The following devotions are written and shared weekly by Pastor Steve Harmon.
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Day One
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion talks about the depth of God’s love for us in that He allows for the possibility of rejection. He reveals His power through His creation. He reveals Himself and His mercy through His Word. But He doesn’t force us to believe.
Faith is a gift. And like all gifts it can be received with gladness or out of respect of the giver. Or it can be refused. God loves us enough to give us that choice. That some refuse is not just a sadness in general, it pierces God’s heart. We see that here in Jesus’ words when He tells those who reject Him how He has longed (and still longs) to gather them as a mother hen gathers her children. And they were unwilling.
For all of us who have received that gift – who have been gathered under His wings – may that good news lift us up in these anxious times so that we don’t lose heart. May that good news cause us to rejoice in the salvation that has come to us by faith in Jesus Christ. Filled with that joy, may we shine with the light of His salvation and be a beacon of hope for all who are living in fear today.
“YOU WERE NOT WILLING”
(Jesus said) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.’” (Matthew 23:37-39)
What happens if you try to set people free—but they are not willing? It sounds like an odd problem, but it's one that Moses faced with the people of Israel, again and again, on their journey out of slavery to the Promised Land. God led the people in the pillar of cloud and fire; He provided food and water for them by miracle; He protected them from danger—but again and again, the people changed their minds. They wanted to go back to slavery—where, they thought, things were easier.
In our reading today, Jesus is grieving over the same behavior in the people of Jerusalem. He came to save them from the power of evil—but already the leaders of the city were plotting against Him, and the common people would follow their lead. In just a few days, they would be shouting "Crucify!" Jesus wanted to set them free—but some of them didn't want to be free.
Many people ask, "Why doesn't God just overrule people? If they are rejecting Him and insisting on a path that leads to hell, why doesn't God just magically change their minds?" But God doesn't do that sort of thing. He respects our free will—even when we are fool enough to refuse Him. If we insist on staying in slavery, He does not set us free. He will do any number of miracles, but this He will not do: overrule our freedom to reject Him.
This is still true today. Jesus calls, He argues, He draws—but He does not force. He laid down His life for us on the cross—He rose from the dead, to share His victory over death with us—but He does not force anyone to take the gift. How He loves us! And so He waits, patiently, calling us to Him in faith, waiting for us to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit and say, "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord."
THE PRAYER: Lord, let Your Holy Spirit strengthen my faith in You, and turn my heart to follow You. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* What is there about us that resists that which deep down inside we know is good for us?
* What do you do when someone you love refuses something that is good and necessary for them?
* Is there something you are saying "No" to God about, even though you know it's for your own good?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Day Two
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries is an interesting one for a couple of reasons. The first thing that jumped out at me was that she was astounded that anyone who heard God calling would say “no” and walk away. Moses, to summarize, told God that He had the wrong guy for rescuing God’s people from their slavery in Egypt. I’ve had conversations with older men who shared that God was calling them into the pastoral ministry when they were young and they didn’t go. I held God at arm’s length for seven years, before I said “yes” to His call to enter into the pastoral ministry.
It happens all the time. As believers, we are still saddled with our sinful flesh – that old Adam that wants nothing to do with God. And, if Paul’s words in Romans 7 are true (and they are), then more often than not we do those things we hate. We don’t do the good that God is calling us to do.
And that brings me to the second reason. We have to be careful that we don’t turn our feet of clay into a salvation issue. Were those gentlemen who said “no” to God’s call into the ministry still Christians? Yes, they were. Was I a Christian for those seven years that I resisted God’s call? Yes, I was. That I am sometimes like the little boy who wanders all over the neighborhood when sent by his mom across the street to get a cup of sugar from a neighbor, doesn’t remove me from the family of God.
When we wander, when our feet turn to clay, we need to confess that to ourselves and to God. We need to recognize who we are and that our only hope is in Jesus Christ. We need to remember our baptism and all the promises of God attached to that – forgiveness, life and salvation. We need to remember that God is still at work to complete in us all that He began when He called us to faith.
“WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST?”
“Some years ago, I was talking to a lady about driving refugees to church. "I believe God is telling me to do it,” she said. “It's like I can hear Him.” And then what she said took my breath away. “But I'm not going to do it,” she said with a smile. “I just decided I don’t want to.” And she walked away.
