Readings

Psalm 31:9-16

Philippians 2:5-11

Luke 22:63-23:6

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Jesus is in the hands of the high priest, chief priests, scribes, and the Jewish council. Men restraining Jesus start mocking and beating him (Luke 22:63). The guards blindfold Jesus and play the sick game of making Jesus guess who is beating him (Luke 22:64). They insult Jesus (Luke 22:65), and yet he does not fight back.

The chief priests have gathered the high priest, scribes, and the assembly of elders to question Jesus (Luke 22:66). The chief priests ask Jesus, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I question you, you will not answer.  But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (Luke 22:67-69 NRSV). Then the chief priests ask if he is the Son of God, and he replies, “You say I am.” (Luke 22:70).

The high priest, scribes, and the assembly of elders are convinced Jesus is committing blasphemy and take him to see Pilate (Luke 22:71-23:1). Nothing Jesus would have said could have changed their minds. The chief priests have been waiting for their chance to get their hands on Jesus and stop him from being “disruptive.” The chief priests insist that Jesus forbids his followers from paying the Emperor taxes and calls himself the Messiah, the King of the Jews. This should be enough to convict Jesus of being disruptive to the Roman government. The chief priests think they have Jesus cornered, yet he has the upper hand.

Pilate asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews, and Jesus answers, “You say so” (Luke 23:3). Pilate finds no basis to hold Jesus and finds the crowd annoying for bringing charges against an innocent man (Luke 23:4). There is no evidence to back the accusations the chief priests bring against Jesus. Pilate has no right to hold Jesus any longer.

However, the chief priests are insistent that Jesus began in Galilee and now disrupts the peace throughout Judea (Luke 23:5). When Pilate finds out Jesus is a Galilean, he sends him to see Herod since that is his jurisdiction (Luke 23:6-7).

The Jewish authorities and the Roman government are having a power struggle. Jesus is a problem for the Jewish authorities, but they cannot crucify him without the assistance of the Roman government. There is not enough evidence for the Roman government to Jesus killed. Yet the Lord finds a way to fulfill his scriptures.

Dear Jesus, Thank you for taking our beating, our cross, our punishment for us. Help us to live a life worthy of your sacrifice . Thank you for the power of your love. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. Describe your weakest moment.

2. If you were Pilate, what would you do?

Readings

Psalm 31:9-16

Philippians 2:5-11

Luke 22:39-62

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives to pray with his disciples. He urges his disciples to pray that they will not fall when things gets tough (Luke 22:40) and then goes off alone to pray a very solemn prayer as he faces the cross: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but your will be done.” (Luke 22:42 NRSV). Jesus acknowledges God the Father is in control of everything, even the journey to the cross, and the hardship he faces. No one, not even Jesus, faces the crucifixion with a light heart and joy. The weight of the world is on Jesus’ shoulders, and it is a bit intimating.

An angel appears to Jesus and gives him strength (Luke 22:43). God the Father understands the heavy load that he has given Jesus and sends an angel to give him strength. As he prays, Jesus sweats huge drops like blood (Luke 22:44) as he turns to the cross.

Jesus goes back and finds his disciples sleeping; he awakens them and urges them to pray for strength and courage as they watch him go to the cross (Luke 22:46-47). Just then, Judas and the Pharisees approach Jesus. Jesus sees them coming and asks, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?”’ (Luke 22:48 NRSV). Jesus knows what Judas is doing even before he does it.

The disciples ask Jesus if they should get their swords out and, before he can answer, one of the disciples cuts off the high priest’s slave’s ear (Luke 22:49-50). Jesus quickly turns around and scolds his disciples; then he turns to the slave and heals him (Luke 22:51). Although Jesus is about to face more pain than anyone thought possible, he does not wish harm on anyone else. The world may wish harm to Jesus, but he still loves his Father’s creation.

Then Jesus turns to the chief priests and the crowds and asks, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!” (Luke 22:52-53 NRSV). This is Jesus’ last statement of length that provides any clue as to what is going on. Jesus only speaks a few words while on trial. The chief priests take Jesus to the high priest’s house; Peter follows at a distance (Luke 22:52).

