1  When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.  2  And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.  3  They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”  4  When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.  5  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  6  But he said to them, “do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  he has been raised; he is not here.  Look, there is the place they laid him.  7  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”  8  So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
Alleluia!
Christ has been raised from the dead.
Thanks be to God who gives  us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Amen.

“Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.”                   Luke 23:46

These words have been repeated by countless Christians on their way to death.  Anglicans pray, at the Liturgy for Burial, “Into thy hands, O merciful Savior, we comment thy servant.”  Christians repeat these words in imitation of Jesus and because we assume these are words of comfort as we face the unknown that death names.  These words can and should comfort, but that these words comfort us should not hide from us that these last words of Jesus before his death name his willingness to embrace the ice-cold silence of hell.  Accordingly these words, “Father, into thy hands I comment my spirit,” are every bit as frightening as Jesus’s prior cry of abandonment.  Jesus is not comforting himself; he is gesturing to the Father that he is ready to face the final work that only Jesus can do.                                                                                                                           -Stanley Hauerwas

Action:  Sit in silence and contemplate Christ’s death on the cross.

Prayer:  We wait, O God, for you to move and bring hope into the darkness.  Amen.

“It is finished.”  John 19:30

“It is finished” is not a death gurgle.  ”It is finished” is not “I am done for.”  ”It is finished” will not be, as we know from the tradition of ordering these words from the cross, the last words of Jesus.  ”It is finished” is a cry of victory.  ”It is finished” is the triumphant cry that what I came to do has been done.  All is accomplished, completed, fulfilled work.  The work that is finished, moreover is the cross.  He will be and is resurrected, but the resurrected One remains the One crucified.
God has finished what only God could finish.  Christ’s sacrifice is a gift that exceeds every debt.  Our sins have been consumed, making possible lives that glow with the beauty of God’s Spirit.  What wonderful news: “It is finished.”  But it is not over.  We are made witnesses sot he world- a world with no time for a crucified God- may know what we have all the time of God’s kingdom to live in peace with one another.                                                                                    -Stanley Hauerwas

Action:  Sit in silence and ponder Christ’s death on the cross.

Prayer:  God, thank you for the new life you have given me through your sons death on the cross.  Amen.

“I thirst.”   John 19:28

In the gospel of John, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that he is the living water.  How could the one who calls himself “living water” in John 4, tell us that he thirsts by Chapter 19?  The fact that Jesus is thirsty on the cross reminds us of Psalm 22 which is fulfilled through this statement but more than that, it reminds us that Jesus was real.  He was human, the incarnated God, and indeed he felt thirst.  We can relate to that.  The cross can feel hard to relate with until we see a snapshot like this, of the real and living God, thirsty on the cross.
In John 7 Jesus says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.  As the scripture has said, ‘Our of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38).  May Jesus’ thirst of the cross remind us once again that he is real and that we can find our own thirst quenched when we come to Him.

Action:  Make a list of the ways God can quench your thirst for Him.

Prayer:  Gracious God, may I find all my needs met in you and according to your will.  Quench my thirst I pray, Amen.

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”                         Luke 23:43

Jesus makes the above promise to one of the thieves that is hanging on the cross next to him who requests, “Please, dear Jesus, remember us.”  We all want to be known something, to be remembered.  We hope in the course of our life time to insure that our lives will have significance.  Theologian Stanley Hauerwas writes, “Here, in the crucified Messiah, we see the love that moves the sun and the stars.  To be “with Jesus” means we are not forgotten, but rather we can confidently live in the recognition, with faith, that God is not other than the one found in Jesus of Nazareth.  How could we ever think we need to know more than this thief?  Like the thief we can live with the hope and confidence that the only remembering that matters is to be remembered by Jesus.”