My jaw hit the floor. Fool that I am, it had never occurred to me that someone would hear God calling - a Christian, even! - and just blithely tell Him “No” and walk away. How does that even happen? I’m still flabbergasted, years later.
And yet, that’s exactly what the priests and scribes and leaders in this Bible reading chose to do. They recognized Jesus. They saw and believed that He was the Messiah, the Chosen One of God. Surely, they would follow Him - right?
Wrong. There was something they cared about more. They didn’t want to lose their power and honor in the eyes of the community. To put it plainly, “they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” They heard Jesus calling - and they walked away.
This kind of thing scares me. It makes me search my own heart. Do I have any idols I love more than the truth, more than Jesus? Is there anything that would make me walk away from Him when He calls?
I don't want there to be anything like that. Choosing anything over Jesus is a kind of spiritual insanity. Jesus is my Savior and my Life and my Hope and my Redeemer. How terrible it would be to lose Him! He died on the cross to give me life. How could I leave Him? May God protect us all from having anything else that takes us away from Jesus.
THE PRAYER: Dear Father, keep us always close to Your Son Jesus in trust and love. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* What three or four things are most important to you in your life?
* Have you ever struggled with something that threatened to pull you away from Jesus?
* How do you stay close to Jesus in faith?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
John 12:42-43
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in Him (Jesus), but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries is based on John 9:1, 5-7. The author focuses on seeing – both physical and spiritual. God works through the power of His Word to give us eyes the light of His salvation made complete in Jesus Christ and His saving work.
“CRYSTAL CLEAR”
As I write this, I am facing eye surgery for a macular hole - a problem that has taken out a tiny part of my central vision. I envy this man. What a blessing to have the Creator of the universe step in and personally fix your blindness! He even did it with mud, in an echo of the original creation.
And yet, Jesus did more for this man - and for us! - than just fixing his physical vision. Take time to read John 9, the whole chapter. This man is crystal clear on who Jesus is and what He has done for him. He is the One who has rescued his eyesight and who has done a miracle that nobody has done since the beginning of the world - something only God can do. He is clear that God is with Jesus. And once Jesus meets him again in the temple, the man's vision is even sharper. He recognizes Jesus as the Son of Man and as God Himself - that's why he worshipped Him.
My physical eyesight is not so great, and yours may not be either. But if you recognize your Savior Jesus, your spiritual eyesight is 20/20. This is the Son of Man, the One that God promised to send into the world to save us all. This is the Son of God, the One who used His own blood to heal us of our spiritual blindness. And He will set us free in God's timing from all our weaknesses, even our physical problems - because Jesus is the Author of the new creation which God has promised, and in which we will live forever with Him. Because of His death and resurrection, we have the hope of total renewal, both body and soul, when Jesus comes again, according to His promise.
THE PRAYER: Father, help me to recognize and trust my Savior always. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Have you ever had eye problems? What is it like to live with them, if so?
* Why do you think Jesus used His spit to make mud instead of just saying the word and healing the man?
* How does your heart recognize Jesus?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Day Three
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries is based on John 12:2-3. It focuses on Mary’s response to Jesus’ person and work (especially raising her brother Lazarus from the dead). And the author asks the question: How do we show our love for Jesus?
We could talk about our time spent in public worship or in family and private devotions. Those are certainly ways that we can show our love for Jesus – ways that we can respond to His love shown to us through His life, death and resurrection.
That love gets concrete when we talk about service to our neighbor. In one respect, the Ten Commandments are a guide for that. We begin with how we show our love for God – no idols, the proper use of His name and honoring the Sabbath (spending time in His Word and listening to His voice).
Then we turn to the Second Table that shows how we are to love our neighbors as we ourselves have been loved. They are a guide to help us be Jesus’ hands and feet in this world. We become, in a certain respect, an incarnational presence as Christ works through us to touch the lives of those around us.
We have been raised from death in sin to life in Christ. We have been set free from the prison of sin through the forgiveness that Christ won for us and shares with us. Now, as blood bought children of God, we are free to love our neighbor – to be Jesus’ hands and feet as He works to continue to draw us all closer to Him.
“FREE TO LOVE”
Did you grow up in a family that said “I love you” a lot? For some people, this is very easy; for others, they have a terribly hard time getting out the words - except in really unusual circumstances.
