cultural standard of love to the high watermark of God’s love. And in blessing Peter with a humble love of heavenly portion, Jesus revealed that true devotion is pressing in to intimacy with Him.

If you haven’t let Jesus wash your feet yet, then give in and let God love you.

If you have let Him wash your feet but you have settled there and told Him, with one reason or another, that it was enough, then let God love you with a greater intimacy than you ever thought He could before.

These are the devotional times God is waiting for us to have with Him.

VS

Tuesday of Holy Week

Matthew 26:1-16
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. "But not during the Feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.'

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Imagine doing an act of kindness which would be remembered for generations to come.

As our Lord proclaimed, this story of sacrificial love is a favorite of God's people. Many sermons are preached about this Mary who used nearly a year's worth of wages on perfumed oil for the body of Jesus. While others were worried about money, she was concerned only for her Master and His comfort. In spite of troubling comments from the disciples, she continued to perform this beautiful act of love.

In the background is Judas Iscariot, who is also remembered. His betrayal of Jesus is human nature at its worst. Have you ever met anyone or read about any other person named Judas? I have not.

Our world today is full of betrayals, but we are filled with the hope that is in the love and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. He will never betray and will always love. We are secure in His love.

PB

Monday - Holy Week

Matthew 21: 33 - 46

"Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
"The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said.
"But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"
"He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time."
Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: " 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

Could there have been another way to bring enlightenment into the hearts of the religious leaders of that day? Did that way have to be with violent and murderous parables? After all, this parable is pointing to the very first Easter and the death and resurrection of Jesus. Caught in the truths of his confrontations, the Pharisees and Sadducees sought to have Jesus arrested. He would be put to death very soon.

I am saddened that Jesus’ death came about from opposition to his preaching and teaching and gathering fame. The religious leaders hated him for the things he exposed about them.

In hindsight, we can see that these historic events and the first Easter were a gift to all of us, bringing us the hope we have because of Jesus’ miraculous resurrection and -- the best thing of all -- his Holy Spirit with us always. We have forgiveness of sin directly through Jesus. Like Saint Francis of Assisi, we can say:

"Lord, make me a channel of thy peace--that where there is hatred, I may bring love--that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness--that where there is discord, I may bring harmony--that where there is error, I may bring truth--that where there is doubt, I may bring faith--that where there is despair, I may bring hope--that where there are shadows, I may bring light--that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted--to understand, than to be understood--to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen."

Palm Sunday

Matthew 21: 1 - 11

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

Saturday

Psalm 118:22-29

I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O LORD, save us;
O LORD, grant us success.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God,
and he has made his light shine upon us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you thanks;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

During their 400 years of slavery in Egypt, God's chosen people were held together by their belief in God -- the capstone of their lives. God heard the cries of the faithful and rescued those who put the blood of the lamb on their door posts, as He had commanded. The angel of death passed over, and Jews continue to celebrate that rescue at Passover every year.

This Lenten season is a time to reflect on what Jesus has done for all mankind.

Jesus, who came from God to show us all the way back to God, was THE CHRIST, MESSIAH and SAVIOR. He was the Lamb that was sacrificed so that death would pass over all who believed in Him.

On Palm Sunday, masses hailed Him as King. One week later, He was rejected and crucified. The capstone, the one who holds all things together, was rejected -- but by His death we are free. He is the cornerstone, the foundation, on which we build our lives.

Easter provokes much thought; it relates sadness but ultimately JOY. Let us remember that this was the day the Lord made and "...let us rejoice and be glad in it."

YR

Friday

Psalm 118:10-21

They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees,
but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"
I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD
through which the righteous may enter.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.

I think we have all experienced extreme moments, seemingly hopeless and overpowering situations in which we feel ourselves stretche to our utter limit and about to fall. Perhaps some of us feel that way right now.

Such experiences are frightening, painful and difficult, but they are necessary and useful elements of the Christian journey, providing us with unique opportunities to recognize and appreciate the inadequacy of our own resources and perceptions and to discover (or rediscover) the unimaginably profound dimensions of the life that God, at all times and in all places, is ready to give to us.

Only when we are willing to release control and ownership of our lives back to Him, can His resources and perceptions become a living and life-saving reality in us. The full significance and power of faith can only be realized in the context of genuine challenge, and though He opens the gate for us, it is up to us to walk through. Only then can His strength become our strength, and His song become our song.

