Posts with the category “lent”

WHY, GOD?SCRIPTUREAbout three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").-Matthew 27:46We prefer our saviors to look like saviors. We echo Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the first verse of Isaiah's great prophecy: "Who would have thought GOD's saving power would look like this?" (Isaiah 53:1, MSG). We l...  Read More

SEEDS OF BETRAYAL SCRIPTUREGreatly distressed, each one asked in turn, "Am I the one, Lord?"-Matthew 26:22 (NLT)Betrayal is a subtle visitor--until it isn't. On the night Jesus was betrayed, only he saw the darkness lurking. He gathered with his disciples to eat the Passover meal. Jesus always used every moment to open hearts to the truth. He took the towel and basin and washed his disciples' feet...  Read More

AM I AN ANSWER TO JESUS’S PRAYER?SCRIPTUREI will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.-John 17:11Have you ever heard someone pray for you who did not know you were listening? The closest I ever came was seeing my name written in my moth...  Read More

WHEN JESUS TURNED THE TABLESSCRIPTUREFor we are the temple of the living God.- 2 Corinthians 6:16bWhen I was six or seven years old, my father pastored a small church. There was no money for janitorial services. On Saturday nights our family cleaned the church. While I didn't always enjoy it, there was something special about getting the building ready for Sunday. It was a feeling I've never forgo...  Read More

ARE WE PALM SUNDAY PEOPLE?SCRIPTUREIn your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.-Philippians 2:5Jerusalem was crowded with people shouting a hopeful song. Were they celebrating Jesus as one who was like a Messiah, or did they understand that Jesus was the Messiah? Palm Sunday won't answer that question. The answer comes with what they did with their praise on Monda...  Read More

A HEART THAT BURNSWORSHIP FOCUSRememberSCRIPTURERejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.-Zechariah 9:9We look at the last week of Jesus's life before the cross. We know that everything he says and does carries weight. This is not the time for the trivial and munda...  Read More

WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE?SCRIPTUREPeter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now?I will lay down my life for you."-John 13:37Jesus knew his time with the disciples was limited. He did not waste words as he spoke about going where they could not go (see John 13:33). What waited for Jesus and his followers wouldn't be easy, and Jesus wanted to prepare them.Bumbling Peter tried to prove his...  Read More

USEFUL WASTESCRIPTUREThen Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages."-John 12:3-5Jesus an...  Read More

DEAD MAN WALKINGSCRIPTUREWhen he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."-John 11:43-44The story of Lazarus is a personal and dramatic healing by Jesus. Lazarus was dead for three days. They wrapped him in bur...  Read More

ONE OF TENSCRIPTURENow on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"-Luke 17:11-13By this time in Jesus's ministry, interruptions weren't new. He was no longer nameless or unrecognizable. Crowds followed ...  Read More

RICH OR POOR?SCRIPTUREJust then a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"-Matthew 19:16Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he was interrupted. Not one to ignore a person, Jesus stopped and directed his attention to the wealthy man. When this intruder had Jesus's attention, he called Jesus "teacher." Clearly this man had already heard enough abou...  Read More

THE TAX COLLECTOR IN MESCRIPTUREAfter this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.-Luke 5:27-28Jesus's disciple whom we know as Matthew--called Levi in this passage from Luke—was a tax collector. He was hated, snubbed, and considered to be a Jewish traitor. He over-colle...  Read More

BURNING ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUSWORSHIP FOCUSRespondingSCRIPTUREMy heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."-Psalm 27:8 (NLT)The more self-sufficient we think we are, the more we fool ourselves. We are needy people. Perhaps that's why the extravagance of God sometimes feels unrealistic or out of our reach.This week, we will review encounters people ...  Read More

PRAYING WESCRIPTURESo I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition... and confessed... we have sinned and done wrong.-Daniel 9:3a, 4a, 5aOur worldview changes when God's unfailing and scandalous love permeates our hearts. We take God's perspective. There is no them and us. We all need God's forgiveness. That's where Daniel's prayer for his people is a good model for praying...  Read More