Peter falls into trouble in the high priest’s courtyard. He has just seen the chief priests take Jesus off as a bandit. People are looking at him as if they recognize him from somewhere. One servant girl recognizes Peter as one of the men who was with Jesus, but he denies knowing him (Luke 22:56-57). Another man confirms the servant girl’s proclamation and says, “Surely, you were one of the men with Jesus.” Still Peter denies it (Luke 22:58). Yet another man insisted Peter was with Jesus since he is a Galilean (Luke 22:59). Peter exclaims, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” (Luke 22:60 NRSV). Just as Jesus predicted, Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times before the cock crowed. The realization caused Peter to hide and weep. He had denied the one person who loved him for who he was. How could he do such a selfish thing?

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for having Jesus fulfill your will. Help us to continue to follow Jesus to the cross this week. Remind us that you will always raise us back up, even when we fall. Guide us back into the light from the darkness. Thank you for understanding our faults and loving us despite them. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. Where are you in the crowd? Are you hiding, fighting, or following?

2. Have you ever denied Jesus?

Readings

Psalm 31:9-16

Philippians 2:5-11

Luke 22:1-38

Devotion

Peace be with you!

In our reading today, the Festival of Unleavened Bread is under way in the Jewish community. Jewish families are making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to make their sacrifices to the Lord. The temple is starting to get busy with preparations for the annual sacrifice ceremonies.

Even Jesus has the Passover meal with his disciples in an upstairs room of a Jerusalem home. Jesus pauses to spend one last night with his disciples before the events of the Passion unravel. During the meal, Jesus says

“I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:15-20 NRSV)

These words are so familiar to us that it is easy for us to gloss over them since we hear them every time we take communion. We forget this is not just another meal; Jesus was looking forward to this Passover meal for awhile. He must have run through the speech he would deliver to the disciples a million times.

Can you imagine being the disciples hearing these words for the first time? “This is my body … This is my blood poured out for you … This is the new covenant. Do this in remembrance of me.” These words have power and glory in them. Not only that, but Jesus commissioned his disciples to share this experience and these words with the world. It was not a one-time event; it is an ongoing event to remember Jesus came down into the world to rescue us from Satan and his temptations.

However, with any large gathering, there always has to be a black sheep in the room. Knowing what will transpire in the next few hours, Jesus predicts his betrayal (Luke 22:21-22), yet he acknowledges it must happen in order to fulfill the scriptures (Luke 22:37). The disciples are appalled that one of them could do such a thing. Who could be bold to do such a thing?

Then the disciples begin to argue as to which one of them is the greatest (Luke 22:24).  Jesus stops the argument and says, “No one is greater. The leader must be like the one who serves. Who is greater: the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? Yet I am among you as the one who serves.” (Luke 22:25-27). These words are powerful: no one is greater. Each of us must be like the One who serves. We should follow Jesus’ example and respect and help each other.

Jesus goes on to say, “You are the ones who have remained with me in my trials. Thus I grant to you a kingdom, just as my Father granted to me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:28-30 NRSV). Jesus treats his disciples as God the Father has treated him. He is honored that his disciples had stood by him through all of his trials.

Jesus turns to Peter and says, “You will deny me before the crow sounds three times.” (Luke 22:32, 34). Peter says, “I would never deny you. I would follow you to prison and death if I had to” (Luke 22:33). Jesus understands that everyone will fall away, but he says that when Peter turns back he will strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). Peter will not stay lost for very long, and when he finds his way back he will be stronger. Jesus reminds his disciples that when he sent them out with nothing, they never lacked a thing (Luke 22:35). Even when they fall away, Jesus will find and take care of them.

As if to set things in motion by giving Judas permission to go to the Sanhedrin, Jesus says, “But now, the one who has a money bag must take it, and likewise a traveler’s bag too. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me is being fulfilled” (Luke 22:36-37 NRSV).

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for letting us continue to share the Last Supper with Jesus. Help us to understand the wisdom Jesus shared with his disciple. Remind us no one is greater than the one who is a servant. Guide us to help, serve, and respect one another. And when we fall away, come and find us in the darkness. Thank you for fulfilling the scriptures. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. What stands out to you about the Last Supper?

2. How have you denied Jesus? How did he find you again?

Readings

Isaiah 43:16-21

Psalm 126

Philippians 3:4b-14

John 12:1-8

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Jesus had hundreds of people around him most of the time – people who listened to his every word, people who believed he was the Son of God, and people who challenged his authority. He was loved deeply by his disciples and followers. Jesus took care of the sick, the crippled*, the poor, and the hungry.