Just as an eagle soaring high in the sky does not concern itself with bridges to cross, so too can we shout for joy in a world plagued with misery and fear.

RM

Thursday

Psalm 118:1-9

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let Israel say:
"His love endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say:
"His love endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say:
"His love endures forever."
In my anguish I cried to the LORD,
and he answered by setting me free.
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
I will look in triumph on my enemies.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.

During the first World War, my grandparents decided to leave their home and flee to Turin. Their hometown and all that part of Italy was under the Austrian-Hungarian empire, which meant that sooner or later my grandfather would have been conscripted by the Austrian army and forced to go to war against his fellow Italians. Even though my grandparents knew it was dangerous to run away, (soldiers were patrolling the trains all the time), they had faith that God was going to protect them.

When soldiers checked the train compartment where they were sitting, they carefully looked at everyone, including my grandfather, and then left without a word. My grandfather often declared afterward he believed that God had made the soldiers see his unmistakably black beard as if it were the white one of an old man. God had indeed saved them all.

This Psalm reminds us that God is always able and willing to protect us, save us, and bless us. This is such a wonderful song of joy at His deliverance, and it is a promise that we can rediscover every time we are scared and worried or anguished and lost.

God is indeed good.

DV

Wednesday

Psalm 22:22-31

I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

Psalm 22 begins with David desperately crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But as David processes his despair throughout the Psalm, an amazing transformation happens. In verses 22-31, David resolves to praise God and even encourages others to praise God as well. How does this happen?

The turning point seems to be David’s remembrance that the Lord is good, gracious and sovereign. He recalls that God has listened to the cries of the afflicted in the past – it’s in His nature. So David proclaims that “the poor will eat and be satisfied.” God will bring this to pass because He’s in control and He’s good.

As we prepare our hearts during this season of Lent, let’s reflect on the Lord’s goodness and power, especially when we feel overwhelmed and discouraged. We can come to God with all of our despair and grief, and by His grace, He will comfort us. Jesus also wrestled with God, as, with David’s words, he cried out to his Father on the night he was betrayed. May we not hold back from these intimate times with our God, especially when we so desperately need Him.

J&JG

Tuesday

Psalm 22:11-21

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

Some of the words in this passage describe exactly what happened to Jesus on the cross. As a result, He cried out asking why God had forsaken Him. Of course, He knew the answer. God did it for us. Jesus was forsaken in that moment so that we would never be. So that we could "come nigh to God"; could be called "children of God"; could know with utter certainty that He will "never leave" us.

When I ask why it seems like God lets me get into terrible fixes or doesn't rescue me when things go badly, I don't have one comprehensive answer, but a few partial ideas. Some things are ill effects from my own actions, lessons I can only learn the hard way. Some are a way to change and grow me, teach me empathy to others' plights, teach me to "trust God when there is no apparent evidence of Him -- as Job did. Trusting in His ultimate goodness."*

Someday there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Then all will be perfect, and by God's grace I will understand that His will was perfect all along.

JSC

*Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey, page 224

Monday

Psalm 22:1-10
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
"He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.

These waves pound me, force me into the dark ocean depths. My legs and feet are tiring. All I can see on the horizon is my own hopelessness. Only You can save me, Lord. But where are You?

Have you forgotten me? Abandoned me? Why, when I need you most, can I not find you? In my desperation, I make promises to you, but Your promises are what come to mind, "...it is by grace you have been saved, through faith... and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

God, I need that gift. I know your powers. You can still the waters, clear the skies. I become quiet. In the stillness, I relax -- let go.

Dreamlike, I see a boat on the horizon. My Savior is using someone whose heart is open to be a part of my miracle! In the middle of the ocean, swallowing water with each wave, I'm smiling.

You have drawn me close to you, and I give you praise. My hope has been resurrected.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

SH

Saturday

Isaiah 53:7-12
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah foretells the coming of God's chosen one, who will save His people from their sins. Because of His love for His Father and for us, Jesus was willing to undergo incredible suffering.

Scripture tells us that the wages of sin is death -- but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. He took our sins upon Himself and died our death. Isaiah states this truth throughout this short passage:

"...For the transgression of My people He was stricken..."

"The Lord makes His life a guilt offering..."

"He will bear our iniquities..."