Action:  Thank God for remembering you.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, even at the time of Jesus’ death he has us on his mind.  We give you thanks.  Amen.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”                                            Matthew 27:46

Hear these words, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” and know that the Son of God has taken our place, become for us the abandonment our sin produces, so that we may live confident that the world has been redeemed by this cross.  So redeemed, any account of the cross that suggests God must somehow satisfy an abstract theory of justice by sacrificing his Son on our behalf is clearly wrong.  Indeed such accounts are dangerously wrong.  The Father’s sacrifice of the Son and the Son’s willing sacrifice is God’s justice.  Just as there is no God who is not the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so there is no god who must be satisfied that we might be spared.  We are the spared because God refuses to have us lost.  The horror of the cross is not and cannot ever be the last word about our existence.  It cannot be the last word because the Son’s obedience even to death means:

Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.  (Phil. 2:9-11)

-Stanley Hauwerwas, Cross-Shattered Christ 

Action:  Find a way to confess today that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, we know of your great love for us because of your willingness to die for us.  We are humbled and we pray that we can glorify you in all we do as a way of saying thanks.  Amen.

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”             Luke 23:34

To comprehend these words we rightly fear would threaten all we hold dear, that is, the everyday.  Everyday death always threatens the everyday, but we depend on our death-denying routines to return life to normality.  But this death, and these death-determinded words, are not ordinary.  This is the death of the Son of God, a death that encompasses death, challenging our assumption that we have or can “come to terms with death” on our own terms.  To comprehend this death, to be faced with these words, means life can never return to normal.
-Stanley Hauerwas

Question:  How does Christ’s death impact the way you live?

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that I participated putting Christ to death on the cross through my sin.  Forgive me God, I don’t know what I am doing.  Amen.

21 They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.  22Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull).  23And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it.  24And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.  25It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.  26The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”  27And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left.  29Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30save yourself, and come down from the cross!”  31In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.  32Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.”  Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
33When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.  34At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  35When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.”  36And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”  37Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.  38And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  39Now when the centurion, who stood facing him saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
Mark 15:21-39

Sundays during Lent, we will read the scripture passage that we are focusing on in worship and rest.

Action:  Do something restful.

Prayer:  You, O God, are the One and Only.  In you, I place my trust.  Amen.

25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will be my servant also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
John 12:25-26

Have you seen Jesus lately?  Don’t just answer, think for a minute.  Where have you seen Jesus?  In the children in your life?  In your work place?  In your own home?  This passage reminds us that following Jesus (wait for it) is not about us.  Ouch.  Our call is not to build the very best life we can without God and then hope God will fit in somewhere.  Our call is to “lose our life” so that we might gain true life for all of eternity.  When it comes to knowing how to lose our life we can become overwhelmed.  ”Does this mean I have to give up all my stuff, move to Africa, and serve the poor?”  Maybe.  But more likely God is calling you to serve those you are around most often.  Verse 26 tells us that those who serve God will be in the presence of Jesus.  Therefore, if you haven’t seen Jesus lately, check to make sure you are serving in the right places.

Action:  Ask God to show you how to follow Him.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, help me to lose my life that I would instead find true life in you.  Amen.

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”                                                   Matthew 13:44-45

In the book of Matthew, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus means that the kingdom of God has come.  The idea of a kingdom coming as a result of the death of God’s own son has always been a bit too much for humans to get their minds around.  And so, Jesus gave us metaphors to view the kingdom of God as something that was worth risking everything for and he exhorted us to look for it everywhere we go.  It is hard to find.  Barbara Brown Taylor writes,
“Unless, of course God has resorted to the oldest trick in the book and hidden it in plain view.  There is always that possibility, you know- that God decided to hide the kingdom of God in any of the extraordinary places that treasure hunters would be sure to check but in the last place that any of us would think to look, namely, in the ordinary circumstances of our everyday lives: like a silver spoon in the drawer with the stainless, like a diamond necklace on the bureau with the rhinestones; the extraordinary hidden in the ordinary, the kingdom of heaven all mixed in with the humdrum and ho-hum of our days, as easy to find as an amaryllis bulb in the dark basement that suddenly sends forth a shoot, or a child’s smile when she awakes from sleep, or the first thunderstorm after a long drought- all of them signs of the kingdom of God, clues to all the holiness hidden in the dullest of our days.”

Action:  Look for signs of the kingdom of God in your ordinary life.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, these last days of Lent can feel dull and lifeless as we wait for the resurrection to come.  May we see signs of your kingdom all around us and may we be aware of the holiness that is hidden in the dullest of our days.  Amen.