But who took care of Jesus? For the most part, God the Father took care of Jesus’ needs by providing him with the essentials. In the Gospel reading, Mary and Martha are tending to Jesus’ needs after he just raised Lazarus, their brother, from the dead. Martha prepares a dinner to celebrate Lazarus being alive. As Jesus heads to the cross, Mary anoints his body for burial – a selfless act performed on Jesus’ behalf. Jesus will show his disciples the same kind of love when he washes their feet at the Last Supper. Like Mary, Jesus expresses his humility towards his disciples – the Master is not greater than his workers.

Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume and wipes them with her hair (John 12:3a). When people anointed others’ feet, it was common to use water and to be done by a servant. When people are anointed with oil, it is normally done on the head. Mary shows humility when she anoints Jesus’ feet with the expensive nard perfume and wipes them with her hair. She anoints Jesus out of love for he has done good works and performed miracles to help the sick, the crippled*, the poor, and the hungry. Mary shows her loyalty to Jesus through this selfless act.

Judas Iscariot is outraged with Mary for wasting such an expensive perfume on anointing Jesus’ feet when it could have been sold and helped the poor (John 12:4-5). At least that is what he says out loud, but the author clues us in to Judas’ selfish reasons for wanting to keep the perfume. Judas takes care of the common purse and sometimes steals out of it (John 12:6).

Jesus scolds Judas Iscariot for being harsh with Mary when she has done a great service for him. Mary brought the perfume for the day of his burial (John 12:7). In Biblical times, family members would anoint the dead before burial as a way to show them honor. By anointing Jesus before his death, Mary is showing him her devotion, loyalty, and love. She is making preparations for his journey to the cross and beyond.

Jesus also states the poor will always be in the world, but he will not always be with us (John 12:8). There will always be someone who needs assistance – physically, psychosocially, or spiritually. Someone in the world will always need shelter; others will need clothes; others will need food and water; others will need prayers. The world is a needy place where someone will always need something. However, Jesus will not always physically be in the world. Mary is taking the opportunity to express her devotion, loyalty, and love for Jesus – the one who brought her brother back to life, the one who has healed so many, the one who has taken care of the poor, and the one who will die for our sins. Mary does the one thing she could do for Jesus – anoint him for burial.

I would like to think that Mary does it on everyone’s behalf, because if I could, I would anoint Jesus for burial. Yet everything I do is in Jesus’ honor. I volunteer weekly at the local hospital to bring comfort to those who are sick. I write to share the good news of the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I pray with others to give them comfort in their time of need. You express your devotion, loyalty, and love for Jesus in the way you treat others with forgiveness, grace, humility, and love.

Thanks be to God!

* The word “crippled” is not a politically correct term, but it is used in the Bible, which is why I am using it here.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for having Mary anoint Jesus for burial to express her devotion, loyalty, and love for Jesus. Help us to express our devotion, loyalty, and love for Jesus through the way we tend to the needs of others. Remind us of Mary’s humility the next time we get ahead of ourselves. We are no greater than the ones who serve us. Thank you for those who tend to our needs, so we can help others. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. How do you express your devotion, loyalty, and love to Jesus? And to other people?

2. How have you been anointed?

Readings

Joshua 5:9-12

Psalm 32

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Devotion

Peace be with you!

As a general rule, we do not like being around people who are different from us. Being around individuals who are physically unclean, dangerous, drug addicts, outcasts, beggars, the disabled, murderers, thieves, prostitutes, and [whoever “it” is] makes us uncomfortable. When “they” invade our space, we feel uneasy, uncomfortable, cornered, in danger, threatened. There is no way “they” are welcomed in the Kingdom of God, right?

© Inherit the Mirth. All rights reserved.
www.inheritthemirth.com
www.facebook.com/InheritTheMirth

Jesus is God’s Son, sent into the world to express God’s love, which is far different than love in the world. Before we can define God’s love, we must observe Jesus’ actions in the world. The Pharisees and the scribes wonder why Jesus welcomes and eats with sinners (Luke 15:2). They are alarmed. These people are unclean, dangerous, sinners, outcasts, beggars, disabled, murders, thefts, prostitutes, and [whoever “it” is] that makes us uncomfortable. The Pharisees and the scribes do not understand how Jesus can incriminate himself by hanging out with them.

