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Category Archives: Lent 2024

Lent Day 13

26 Feb

Dear God, I just want to sit here before you for a moment and be still. Clear my head and be with you. Really try to grasp the concept that something so small and insignificant as me can have a life lived with the creator of the universe as his father. That your Holy Spirit can be here with me. That this is what you want. That Jesus is my savior, teacher, and he loves me too. I am so grateful.

As is my habit, I missed reading the PM psalms yesterday (Psalms 8 and 84), but I just read them after typing that first paragraph, and they feed into that same sentiment. Just worship and appreciation of you. Oh, Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Today’s verses from Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer are:

  • AM Psalms: 56, 57, and 58
  • PM Psalms: 64, 65
  • Jeremiah 1:11-19
  • John 4:27-42
  • Romans 1:1-15

I thought we might be spending some more time in 1 Corinthians now after seeing a reading from 1 Corinthians (and Mark instead of John yesterday), but today we are in Romans and back in John. So here we go.

Psalms 56 and 57 – The note at the top of Psalm 56 says, “Of David…When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.” The note at the top of Psalm 57 says, “Of David…When he had fled from Saul into the cave.” Two things strike me about this: 1.) He obviously travels with something to write with and he writes down his prayers to you kind of like I do as I type these prayers. Now, his are much more poetic, but he is pouring out his heart to you nonetheless. 2.) It takes stories from 1 Samuel and gives me a look into his prayer life. How was he emotionally and spiritually surviving these trials? He was communing with you in the moment as best as he could.

Jeremiah 1:11-19 – What strikes me in this passage is that you know you are making Jeremiah an enemy of the rebellious people. Jeremiah is about to lead a very hard life as your prophet. This is the role you have for him in history. There are some people still today whom you call to this role. There are others who take this role upon themselves and think they are doing it on your behalf. Oh, help us to know when it is you speaking. Help me to know when it is you speaking!

John 4:27-42 – I love how Jesus sees the situation beyond what that present moment gives him. He sees the “harvest.” He is in Samaria with people the Jews of the time looked down upon, and he sees them as the harvest. He is also able to deny himself essential things like food because he is focused on the moment.

Romans 1:1-15 – As Paul opens his letter to the Romans, I love this line in verses 11 and 12: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong–that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Father, as I go through this day, help me to be very intentional about seeing everyone and every situation through your eyes. Give me your eyes all day long. Holy Spirit, teach me. Jesus, teach me. Oh, Father, I offer you my life today. Use it how you will.

I pray all of this through Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 26, 2024 in Jeremiah, John, Lent 2024, Psalms, Romans

 

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Lent Day 12

25 Feb

Good morning, Father. I’ve been doing this after my morning shower, but I think I’m going to skip showering this morning because of how my day is going to play out, so I thought I would go ahead and dive into praying to you and going through Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer.

Of course, as is my pattern over the last 12 days, I didn’t read the PM Psalms (138 and 139). David wrote both of them, and I do notice one pattern in David that I think was a problem for him: anger. Psalm 139 is one of those great, worshipful songs. Different parts of it are often quoted. Rick Mullins wrote a song called “Nothing is Beyond You” before he died that leans heavily on this psalm. But David can’t help himself at the end. He has to lash out at his enemies: “If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.” In the midst of a lot of worship, but is a lot of anger.

I wonder how Jesus would have comforted David in the moment he was writing that. “No, David. Love your enemies. Your hatred is hurting you. They are my children too. They sin like you do. They have walked away. I’m waiting for them to return. Beckoning to them. Calling them. I need you to be part of that call with me. Let’s call them together. Be at peace, David. Be at peace. Remember, my rod and staff comfort you. You might be sitting at a table eating, and your enemies might be surrounding you, watching, but I am with you and they will not harm you.”

Is that how you are comforting me this morning, Father? Are you telling me that the people I might see as an enemy are simply people you want to see return to you as much as a parent wants to receive a child that has rejected them? You need me as your emissary to them. You need me to be your ambassador. Your advocate. You need me to be a lover of everyone.

With all of that said, here are today’s passages from Sacred Invitation.