There had certainly been enough unusual circumstances in the life of Mary and Martha. Not long before the dinner party, Jesus had raised their brother Lazarus from the dead. Their hearts were still overflowing with thankfulness and love. And so, Martha did what she did best - she took care of getting dinner ready. Lazarus himself was at the table with Jesus. And Mary?
What Mary did was scandalous. Not only did she use the best ointment she could get her hands on, but she poured it over Jesus’ feet as if it were nothing but water. Then she took down her hair and used it to wipe His feet clean - in public, in front of all the other guests, kneeling at Jesus’ feet.
What Mary did was nothing short of spectacular. But did she care? No, not at all. Jesus had raised her brother from the dead, and her heart was overflowing with love.
Jesus still inspires this sort of love in the people who know Him. We have even more to be grateful for than Mary did; only a few days later Jesus willingly went to the cross to rescue us all, laying down His life so that we could be freed from the power of evil and given new, everlasting life. And this is personal; He did it not for humanity-as-a-whole, but for each of us, personally. He loves us that much.
That sets us free to love Him in return. Granted, we will have to get creative about it, since we don't have access to His physical body in the same way Mary did. But this is the same Lord who said, “As you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40b). How will you show your love for Jesus?
THE PRAYER: Lord, give me a heart that responds to Your love with love of my own. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Think of someone you love. How does that person know you love them?
* Do you think love is a matter of feelings or of actions?
* What is the hardest or most unusual thing you have done for your love of Jesus?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
John 12:2-3
So they gave a dinner for Him (Jesus) there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Day Four
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The author of today’s Lutheran Hour devotion focuses on Jesus washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:3-5). Jesus is reversing roles with John the Baptist. John said that one was coming after him whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. John did not consider himself worthy to perform the most menial of services for the coming Messiah.
Here Jesus takes on the role of a servant for those disciples who, like John the Baptist, are not worthy to untie His sandals. Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, will continue His service to them (and to us) when He takes our place on the cross to die the death that we all deserve.
He renders that service for us so that He can set us free from the curse of the Law and from the chains of sin that would keep us prisoners of death. By His death and resurrection, Jesus makes is possible for us to become children of God. By His work through the waters of Baptism, that’s what we are.
And now, the foot washing becomes the example of how we are to serve each other. We are to honor and serve our neighbor just as Jesus served His disciples. Since our future is secure in Jesus and the resurrection that He shares with us, we can now focus on the needs of others as Jesus’ hands and feet.
“WASHING FEET”
Have you ever had to wash someone? It’s a very intimate act - so intimate that it makes a lot of us uncomfortable. We feel awkward - should we really be doing this? If we are on the receiving end, we may struggle to do it ourselves - simply because we have trouble receiving such an intimate act of care.
And yet so often it is necessary. If you care for small children, you know that washing them is part of their daily care. They can’t handle it for themselves. The same is true if you are caring for a disabled or sick person. Because you love them, you do for them what they cannot do themselves. And if it is you who is receiving the care, you try to do so with grace and thankfulness - glad that someone loves you enough to care for you in this way.
What, then, was Jesus doing when He washed the feet of His disciples? They were neither sick nor disabled - in their own opinions, anyway. But Jesus saw the truth of their situation. Whether they needed washing desperately - the washing of the forgiveness of sins that God gives us at Baptism, and then gives us anew every time we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. They needed daily washing, just as each of us do. And Jesus was not too proud to give it.
Picture Him there, down in the darkness, dressed like a servant, washing the mud and the stink of the day off your feet. Jesus does not grudge you this. It is an intimate act of love that He performs for us - why? Because we are the people He loves and came to set free from sin and death. Because we are the people He died and rose for. Because we are the people He baptized and made into His own family, children of God.
Jesus washes you because He loves you. Never forget it.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for loving me so, and help me to love my brothers and sisters in the same way. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* When did you ever wash someone else? How did it feel?
* Who has washed you, and when?
* Peter was embarrassed to let Jesus wash his feet. Would that be a problem for you?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
John 13:3-5
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.
Day Five
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The author of today’s devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries focuses on Matthew 26:30-35. They have finished the Passover meal, sung a hymn and are getting ready to head for the Mount of Olives. Before they leave, Jesus tells them that they will all fall away. They will desert Him when folks come to arrest Him.