True to his nature, Jesus answers the Pharisees and the scribes with a parable – well, three parables. The first two we do not read in church this Sunday. These parables follow a simple pattern: something is lost, it is looked for, it is found, and there is rejoicing. A shepherd with one hundred sheep loses one, goes out looking for it, finds it, and rejoices (Luke 15:4-7). A woman with 10 coins loses one, searches her household for it, finds it, and rejoices (Luke 15:8-10). Jesus will find the lost and will rejoice in finding each one.

The third parable is a bit messy because it deals with the family system. A father has two sons, and the younger son asks for his half of the inheritance (Luke 15:12). The younger son goes off into the world squandering his inheritance (Luke 15:13-14) and ends up as a beggar eating with the pigs (Luke 15:15-16). This son hits rock bottom and realizes he would be better off as a hired hand on his father’s land (Luke 15:17). The son is starving and working for a pig farmer, but his father’s hired hands always had what they needed. The younger son builds up the courage to go home and ask for forgiveness, so he can work as a hired hand (Luke 15:18b-19).

When the father sees his younger son, he is filled with compassion and runs to greet him (Luke 15:20). The son begs his father to forgive him (Luke 15:21). However, the father calls out to the hired hands to bring the best robe and ring and to kill a fatted calf so they can celebrate his younger son’s return (Luke 15:22-23). The father rejoices because his son who was lost has returned (Luke 15:24). What parent does not rejoice when their child comes home?

The older brother is not happy with all of the celebrating going on for his younger brother’s return! He refuses to join in on the celebrating (Luke 15:28). The older son is hurt that his father has never staged such a large celebration for him but pulls out all the stops for his runaway brother (Luke 15:29-30). We can all relate to the older son, because we have all felt short-changed at one time or another. You work hard at your job only to get passed over for a promotion. You work hard on a paper only to get a C when someone else writes it in an hour and gets an A. You save your money and pay your way through college, yet you cannot find a job.

Life does not seem fair. The father explains, “Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours. It was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.” The father appreciates his older son and all that he does. Everything the father has will one day belong to his older son. But the son who was lost and thought dead has been found alive. The father celebrates being reunited with his younger son.

God rejoices every time a person turns to him and begs to be in a relationship with him. Through unconditional love that is indefinable in the world, God opens his heart to those who come into the light after living in darkness.

God does not judge you based on your past mistakes for we are all sinners by nature. The individuals who are unclean, dangerous, sinners, outcasts, beggars, disabled, murderers, thieves, prostitutes, and [whoever “it” is] that makes us uncomfortable are invited into the Kingdom of God once they repent and accept God’s love, grace, and forgiveness. That, my brothers and sisters, makes God’s love so special: we are all welcome in the Kingdom of God.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for welcoming those who are unclean, dangerous, sinners, outcasts, beggars, disabled, murderers, thieves, prostitutes, and [whoever “it” is] that makes us uncomfortable into the Kingdom of God. Help us to welcome those different than us and share the good news with them so that they will come to know your love, grace, and forgiveness. Remind us that we are all outcasts who were welcomed into the church. Shine your light upon us as we go out into the world to share the good news. Thank you for giving us the precious gift of unconditional love. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. Who makes you uncomfortable? Challenge: Invite them to church.

2. Describe how you imagine the Kingdom of God.

Readings

Isaiah 55:1-9

Psalm 63:1-8

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Luke 13:1-9

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Individuals have prayed over me for healing of my disability, Cerebral Palsy. Some of these people have told me that if I had more faith God would heal me. I would be free of my weakness, with no need for my electric wheelchair. For most of my childhood, I felt “cursed” by Cerebral Palsy. I had very few friends and was only invited to a handful of birthday parties of my classmates. I would have what my mom calls pity parties because I felt so alone.

It was not until college (with the help of few high school friends) that I started to really own my Cerebral Palsy and to experience the blessings it brings into my life. I began to break out of my shell and have a more positive attitude on life. The older I get, the less I care that I have Cerebral Palsy because I do not let my disability stop me. Cerebral Palsy is a part of me; it is not the whole me and does not own me. Rather, I own Cerebral Palsy because I use its strengths to enjoy the fullness of life. Without Cerebral Palsy, I would have never met my CP sisters and probably never would have gone to seminary.

