THE WAIT IS WORTH IT

 

^{MARCH 31, 2023}

^{JAMES 5:7-11}

7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!

10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

 

Planting seeds and waiting is well known to farmers and God. Every farmer and gardener knows there is planning, patience, and work involved with a harvest.

So it is with us and God. How long has God waited for the seeds to take root in each of our lives? The infinite patience of God is such a good reminder that every harvest takes time. Some crops take longer than others. The wait is clearly worth it in God's eyes.

As Lent draws to a close and we are about to enter the passion week, Holy Week some call it, beginning with Palm Sunday, we are invited to dwell in suffering, pain, and loss with Jesus. By weeks end we will be witnesses to Jesus’ exaltation through his suffering, pain, and loss. His extended arms on the cross made room for everyone, especially those who experience suffering, pain, and loss, to know that they are part of God’s Kingdom Community. For as James puts it our God is “full of tenderness and mercy.” So let us, “Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

LET US PRAY

God of our consolation, you know our deep disappointments and you receive us with grace and open arms. Give us the courage to drop our guard and let you enter into our lives with words of comfort. Amen

 

FOUNDATIONS

 MARCH 30, 2023

MARK 13:1-13

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Mark 13:2


Not one stone here will be left on another;
every one will be thrown down.

Graham Kendrick wrote a song several years ago, a song that many Churches have added to their worship song list. The song is called MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY! Do you know it?

Kendrick wrote in the fourth verse the following lyrics that I want to draw our attention to today.

We call you now to worship Him as Lord of all
To have no gods before Him Their thrones must fall!
Graham Kendrick Copyright © 1986 Thankyou Music

That line “To have no gods before Him Their thrones must fall” gets at the teaching of Jesus in our reading today. I am struck by the conversation at the outset of our account. “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

The temple in today’s gospel is more than just a building in Jerusalem, more than a place of worship. It was the center and anchor of Jewish life. It provided identity, structure, and meaning just like our temples of today. The disciples are impressed. “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” They are, however, looking only on outward appearances.

I believe there is an important message here that we might miss if we get too bogged down with “the abomination that causes desolation” or “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars”, earthquakes and famines, family betrayals leading even to death, rebelling children, hatred toward followers of Jesus. Not that these aren’t important but even in the context of Mark 13 Jesus seems to say not to focus of these things, he says “do not be alarmed”, and later in the chapter he will say “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. In today’s reading Jesus says, “You must be on your guard.”

This makes me think of the line from the song above To have no gods before Him Their thrones must fall! Jesus has been teaching and challenging his followers and the Temple leadership to see that our focus ought to be on honoring God, he has called his followers to Love God with their whole being, “heart, soul and strength.”

The truth is one day the great buildings and structures of our life will fall. The very things that we often trust and rely upon to give identity, meaning, purpose, and security will crumble. This is not doom and gloom. It is just a statement of reality. Life changes, loved ones die, institutions fail, people disappoint, relationships break up, bodies get sick. In those moments, the great stones of our temples, our buildings are all thrown down.

We build all sorts of temples: families, beliefs and opinions, institutions, roles, reputations, accomplishments, dreams, and hopes. Jesus says, our spiritual work in those days is to not be alarmed or afraid, but to be faithful and to not be led astray, to be watchful, present, and observant.

This puts some hard questions before us about where we put our trust. I have learned in the last little while in my own life, that when our foundations crack, rock and give way that this is when we learn just how fragile our foundations are. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” These are moments of grace in which we discover something profound about God, that the only foundation on which to build is the foundation laid for us in God’s word in the person of Jesus. Our God is the God of life not death, the God of creation not destruction. Every moment of every day, new life is being created and given to us.

So let us, “have no gods before Him” let us allow their thrones to come crashing down. Let us “Make way, make way For Christ the King” and “Fling wide the gates and welcome Him Into your lives,” and “to worship Him as LORD OF ALL.”

What temples of your life are falling or need to fall?

What new truth or reality is being shown to you?

How might God be creating and birthing new life in you?