"...He poured out His life unto death...He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we can live our lives free and forgiven. Our relationship with God is restored, and we experience His love and presence in our lives. We can never repay Jesus for what He has done...it is impossible. But we can thank Him. We can thank Him and live our lives in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. We can give ourselves to the One who gave Himself for us.

BJ-I

Friday

Isaiah 53:1-6

Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Lent is different from Advent. Preparing to remember the death of God -- even when we know the Resurrection follows -- is not like preparing to remember God coming to live with us.

We sang, "O come let us adore Him" at Christmas, remember?

But who wants to look at, let alone adore, a man who's been beaten until he's bloody and bruised with nails driven into his hands and feet?

We, just like Jesus' followers and family, look away from Him in horror.

But all He suffered, all the ugliness that makes me hide from the crucifixion, is for me, for you. His punishment...the punishment we deserve for our many turnings away from God ... is for our sakes. Its purpose is to bring peace and healing to us. From the foggy dark of Ash Wednesday to the sunshine and flowers of Easter, the season of Lent helps us recognize our sin, His suffering and the redemption His suffering has won for us.

MLA

Thursday

Isaiah 52:11-15
Depart, depart, go out from there!
Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure,
you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
But you will not leave in haste
or go in flight;
for the LORD will go before you,
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.

So does God go before us or does He stand behind us? And the answer that Isaiah gives to that question is "Yes."

Using the imagery of battle, God is the scout who spies out the territory ahead of us and takes the brunt of the first shots of battle, and He is the reargard who protects us from unexpected attacks from behind.

The Servant as Warrior then bears all the scars of battle. "Marred more than any man." Veterans of wars between nations have, through the centuries, returned to their homes marked with amputations, burns and all kinds of hideous injuries and blemishes. This Servant, though, suffered more than any -- perhaps because He was less deserving than any to receive harm.

Yet this Servant will cause Kings to "shut their mouths." He will prosper and be exalted.

This is a passage of paradox. How can the Servant be victim and victor? (How can God be before us and behind us?) How can we possibly understand such things? I really don't know. But Isaiah assures us that we will understand.

Wednesday

Isaiah 52:1-10

Awake, awake, O Zion,
clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your garments of splendor,
O Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
will not enter you again.
Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
O captive Daughter of Zion.
For this is what the LORD says:
"You were sold for nothing,
and without money you will be redeemed."
For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"At first my people went down to Egypt to live;
lately, Assyria has oppressed them.
"And now what do I have here?" declares the LORD.
"For my people have been taken away for nothing,
and those who rule them mock, "
declares the LORD.
"And all day long
my name is constantly blasphemed.
Therefore my people will know my name;
therefore in that day they will know
that it is I who foretold it.
Yes, it is I."

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, "
Your God reigns!"
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy.
When the LORD returns to Zion,
they will see it with their own eyes.
Burst into songs of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.

The LORD will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.

Have you ever done something so wrong that the stress of that event resulted in unbearable stress? I have. Last year I had a nervous breakdown. I had violated a company policy, resulting in falsification of company records.

In verses 4 through 6, Isaiah talks about when the Israelites lived in Egypt and their exiles in Assyria and other foreign lands. We all, at times, are living in exile. I was exiled in a land called stress, caused by sin.

Verse 6 ends with God's words: "Here I am."

God sends His messengers to proclaim the Good News!

This is what Isaiah tells us in verse 7:

How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of the messenger bringing good news,

Breaking the news that all's well,

proclaiming good times, announcing salvation,

telling Zion, "Your God reigns!"

(The Message)

The good news is that our God reigns, and He has sent His Son to us and to die for us, so we can have Good News and be free of our sins -- and return from our exile to our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

ML

Tuesday

Isaiah 50: 4 - 9

The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.
I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who are my accusers?
Let them confront me!
It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths will eat them up.


I'd like this passage to be true about me -- but as I read it, I have to admit I don't usually know the word to sustain the weary. I do hide my face from mocking and spitting. I have been rebellious, and I know I've turned away.

Then I read verses 8 and 9: "He who vindicates me is near" and "It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me."

Jesus suffered scorn and death. He was spit upon and despised. His ears were open to His Father's words, and He spoke the words that sustain the weary. and because of this, I am no longer accused. God Himself helps me, and I will not be disgraced.

Wow.