  • AM Psalms: 24, 29
  • PM Psalms: 8, 84
  • Jeremiah 1:1-10
  • Mark 3:31-4:9
  • 1 Corinthians 3:11-23

I have to admit it is kind of refreshing to shift gears from Deuteronomy and Hebrews (John was okay), and shift to Jeremiah and 1 Corinthians. I’m really interested to see what Jeremiah will say to me all these years later. I came to appreciate his role in the Old Testament and Israelite history when I did the Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. I didn’t understand him at all before. Now, I might have 10% understanding, but I at least have a foundation upon which I can build.

Father, you know some of the challenges I’m facing right now. Even this very morning, I have some challenges. Help me to share your joy with others. Help me to share your peace. Help me to be the person you need me to be as I do my best to live the life you have for me to live, warts and all.

I offer this to you in the name of Jesus, my Lord, and with your Holy Spirit, my paraclete,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 25, 2024 in Lent 2024, Psalms

 

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Lent Day 10

23 Feb

Dear God, good morning! I thought maybe this morning I would start my just talking to you without looking at the Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer. For these first moments, I just want to be with you. I know that, for some reason, you just want to be with me. Holy Spirit, you are always with me. You take me to the Father. You are the Father’s presence with me here. And so I just want to be with you. I want to feel you for a moment. I want to feel your comfort. Your love. Your encouragement. I want to hear your instruction, your encouragements, and even your rebukes.

I also want to thank you. There were some good things that happened yesterday. And not necessarily for me. We were hopefully able to get a very sick man to the hospital in a situation where if we hadn’t interacted with him he could have been permanently impaired or might have died. That really felt like providence. You guided us to a medical solution for another patient who was in desperate need and for whom we had both worked very hard and prayed. I had a nice lunch with a friend yesterday. I have another one scheduled for today. Yes, you are good, and I want to acknowledge just how good you are.

Okay, not to spend some time in today’s passages which are:

  • AM Psalms: 40, 54
  • PM Psalm: 51 (I know what this one is and I definitely don’t want to forget it tonight)
  • Deuteronomy 10:12-22
  • John 3:22-36
  • Hebrews 4:11-16

I am still fascinated to be spending so much time in Deuteronomy and Hebrews. I wouldn’t have guessed they would be such a large part of my Lenten journey.

Psalm 40 – Oh, I like this one. It almost feels how I started this prayer this morning: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.” Oh, Triune God, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, thank you. I’m just filled with so much love for you in this moment. So much gratitude. I know it’s an emotion and it can fade, but right now it is here and it is real.

Deuteronomy 10:12-22 – Verses 12 and 13 start out great too: “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” That is just so good.

Then he talks about not being stiff-necked in the next paragraph. What struck me is the empathy he calls them to. He talks in verse 19 about loving the aliens because they were once aliens. I don’t want to focus on the alien part of this (not that it’s not important), but the idea that they should have some empathy for others. They should see themselves in others. Relate to others. Oh, Father, help me to completely relate to others and see myself in them.

John 3:22-25 – This is the story of people around John the Baptist being afraid that Jesus is stealing John’s thunder and taking away from John’s greatness. John has the right response. Oh, how I want to decrease so that you might increase, Father. I want to deflect any glory I get to you. I want to simply be your vessel. I accept that it will not always be my time. There might be a time when I need to step aside from the work I do for the sake of what you want to do in that work. There will certainly come a time when I will pass from this earth. And there will be a time, unless my end is sudden and premature, that my capacities will diminish and I will need to step aside. As some who work for the President of the United States say, “I serve at the pleasure of the President,” my words to you are, “I serve at the pleasure of God almighty. Who was, and is, and is to come.”

Hebrews 4:13 – “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” I’ll keep this part confidential, but you know what my prayer is for this. Oh, Father, please heal hearts by revealing truth and shattering secrets.

Father, I close this time with you still in the same grateful, loving place as I started. Oh, how I love you. I have some work to do today. Help me to do it very well and for your glory.

I offer this prayer to you through Jesus my Christ and with the Holy Spirit my paraclete,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 23, 2024 in Deuteronomy, Hebrews, John, Lent 2024, Psalms

 

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Lent Day 8

21 Feb

Dear God, so I actually remembered to read my evening psalms yesterday, so I can start this prayer off without a recap.

As I start this second week of Lent and continue to go through Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer, I am enjoying the discipline of getting up that little bit earlier each day to make sure I get this done. In fact, this was the easiest day so far.