LET US PRAY

Almighty and loving God, we confess that we put our trust in other gods. We honor these gods alongside of you and in place of you. By the Holy Spirit’s power, help us to know you, the only true God, as you have revealed yourself in your Word, to trust in you alone, to look to you for every good thing, humbly and patiently, and to love, fear, and honor you with all our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Text: adapted from Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 94, 95 (Lift up Your Hearts Hymnal, Faith Alive, #653)

 

PICTURE THIS

 

MARCH 29, 2023

Picture Jesus. What do you see? What do you feel? Do you have a picture in your mind that resembles a painting you have seen in your grandmother’s home, maybe in your home growing up, maybe you have one that you just looked at for a moment? Do you picture an actor from one of your favorite movies about Jesus? How do you imagine Jesus’ character and demeanor? Is he gentle? Is he humble, and calm and serene? Now put that picture of Jesus along side the following Gospel story.

Matthew 21:12-17

12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”

14 The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15 The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.”

But the leaders were indignant. 16 They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

“Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’” 17 Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight.

The Gospel of John even says that Jesus made a whip and used it to drive people out of the temple. How does this fit with your picture of Jesus? What was He up to, and how do we make sense of it?

Just a bit of historical context will help us, I believe, in grasping what is happening. In Jesus’ day, the main place to connect with God was through the Temple, and the main way to do it was through animal sacrifice. This practice goes all the way back to Moses, and the underlying message of the sacrifice was to learn to give God your best by literally giving up the best of your livestock.

Well, the temptation, then and as it can be now, is to give God, not your best, but your second or third best. To help people fight this temptation, the priests would check over the sacrifice at the door to make sure it was free of blemish. If there was a blemish, this creates a new problem, so naturally, there was a place where you could buy an acceptable sacrifice… and maybe you can see where this is going. The whole system became corrupt. The people who sold the “acceptable” sacrifices were conspiring with the people who deemed other sacrifices “unacceptable” and gave them a kickback; everyone made a tidy profit from the people, many of them very poor, who were desperate to have God in their life.

Back to our reading, Jesus Enters. Jesus, full of love and compassion. Jesus, who cares for the people no one else cares about, and who came into the world so people would know God’s heart and presence. The whole religious system, the way people were told what they had to do to connect with God, had become an obstacle, a barrier, that kept people from God. Jesus’ anger here and his shockingly violent behavior makes perfect sense when you think of God, as the Good Shepherd, who will protect the vulnerable and disadvantaged ones from injustice and corruption.

LET US PRAY

God, we pray today that we would never be an obstacle, or create barriers, that keep people from you. We also pray that if there is any part of us that needs to change, that you would help us see that, so that we can be the welcoming community you want us to be. May we always be ready to stand up against systems of injustice that oppress the vulnerable with love, compassion, and righteous anger. Amen

THE LAST WORD

 

MARCH 28, 2023

Matthew 14:24-33

²⁴ … the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

 

 

This isn’t the first time Jesus' disciples got into trouble on the Sea of Galilee. And in both times Jesus seems to have gotten them into that trouble. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus climbed into a boat with his disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee.

Very soon they found themselves in a raging storm that threatened to overwhelm their ability to keep the boat afloat. “Master, don’t you care?” they cried out as they woke him up. Jesus calmly stood up and commanded the storm to be quiet—"Be still!” And it was.

This time Jesus again tells his disciples to take the boat and cross over to the other side. But rather than going with them, he heads up the mountain to pray. Once again, the disciples are hit by a storm. Once again, their abilities are challenged. And this time, it looks like they’re going to have to take care of themselves.

Then something really strange happens. In the distance the disciples see someone literally walking on the water, undisturbed by the raging storm around him. If the storm hasn’t terrified them, this certainly does! “It’s a ghost!” they cry out. “It’s me,” Jesus calls out, this time not to the storm but to his disciples. “Don’t be afraid, it’s me!”

“Don’t be afraid, it’s me!” In each of these stories, Jesus’ disciples wind up in the middle of a storm that causes them to fear for their lives. In each story, Jesus deals with the storm and with their fears. And in both stories the disciples begin to realize—perhaps just a little bit more—who they’re dealing with: the Lord of the wind and the waves, the One who, when it comes to storms, gets the last word.

Be encouraged today that the one we worship, has the last word on the storms around us too!

LET US PRAY

Help me God, to always remember that you have the "last word" on all things, and to trust you in the rough stormy places. May we hear those comforting words "it's me, Do Not Be Afraid."