Peter denies it. He will never fall away. And we can (and should) assume that he means that with all of his heart. We know how the story ends. Before the rooster crows, he will deny knowing Jesus three times. In his weakness, he can’t follow through on his promise.
And that provides a contrast. Peter can’t keep his promise and neither can we. But God always keeps His promises. He is faithful and He never wavers. Jesus talks about His resurrection as if it is an accomplished fact. And then He tells them that He will meet them in Galilee after He is raised from the dead. The empty tomb is the guarantee that Jesus is indeed the YES to every promise of God.
“PROMISES”
It looks like a throw-away line: “After I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Certainly, the disciples treat it that way - they are all so fixated on the words “You will all fall away because of Me this night” that it’s like they don’t even hear the rest of Jesus’ sentence. Instead, Peter bursts into indignant denials. “That will never happen, even if I have to die with You!” And all the other disciples said the same.
It’s not really surprising. Nobody wants to think of themselves as cowardly, unfaithful, apt to run away. Nobody wants to admit that they could be capable of denying a friend, let alone their Lord and Master. And so they won’t listen. They are so afraid of hearing the bad news, that they never notice the good news.
Because it is good news: “After I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Jesus says this in such a matter-of-fact way, He doesn’t even give His resurrection a sentence of its own. No, He simply dumps it into an introductory phrase, and instead puts all the emphasis on where He plans to meet them in a few days. For that matter, it’s like a man planning to meet his friends at Starbucks.
And it sails right over the disciples’ heads. But it should not sail right over our heads, because we know that Jesus keeps His Word, good or bad. And this is the best of all, because it means that Jesus will succeed in rescuing us - will set us free from sin, death, and the devil through His death on the cross - and will give us everlasting life through His resurrection. What an awesome promise!
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You that all Your good promises come true, even the ones we overlook. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Did you ever totally miss what somebody said and have to have it repeated to you?
* What would you think if a dying friend of yours started calmly making plans for next week?
* Why do you think Jesus can think about the resurrection right now and the disciples can't?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Matthew 26:30-35
And when they (Jesus’ disciples) had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered Him, “Though they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I must die with You, I will not deny You!” And all the disciples said the same.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion talks about the depth of God’s love for us in that He allows for the possibility of rejection. He reveals His power through His creation. He reveals Himself and His mercy through His Word. But He doesn’t force us to believe.
Faith is a gift. And like all gifts it can be received with gladness or out of respect of the giver. Or it can be refused. God loves us enough to give us that choice. That some refuse is not just a sadness in general, it pierces God’s heart. We see that here in Jesus’ words when He tells those who reject Him how He has longed (and still longs) to gather them as a mother hen gathers her children. And they were unwilling.
For all of us who have received that gift – who have been gathered under His wings – may that good news lift us up in these anxious times so that we don’t lose heart. May that good news cause us to rejoice in the salvation that has come to us by faith in Jesus Christ. Filled with that joy, may we shine with the light of His salvation and be a beacon of hope for all who are living in fear today.
“YOU WERE NOT WILLING”
(Jesus said) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.’” (Matthew 23:37-39)
What happens if you try to set people free—but they are not willing? It sounds like an odd problem, but it's one that Moses faced with the people of Israel, again and again, on their journey out of slavery to the Promised Land. God led the people in the pillar of cloud and fire; He provided food and water for them by miracle; He protected them from danger—but again and again, the people changed their minds. They wanted to go back to slavery—where, they thought, things were easier.
In our reading today, Jesus is grieving over the same behavior in the people of Jerusalem. He came to save them from the power of evil—but already the leaders of the city were plotting against Him, and the common people would follow their lead. In just a few days, they would be shouting "Crucify!" Jesus wanted to set them free—but some of them didn't want to be free.
Many people ask, "Why doesn't God just overrule people? If they are rejecting Him and insisting on a path that leads to hell, why doesn't God just magically change their minds?" But God doesn't do that sort of thing. He respects our free will—even when we are fool enough to refuse Him. If we insist on staying in slavery, He does not set us free. He will do any number of miracles, but this He will not do: overrule our freedom to reject Him.
This is still true today. Jesus calls, He argues, He draws—but He does not force. He laid down His life for us on the cross—He rose from the dead, to share His victory over death with us—but He does not force anyone to take the gift. How He loves us! And so He waits, patiently, calling us to Him in faith, waiting for us to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit and say, "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord."
