Monthly Archives: March 2017

Christian, devotion, Lenten Devotion, The Gospel of John, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace for the 10th Day of Lent, 2017

Devotional Reading: John 4: 1-26. Morning Psalm–43; Evening Psalm–31

Text: Jesus said to her: I am he, the one who is speaking.” (John 4: 26)

So often the most important things happen “behind the scenes”. Slow service in a restaurant it is not the waitresses fault; she’s at the mercy of the cooks–or chefs, in high class establishments. If a scene doesn’t go quite right in a play, more likely than not–unless an actor forgets a line–it is the fault of the director or one of the stage hands.

The exchange between the Samaritan woman at the well and Jesus gets into a deep theological discussion very quickly; living water vs. well water, where and how “our” people worship, etc.  Finally Jesus says quite clearly Who He is; “I am he, the One who is speaking. (The Christ). That is good to know, but what happens next is arguably more important, and it is off stage of today’s reading. The woman goes back to her village and tells everyone she sees, “I have met the Christ.” She then brings them to Jesus.

Many, if not most, “mainline” Christians know that Jesus is the Christ, but they keep it a secret. We simply don’t tell others; we don’t tell others that we are a Jesus follower but we also don’t tell others how He touched our lives and changed them. It is fine, well and good for us to know who Jesus is, but Jesus says that we have this knowledge because we are His “witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Christ does not want undercover agents but heralds of God’s Kingdom.

Lord, having revealed Yourself to me, show me how to be a witness to Your life-changing presence.  Amen.

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Christian, confession, devotion, faith, Lenten Devotion, sin, Temptation, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace for the 9th Day of Lent, 2017

Devotional Readings: Hebrews 4: 11-16;  Morning Psalm-22; Evening Psalm–130

Text: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness that  we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need. (Hebrews 11:15, 16)

    To be reminded of our mistakes, short-comings, indiscretions or whatever we want to call it, is uncomfortable for most people. Like Adam and Eve trying to hide their nakedness, it seems that our default mode of operation is to deny, lie and cover up. All this does, though, is separate us more and more from God.

Each week, at the church I serve, we join together in a Prayer of Confession of Sin. From time to time someone will tell me that the Confession is depressing. Owning our sin is very counter-cultural. We often enter this part of the service by reminding worshipers of the words of  I John.  “If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”(1: 8)  The apostle Paul wrote that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23) Whether we like to hear it or not, we are sinners living in a state of sin. Period.

Today’s reading from Hebrews reminds us that sin does not have the last word, though. Like us, Jesus was tempted in every way but unlike us, Jesus did not fall. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness that  we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need.  As the Incarnation of God, Jesus knows who we really are and has compassion upon us. With the confidence of a child standing before a loving parent, we can confess our sin and the part that we play in the world’s sin knowing that we will receive mercy and grace.

Lord, with David I can ask for Your forgiveness. It is against You and only You that I have sinned. Give me the courage and the wisdom to mend broken relationships without harming myself. Heal my wounds of the spirit and draw me more and more into the likeness of Christ. Amen.

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Christian, devotion, John 3: 16, Lenten Devotion, The Gospel of John, Uncategorized

Glimpse of Grace for the 8th Day of Lent, 2017

Devotional Readings: John 3: 16-21; Morning Psalm-27; Evening Psalm 126

Text: This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so the no one need be destroyed. (John 3: 16,17a The Message)

When I was about 8 or 9 years old, the church that I attended with my folks decided that it would be a good idea for the children to memorize a few Bible verses. I’ve always had difficulty with memorization but one of the first verses that I learned, thanks to my mother’s persistance, was John 3: 16, King James Version, of course!  It wasn’t until I became a pastor that I discovered that John 3: 16 only tells part of the Story. It told the What but not the Why. It wasn’t until I read verse 17 that I discovered the Why; “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” Revised Standard Version) God sent the very embodiment of God’s eternal Love into the world to save it, not to judge it! God’s purpose is and always have been to save, redeem or rescue the world–choose whichever word you wish.