LISTEN to the CROWD

 

MARCH 27, 2023

Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”

¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

 

 Have you ever been part of a crowd that spontaneously burst into applause or cheers? How did that feel? What sparked the moment? The home team wins in the last moments of the game. The band opens their concert with their most well-known songs. The hero overcomes the conflict in the movie. Can you hear the crowd go wild?

This week we come to the end of the Lenten journey. Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem, and the crowds erupt in celebration with the words of Psalm 118. “Give thanks to the Lord!” “Hosanna (save us)!” “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” “God’s steadfast love endures forever.”

The Hebrew people sang this song when their king returned to Jerusalem in victory. The king had inspired hope and joy in them by the latest conquest. Their trust in God’s steadfast love was rekindled in these events.

What might inspire these words of hope and joy in you this week?

Let's Pray

God, we give you thanks for this day that you have made. Let us rejoice in your steadfast love. Amen.

REFLECTING GOD'S LOVE

 MARCH  24, 2023

Luke 6:27-36

27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.


Luke 6:35 begins, “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High…”

Jesus tells us that there is a gift for those who lend without expecting to be repaid or expecting anything in return for their work. This simple act of giving reminds me of the Porch pick up Food Drive we held just last week.

People of our Church and Community set donations out on their front steps, some brought donations to the church over the weekend, they did not wait for someone to notice them or to have their picture taken with their donation. They just gave, brought it in. This is what I believe this verse is teaching us.

Jesus calls us to give without hesitation and as we do this we worship him. We are living out the calling God has placed on our hearts to love and care for others and to take care of others whom he calls his children. Verse 6:36 says, “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” When we answer God’s call to be compassionate with giving and worship, we are reflecting God’s love into this world.

 

PRACTICING HOSPITALITY

 MARCH 23, 2023

ROMANS 12:9-13

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Hebrews 13:1-2

13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.


In our Worship Service last Sunday we reflected on Christian Hospitality as an important aspect of sharing God’s love. A fellow worshipper, following the service, wondered about the practical outcome of desiring to show God’s love. What ways or actions might we build into our lives that can show God’s love?

Today I want to suggest a few possibilities. 

Before I do, let me just say, I believe a key part of discovering our “love way” is by listening to those around us, it may be that in conversation you will hear a need that you can help meet. Each of us may show love in different ways, based on interests or personalities or ability or resources, I pray that God will help us develop our loving lifestyle.

Sharing the Love of God through acts of Hospitality is truly an important Biblical emphasis, whether we are entertaining angels or not, hospitality is a great way to show God’s love to one another.

Here are some examples of actions that show God's love through hospitality, that I thought of. You may think of other examples, I hope that you will.


Show God’s Love by Hosting Others

Opening up your home, or inviting someone for a outing, or to grab a cup of coffee or Tea, is a way that you can show God’s love to others and serve others as well.

Of course, many people have opened their homes for special events, or small groups. Anytime you invite others into your home, into your space, you are showing God’s love because God has done the same for us, God welcomes us to abide with him, and to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Show God’s Love by Cooking and Sharing a Meal

You can invite others over to your residence for a home cooked meal or pick up something on the way home and drop it off at a neighbor’s house, or friends or a work colleague, that you know are in a hard place. Whatever you are led to do, giving someone a meal is a great way to show hospitality and show God’s love to others.

Show God’s Love by Providing Transportation

You may be reading the above ways to show the love of God and think, well, my house/apartment is too small, I’m a lousy house keeper, or I’m a terrible cook. No worries! Do you have a vehicle?

You can serve and love others by giving them a lift. For example, someone who currently doesn’t have a car, would be blessed and no doubt feel cared for to receive the offer of a ride to an appointment, or to the grocery store, or to church. It may seem like a small gesture, but being chauffeured around is always appreciated.

Show God’s Love by Inviting Others into Your Life

A wonderful gesture of love and care is to invite others to do life with you. It means inviting them to experience life with you, and for you to participate in theirs.

The important thing we need to remember is that Christian hospitality is about making an intentional effort, and going out of our way to make sure the other person feels included, loved, and valued. For that is how God sees them, too. 

By showing hospitality to them in this way, we act as the hands and feet, even the face of God to others, we are being a beautiful example of God’s love and reminding the person that they are loved by God.

A GOOD WAY TO START?

 MARCH 22, 2023

Matthew 5:44

44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

Luke 6:28

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

1 Timothy 2:1

1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.