THE PRAYER: Lord, let Your Holy Spirit strengthen my faith in You, and turn my heart to follow You. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* What is there about us that resists that which deep down inside we know is good for us?
* What do you do when someone you love refuses something that is good and necessary for them?
* Is there something you are saying "No" to God about, even though you know it's for your own good?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Day Two
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries is an interesting one for a couple of reasons. The first thing that jumped out at me was that she was astounded that anyone who heard God calling would say “no” and walk away. Moses, to summarize, told God that He had the wrong guy for rescuing God’s people from their slavery in Egypt. I’ve had conversations with older men who shared that God was calling them into the pastoral ministry when they were young and they didn’t go. I held God at arm’s length for seven years, before I said “yes” to His call to enter into the pastoral ministry.
It happens all the time. As believers, we are still saddled with our sinful flesh – that old Adam that wants nothing to do with God. And, if Paul’s words in Romans 7 are true (and they are), then more often than not we do those things we hate. We don’t do the good that God is calling us to do.
And that brings me to the second reason. We have to be careful that we don’t turn our feet of clay into a salvation issue. Were those gentlemen who said “no” to God’s call into the ministry still Christians? Yes, they were. Was I a Christian for those seven years that I resisted God’s call? Yes, I was. That I am sometimes like the little boy who wanders all over the neighborhood when sent by his mom across the street to get a cup of sugar from a neighbor, doesn’t remove me from the family of God.
When we wander, when our feet turn to clay, we need to confess that to ourselves and to God. We need to recognize who we are and that our only hope is in Jesus Christ. We need to remember our baptism and all the promises of God attached to that – forgiveness, life and salvation. We need to remember that God is still at work to complete in us all that He began when He called us to faith.
“WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST?”
“Some years ago, I was talking to a lady about driving refugees to church. "I believe God is telling me to do it,” she said. “It's like I can hear Him.” And then what she said took my breath away. “But I'm not going to do it,” she said with a smile. “I just decided I don’t want to.” And she walked away.
My jaw hit the floor. Fool that I am, it had never occurred to me that someone would hear God calling - a Christian, even! - and just blithely tell Him “No” and walk away. How does that even happen? I’m still flabbergasted, years later.
And yet, that’s exactly what the priests and scribes and leaders in this Bible reading chose to do. They recognized Jesus. They saw and believed that He was the Messiah, the Chosen One of God. Surely, they would follow Him - right?
Wrong. There was something they cared about more. They didn’t want to lose their power and honor in the eyes of the community. To put it plainly, “they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” They heard Jesus calling - and they walked away.
This kind of thing scares me. It makes me search my own heart. Do I have any idols I love more than the truth, more than Jesus? Is there anything that would make me walk away from Him when He calls?
I don't want there to be anything like that. Choosing anything over Jesus is a kind of spiritual insanity. Jesus is my Savior and my Life and my Hope and my Redeemer. How terrible it would be to lose Him! He died on the cross to give me life. How could I leave Him? May God protect us all from having anything else that takes us away from Jesus.
THE PRAYER: Dear Father, keep us always close to Your Son Jesus in trust and love. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* What three or four things are most important to you in your life?
* Have you ever struggled with something that threatened to pull you away from Jesus?
* How do you stay close to Jesus in faith?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
John 12:42-43
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in Him (Jesus), but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries is based on John 9:1, 5-7. The author focuses on seeing – both physical and spiritual. God works through the power of His Word to give us eyes the light of His salvation made complete in Jesus Christ and His saving work.
“CRYSTAL CLEAR”
As I write this, I am facing eye surgery for a macular hole - a problem that has taken out a tiny part of my central vision. I envy this man. What a blessing to have the Creator of the universe step in and personally fix your blindness! He even did it with mud, in an echo of the original creation.
And yet, Jesus did more for this man - and for us! - than just fixing his physical vision. Take time to read John 9, the whole chapter. This man is crystal clear on who Jesus is and what He has done for him. He is the One who has rescued his eyesight and who has done a miracle that nobody has done since the beginning of the world - something only God can do. He is clear that God is with Jesus. And once Jesus meets him again in the temple, the man's vision is even sharper. He recognizes Jesus as the Son of Man and as God Himself - that's why he worshipped Him.