Here are today’s passages from the book:

  • AM Psalm: 119:49-72
  • PM Psalms: 49, 53
  • Deuteronomy 9:13-21
  • John 2:23-3:15
  • Hebrews 3:12-19

And here are my thoughts from some of the passages:

Psalm 119:64, 68 – The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees…You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. –

John 2:23-25 – Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. Oh, God, what is in our hearts, what is in my heart, is so awful. Can be so awful. I see now what we do in your name and I can see why Jesus had to walk so carefully through this world. Jesus knew what was in them. He knows, you know, what is in my now. You know I cannot be trusted. Right now, I am struggling with an issue, and I do not trust myself to be right about it. I have strong opinions, but am I right? Oh, reveal your truth to me. Give me ears to hear and eyes to see.

John 3:1-2 – Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Speaking of not knowing what is going on, Nicodemus was earnestly trying to figure out what was going on. He wasn’t doing anything showy. He wasn’t grandstanding and trying to make a point to Jesus or be smarter than him. He went quietly at night. Probably partly to not be ridiculed by the other Pharisees and partly so that he could have an honest, seeming humble conversation with Jesus. It was probably 15 or 20 years ago that Nicodemus became one of my top five favorite Bible characters (along with Joseph, Jesus’s earthly father, Jonathan, Naomi, and Hagar). It seems that he and John ultimately became friends as part of The Way after Jesus’s resurrection because John is the only one to give us some stories about Nicodemus that only Nicodemus could tell him. But my point is, pretty early on, Nicodemus earnestly sought out Jesus and asked his earnest questions.

Hebrews 3:16 – Who were [the Israelites with Moses after 40 years in the wilderness] who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? I have seen you move. I have seen you do amazing things. I have seen you do amazing things in my own life and the lives of others. And yet I still doubt you. I still sometimes live as if you are not part of me. I still make idols out of other things and look to them for my peace.

Father, you know what I’m thinking about right now. It’s something that has potential to lead me into conflict with a good friend. Give me a humble heart. Help me to fully live what I believe in my head. Help me to fully love with your love. Help me to repent when I need to repent and be strong and offer myself as a sacrifice when you need me to sacrifice. Even if it costs me everything I look to for my security. But help me to do every single thing in love. With your love.

I offer this prayer in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 21, 2024 in Hebrews, John, Lent 2024, Psalms

 

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Lent Day 7

20 Feb

Dear God, I did it again. This is becoming a pattern. I forgot to read the PM psalm yesterday.

Okay, I just read Psalm 44 (yesterday’s PM psalm). I am so glad I didn’t miss it. The lament is real. for the first third of it as they talk about you abandoning them in battle, I assumed it was because of Israel’s collective disobedience, but verse 17 says, “All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.” It says a lot more along these lines, but the sentiment is the same. As I said, the lament here is real. It reminds me a bit of Job and his friends telling him he must have done something wrong and earned your displeasure, but that wasn’t the truth at all. You were just silent.

Okay, here are today’s passages from Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer.

  • AM Psalm: 45
  • PM Psalms: 47, 48
  • Deuteronomy 9:4-12
  • John 2:13-22
  • Hebrews 3:1-11

Here are my thoughts as I read each of these passages:

  • Psalm 45 – I don’t like it. Is that bad to say? It’s a wedding song for the king marrying a young woman, but it feels like it has no place in our current society. And I don’t think it embraces what Jesus taught. I might be wrong, Father, but my heart is disturbed by this psalm.
  • Deuteronomy 9:4-12 – Now, this one I like. Basically, it is showing the Israelites their sins and explaining how you love them anyway. Will I be “stiff-necked” before you, Father? Oh, I hope not. My hope and desire is to be completely submitted to you and the path you have for me, no matter what it costs me.
  • John 2:13-22 – Ah, the story where Jesus clears the temple. Interesting that John records this as happening earlier than the other gospel writers do. But this passage enforces something that I heard several months ago that I believe. Jesus, Paul, and the other writers of the New Testament appear to be more concerned about making the church more Christlike than making the world more Christlike. If the church is Christlike then the world will want to be part of that church because the world is starving for the fruit of your Spirit.
  • Hebrews 3:1-11 – It’s interesting who the author of Hebrews quoted Psalm 95:7-11 as a quote from the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 3:7) and then talks about the lessons the Israelites learned over those 40 years in the desert.