Monday

Isaiah 42:1-13

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope."
This is what God the LORD says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
"I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you."
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.
Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.
Let them give glory to the LORD
and proclaim his praise in the islands.
The LORD will march out like a champion,
like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies.



Many years ago, I was watching the 60 Minutes letters section when Harry Reasoner read a letter from a man complaining that words of Isaiah were used in a news story to describe Jesus Christ. The letter writer argued that Isaiah could not have been talking about Jesus because he lived hundreds of years before Jesus. Reasoner answered simply, “Isaiah was a prophet.”

Jesus Himself agreed with Reasoner. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus read from the book of Isaiah and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

In the centuries before Jesus came to earth, there was much debate among Jewish scholars as to who this “Suffering Servant” described by Isaiah could be. The best answer anyone could come up with was the nation of Israel. Jesus believed He Himself was the answer to that puzzle.

Pastor Ray Stedman wrote two commentaries on the book of Mark, The Servant Who Rules and The Ruler Who Serves. Those two titles quite aptly describe both the descriptions of this servant in Isaiah and Jesus as described in the Gospel of Mark.

What an extraordinary thing, that God sent Jesus, our Lord, to be our Servant.

DA

Saturday

Luke 18: 9-14

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

This passage challenges me to look at myself. How often have I come to church as the Pharisees did -- out of habit or duty? When that happens I’m unhappy with the music or wonder why the pastor has to talk so long, or I think of all of the things on my to-do list. And I wonder why I leave church feeling unfulfilled, unstimulated or critical.

But then there are days when I go to church with a heart filled with so much gratitude to God. I have a sense of his majesty and am in awe of him. I realize my need of him. And in that attitude, I am teachable. I praise God through the music and I soak up his Word, and I think the minister really spoke straight from the Word that day.

It all boils down to attitude. When I am so wrapped up in myself, I’m holding on to my ideas, my concerns, my expectations, and my agenda. But when I’m willing to let go of me and look to God, my hands will be open to be filled afresh with his love and his teaching.


MJC

Friday

Luke 16: 19 – 31


"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

Luke 16, the story of Lazarus and the rich man, contains a difficult message. To many, the story’s karmic implications are especially disturbing: the rich man lived for pleasure, and he suffers in death. Lazarus lived in torment, and is given rest in Heaven. However, this simple interpretation is deceptive.

What truly damned the rich man was his flawed heart and his dismissal of God. The rich man ignored God in life, but wanted his help in death. When he saw Lazarus during their lives, he hadn’t raised a finger to help him. Then, when he sees Lazarus in Heaven, he asks Lazarus to descend to Hell to help him. The rich man’s wealth gave him an attitude of entitlement that he carried to the afterlife.

Even when the rich man asks Abraham to help his brothers, he still doesn’t seem to understand. He thinks if Lazarus comes back to life, his brothers will believe whatever Lazarus said. Unfortunately, a living dead man isn’t enough to make some people believe, whether it’s a beggar or the resurrected Jesus. Some are more comfortable not believing than letting Christ change them.

PA

Thursday

Luke 15: 11 – 32

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

Who is closest to God's heart? The Prodigal Son? The Faithful Son?

Are we afflicted with the self-righteousness of the older son because we have so long been Christians? Read our Bibles and pray every day? So resentful that we cannot rejoice at the "coming home" of a wayward brother? A brother who has enjoyed the pleasures of the world, indulged in all the forbidden fun? In a last moment of despair at his world's going awry, he returned to the fold. He returned to the Father who never stopped loving him even as he was wandering far away in sinful places.

God is love. Despite our wanderings, our rejections, our flirtings with the forbidden, God loves us still. He loves us as deeply and as longingly as ever. He is always watching the road, anticipating our return. And he loves us despite our self-righteousness and resentments. He comes to us to invite us to come into the fullness of his love and celebration. He loves us.

We are all closest to the heart of God.

Wednesday

Luke 15: 8 – 10

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Can you imagine a Heavenly celebration? Can our minds reach that far? Each and every time a lost soul comes to the Lord in repentance, the messengers of God -- the angels -- throw a party; they celebrate knowing that the very person that came earnestly to the Lord will be joining them some day in Heaven. It's like a second birthday party for us, except that we weren't yet there to participate.

Oh, how important and cherished we all are to the Lord!