I have been doing a lot of thinking lately on the practical ways that we can participate in loving others. Sometimes we feel like doing this, showing God’s love needs be something spectacular, maybe even something that drives us our of comfort zones. Not that coming out of comfortable places isn’t a good thing.

It occurred to me that perhaps a great way to start with sharing love with others is by praying for them. I believe we know that Prayer is powerful because prayer allows us to connect with God and that we can pour our hearts out to him. It causes us to know that we are heard!! 1 John 5:14 says,

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Admittedly, prayers aren’t just about us, our wants and needs. The Gospel's reveal to us that Jesus prayed for his disciples, John 17 records that after Jesus prayer for his disciples he prayed for all believers. 17:20 says  “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message …” Therefore, this implies that we can and should also pray on behalf of others.

So today, I invite all of us, to think of people in our life, even those that are difficult to be around, that really test our love. Jesus said “pray …. for those who persecute you, pray for those who mistreat you. Paul, we read, urges that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people. So make a list of 2 or 3 people and begin to pray for them.

Here are some themes that we can pray for the people on our lists. That they might experience:

• Peace
• Comfort
• Wisdom
• Knowledge
• Composure
• Trust
• Courage
• Strength
• Provision

Just watch how God moves!!

WALK THIS WAY

 MARCH 21, 2023

1 John 2:6

“Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”



How should our life (words, actions, and decisions) reflect our relationship as a Jesus follower?

“Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6)

The perfect expression of God’s love for others is found in the person of Jesus. Jesus does not expect anything from us that He did not already live out in His own practice and life. The command to love one another (John 13:34) and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39) were given and modeled by Jesus, and now this lifestyle is given to us, His followers, as we with the help of God’s Spirit, walk in his steps.

The Bible gives us many examples of the ways that Jesus demonstrated Love. Here are a few ways for us to ponder today.

Compassion

Jesus was incredibly compassionate. We see Him time and time again responding to the needs of the suffering:
The sick were made well and the blind given sight (Luke 7:21)
He liberated those who were bound by social injustice and prejudice (Mark 7:24-30; Luke 5:12-15; 7:36-50; 8:43-48; 10:38-42; 19:1-10)
Those in bondage to demonic powers were set free (Luke 4:33-35)
He loved deeply (Matt 9:36; Mark 10:21; Luke 7:13)

Respect

Jesus’s respect for all of life was universal.
He repeatedly respected and valued women – an attitude largely unexpected and unknown in His culture and time. (Mark 1:30-31; Luke 7:11-15; 13:10-17)
He respected and valued children (Mark 10:13-16)
He respected the oppressed and poor. It’s the purpose for which He came according to Luke 4:18-19

Listened

Jesus was an extraordinary listener. Whether it be His enemies or His disciples, Jesus valued people by listening to them and responding thoughtfully and patiently.

Encouraged

Jesus spent a great deal of time encouraging people towards love. (Luke 6:17-49) The Beatitudes serve as a call to be responsive to God and to love others as Jesus advocates throughout His life.

We learn from the Gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that all people were accepted and loved, especially those at the bottom of the social pyramid—poor people, women, outcasts, lepers, children, prostitutes, and tax collectors. Jesus is the perfect model of loving your neighbor as yourself.

How should our life (words, actions and decisions) reflect our relationship as Jesus follower? What if we, in dependence on God working in us and through us, subscribed to being compassionate to the suffering, to showing genuine respect the person in front of us at any moment, to offer the gift of listening to the people we have around us, being women and men of encouragement. These are some ways that we can live and love as Jesus did.

1 Corinthians 16:14

Let all that you do be done in love.

LET YOUR COMPASSION COME TO ME

 MARCH 20, 2023

NEHEMIAH 9:19-21

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.


PSALM 119:77

Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.

COMPASSION

Think about your closest relationship, whether that’s with your spouse, parent, child, or good friend. How has that relationship changed over the months or years? Maybe you have become more comfortable with that person, spend more time with them, or try to serve and bless  them more often. But above all, you might realize that you feel a growing tenderness and affection toward that person.

The closer your bond grows with someone, the more you love, care about, and want to serve them. That’s how compassion begins.

Compassion is that deep feeling of love for someone else. The online dictionary paints a distinction between compassion and empathy, saying that compassion is more involved than empathy because it includes “a desire to alleviate the person’s distress.”