At harvest time I will tell the reapers, collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:30

In Kansas, farmers grow the wheat so close together that it becomes difficult for weeds to take root.  But some always manage to slip in.  So it is with people.  Surround yourself with true friends, who neither gossip nor toy with you, and you will find that the weeks in your spiritual life grow fewer.  At harvest time there will be less for God to separate.  Once you begin to discipline yourself to live life free of soap-opera drama, once you learn to tell the truth and speak well of others, once you learn to love genuinely and not play games, wheat tends to grow up around you.  You will find yourself tiring of those who play games and create drama.  You will find that you are inclined to grow wheat all around you, so that there is no longer room for the weeds.  And your spiritual wheat will grow stronger with time and practice.                                                                                             -Kate Moorehead

Action:  Look for ways to surround yourself with wheat.

Prayer:  Oh God, help me to seek deep relationships with people who know you.  Surround me with wheat and give me courage to pull the weeds.  Amen.

*It was brought to my attention that yesterday’s devotion was a bit unclear.  I have edited it to better reflect what I was intending to say.

8  The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.                                                                              John 3:8

The activity of the wind is a great metaphor for the movement of God.  We cannot understand or predict the actions of God.  We cannot see God, nor can we be sure that God is present at all.  But we can feel God.  God can move us to tears.  God is as real and as elusive as the wind.  And God can change our direction in an instant.  As the early spring winds blow, may they remind us that God is at work and moving and may we join him in his work through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Action:  Ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit and to move you.

Prayer:  Gracious God, may the winds of your Holy Spirit blow through our lives bringing hope and change.  Amen.

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
John 12:20-21

Recently, in my own journey of faith, I have been uncovering the truth that my picture of Jesus is not always correct.  I often think of Jesus as a bit too much like God and not enough like a human being.  Jesus, was uniquely human and uniquely sinless.  He bears the image of God, just like you and me.  As we move into these last days of Lent may we begin to see Jesus the way He was and the way He is today- fully human and fully God.  Remembering that these truths remind us that we have a God who knows us and a God who understands.

Action:  Choose three gospel stories and write down the characteristics of Jesus that are revealed in each.

Prayer:  God, thank you for sending your Son to die for us, but even more than that, thank you that Jesus showed us how to live.  May we see Jesus in the world and circumstances around us today.  Amen.

27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.  28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head.  They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying “Hail, King of the Jews!”  30They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the heard.  31After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put hi own clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him.
Mark 27:27-31

These are hard verses to read.  The reality of Jesus’ pain, suffering, betrayal by one of his followers and rejection can bring the reader to tears.  ”How could they do that?” I find myself thinking when I read a passage like this and then I am reminded of some of the things I have done.  We would all like to believe that our actions and words have no consequence, because that would mean that no one we love and no innocent bystander would ever become the victim of our selfishness.  Each of us has rejected someone and each of us has experienced rejection as well.  But God does not allow the story to end there.  Throughout scripture, God intervenes int he midst of humanity’s rejection of itself, of God, of each other, and God reframes the picture.  We see a new beginning or a different path from what the world considers our only outcome.  God believes all situations are redeemable, all lives matter, and all stories are just one page from a new chapter.  After all, these verses are not the end of the story.

Action:  Confess to God the ways you have rejected Him and others.

Prayer:  God, may I be reminded that, big and small, my words and actions matter.  Help me to be one that does not add to destruction, but partners with you to bring new life.  Amen.

“While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head.  4But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way?  5For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.”  Andy they scolded her.  6But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her?  She has performed a good service for me.  7For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.  8She has done what she could; she has anointed my body before hand for its burial.  9Truly I tell you, where ever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.  10Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.  11When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money.  So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
Mark 14:3-11

Sundays during Lent, we will read the scripture passage that we are focusing on in worship and rest.

Action:  Do something restful.