J S

Tuesday

Matthew 13: 44 – 45

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

How can we understand the kingdom of heaven, with our earthly minds and bodies incapable of knowing the mind of God? We understand the kingdom of heaven cannot be bought with money or earthly goods, but how, then, is it obtained?

Jesus makes a picture for us by describing the response when the kingdom of heaven is found.
When we find it, we respond with joy, recognizing its incomparable value and seeking it with our all. No hesitating, no price negotiations, no holding back. Joyfully, we seek it with our whole heart.

If this is not our response, we have to ask ourselves why not? Have I not yet found it, or do I value something else more?

Jesus wants us to understand that the kingdom of heaven is worth more than anything else; actually it is worth more than everything else we could possibly have or desire. And, he tells us that when we give our all for it, it will be ours. No matter how little we have to give, when we want the kingdom of heaven more than anything, and seek it with our whole heart, the kingdom of heaven will be ours. Jesus made it so.

CK

Monday

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

We often “swallow” life to keep things the way we want them to be. Whenever we’re anxious or nervous, without even thinking, our hands reach out to put something in our mouths. Food and drink, coffee and toast. We hunger and thirst, and we don’t realize we’re not hungry for a bowl of ice cream or a glass of wine.

We are reaching for inner peace. We aren’t underfed, but we are spiritually undernourished.

During the season of Lent, you and I should have a time of fasting and a time of reflection, of looking inside ourselves. Forty days and nights we do not need, just a short time to think about the days ahead, days full of things that have never been. The answers we need shall be given as we live our lives for Christ.

Leaning on worship, study and prayer – see you in church!

BH

Saturday

Psalm 51: 10 – 19

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.


Have you ever had to buy a gift for a wealthy person (for Christmas, a birthday, whatever)? You know you can’t get anything the person really needs. Your hope is to get something that will touch the heart - that will show love and appreciation for the person that comes from the heart.

In the same way, the idea of offering a sacrifice to God seems absurd. The Old Testament gives instruction on offering a variety of agricultural products to God, from cattle and sheep to fruit and grain. Like God needs a steak or a guava melon. But He never needed the material item. He desired to see the willing, sacrificial heart that motivated the gift.

This Psalm makes it clear. What God desires is a broken spirit and a broken heart. This doesn’t mean that God desires our pain. It just means He wants us to recognize what is true. We are people who have done hurtful things. We have harmed others and ourselves. What God wants us to do is realize this and be honest about our brokenness before Him. That is the first step to allow God to make us whole.

Friday

Psalm 51: 1 – 9
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.


I am imperfect by nature, and I do what is wrong on purpose. Sometimes even I cannot bear the bad things I do – which, although I might do them to others, I really do against God. I cannot change my imperfection or undo my wrong-doings.

But I can call on God when I truly regret the bad that I do, when I honestly suffer under my impurity. And God will give me the gift of deep wisdom (which is the opposite of a sinful nature). Not only that, God will restore me to a clean, pure state that I could never reach by myself. With these great gifts comes unspeakable joy.

A joyful life requires constant connection with God's loving forgiveness.



AL

Thursday

Malachi 1: 6 – 17
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name.

"But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?'

"You place defiled food on my altar.

"But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?'

"By saying that the LORD's table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty.

"Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?"-says the LORD Almighty.
Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands. My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty.

"But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.' And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty.

"When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD. "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations.

In the streets of Monrovia, Liberia, young men push brightly painted carts with the words “COW MEAT” crudely lettered on the side. For a few cents, you can buy a bite of cooked meat on a toothpick to eat. In a poor African country, without the luxury of USDA food and sanitation inspectors, your bite of “cow meat” might easily be a morsel of dog, monkey, snake, or rat. Buyer, beware!

The prophet Malachi saw the way that priests and worshippers tried to cheat God. Instead of blemish-free, perfect animals, they were trying to pass off lame and sick animals as acceptable sacrifices. Their shoddy offerings were an insult to God and to the One Who would be the perfect sacrifice for sin.

How often have we tried to substitute lazy, “it will do” attitudes in worship for the real “cow meat” of true devotion and respect to a Holy God? This “lame, diseased” offering is an insult to the “great King, the Lord of Hosts.” He takes “no pleasure” in it.

Dear God, please forgive us, for Jesus’ sake. His sacrifice was pure, unblemished, and entirely sufficient. Thank you, Lord Jesus, the perfect Lamb.