Father, it feels like we, as your church, are poised for some desert time. It feels like we need to be humbled and broken down. It feels like we, your church, are stiff-necked. That’s just how it feels to me. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the concerns I have are not of you, but from the enemy. Maybe I’m absolutely wrong. If I am, please show me. Make it clear to me. But if I am right, affirm that as well. There is an issue that is heavy on my heart this morning. It has nothing to do with the things that normally trouble me, but it is heavy none the less. So please speak to me. Show me how to respond. Comfort me. Inspire me. Live through me. Let your kingdom come and your will be done on this earth, through my life, as it is in heaven.

I pray this in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2024 in Deuteronomy, Hebrews, John, Lent 2024, Psalms

 

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Lent Day 6

19 Feb

Dear God, when it comes to the PM Psalms from Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Based on the Book of Common Prayer I keep forgetting to read them in the PM. At least I have for the last two days. So I started this morning by reading yesterday’s PM Psalm, and it was Psalm 103. The thing that struck me about it was verses 15-16: As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. What a great and humbling thought. Of course, it is true. I was thinking just this morning about a godly man who used to be a vendor or the nonprofit where I work, but he died several years ago. I don’t think he had any children. There will be some people of this generation and maybe a few for the next 30 or so years who will remember him, but when we are gone, his memory from this earth will likely be gone. As for me, the memory of my time on earth will likely be gone 100 years from now. but what won’t be gone are the butterfly effects of what I did while here on earth (both good and bad). My life has knocked over dominoes in other lives. How can I help it. I’ve helped some. I’ve harmed some. Anyway, I pray that my life is more of a help than a hurt to your plan on earth.

So here are today’s passages from Sacred Invitation book:

  • AM Psalms: 41, 52
  • PM Psalm: 44
  • Deuteronomy 8:11-18
  • John 2:1-12
  • Hebrews 2:11-18

Alright, I’ve read everything, including the commentary from Sacred invitations, and here are three things that struck me:

  • John 2:12 – [After the wedding at Cana and Jesus turns water into wine] he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. I just found it interesting that, at this point, Jesus’s mother and brothers were good with him. That wouldn’t always be the case, but so far he wasn’t doing anything that was outside of the paradigm of who they thought he should be.
  • Hebrews 2:16-18 – For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his bothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. This plays into the commentary I’m about to share, so I’ll comment after that.
  • Sacred Invitation: Monday, Day 6, Paragraph 5 – In John 12:23, in the last day or so before his crucifixion, after the Greeks request to see Jesus, he responds, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” We must not miss this: everything that happens throughout the life and ministry of Jesus leads to the cross. The cross is not an intrusion on an otherwise-planned completion of his ministry. It is the whole point. This statement makes me think about Catholic mass and how the partaking of the Eucharist is the entire point of the mass. Everything else is just a part of the service that points to that moment in the service. But Jesus came here to make atonement. To be my substitute for my guilt. That was the point. The rest of his life was to teach and be an example, but the point was his death and resurrection

Father, as I sit with this Lenten season, help me to really soak my soul in the idea of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Help me to see it anew as I spend this time with you. You are my God. I bring you my worship.

I pray all of this in Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 19, 2024 in Hebrews, John, Lent 2024

 

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Lent Day 5:

18 Feb

Dear God, as I enter the first Sunday of Lent, I come to you with a full heart. I’ll confess that I’m already getting a little tired of spending this much focused time every morning, getting up early. Normally when I do these they take about 15 minutes, but the way I am doing this take a whole 30! (Sarcasm intended, but it’s also a little true.) And I’m doing it every day! (Sarcasm again intended, but it’s also a little true.)

Here are today’s readings from Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer:

  • AM Psalms: 63, 98
  • PM Psalms: 103
  • Deuteronomy 8:1-10
  • Mark 2:18-22
  • 1 Corinthians 1:17-31

As I wrote those, I just remembered that I forgot to read the PM Psalms from yesterday. I’ll do that now. Two things really quickly from yesterday’s PM Psalms: 42 and 43. First, the phrase from 42:4: These things I remember as I pour out my soul: How I used to with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. Isn’t that what I was kind of saying about myself when I started this prayer? It’s only Day 5. I started with much enthusiasm and focus. Now, the newness of this has worn off and I’m disciplining myself to do this.

The next was the fact that both psalms used the phrase, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” I wonder if that was a phrase commonly known to the Israelites. A quick Google search didn’t show anything beyond these two psalms for this phrase, but it’s interesting that it was in both psalms.