That’s the kind of compassion Jesus displayed in His earthly ministry. He not only understood the pain each person was going through, but He also took action to heal those who were suffering. Compassion is what drove Him to action.

Throughout the Bible, God is described as “compassionate” or “showing compassion” on His people, forgiving a person or a nation of their sins and choosing to love them.

We, as Jesus followers, are called to pattern ourselves after the compassion of Jesus. This is the compassion that leads to action, to service, and to sacrifice.

Remember the parable of the prodigal son? The father had compassion for his son and chose to welcome him with open arms instead of turning him away. The father identified with what the son was going through, and he acted to “alleviate [his son’s] distress,” to quote the dictionary definition.

Perhaps our challenge is to demonstrate compassion toward someone in our lives. Someone who we might not be close to, or we find challenging, or someone new God has brought into our life. How might God use us to “alleviate distress.”

YOU ARE VERY WELCOME!!

 MARCH 17, 2023

HEBREWS 13:1-2

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.


HOSPITALITY

Hospitality. Immediately, you might think of someone welcoming you into their home to share a meal. But the true heart of hospitality includes so much more than one example or image could ever contain. Hospitality is defined as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.

The New Testament has many examples of hospitality. Jesus freely extends hospitality to those He encountered, regardless of who they were. In John 4:6–26, we read the story of Jesus speaking with the woman at the well. We looked at that story recently. Not only did Jesus talk with her, but He also told her how to find “living water,” or eternal life.

The account of a woman anointing Jesus with expensive oil, and of Martha and Mary welcoming Jesus into their home are also stories about the humble act of hospitality. The Parable of the Good Samaritan, Story of Zacchaeus, and many others underscore the them of hospitality.

If you think about it, one could say hospitality doesn’t come without sacrifice. In hospitality, we extend something of ourselves. We might sacrifice something emotional, like comfort or security, or something physical, like a blanket or a place to stay. Being hospitable means inviting others, our Bible passage says “strangers” into our space, that is a place of vulnerability isn’t it?

We get this idea of hospitality from God don’t we? God’s actions toward his people in the Old Testament, God’s words about hospitality and community there. In Leviticus 19:34 we read “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” “And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God," we see in Leviticus 19:10. In Matthew 25 Jesus teaches us that the Blessed are those to whom the King will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Then there is the challenge of the “Greatest Commandment”, that says “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

In this season of Lent when we reflect on God’s love and mercy to us in Jesus, we see that God (gave) sacrificed his son Jesus in the final act of hospitality. By God’s grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness of our sins we experience the perfect demonstrations of God welcoming us into His love.

Let’s pause for a moment and give thought to the following questions.

How has hospitality been shown to you?

In which relationships do you see hospitality?

For you personally, what is the most difficult part of showing hospitality?

How might God be calling you, challenging you, to sacrifice something in your life to extend a welcome to someone?

Let us today, as a community of Jesus pray about how we can extend hospitality: the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Who knows perhaps we will show “hospitality to angels without knowing it” just like Hebrews 13:2 says.

THE WORDS OF COMFORT WE NEED

 MARCH 16, 2023

As you read today's Bible Reading write down the promises that stand out to you. Those promises that speak personally to you. Take some moments through the day to reflect on these and discern what comfort God is speaking to you.

ISAIAH 49:8 - 16

8This is what the Lord says:

“In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
9to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’

“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.
10They will neither hunger nor thirst,
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.

He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.
11I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
12See, they will come from afar—
some from the north, some from the west,
some from the region of Aswan.”

13Shout for joy, you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;
burst into song, you mountains!
For the Lord comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

14But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me.”

15“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.

LET US PRAY

Dear Lord, I come before You today in need of Your refreshing, never-ending compassion. I pray that You will smooth my path and teach me to yearn only for You. I know that You do amazing things for those who trust in You, and Your compassion is beyond what I can ever imagine. Please give me a taste of Your compassion today, and let it overflow in me so that I can rejoice as the heavens and the earth do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A CHANGE OF MIND

 MARCH 15, 2023

MARK 1:15

“The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”


REPENTANCE

Think about a recent time when you changed your mind and went in a completely different direction. Today, we are looking at the discipline of repentance, or as the Greek word “metanoia” indicates, “a change of mind.”