DB

Wednesday

Leviticus 1: 1 – 9

The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.

" 'If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.

Our God is a God of order. He desires that His people know how to worship, and Leviticus is His instruction manual for worship.

The Israelites understood the difference between holy and common, and they were to learn there was a danger of interacting with the Holy when they were impure. The important lesson for them, as well as us today, was that the blood of the sacrifice played a critical role in cleansing impurity before the sacrifice is offered to a holy God.

Chapter 1 of Leviticus tells us about the burnt offering. First the worshiper was to present himself and his offering before the Lord. Following the slaughter, the blood was thrown on the altar to purify it. Then the animal was burned as a sacrifice, as prescribed by God.

Lent is a time set aside for us to prepare ourselves as an offering to a holy God. We are blemished by sin and only blood can cleanse our impurity. Christ made the ultimate sacrifice and offered His Blood that we might be purified as an acceptable offering before God.

EB

Tuesday

March 10, 2009

Genesis 22: 1 – 14

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"

"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.

"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

Do you ever wonder where the money will come from to pay the next mortgage payment or make the next rent check? Maybe you are staring at the tax forms and wondering, baffled how it came up red … and you have no idea how to turn red to black.

Perhaps you’ve considered doing something, not illegal, but just…um…questionable to make ends meet. (Okay, maybe you have considered something illegal when looking at those bills.)

Abraham was asked to do an awful thing to meet a need. Sin requires a blood sacrifice, and God told him to sacrifice his son. But ultimately, killing Isaac was the wrong thing to do and God, I’m sure, knew it.

But He asked Abraham to come to that place so that Abraham would know that it would never be necessary to do the wrong thing to meet a need because God will always provide. God will provide for you as well.

Monday

Genesis 8: 20 – 9:7

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

"As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease."

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

"But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.

"Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man.

"As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."

Noah hadn’t just brought two of each animal onto the ark. He’d also brought seven – or maybe seven pairs – of every kind of animal suitable for sacrifice. All Noah’s doing in the beginning of this passage is offering God some of the animals he’d brought on the ark for that purpose. The sacrifice was little more than an RSVP.

For that, God promises that He’ll never flood the earth again. Then He goes further: He gives Noah and his family everything that lives for their use. All God requires is that they remember that He holds all life: the blood is His.

How does this relate to me? I am – whether figuratively or literally descended from Noah -- to be a good manager of all life under my care. But more importantly, I must remember that all life belongs to God, including mine.

When Noah sacrificed a few animals that God had told him to bring for that very purpose, God blessed him and his family. Lent reminds us that God Himself has always provided the sacrifice – from grain or an animal on the altar to His Son – that brings us life and abundance.

Saturday

Matthew 5: 43 – 48

You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs is a pretty decent basketball player, the current leader in 3 point shooting (a percentage of .497, making half of his outside the perimeter shots). That’s the best NBA has to offer?

In professional football, Dave Dickenson of the Calgary Stampeders had a 74 percent passing completion record (hitting his man three our of four times).

A baseball player is a sensation if he hits four out of ten times at the plate.
We have high expectations of professional athletes who are paid big money to play their respective games. If they are successful more than half of the time, they’re usually considered to be excellent.

What does Jesus say God expects of us? Nothing less than perfection. A win every time. To always be kind to every family member, fellow worker and stranger on the street.

So how are you doing? If there was a team of Moral Athletes, would you be drafted? I know I wouldn’t. But that is what this season of Lent is about. A time to remember that we don’t measure up to the standards of moral excellence. That’s why we look forward to Good Friday and Easter.

anonymous

Friday

Matthew 5: 38 – 42

You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

How many times do we seek revenge against those who wrong us? Perhaps we don’t call it revenge, but somewhere in the back in the back of our minds we definitely think “I’m going to have to get him back for that.”

In this passage, Jesus is extremely clear. We are NOT to seek revenge. We are to treat everyone as our brother or sister in Christ, no matter how severe their actions against us.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot four times while blessing people in St. Peters’ Square in Rome. Following the shooting, the Pope asked the people to "pray for my brother (Ağca, his shooter), whom I have sincerely forgiven." John Paul was exemplifying the meaning of this passage. Someone tried to kill him, so he answered by praying for him, and visiting him in jail soon after.