My physical eyesight is not so great, and yours may not be either. But if you recognize your Savior Jesus, your spiritual eyesight is 20/20. This is the Son of Man, the One that God promised to send into the world to save us all. This is the Son of God, the One who used His own blood to heal us of our spiritual blindness. And He will set us free in God's timing from all our weaknesses, even our physical problems - because Jesus is the Author of the new creation which God has promised, and in which we will live forever with Him. Because of His death and resurrection, we have the hope of total renewal, both body and soul, when Jesus comes again, according to His promise.
THE PRAYER: Father, help me to recognize and trust my Savior always. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Have you ever had eye problems? What is it like to live with them, if so?
* Why do you think Jesus used His spit to make mud instead of just saying the word and healing the man?
* How does your heart recognize Jesus?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Day Three
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries is based on John 12:2-3. It focuses on Mary’s response to Jesus’ person and work (especially raising her brother Lazarus from the dead). And the author asks the question: How do we show our love for Jesus?
We could talk about our time spent in public worship or in family and private devotions. Those are certainly ways that we can show our love for Jesus – ways that we can respond to His love shown to us through His life, death and resurrection.
That love gets concrete when we talk about service to our neighbor. In one respect, the Ten Commandments are a guide for that. We begin with how we show our love for God – no idols, the proper use of His name and honoring the Sabbath (spending time in His Word and listening to His voice).
Then we turn to the Second Table that shows how we are to love our neighbors as we ourselves have been loved. They are a guide to help us be Jesus’ hands and feet in this world. We become, in a certain respect, an incarnational presence as Christ works through us to touch the lives of those around us.
We have been raised from death in sin to life in Christ. We have been set free from the prison of sin through the forgiveness that Christ won for us and shares with us. Now, as blood bought children of God, we are free to love our neighbor – to be Jesus’ hands and feet as He works to continue to draw us all closer to Him.
“FREE TO LOVE”
Did you grow up in a family that said “I love you” a lot? For some people, this is very easy; for others, they have a terribly hard time getting out the words - except in really unusual circumstances.
There had certainly been enough unusual circumstances in the life of Mary and Martha. Not long before the dinner party, Jesus had raised their brother Lazarus from the dead. Their hearts were still overflowing with thankfulness and love. And so, Martha did what she did best - she took care of getting dinner ready. Lazarus himself was at the table with Jesus. And Mary?
What Mary did was scandalous. Not only did she use the best ointment she could get her hands on, but she poured it over Jesus’ feet as if it were nothing but water. Then she took down her hair and used it to wipe His feet clean - in public, in front of all the other guests, kneeling at Jesus’ feet.
What Mary did was nothing short of spectacular. But did she care? No, not at all. Jesus had raised her brother from the dead, and her heart was overflowing with love.
Jesus still inspires this sort of love in the people who know Him. We have even more to be grateful for than Mary did; only a few days later Jesus willingly went to the cross to rescue us all, laying down His life so that we could be freed from the power of evil and given new, everlasting life. And this is personal; He did it not for humanity-as-a-whole, but for each of us, personally. He loves us that much.
That sets us free to love Him in return. Granted, we will have to get creative about it, since we don't have access to His physical body in the same way Mary did. But this is the same Lord who said, “As you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40b). How will you show your love for Jesus?
THE PRAYER: Lord, give me a heart that responds to Your love with love of my own. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Think of someone you love. How does that person know you love them?
* Do you think love is a matter of feelings or of actions?
* What is the hardest or most unusual thing you have done for your love of Jesus?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
John 12:2-3
So they gave a dinner for Him (Jesus) there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Day Four
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The author of today’s Lutheran Hour devotion focuses on Jesus washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:3-5). Jesus is reversing roles with John the Baptist. John said that one was coming after him whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. John did not consider himself worthy to perform the most menial of services for the coming Messiah.
Here Jesus takes on the role of a servant for those disciples who, like John the Baptist, are not worthy to untie His sandals. Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, will continue His service to them (and to us) when He takes our place on the cross to die the death that we all deserve.
He renders that service for us so that He can set us free from the curse of the Law and from the chains of sin that would keep us prisoners of death. By His death and resurrection, Jesus makes is possible for us to become children of God. By His work through the waters of Baptism, that’s what we are.