Repentance is the act of examining and exploring our thoughts and behavior, recognizing what is sinful or impure, asking for God's forgiveness, and then with God’s help, turning away from these behaviors. Easy right? It seems so simple, and yet Jesus seemed to know that we would need help in this. So Jesus, promised and gave us a helper, the Holy Spirit to help us with this very thing. John 16:7–8 says,

7 But the truth is that My departure will be a gift that will serve you well, because if I don’t leave, the great Helper will not come to your aid. When I leave, I will send Him to you. 8-9 When He arrives, He will uncover the sins of the world, expose unbelief as sin, and allow all to see their sins in the light of righteousness for the first time. (The Voice)

It is only by the grace and goodness of God that we see our sin, it is only by the power of God that we turn away from sin, and it is only by the sacrifice of Jesus that our sin is forgiven and we are reconciled with our Creator. That is the Story of God’s love, grace, and mercy. Amazing, isn’t it?

I must be honest, the outcome of our repentance is marvelous, one might say miraculous, yet there is tension or conflict in repentance, because when we invite the Holy Spirit into our dark places, we will have to confront some realities that can be uncomfortable. Such things, as pride, rebellion, fear, doubt and skepticism. The loving nature of God is revealed even in this, because our God knows that the full life we long for can only be experienced by acknowledging our brokenness and need.

Here is the beautiful thing about grace, once the Holy Spirit helps us see a place for change, this revelation results in the acknowledgment of sinful attitudes and actions or unbelief with the focus on God’s lovingkindness. We will experience that there is no condemnation (shame, disapproval, or hopelessness) to those who are in Christ Jesus! Our focus is on God and not on ourselves.

A NEVER ENDING ADVENTURE

 MARCH 14, 2023

1 John 5:14

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” 

PRAYER

“You cannot estimate prayer power. Prayer is as vast as God because He is behind it. Prayer is as mighty as God because He has committed Himself to answer it” (Leonard Ravenhill).

If a main purpose of Lent is to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with God, then it seems to me, that prayer must be a foundational discipline. Have you noticed that having a strong and active prayer life can be difficult to develop? Despite our best intentions to devote ourselves to prayer many of us struggle with the practice of prayer.

Matthew 6:8 describes that God knows our every need before we ask. So why do we need to pray? We pray because prayer is the expression of an intimate relationship with God, an ongoing dialogue that brings Christ into every detail of our lives. Prayer can feel risky because it requires two things of us: trust in God’s goodness and surrender to “what he deems best.” Prayer is: the alignment of our heart to God’s heart and desire.

Prayer expresses itself through our words, meditations, and actions. Whether it’s prayers of petition, gratitude, power, sorrow, or repentance, we know that God hears us: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14, NIV).

I have come to believe that a strong prayer life is not a destination, or the goal. Rather I wonder if our prayer life ought to be thought of as a never-ending adventure of the discovery of the heart of God. 

In this way of thinking we are positioned to see ourselves as always being a student of prayer, because God uses the practice or discipline of prayer as a way to reveal Himself to us. 

The New Testament shows us that even the apostles were ongoing students of prayer, and through their hunger to learn, they were taught and passed on to us Jesus beautiful model prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, or as some of my Roman Catholic friends call it the “Our Father.”

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
for yours is the kingdom 

and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

During this Lenten season, as you meditate on Christ’s journey to the cross, start an open dialogue with God and begin, renew, and continue the adventure of a lifetime through prayer.

?'s WORTH PONDERING

What keeps you from intimate prayer?

What are blocks that you may have in prayer?

Invite God into those spaces and ask Him to bring down the barriers.

THE DESIRE TO CONNECT

 MARCH 13, 2023

Psalm 35:13

 “I humbled myself with fasting”

Fasting

You are not alone if merely hearing the word “fast” makes you squirm with discomfort. Historically, the concept of fasting has been associated with
deprivation, long-suffering, sorrow, and sin. If this is your understanding of fasting, you are not entirely wrong, but that is only part of the story.

If we only see fasting for the discomfort it brings, then we miss the more important and delicious fruit honed by fasting, such as dependency on God, ordering of priorities, the relief found in repentance, and the discovery of Holy Spirit empowered self-control.

Fasting is a cornerstone spiritual discipline practiced throughout the Old and New Testaments. As we see in Matthew 4:1–2, Jesus Himself was familiar with fasting: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry” (NIV).