No matter how tempted we are to fight fire with fire, we are called to love our neighbor, no matter what his actions. We are all God’s children, and all equally needy and deserving of his salvation, no matter how often we attend church, how hard we pray, or how long we fast.

AM

Thursday

Matthew 5: 33 – 37

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

This passage is from the Sermon on the Mount, the title given to Jesus’ moral and ethical teaching (Matthew, chapters 5-7).

Jesus’ popularity was growing (Matthew 4:25). In the beginning of his ministry, people came because of his healing of sick persons. When Jesus began to teach, the people stayed to hear what he said. He also taught with authority and this impressed the people. Although many people heard the Sermon on the Mount, it was primarily directed to Jesus’ followers (or disciples).

In Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus teaches that we should not swear at all. He says, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” An early example of an oath is found in Genesis 24:1-5, between Abraham and his chief servant regarding the selection of a wife for Isaac.

Today, in how many of the situations that we face do we say “maybe” or we lie?

WK

Wednesday

Matthew 5: 27 – 32
You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Only God

What is more important than Jesus
if you are a Jesus man or woman?
Would you rather have one hand
and walk with Jesus,
or two hands grubbing for rot?
Would you rather have one eye
looking at Jesus,
or two eyes looking at filth?
Jesus is the fairest of the fair,
the purest of the pure,

If you give up groping for darkness,
what have you gained?

You have gained Life and beauty
and my best friend.

EE

Tuesday

Matthew 5: 21 – 26

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day taught that the sixth commandment only forbade actual murder. Buddhism calls anger one of the five hindrances. Psychologists often view anger as a primal emotion that should not be suppressed lest it find another outlet. The internet has sites where users can express anger for Republicans, Democrats, husbands, wives, fat people, skinny people, employers… you get the picture. There were funny posts, outrageous posts and incredibly profane posts, but most were a sad expression of bloggers allowing their own anger to ruin their lives.

At first glance, it seems that the sixth commandment is centered on protecting others. In this passage, Jesus instructs us, not to suppress our anger, but to resolve our disputes. Unrelenting anger may cost us money, time or worse. When our exasperation becomes anger, love turns to apathy. We blame others for our problems, and our anger becomes depression.

Here Jesus provides both the practical and the deeper answer. He challenges us to make the first move, to act with responsibility and dignity toward others. Our behavior, in turn, alters our negative feelings towards our enemies. We can repair broken friendships, business partnerships and family relations. The sixth commandment protects us.

KVG

Monday

Matthew 5: 17 – 20

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’ coming is the completion of The Old Testament’s prophecy. Jesus is not God’s new and improved brand of religion.

The Law has not changed one iota since its inception. The purpose of the Law is to help people love God with all their hearts and minds. The Apostle Paul wrote that God’s Law shows us our inadequacy to achieve salvation by our own merit.

God’s Law is unique compared to other laws of Moses’ time. It is applied equally regardless of position and or power. All crimes are crimes against God as all people are created in God’s image. It’s not hidden - everyone can know the Law. It is universal; applying to all people. Lastly, it is constructive. It shows people how to love God with all their minds and hearts. None of this changed when Jesus came.

The Pharisees had certificates of learning and became authorities on proper behavior. The portion of their lives they displayed was always spotless, while other parts secreted sins. They knew the law but didn’t have God in their hearts. If God’s goodness is in our hearts it will show in our motives, actions, and continuing thoughts. Jesus’ perfection allows God’s grace to cover our shortcomings.

AJ

Saturday

Romans 5: 12 – 21

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
NIV

There are so many problems with sin. Many of them are obvious, but others are as insidious as sin itself.

We often fool ourselves that because we haven’t committed adultery or murder we aren’t sinners. This is as erroneous as thinking that living a “good life” will allow us to spend eternity in heaven.

Sometimes as we try to walk in the light of our Lord, we realize the fallacy of that line of thinking. Then, sin presents us another problem. We become so convicted of our sin nature that we doubt our salvation. Sadly, we can even get to the point of counterfeit righteousness – I’m so pious, I KNOW how bad I am!

Jesus’s sacrifice, His single act of obedience, atones for EVERY act, thought, inclination of sin EVER.

It took me years to really believe that last statement of truth. Thankfully, not as many years as it took me to believe that I was indeed a sinner and in need of salvation.

MS