© Inherit the Mirth. All rights reserved.
www.inheritthemirth.com
www.facebook.com/InheritTheMirth

In our Gospel reading for today, people are crowding around Jesus asking him if bad things only happen to wicked people (Luke 13:2, 4). The crowd has some logic behind their way of thinking. After all, in the Old Testament, God wiped out the whole world with the Flood, making exceptions only for Noah, his family, and two of each animal. God did this because the world had become corrupt. There is some common sense behind killing off those who are evil.

However, Jesus calmly says, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did” (Luke 13:3, 5 NRSV). Crap! We are not as saintly as we hope. Although sickness and suffering do not always directly link to individual sin, their presence in the world reminds us all of our fallen nature. Jesus reminds us here that none of “deserve” positive outcomes in our lives. Rather, we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus is not sugar-coating anything. Rather, Jesus is heading to Jerusalem to face his death on the cross in order to redeem fallen people like us. He calls us to respond to his offer of freedom and receive the gift of life in his name.

Unless we repent, we will share a similar fate to the Galileans whom Pilate had killed and to the eighteen people killed when the tower of Siloam fell. But our death will not be the temporal kind; it will be eternal death. We have the choice to repent in order to receive forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. Repenting means we confess our sins to the Triune God. It also means that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we turn away from our sins. We have to admit we are sinners and that we need forgiveness, grace, and eternal life and that we want to be in a relationship with the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We experience release when we repent because we let go of the things that keep us from the Triune God and eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Taking ownership of your life gives you freedom from what holds you back. Repentance gives you freedom from your sins and from the “curse” of the Law. Instead, by God’s good grace, you are given the blessings of forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. This new life in Christ ultimately allows you to be in a relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The fact I have Cerebral Palsy does not mean I am evil or cursed by God. I am a child of God, because I repent of my sins in order to receive forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. Cerebral Palsy has given me a unique voice to share the good news of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I am able to reach people because of the experiences Cerebral Palsy has allowed me to have. The Triune God has blessed me through my repentance and has freed me of the judgments of the world. I now know that I am not “cursed”; I am blessed!

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for forgiving us of our sins when repent through confession. Remind us that the world and its judgments only hold us back when we let them. Guide us to repent of our sins in order to receive forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. Thank you for freeing us of our sins when we repent. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. When and where do you confess your sins?

2. What do you feel when you repent your sins?

Readings

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

Romans 10:8b-13

Luke 4:1-13

Devotion

Peace be with you!

The day when the Devil is no longer in the world will be a day of never-ending rejoicing. From the beginning, the Devil has been doing everything in his power to drag us down with him into his doom. The Devil is the one who tempted Eve with the forbidden fruit; he tempted Eve with humanistic needs and with the desires of the world. While it might be easy to blame Eve, we must all admit that we all fall prey to the Devil’s temptation daily .

© Inherit the Mirth. All rights reserved.
www.inheritthemirth.com
www.facebook.com/InheritTheMirth

Even Jesus could not escape the Devil’s temptation. The Devil visits Jesus after he has fasted for forty days. The Devil is probably thinking, “Ha, I’ve got him now!” However, the Devil does not realize Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1). The Devil tempts Jesus by asking him to turn a stone into bread (Luke 4:3). Jesus is hungry after forty days of fasting, and the Devil tries to use Jesus’ human desire for food to his advantage. The Devil did the same thing when he tempted Adam and Eve with the forbidden fruit. He tempted Adam and Eve with the one thing God has forbidden them to eat. Yet Jesus understands that you do not need to eat bread alone to be filled and to have sustenance. Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit, who fulfills all of his needs. You can eat bread and be filled for a few hours, but the Holy Spirit will fill you forever and will sustain you always.

Not giving up, the Devil tempts Jesus again. This time the Devil tempts Jesus with the desire of power: “Fall and worship me; I will give you authority over all the world” (Luke 4:6-7). The human desire for power is strong. We climb the chain of command, hoping to one day to make it to the top. The Devil is appealing to the human desire to have authority and control over others, ideas, and space. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus says, “No, thank you; I only worship and serve the Lord as it is written in the Ten Commandments” (Luke 4:8). Jesus understands God is more powerful than any one person. God is above all of us, but he uses authority and control only with love, compassion, and grace.