In the Bible, people fasted for a variety of reasons, but ultimately it was an act of submission and realignment with God. David captures fasting beautifully in Psalm 35:13: “I humbled myself with fasting” (NIV). Biblically, fasting was a personal invitation for God to intervene in the lives of His children. And it’s a beautiful way to deepen our Lenten journey.

Fasting is a personal desire to connect with God in a deeper way. (Matthew 6:16–19).

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16–19).

Here are a few steps to follow when beginning a fast.

Fast with intentionality: Ask yourself these questions: “Why am I fasting? What do I hope to gain?”

Determine boundaries: What are you eliminating? How long will you fast?

Replacement: What spiritual practices will you engage with instead?

Be kind to yourself: Fasting is about humility, not perfection. God does His best work in us when we come to the end of ourselves.

LOOKING AT THE HEART

 MARCH 10, 2023

1 Samuel 16:1–13

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”

5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

Today as we continue our Lenten journey, let us look for where God’s love is revealed toward us and the world.

In our reading, we find God's love extending to David, Jesse’s youngest son, who was serving in a lowly shepherd role. Without God’s guidance, Samuel might not have recognized a shepherd as “king material.”

The question that came up for me in this passage was, like Samuel, do I judge by appearances? For example, our communities are enriched because people across diversity’s continuums, race, ethnicity, gender, age, abilities, the list goes on, serve capably in many roles. Nevertheless, I hear and read as you no doubt do as well, that we sometimes imply some people “don’t look the part,” we judge by appearance.

However, today’s verses reveal that whether people are in lowly roles like shepherds or powerful positions like kings, God's call to serve is based on what God sees on their hearts (16:7). During our Lenten journeys, let’s look beyond appearances and, instead, let’s look for people’s hearts as God does. That’s where we can find God loving us and the world.

LET US PRAY

All-seeing God, forgive us when we wrongfully judge people by their appearances or statuses. Help us look on all of your children’s hearts and love them just as you love them. Amen.

GONNA SING WHEN THE SPIRIT SAYS SING!

 MARCH 9, 2023

Psalm 95

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

3 For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice,
8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[means quarrelling]
as you did that day at Massah[means testing] in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”


Someone once said the true philosophers of our times are those who write poems and songs. "Songs allow us to hold a simple melody in our imagination. And the words become our way of speaking about our world."

It seems the songs we sing from the ages of 16 to 25 remain our favorites, which explains why I seem to lean toward music of the 70’s and 80’s. There are wonderful memories and experiences connected with the music for me. What songs from your teen to young adult ages remain your favorites?

Today’s reading is from the playlist of Israel’s favorite king, David. It seems God likes noise! In response to God’s presence, greatness, creative handiwork, and loving care, the psalmist calls for singing.

Remembering how quickly his ancestors forgot God’s goodness, David poetically reviews the rock of their salvation, who called the sea from dry land and led his flock like a Shepherd to safe and nourishing pastures. When we recognize God’s loving presence like that, we remember whose image we are created to bear in the world. God spoke and stuff happened. Now, that’s something to sing about!

LET US PRAY

God, move us from the shadows of singing in the shower to the “hills that are alive with the sound of music.” Fill us with your spirit that we sing when the Spirit says sing. Amen.

WHERE JESUS SHOWS UP

 MARCH 8, 2023

Do you remember the Bible reading from Yesterday

from John 4:7– 15? 

“. . . a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”


She came seeking water, not Jesus.

Whether she had heard of his ministry we are not told. Only that she knew the promises of Israel’s Scripture, and that these words were heard in the context of the centuries-old conflict between communities, who were at odds with one another over interpretations of the law and customs.

Could this be the place where Jesus shows up? 

It is in the places where we are most divided that God intrudes into our world. Among those who we should call our community. We are like the woman, after centuries of hearing the promises of God, sometimes forgetting whom we are seeking as we fulfill our tasks. Yet, her enthusiastic introduction to Jesus changed an entire city.

I am reminded of the end of the Gospel of John. There too we hear of the witness of a woman who came with watered eyes, seeking Jesus. And her testimony to the Risen Lord confronts the betrayer, the doubter, the confused, and those who thirst for righteousness even today.

LET US PRAY

Resurrected Lord, intrude into our everyday moments in such a life-changing way that we might become those who speak of your yet-fulfilled promises with the confidence that reconciles communities. Amen.