Prayer:  You, O God, are the One and Only.  In you, I place my trust.  Amen

1I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.  He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit.  2Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.                                                                                              John 15:1-2

Spring has come extraordinarily early to Minnesota this year.  I have heard many gardening experts talk about what you should and should not do in your yard right now.  Do not rake.  Do prune- but only the branches that do not have buds.  The process of pruning is known throughout the gardening world.   When we prune a tree or bush correctly it bears more fruit, grows fuller and stronger, and even produces more blooms.  Jesus was not simply talking about gardening in this passage.  He compared himself to the vine and our lives are the branches.  We all need to be pruned.  Sometimes God does the pruning for us by cutting something out of our lives and at other times God prompts us to do a little pruning of our own.  Pruning is not always easy but it is the only way to ensure that we will continue to grow and bear fruit.

Action:  What is one thing on your calendar that God may be calling you to prune or remove?

Prayer:  God, thank you for taking good care of me by removing the branches that do not bear fruit.  Remind me that when branches are removed new growth will come.  Amen.

5I am the vine, you are the branches.
John15:5

Even the most devout Christians fall into the trap of misunderstanding what it means to follow God’s will.  We assume that God has only one path in mind and that it’s up to the devout to discern that one path and then follow it to its logical conclusion.  God’s will is not a problem to be solved.  It is not a guessing game.  There is not just one answer to the question of the direction of your life.  There is no predetermined answer to the question of the will of God.  In the fullness of the Divine, in the many dimensions of time and space, there is much more freedom.  It is, in fact, possible to follow God’s will and be yourself at the same time.
Think of a vine.  The vine is a remarkable plant that adapts itself to its surroundings.  If a vine finds itself next to a rock, it will cover the rock.  If it finds itself adjacent to a steep wall, it will grow at a ninety-degree angle.  The branches of the vine can grow in so many different directions, as long as they remain rooted in the stem.  If Christ is the vine and we are the branches, then there is enormous freedom within the will of God.  God celebrates the possibilities that are before you.  God asks you to grow fiercely and freely, but to always remain rooted in the stem of God’s being.
-Kate Moorehead

Action:  Make a list of the possible directions you could go at a crossroads in your life and ponder how to best remain in God.

Prayer:  O God, at every crossroads in my life may I move forward with freedom and confidence and remain in you.

1He entered Jericho and was passing through it.  2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.  3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.  4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.  5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”  6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.  7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”  8Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”  9Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.  10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.                                                           Luke 19:1-10

Throughout this Lenten season we have been focusing on our sin.  When we spend time looking at our sin, regret can soon follow.  ”I wish I would’t have done this” or “why did I have to go and say that?”  Zacchaeus was someone who had committed some sins of his own.  Being a tax collector made him a hated man because he was taking money from others on behalf of the government but also for his own personal gain.  Something drew Zacchaeus to that tree that day to get a glimpse of Jesus.  And he not only saw Jesus but Jesus saw him.  And as he comes into contact with the great and gracious love of God, Zacchaeus finds the courage to look at his past and move from regret toward reconciliation.  The result is that he is saved.  Funny how the things we most wish we could change in our lives can be the things that bring us freedom and new life when we face them, ask for forgiveness, and reconcile with others.

Action:  Move from regret to reconciliation.

Prayer:  God, instead of dwelling on my past sin help me to turn away from my sin and toward you through forgiveness and reconciliation.  Amen.

28Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.                                                                 Matthew 11:28-30

How many times a day do we catch ourselves becoming restless and thinking about the “other things” we have to take care of?  The Bible is full of stories of those who were overcome by restlessness.  Jacob was restless and stole his brother’s birthright.  David was restless and took another man’s wife for himself.  Peter was restless and nearly drowned.  Instead of giving in to restlessness and letting it lead us astray, God desires us to let our restlessness drive us toward finding new ways to interact with others and new ways to interact with Him.  God uses our restlessness to bring us back to a better path.  He reframes our potential and casts a new picture as he encourages us to allow him to bear our burdens and give us rest.

Action:  Let go of something that is making you restless.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, help us to pay attention to our restlessness and to use it to draw us into a deeper relationship with you.  May we trust that you will keep you word by helping us carry our burdens and by giving us rest.  Amen.