And now, the foot washing becomes the example of how we are to serve each other. We are to honor and serve our neighbor just as Jesus served His disciples. Since our future is secure in Jesus and the resurrection that He shares with us, we can now focus on the needs of others as Jesus’ hands and feet.
“WASHING FEET”
Have you ever had to wash someone? It’s a very intimate act - so intimate that it makes a lot of us uncomfortable. We feel awkward - should we really be doing this? If we are on the receiving end, we may struggle to do it ourselves - simply because we have trouble receiving such an intimate act of care.
And yet so often it is necessary. If you care for small children, you know that washing them is part of their daily care. They can’t handle it for themselves. The same is true if you are caring for a disabled or sick person. Because you love them, you do for them what they cannot do themselves. And if it is you who is receiving the care, you try to do so with grace and thankfulness - glad that someone loves you enough to care for you in this way.
What, then, was Jesus doing when He washed the feet of His disciples? They were neither sick nor disabled - in their own opinions, anyway. But Jesus saw the truth of their situation. Whether they needed washing desperately - the washing of the forgiveness of sins that God gives us at Baptism, and then gives us anew every time we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. They needed daily washing, just as each of us do. And Jesus was not too proud to give it.
Picture Him there, down in the darkness, dressed like a servant, washing the mud and the stink of the day off your feet. Jesus does not grudge you this. It is an intimate act of love that He performs for us - why? Because we are the people He loves and came to set free from sin and death. Because we are the people He died and rose for. Because we are the people He baptized and made into His own family, children of God.
Jesus washes you because He loves you. Never forget it.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for loving me so, and help me to love my brothers and sisters in the same way. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* When did you ever wash someone else? How did it feel?
* Who has washed you, and when?
* Peter was embarrassed to let Jesus wash his feet. Would that be a problem for you?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
John 13:3-5
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.
Day Five
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The author of today’s devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries focuses on Matthew 26:30-35. They have finished the Passover meal, sung a hymn and are getting ready to head for the Mount of Olives. Before they leave, Jesus tells them that they will all fall away. They will desert Him when folks come to arrest Him.
Peter denies it. He will never fall away. And we can (and should) assume that he means that with all of his heart. We know how the story ends. Before the rooster crows, he will deny knowing Jesus three times. In his weakness, he can’t follow through on his promise.
And that provides a contrast. Peter can’t keep his promise and neither can we. But God always keeps His promises. He is faithful and He never wavers. Jesus talks about His resurrection as if it is an accomplished fact. And then He tells them that He will meet them in Galilee after He is raised from the dead. The empty tomb is the guarantee that Jesus is indeed the YES to every promise of God.
“PROMISES”
It looks like a throw-away line: “After I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Certainly, the disciples treat it that way - they are all so fixated on the words “You will all fall away because of Me this night” that it’s like they don’t even hear the rest of Jesus’ sentence. Instead, Peter bursts into indignant denials. “That will never happen, even if I have to die with You!” And all the other disciples said the same.
It’s not really surprising. Nobody wants to think of themselves as cowardly, unfaithful, apt to run away. Nobody wants to admit that they could be capable of denying a friend, let alone their Lord and Master. And so they won’t listen. They are so afraid of hearing the bad news, that they never notice the good news.
Because it is good news: “After I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Jesus says this in such a matter-of-fact way, He doesn’t even give His resurrection a sentence of its own. No, He simply dumps it into an introductory phrase, and instead puts all the emphasis on where He plans to meet them in a few days. For that matter, it’s like a man planning to meet his friends at Starbucks.
And it sails right over the disciples’ heads. But it should not sail right over our heads, because we know that Jesus keeps His Word, good or bad. And this is the best of all, because it means that Jesus will succeed in rescuing us - will set us free from sin, death, and the devil through His death on the cross - and will give us everlasting life through His resurrection. What an awesome promise!
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You that all Your good promises come true, even the ones we overlook. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Did you ever totally miss what somebody said and have to have it repeated to you?
* What would you think if a dying friend of yours started calmly making plans for next week?
* Why do you think Jesus can think about the resurrection right now and the disciples can't?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Matthew 26:30-35
And when they (Jesus’ disciples) had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered Him, “Though they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I must die with You, I will not deny You!” And all the disciples said the same.