As for today’s verses, let me see what we have here. After reading everything, including the commentary from the book, it is fasting mentioned in Mark 2:18-22 that comes up a few times. And I guess I started to understand what has always been kind of a weird parable to me: the old/new wineskins, and the patch on the old/new cloth. Jesus was saying that fasting is important to bring us closer to you, God, but while he (you) was literally and physically among them there was a new paradigm. No fasting required. This new situation did not fit any of the metaphorical old cloths or wineskins they knew. A new cloth and wineskin was required.

Father, through the Lenten season, help me to sink into you. Help me to emerge from this after Easter in some sort of new paradigm that will stick and help me to grow in you. Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.

I pray this in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 18, 2024 in Lent 2024, Mark, Psalms

 

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Lent Day 4:

17 Feb

Dear God, as I continue to make my way through Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer, I want to stop and just thank you for always being here to meet with me. Sometimes I am father from you, but you are never farther from me. Oh, my God, I love you.

Before I start with Day 4 of this Lenten series I’m doing with you, I want to go back and mention something I noticed last night as I was reading Psalm 35. David was bemoaning his situation and asking you to rip into people who were wronging him. I’ve always struggled with those psalms, but last night I got a vision that David was writing that psalm on behalf of Uriah. Uriah was the victim and David was the villain. David was coming to terms with his villainy towards Uriah. I’m not saying that’s actually what David was doing, but it gave me an appreciation and perspective on the sentiment I haven’t had before.

Here are the passages the book has for me today:

  • AM Psalms: 30, 32
  • PM Psalms: 42, 43
  • Deuteronomy 7:17-26
  • John 1:43-51
  • Titus 3:1-15

Just off the bat, I’m kind of surprised we are spending so much time in Deuteronomy and Titus. I’m not looking ahead because I’m trying to stay in the moment, but if you’d have asked me to guess which books in the Bible we will be spending time with, I would not have guessed Deuteronomy and Titus.

Okay, here is what stands out to me in today’s readings.

Psalm 30:5a – For his anger last only a moment, but is favor lasts a lifetime.

This takes me back to when my children were small and I started to get a glimpse of your love for me through my love for them. I would get so angry sometimes, but then it was so easy to forgive. Even now, there is nothing that will take away my love for them. Nothing they can do. Yes, I get angry, but it is fleeting. You love me the same way. Do you get angry? Yes. Do you forgive me? Yes. Do you ever stop loving me. No. Amazing! You are amazing!

Psalm 30:11-12 – You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

I have some wailing and sackcloth in my life. There are things that cause me sorrow. But I know that you will remove it. In fact, you often bring me joy and dancing even in the midst of the sorrow. One of the things I’ve learned through this sorrow is to not make the things that are bringing me sorrow idols. Am I sorrowful because I’m looking to those things to bring me the fruits of the Spirit only a life with your Holy Spirit can bring? Or am I sorrowful because I am truly worried about them? While I know that sometimes I fall into the idol category, I am getting closer and closer to it being only about my worry for them.

Psalm 32:5 – Then I acknowledged my sing to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Sometimes I forget to simply confess my sin to you and tell you I am sorry. As I type this, I am thinking about specific sins of which I am aware. I’m so sorry for those. I know they are harmful to me and to others. I am so sorry. And then I am sure there are things I’m doing that are sinful and I don’t know they are sin. I am sorry for that too. Reveal them to me.

John 1:43 – The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Following Jesus. What an interesting thing to be called to do. I don’t understand this world or how you have laid out the system for those you call and those you apparently don’t. I think, overall, you call us all. Thank you for making me your child.

Titus 3:2, 10 – …to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men...Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

This one struck me because I’ve got some of this in my life right now. I have someone in my life who did some slandering this week, and I am trying to figure out how to address it so that I can take a stand against divisiveness. Oh, Father, guide me in this one. I really need your help here. It’s heavy on my heart.

I bring all of this to you in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 17, 2024 in John, Lent 2024, Psalms, Titus

 

Lent Day 3: Excerpts from Psalm 31,

16 Feb

Dear God, as I intentionally experience Lent this year and go through Day 3 for Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer, I’ve decided to do something a little different today. I want to read the passages and then call out the verses that resonate with me. But before I do, here are the passages that have for us to read today.