15People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it.  16But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  17Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”                                                                                                                                                                                     Luke 18:15-17

We live in a performance based society.  In the work place, reviews and compensation are based on our performance.  In some relationships we feel we have to perform in a certain way to keep the other person happy with us.  In this passage, the children are brought to Jesus so that he could touch them.  The disciples, wanting to protect Jesus for the “real” work he was here to do, told the people to stop bringing the children.  Jesus heard the disciples and told them to let the children continue to come because the “kingdom of God belongs to them”.  In this passage, we see again that although society runs on a performance based economy God’s economy is different.  Jesus reminds us that entering the kingdom of God does not require us to perform in a certain way it encourages us to have faith like a child.

Action:  Do something fun today.  Something you loved to do as a kid.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, remind me again that what you want is child-like faith not adult-like rules and regulations for my life and faith.  Amen.

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
1 Corinthians 1:18-19

There’s one in every crowd, every school, every workplace. A person who, by the way he or she behaves or talks, makes everyone roll their eyes.  Jesus was one of those people. “What a fool,” folks said under their breath as he walked by. You can understand why!
“Love your enemies.” Yeah, right. “Let go of your grip on your money, your family, your friends, your reputation, and follow only me.” Sure. “The least are the greatest…the losers are the winners…the poor are the rich.” Oh brother, where’s the padded room?  God’s wisdom turns completely upside down everything we thought we knew about the world. This means that if you’re actually following Jesus, sooner or later someone is going to call you nuts. And wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Julie Pennington-Russell

Action:  Think of  one thing you can do to put yourself out there for Jesus and do it.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, help me to live for you.  Especially in those moments when I know someone is going to roll their eyes.  Amen.

ʻBut in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ʻFrom the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  
Mark 13:24-31

Sundays during Lent, we will read the scripture passage that we are focusing on in worship and rest.

Action:  Do something restful.

Prayer:  You, O God, are the One and Only.  In you, I place my trust.  Amen

1Ogive thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever.
2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

17Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
19Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
20he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
21Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
22And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.

This passage highlights two truths.  The first is that we have a lot to be thankful for: God is good, his love is steadfast and never ending, we have been redeemed from sin and death, and God gathers us to himself.  There is even better news in verses 17 and 18 when we see that although our sins have consequences “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  The truth is that we often knowingly sin.  Sin rarely creeps up on us, more often I find myself creeping toward sin.  May we work to bring our sin out into the open that we might be reminded of all God has done for us and all God continues to do for us through his steadfast love.

Action:  Ask someone you have sinned against for forgiveness.

Prayer:  God, help me to drag my sin into the light that I might feel your gracious love again.  Amen.

14″And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  16″For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.  17″Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.                                                                                                               John 3:14-17

As we move ever closer to holy week we begin to focus on the cross.  N.T. Wright writes, “The meaning of the cross will come upon us, like a great shadow into which we must walk, in the days to come.  At the moment it is enough to know that we are traveling to the place where we will see Jesus lifted up so that we may escape the condemnation that so many find welling up within the darkness of their own hearts, and which, they fear, may one day be issued by God himself.  But it is God who is saying, in Jesus, ‘NO! That’s not the point!  I have sent my son to rescue you from that condemnation!’”

Action:  Confess your sin and feel God’s grace.

Prayer:  Thank you, Father, for your boundless and lavish love.  Amen.

“Listen!  I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.”                                                                                                                                                Revelation 3:20

The season of Lent is about preparation.  We are called to learn from Christ’s life , to be prepared to come face to face with his death ,and then to celebrate his resurrection.  And all of this is to remind us, once again, that Jesus is calling us into a relationship with God.  We are reminded that Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts.  He is wanting to draw us out of the darkness and into the light.  May we find the courage to open the door to our hearts and our lives each and every day that we might hear God’s voice and respond.

Action:  Open the door to your heart to let God in to your life in a new way today.

Prayer:  O God, I open my heart and mind; I open my will and spirit; I open my fears and hopes; and I open my doubt and faith to you again today.  Amen.