THE SALT AND LIGHT EFFECTSCRIPTUREYou are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.-Matthew 5:13-14The TV commercial for a popular salted chip brags that you can't eat just one. Salt creates an ...  Read More

HE TOOK MY CASESCRIPTUREYou, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.- Lamentations 3:58As an awkward teenager, my mouth usually got me into more trouble than my actions did. I tended to argue a point to the despair of everyone else in my family. My sister used to take me aside and plead, "Why can't you just stop arguing and leave it alone?" I couldn't answer then, but I think I can now.I want...  Read More

DEEP AND WIDESCRIPTUREAnd I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.-Ephesians 3:17b-18I've seen the Grand Canyon with its abyss where the river below looks more like a stream I could jump across. I sat on rocky ground with my tennis shoes staunch against a boul...  Read More

SCANDALOUS LOVESCRIPTUREFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.一John 3:16I feel like a pinpoint in the world whenever I find myself in an airplane flying over open land or cities. My larger-than-life world reduces me to ant status from this viewpoint. I echo David's cry, Who am I that you pay attention to me...  Read More

UNFAILING LOVESCRIPTUREMany are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.-Psalm 32:10God is not a stranger to our mishaps in love. He sees every rejection, every betrayal, every argument, every separation. He longs for us to know that he is the God of unfailing love. It's not just one of his traits; it's the trait that binds everything we know about...  Read More

A BURNING LOVEWORSHIP FOCUSCome for LoveSCRIPTUREAnd that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.- Deuteronomy 30:20aThe Bible is a love story. It is the story of God's love with backbone, determination, persistence, and uncompromising boundaries for our protection. He does nothing without us in mind-and not just us from this generation. His actions and instructi...  Read More

HONESTY WITH GODSCRIPTUREYou desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.-Psalm 51:6 (NRSVUE)My husband and I enjoy many places in our community where we can walk. I especially love the wooded trails just minutes from where we live. Regardless of the season, the trees are our allies and secret keepers as we walk and talk together. It reminds me of the garden walk...  Read More

A WORD OF FAITHSCRIPTUREWhen Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."—Luke 7:9I love the story Luke told of the centurion's faith. The centurion was a gentile asking for help from Jesus, who was Jewish. This Roman officer sent Jewish elders to deliver a message to Jesus that the officer'...  Read More

LOOKING FOR SIGNSSCRIPTURESo we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.-Colossian...  Read More

ROOTEDSCRIPTURELet your roots grove down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grove strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.-Colossians 2:7 (NLT)We lived in Portland, Oregon, where rain was mostly a fine mist or light shower and umbrellas were optional. Occasionally, hard rains soaked the ground, and old-growth trees without deep r...  Read More

FINDING HOMESCRIPTUREDo not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.-Romans 12:2I love the GPS "go home" command. It means that, no matter how lost I feel, there is a way home, and GPS will take me there. Don't you wish GPS could help us find God's will t...  Read More

LETTING GOSCRIPTURESo humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.-1 Peter 5:6-7 (NLT)One morning I was listening to a piano solo on my music app. The melody called to me. Usually, I don't pay attention to song titles, but something about the gentle runs and rhythm of this partic...  Read More

A BURNING DESIREWORSHIP FOCUSDesiring God FirstSCRIPTUREAnd I will make an everlasting covenant with them:I will never stop doing good for them.I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me.-Jeremiah 32:40 (NLT)God wants to accomplish a spring cleaning in our hearts as we take this thoughtful journey to the cross. This cleaning involves God's examination of our he...  Read More

WE NEED MORE HELPSCRIPTUREHe has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again.On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.-2 Corinthians 1:10We live in a hopeless culture. Post-pandemic, we have lost what we believed would never change. We understand "tentative" in a way we never wanted to. We've collected more maybes about a future we can't predict. We'v...  Read More