The Devil is not giving up yet. He says, “Jesus, jump from the high mountain and have the angels will save you” (Luke 4:9-11). The Devil tempts Jesus with fame and riches by being infamous. Jesus would be worshipped for being the only man to survive a jump of this magnitude. It would be like a magic trick. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus says, “Nope, I will not test the Lord”  (Luke 4:12). Jesus understands there is no need to test the Lord; the Lord can always be trusted. Instead of fame and riches, Jesus makes the choice to serve God the Father and to go to the cross for the sake of our sins. Even when Jesus is taunted by onlookers to save himself while hanging on the cross, he still chooses the cross.

Jesus resists the Devil’s temptations of temporary pleasures so he can give us the lasting blessing of eternal life. The cross for our salvation is more important to Jesus than short-lived needs and desires and fame and riches.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for having Jesus resist the Devil’s temptations so that he might give us eternal life instead. Remind us to look towards the new “Promised Land” where we will live and rejoice with your angels. Thank you for the promise of eternal life through the cross and empty tomb. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. In what ways are you tempted to succumb to temporary sinful pleasures rather than holding out for what is eternal?

2. What do you learn from Jesus about resisting temptation?

Readings

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Psalm 25

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Luke 13:31-35

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Two years and four months ago, my brother went into rehab for doing drugs. His habit had taken a toll on our family, especially Mom and me since we were the ones who fighting with him to stop. He had stolen hundreds of dollars from of both us and pawned our belongings to feed his addiction. We would kick him out when he went too far. Of course, my mom and I could never see my brother be homeless, so we would have him move in when his friends kicked him out. Each time when he moved back in, my brother would say he stopped doing drugs, but that was never the case. The vicious cycle repeated itself for years.

Two months before going into the rehab, the police caught my brother with drugs and he finally hit rock bottom. My brother made the tough decision to go into rehab, and we all prayed he would be able to break free of his addictions. Within a week of him being in rehab, I sent my brother a letter. I told him that I should hate him, but that I didn’t; I only wanted my brother back. My brother had a long road ahead of him, and I would see him through it.

Jesus is traveling a tough road – the road to the cross. He knows and understands what lies ahead in Jerusalem as he faces his pending beatings, crucifixion, and death at the hands of the Roman Empire. Despite the terrible road ahead, Jesus is prepared. , This is the mission God the Father sent him to complete.

Despite their motives – whether they met to be helpful or not, the Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod wants to kill him (Luke 13:31). This is not news to Jesus. He has known his whole life that Herod is going to have his hand in Jesus’ pending beatings, crucifixion, and death.

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Jesus simply states what he is doing in the moment: casting out demons and performing cures (Luke 13:32). God sent Jesus into the world to share his love and to invite people– even outsiders–to be in a relationship with him. Jesus will go on doing his work until the day he is on the cross, and then he will continue to call people to know God the Father.

Jesus also knows that many prophets have been killed in Jerusalem. Again it makes sense that Herod wants to kill Jesus who understands his pending beatings, crucifixion, and death are for our redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. Nothing is more important to Jesus and to God the Father than his love, grace, and forgiveness—even at great cost.

As Christians, we forget the power of forgiveness. We become so accustomed to forgiveness as a free gift that we forget its power. Do you remember the first time someone forgave you? Forgiveness lifts up the weight that holds you down. It lifts away the weight of worrying about [whatever “it” is] that holds you back in life. It lifts the weight of feeling lost in the world of darkness. It lifts the weight of being on the defense when the world got the best of you. It lifts the weight of anger from your shoulders. It lifts the weight of everything that comes between you and the Triune God. Jesus came down to restore our relationship with God the Father by giving us his love, grace, and forgiveness.

My brother has been clean for two years and four months. Recovery is a battle he fights daily, but it helps that his family supports him and forgives him of his past. This helps him to move forward in life as well as giving us back the young man we loved and cared for.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of forgiveness, even when we do not deserve it. Help us to turn to you when the darkness seems to close in on us. Remind us of your light as we seek forgiveness from those who we have hurt. Thank you for your grace, love, and forgiveness. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. Who do you need to forgive? Why?

2. What does forgiveness mean to you?

 Readings

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Psalm 51:1-17

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Each year during Lent we take six weeks to travel to the cross with Jesus. It seems redundant. Why must we go through the pain of watching Jesus be beaten, crucified, and left to die yet again? Isn’t one time enough?

We are sinners who fall and are raised daily; we sin, confess, and seek forgiveness and absolution daily. We are hypocrites, liars, deceivers, thieves, adulteresses, and transgressors. It is not enough to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem once in our lifetime. Lent gives us the opportunity to focus on our need for a Savior (lest we forget) and experience the full impact of the Good News when Easter arrives again.