When the early Christians questioned why Jesus did not return before now, the writer of Second Peter replied, “The Lord is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.” (II Peter 3:9, Common English Bible)

In this season of Lent we have a lot to be thankful for, most notably God’s eternal Love that never gives up on us and God’s Patience that is willing to wait a lifetime and beyond for us to change our hearts and lives.

Lord, let me reflect Your Love and Your Patience today and every day in the season and Lent and all the days of my life. Amen.

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Born Again, Christian, John 3: 16, Lenten Devotion, The Gospel of John, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace for the 7th Day of Lent, 2017

Devotional Reading: John 2: 23-3:15; Morning Psalm: 5; Evening Psalm 27

Text: (Nicodemus): How can anyone be born who has already been born and grown up? … (Jesus): “You’re not listening.” (John 3: 4 & 5, The Message)

In his little book Don’t Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide Christian educator and seminary president C. Ellis Nelson wrote said he believes “that the power of culture to shape beliefs and dictate moral behavior is so strong that only a revelation from God is capable of breaking through to give individuals a new lease on life.”*

Nicodemus approached Jesus under the dark veil at night wanting desperately to figure out who He was. What Jesus said and did inspired Nicodemus but it didn’t fit into his preconception of the Messiah. And when Jesus spoke of “rebirth” or “birth from above” Nicodemus was more confused than ever.

To see the Kingdom of God in the person of Jesus is to have a revelation from God. We do not determine the time or date of our birth. As a matter of fact, we have no control over any of the circumstances of our birth. Nor to we have any control over God intervention in our lives. This reality makes us uncomfortable because we are a people wanting  to be in control. This has been true since the story of Adam and Eve. We want to be told that it is up to us to take the first basic steps toward salvation. And, we want to “do it our way.”

But our way is not God’s way. God’s way is the way of Love. For God so loved the world… God’s Love is the first step. Salvation is not in our hands but God’s. This is hard for us to accept because it is based on pure grace, grace without merit on our part. All we can do it live into this Love that will not let us go, no matter what. There is no better news than this: it’s not about us. It’s about God.

Lord, Thank you for Your Love that first reached out to me in Jesus Christ. Thank you for Your Love that will never let me go. Thank you for walking with me in Life’s darkest valleys as well as leading me to Life’s mountaintops. I am yours. Do with me what Your will. Amen.

 

*C. Ellis Nelson, Don’t Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide, New York, Paulist Press, pp. 4,5

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Lenten Devotion, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace for the of Lent

Devotional Reading for the Day: John 2: 13-22. Text: “You have made my Father’s house a marketplace!” (v.16)

I wasn’t always a minister. When I first graduated from university I sold life insurance for a major company. Shortly after beginning this career my agency manager encouraged me to join a particular church. He didn’t do this he was concerned about my spirituality.  His concern was simply business. “You need to join First Presbyterian Church because of the connections you will make.”

In John’s gospel Jesus walked into the Temple and saw that it was more about profits than the prophets, more about mammon than about God, more about market shares than spiritual maturity.

We need to be cautious in our worship. We need to heed Jesus’ words; “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24); “What does it profit an individual to gain and whole world and lose their soul.” (Matthew 16:26).

In the third temptation of Jesus, he was offered all of the riches and fame of the world, if only he would “worship” the Tempter. Jesus replied, “Worship the Lord your God; only him shall you serve.” In this season of Lent we do well to consider what it is in life that we are truly worshiping.

Lord, imprint the wisdom of Jesus upon my heart. Give me the strength to be faithful to your calling. Allow me to walk in your footsteps. Correct me when I wander away from the work of your Kingdom. Amen.

 

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Glimpses of Grace for the 5th Day of Lent*

To be read devotionally: Mark 2: 18-22. Supplemental readings include Jeremiah 9: 23-24 and I Corinthians 1: 18-31. There is also a morning Psalm (84) and an evening Psalm (42)

In elementary school I was rough on my trousers. More often than not I’m come home from school with a tear in one knee or the other. My mother would dutifully “patch” the knee by sewing a palm size square on the inside of the trouser leg so that the patch would not be so noticible.