  • AM Psalms 31, 95
  • PM Psalms 35
  • Deuteronomy 7:12-16
  • John 1:35-42
  • Titus 2:1-15

Here we go:

Psalm 31: 6 – I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD

Idols have come to mean more to me over the last three and a half years. Ever since I heard Andy Stanley interview the couple where the pastor/husband barely survived COVID and he noted that we tend to make an idol out of “certainty,” and we find all kinds of tangible things to put our certainty in (spouse, children, economy, government, etc.) when you, God, are the only thing that is the same and never changes. It’s now easier to see the idols in my life that I must relinquish, and also see the idols others make. Right now, in election season, it feels like many people are worshipping their political party, counting on it to save them or else all will be lost. I hate those [including myself] who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD.

Psalm 31:11-13 – Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends–those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.

This is a psalm of David, and I cannot help but wonder if he wrote it during Absalom’s revolt. The idea that David would be the contempt of his neighbors and that those who see him would flee from him is shocking, but then again aren’t we all, as humans, shockingly fickle? Are there areas of my life where I foolishly abandon those I should support because it is the safe thing for me to do?

Psalm 95:6-7 – Come, let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

This is just a nice piece of worshiping you right here. Oh, Father, you are my Maker. You are my God. I am a lamb in your pasture. A lamb under your care. Thank you. I submit myself to your care.

Deuteronomy 7:12 – If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.

Deuteronomy is where you are laying down the law, literally, for the Israelites. This whole passage is, frankly, a little simplistic in my mind. It says you will make good for the good and bad for the bad. All I ask right now is not for good, but that you will help me to be near to you.

John 1:37-38 – When the two disciples heard [John the Baptist] say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

What an interesting question. I wonder if they knew. I wonder if they had an idea of what they wanted but didn’t have the courage to say so they just asked where he was staying. In their heart of hearts, I would imagine they were looking for the same Messiah everyone else was looking for. They wanted to be lifted out of the mire of subjugation to Rome and restored to power. Had they known at that moment how things would play out over the next three years they might have stayed behind. What do I want from you, even this morning? Is it the right thing or is it selfish?

Titus 2:9-10 – Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teacher about God our Savior attractive

For this passage, I want to quote part of today’s reading from Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer: “But reading the letter to Titus can be overwhelming. Planting and nurturing the church in Crete is not an easy matter. The culture is crude and in constant agitation. As part of the Roman Empire, it is subject to, among other things, the norms of slavery, the subjugation of women, and the abuse of alcohol. Sexual immorality is rampant, and hopelessness is widespread.\\Knowing and following Jesus, according to Paul, is the only adequate antidote to such a broken world.“

Father, I am still leaning into the word “patience” for this Lenten season. Help me to continue to die to myself and simply embrace everything Jesus was–and everything Jesus was is completely contradictory to who I am. Thank you for this amazing gesture on your part to come to earth and give us your example of how to behave and live. How to love and serve. How to give of ourselves, worship you, and love others. Help me to be that man today.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 16, 2024 in Deuteronomy, John, Lent 2024, Psalms, Titus

 

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Lent Day 2: John 1:29-34

15 Feb

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ 31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”

John 1:29-34

Dear God, as I enter into this season of Lent, the word that keeps popping up for me over the last few days (even before Lent started) is “patience.” Going back to the parable of the wheat and the weeds, the farmer encourages patience. Today’s readings from Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer also mention patience.

  • AM Psalm 37:1-18
  • PM Psalm 37:19-42
  • Deuteronomy 7:6-11
  • John 1:29-34
  • Titus 1:1-16

In the commentary about these passages, the author writes, “In the scriptures for today we are reminded that we must be patient with the long, slow, sometimes imperceptible movement of God on our behalf.” (Emphasis added) Several years ago, I had a revelation that I think still holds true: We measure time in days, weeks, and months; while God measures time in years, decades, and centuries. When I get in a hurry then I try to take the power away from you and put it upon myself. I stop listening to you and waiting for you. I start to despair when things don’t move as quickly as I want them to. And then I start to sin.

Father, the “Serenity Prayer” from AA comes to mind right now. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I will amend that prayer to ask that you will not let me try to change anything without you and your power. Even as we have a staff meeting today to sort some things out, help me to lean into you for wisdom, discernment, insight, and solutions. And, of course, there are the prayer requests that are always on my heart, and for which I can sometimes have very little patience. I give you those situations, and ask that you simply bring healing and wholeness where there is suffering and strife.

A pray all of this in Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 15, 2024 in John, Lent 2024

 

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