Psalm 51 is a prayer King David wrote after he committed adultery and murder. One evening, King David spotted Bathsheba bathing on a rooftop and lust filled his heart(2 Samuel 11). He called his servant to go fetch Bathsheba, even though she was married to Uriah, a soldier in his army. King David took Bathsheba into his bed and got her pregnant. To cover up his sin, King David called Uriah home from the battlefield to see his wife, Bathsheba, hoping Uriah would think he had impregnated her himself. However, out of respect for his soldiers still on the battlefield with no opportunity to see their wives, Uriah slept in King David’s courtyard and did not see his wife before heading back to the battlefield.

Since Uriah did not sleep with Bathsheba, King David feared being discovered as the real father of Bathsheba’s baby. With no way to pretend the babe in her womb was Uriah’s, King David sent him to the frontline where he was killed in battle. After Bathsheba had grieved the loss of her husband, King David took her as his wife. The prophet Nathan confronted King David with his sins, and David repented before the Lord. Unfortunately, sin does have its consequences; the baby died soon after birth and the Lord promised a rebellion would happen within David’s household.

King David gives us an example of how we live in the darkness and need to continually confess our sins, so God may recreate us. We fall to Satan’s temptations every day, but if we confess and repent of our sins, God will cleanse us through Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Jesus’ work for us on the cross means grace and forgiveness for our daily lives. Like King David, we are sinners, but we are forgiven when we confess.

Lent gives us the opportunity to be cleansed by the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We are able to set time aside for reflection and confession as we look forward to the Good News of Easter.

You are dust and to dust you shall return.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for allowing us to confess our sins and to seek forgiveness. Help us to reflect on our daily lives. Open our hearts as we confess our sins– even the painful ones that we do not feel deserve forgiveness. Recreate new hearts within us, so we can go out into the world to share the Good News. Thank you for the promise of Easter. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. Spend time in confession with a friend. What sins weigh on your heart? Hear God’s word of forgiveness through your friend.

2. What practices do you find helpful to your faith during Lent?

Readings

Exodus 34:29-35

Psalm 99

2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Peter is excited beyond belief when he sees Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah – two of the greatest figures in the Torah. He is so excited that he wants to build three shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (Luke 9:33) to live in as a way to preserve the moment. Three of the greatest men who lived were all-together for a moment in time. Who would not want to preserve the moment?

At some point in our lives, we all have moments where after a long day we close our lives and relive the happiness. These are the moments where the thought of them puts a giant smile on our face, makes our hearts beat faster, and is noticed by everyone who sees us. We wish time could have stood still in that moment.

However, Jesus experiences the moment drastically different than Peter. The anguish of the conversation about his departure from the world (Luke 9:30) weighs Jesus down in the coming weeks, although Jesus’ appearance changed when he was with Moses and Elijah. The glory becomes apparent on Jesus’ face as well as his dazzling white clothes (Luke 9:29). Jesus understands the moment needs to pass and the scriptures need to be fulfilled. As Jesus is praying, Moses and Elijah come to Jesus to discuss his departure from the world (Luke 9:30-31). Jesus is praying for guidance from the ones who have gone before him as he begins the end of the beginning. It is a moment Jesus probably relives in his mind several times during his journey to Jerusalem, although it is not a pleasant conversation with Moses and Elijah by any standards.

Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah gives him the armor to go on the journey to Jerusalem. He glows, like Moses does after he sees the Lord (Luke 9:29). Unlike Moses, Jesus does not cover his face; he wants all who see him to witness the change in him as the Lord claims him as his son.

When Peter suggests build three huts for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, a voice from the clouds said, “No, this is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.” (Luke 9:35). Peter has earthy ideas where he wants nothing more than to share this glorious moment with others. However, the Lord has other plans for Jesus, his son and chosen one. The Lord has an even larger glorious moment coming that the whole world will witness and take part in. Unfortunately, it will involve pain and anguish to get there, yet it will change our lives forever.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for letting us witness this glorious moment in Jesus’ ministry. Help us to come face-to-face with you to hear your plan for us. Allow us to glow in order to share your glory with others. Remind us to listen to Jesus and to follow his instructions. Thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to lead us to Jerusalem. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. Discuss a memory that always causes you to smile.

2. How do you glow in the world?