My father used to make homemade wine. He had a huge 500 gallon oak barrel in the basement of our house. I’d often watch him nurse the wine making process.

When Jesus was criticized because His disciples were “acting” in a manner contrary to the expected norms of the day, He responded by talking about sewing on a patch and filling wineskins. What did He mean? Very simply, he was saying that God is doing a “new thing.” The old ways were not going to work anymore. God is always doing a new thing for God is a Creator God. God is not a “one and done” type of Lord.

As we age we tend to become curmudgeons. We become stuck in our ways and talk about how much better things used to be. We long for the former days of greatness. But, truth be told, those days really weren’t so great. Whenever we see things as “fixed” or “settled” we are risking the chance of not seeing what God is doing right now. The readings for today remind us that as followers of Jesus we must maintain an adventurous mind. Christ the Bridegroom is in our midst, so let’s wash away the sad face.

     Lord, help me see the new thing that you are doing. Do not let me be satisfied with what is but to always seek Your better way. Make be a harbinger of Joy, Peace, Love and Hope, literally a bearer of your Good News. Amen.

 

*A note about “the days of Lent”: There are 40 days in Lent, excluding Sundays. Yesterday was the first Sunday in Lent. Today is the first Monday after the first Sunday which makes it the 5th Day of Lent.

 

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Christian, devotion, faith, Lenten Devotion, Temptation, Temptations of Jesus, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace: The First Sunday in Lent, 2017

Devotional Reading: Matthew 4: 1-11

I always thought that temptations were a bad thing. At various times in my life, whenever I faced a major decision and didn’t know which way to go, I would pray, “Lord, if you do NOT want me to do a certain thing, then please don’t tempt me because I am weak and I will fail.” I truly knew what the apostle Paul was talking about when he wrote, “I do not understand my own action. For I do not do what I want, but the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7: 15-20) Like Paul, I stumble a lot.

But then, in reading today’s text, I realized that Jesus was led into the wilderness of temptation by the Spirit–the Holy Spirit. Temptations, then, are not bad. They are clarifying. They help me discover the essence of my character. As an old Country song says, “If you don’t know what you stand for, you’ll fall for anything.” Jesus’ temptations clarified for Him, the Early Church, and us today what gives our lives meaning. In life we “do not live by bread alone”. We must not “put God to the test”. And only one Being is worthy of our worship. (Matthew 4: 4,7&10, respectively).

These are basic principles by which we can live our lives. These are the principles we can use when we face temptation.

Lord, Jesus told us that when we pray we ought to pray not to be led into temptation. But when we are tempted, help us to stop and ponder Christ’s lessons–we do not live by bread alone, we must not put God to the test, and only one thing truly deserves our worship. Amen.

 

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Christian, devotion, faith, Lenten Devotion, The Gospel of John, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace for the 4th Day of Lent

Devotional Reading for the Day: John 1: 43-51

Text: (Jesus) found Philip …(John 1:43)

I find it interesting that the gospel writer in John made a point of having Jesus find Philip.

When I was a young man there was an evangelism push that swept  America called, “I Found It.” There were billboards, bulletin inserts and even campaign-like buttons. A lot of churches bought into the movement. There was something about it, though, that made me uneasy. Then someone pointed out to me that “It” wasn’t lost. I was. We are lost. It is God who finds us not us who finds God.  This is true from Adam and Eve in Garden onward. “I once was lost but now am found” the old hymn* says.

Philip, like Andrew before him, told other about how Jesus came into his life and changed it. Suddenly, he was on a great journey discovering what it means to be really alive. During this season of Lent, this time of reflection in preparation for the celebration of Easter, we would do well to think about how Christ came into our lives and made a difference. We’d do better by sharing this “good news”–this “gospel”–with someone else.