FATHER KNOWS BESTSCRIPTUREYour Father knows what you need before you ask him.-Matthew 6:8bIn the television program Father Knows Best that aired in the 1950s, the character Jim Anderson seemed to always know the right words to say or the best advice to give. We knew it was just a show with a written script and actors, but sometimes we wished it was true. We wanted Jim Anderson for our own dad.Toda...  Read More

I WANT TO SEESCRIPTURE"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."-Mark 10:51When our daughter began to lose her eyesight, her world changed. She could still see light, but it wasn't enough. Shapes lost their edges, and faces ran together. Words drowned on pages without hope of rescue. What she couldn't see with her eyes, she began to see with he...  Read More

MORE GRACESCRIPTUREBut he gives us more grace.-James 4:6aWe always need more of something: money, closeness in relationships, sleep. I usually need more time. I often put more on my to-do list than I can reasonably finish, and then I pat myself on the back when I accomplish half of my list.I am slowly learning that God's list for me is shorter and more focused. God reminds us that he is the first ...  Read More

ALL MY NEEDSSCRIPTUREAnd my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.-Philippians 4:19Can God really meet all our needs? Paul, the writer of the letter to the Philippian church, is the true poster child for allowing God to define and meet needs. He testified to accessing glorious riches in Christ that met everything he needed. I am glad God doesn't give me ...  Read More

AN ACCOUNTINGSCRIPTUREWhat will I do when God confronts me?What will I answer when called to account?-Job 31:14Few people look forward to annual reviews, regardless of whether the evaluation is medical or professional. We're afraid we may not pass some sort of test. When someone else holds the power to change our lives with a review, it can be scary. Lent is a good time for a spiritual review. We ...  Read More

A BURNING NEEDWORSHIP FOCUSYearningSCRIPTUREMy soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.- Psalm 84:2God is generous in ways we will never understand. He has promised to meet our needs, and he also blesses us with surprises. Too often we elevate our wants to needs. We fear we won't get what we want otherwise. It is a useless game because...  Read More

DON'T FORGETSCRIPTUREYou forget the LORD your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth.-Isaiah 51:13aHow often does someone remind us: Don't forget the milk, your lunch, to pick up the kids, or some other task? Do reminders sear the instruction in special memory cells of our brains? Not unless we do something like write a note, set an alarm, or take care of th...  Read More

HUNGER AND THIRSTSCRIPTUREBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.—Matthew 5:6Many of us live in a culture that doesn't understand thirst. So many of us have known only the kind of periodic hunger that can be immediately sated, rather than the kind of gnawing, painful hunger that persists because there is literally no food. Many of us carry bottled water ...  Read More

TEMPTEDSCRIPTUREThen Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.-Matthew 4:1 NIVWhen Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he used his experience to settle the trajectory of his life and confirm his mission to be the bridge to bring people to his Father. False accusations didn't distract him. Debate didn't unnerve him. Misunderstanding and betrayal from his followers...  Read More

INTO THE WILDERNESSSCRIPTUREJesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.-Luke 4:1Some translations of this scripture say "desert" instead of "wilderness." My personal deserts aren't hot, sandy expanses where a merciless sun threatens and thirst could kill me. My deserts are places where I feel alone in all the wrong ways. Illness that drags on or a...  Read More

COME FASTINGSCRIPTURECome fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!Change your life, not just your clothes.-Joel 2:12b-13a (MSG)We don't like to do without things. We live in a culture that pushes getting more in every category we can think of.But the call to the cross is to set something aside that our heart does not need, in order that we may grow. God invites us to get rid of whatever makes it ...  Read More

RETURN TO MESCRIPTURE"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."-Joel 2:12No voice should ever take priority over God's voice. However, we often prefer our own thoughts and perspectives, even as we long to hear what God has to say. God's invitation to return to him is crucial because God invites us to return to who he knows we can be in...  Read More