22They arrived at Bethsaida.  A blind man was brought to Jesus, and they begged him to touch him.  23He took his hand, led him off outside the village, and put spittle on his eyes.  Then he laid his hands on him, and asked, ‘Can you see anything?’  24′I can see people,’ said the man, peering around, ‘but they look like trees walking about.’  25Then Jesus laid his hands on him once more.  This time he looked hard, and his sight came back: he could see everything clearly.  26Jesus sent him back home.  ’Don’t even go into the village,’ he said.  27Jesus and his disciples came to the villages of Caesarea Philippi.  On the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who are people saying that I am?’  28′John the Baptist,’ they said, ‘or, some say, Elijah; or, others say, one of the prophets.’  29′What about you?’ asked Jesus.  ’Who do you say that I am?’  Peter spoke up.  ’You’re the Messiah,’ he said.  30He gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.                                                                                     Mark 8:22-30

Open your eyes.  Mark paired these two stories together for a reason.  In the same way that the blind man receives sight, the disciples experience their own eyes being opened as they realize that Jesus truly is the Messiah.  As Jesus is healing the blind man the healing takes place in two stages.  After the first touch, the man begins to see but not clearly, and after the second his sight is restored.  After this Jesus and the disciples are on that road when Jesus asks them who people this he is.  The disciples say that others are describing him as being like John the Baptist or Elijah or maybe a prophet.  Then Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter answers, “The Messiah.”  Two touches for the blind man to be healed and and two questions that lead to the truth about Jesus being revealed.  God was up to something.  Things were changing and becoming clear.  Eyes were being opened.  This was not simply about healing and teaching, although those were important things, this was about the Kingdom of God coming to earth through the work of God and the person of Jesus Christ.

Action:  Take a look at a situation in your life where you are waiting for God to move.  Take a second look at that same situation and ask God for a new perspective.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, open our eyes to the places you are calling us to participate with you in bringing the Kingdom of God to earth.  Amen.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Mark 8:31-33

Jesus was teaching a hard truth. Peter loved Jesus, but he didn’t want to hear Jesus talk about his suffering and death. Jesus saw Peter’s rebuke as a distraction.
When I had a family member dying of cancer, I would talk with friends about the future. Those who were uncomfortable would dismiss me and encourage me to think positive thoughts. But I needed to deal with reality!  Jesus was preparing himself and his disciples for the reality of his death. It wasn’t easy to talk about and it wasn’t easy to hear, but it was an important conversation that needed to happen.                           Bonnie Cassida

Action:  Think of a situation or area of you life where it is hard for you to be honest and lay it before God.

Prayer:  God, give me the courage to face my fears that I might set my mind on divine things instead of human things.  Amen.

1The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
7The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;
8the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;
9the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Read through this excerpt from Psalm 19 twice.

Action:  Make a list of all the characteristics of God listed in this passage.

Prayer:  O God, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer.

28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”  29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.”  32 Then the scribe said to him, “you are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,‘and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’- this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”  After that no one dared to ask him any question.                                              Mark 12:28-34

Sundays during Lent, we will read the scripture passage that we are focusing on in worship and rest.

Action:  Do something restful.

Prayer:  You, O God, are the One and Only.  In you, I place my trust.  Amen

45At once Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and set sail across towards Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.  46He took his leave of them and went off up the mountain to pray.  47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the shore.  48He saw they were having to work hard at rowing, because the wind was against them and he came to them, about the fourth watch of the night, walking on the sea.  He intended to go past them, 49but they saw him walking on the sea.  He intended to go past them, 49but they saw him walking on the sea and thought it was an apparition.  They yelled out; 50all of them saw him, and they were scared stiff.  At once he spoke to them.  ’Cheer up,’ he said, ‘it’s me.  Don’t be afraid.’  51He came up to them and got into the boat, and the wind stopped.  They were overwhelmed with astonishment.                   Mark 6:45-51

I have a feeling if I would have been in that boat that night, I would not have been as kind as the disciples were to Jesus.  After all, it was Jesus that told them to get into that boat in the first place.  And then the wind kicked up and the fear set in.  At that point, I would have been wondering what I had gotten into by listening to Jesus.  I think we all have times in our lives where we wonder what we have gotten ourselves into when it comes to following Jesus.  This passage reminds us that God sees our struggles, has compassion on us, and comes to us.  May we have eyes to see him and hearts that are astonished at the way Jesus shows up in our lives.

Action:   Look for the ways God is trying to work in a difficult situation in your life.

Prayer:  God, may I trust that you will show up in the difficult situations of my life.  Amen.