Prayer: Lord, do not allow me to keep private how you touched my life and opened my eyes to the true reality of life. Give me the wisdom, the words and the courage to share how you changed me with a “Nathaniel”.  Amen.

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Christian, devotion, faith, Lenten Devotion, The Gospel of John, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace for the Third Day of Lent

Reading for the Day*: John 1: 35-42

The grace seen at the baptismal font, a grace that claims us before we even know that we belong to God, is a lifelong call.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said to two of his disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The two left John, and immediately followed Jesus, not yet as disciples, but at a distance. At this point they were just curious and cautious. “Is this what the Lamb of God looked like? He wasn’t all that different from John, or themselves, for that matter.”

Jesus turned to them and asked what they were looking for. “Where are you staying,” they replied. “Come and see,” Jesus said. Walk with me. Live with me. Learn for yourself Who I am. The walk of Christian discipleship is not about “head” knowledge. It is not about the accumulation of facts or verifiable proofs. It is about experience. It is about a willing commitment that leads to ultimate trust.

One of the disciples, Andrew by name, had a brother named Simon Peter. Filled with insight and excitement he hurried to Simon Peter and said, “We have found the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord.” The discovery of who Jesus is, is found in community though it may appear to be individual revelation.

Jesus’ invitation still echoes. Come and see. Go and serve, to the glory of God.

“Our hearts are restless until they come in rest in you, O Lord.”** Remove our restless hearts, O God. Take away anxious thoughts. Give us wisdom throughout all of the events of today; great and small. Amen.

*These readings are from The Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church (USA). To read the assigned lesson of the day in a devotional manner simply means that you read it not to finish the reading itself but with the attitude that God is speaking to you in the reading. You may not finish the whole reading. A particular word or phrase may give you pause. If that happens, pause and reflect upon it. You need not finish the rest of the reading. Such a pause will not necessarily happen every day but when it does, enjoy the moment.)

**From St. Augustine’s Confessions.

 

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Christian, faith, Lenten Devotion, Uncategorized

Glimpses of Grace for the Second Day of Lent 2017

For devotional reading: John 1: 29-34

Jesus essentially said that there are two kinds of people in world; those who see that the quality of our relationship to God is in direct proportion to our relationship to others, and those who don’t. He even once told a parable about this. On the Day of Judgement all of the people of the world will be divided into two groups; sheep and goats. The sheep will be welcomed into God’s kingdom because they fed the Son when he was hungry, clothed him when he was naked and cared for him in his need. They didn’t remember doing any of those things, but when they did it to the least, the last and the lost, they did it to him.  The goats were not welcomed into the kingdom because they did none of those things. Their plea of not knowing made no difference. By ignoring the plight of the least, the last and the lost, they ignored the children of the King.

I’m sure that the second group never thought of themselves as uncaring, calloused, jaded or anything else. They probably saw themselves as good responsible men and women. They were just blind to the face of the Son of Man in the faces of the Least.

Not recognizing someone is not an uncommon human experience. It’s happened to all of us at one time or another.  I imagine that the childhood friends of our President was surprised to think that one of them would grow up to be  the leader of the most powerful nation that the world has ever seen.  John the Baptizer did not recognize who Jesus was at first. He knew Jesus just about his entire life. His mother and Jesus’ mother were kin. It is very reasonable to think that John and Jesus knew each other and probably attended some family functions together.

John knew Jesus but he didn’t really know Jesus. He didn’t know him until it was revealed to him by God. At Jesus’ baptism it was God’s grace that allowed John to see Jesus for who he really is for the very first time. We are reminded of this Grace, this Amazing Grace, whenever we see the baptismal font. The font tells of of a Grace that claims us before we even know God’s claim on our lives. In baptism we are reminded that we love God because God first loved us. (I John 4: 19)

Know that God’s grace and love walks with you in your Lenten journey.

God of grace and love, give us wisdom and courage for the living of these days. Amen.

 

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