Dear Friends,

Lent is the season in the life of the church where believers hearts are prepared for the celebration of . It is a season that reminds us that our redemption comes at a cost, Jesus’ blood, and that we don’t celebrate the resurrection without also journeying to Jerusalem and the cross with Jesus.

Over the centuries, has become a season that is primarily about sacrifice. Many times, we reduce Lenten sacrifice to “giving something up for Lent;” often something like sugar, alcohol, chocolate, meat, social media, or some other practice or thing we think we’d be better off without. The practice is, at its best, an opportunity to focus and enable us to think more deeply about discipleship and our relationship with God. Giving something up can, ostensibly, remove extraneous things so that our focus on our relationship with God can become sharper. Often, though, we approach this discipline with an ulterior motive: to lose weight, to drink a little less, to break our habit of eating too much chocolate, to wean ourselves from checking social media every 15 minutes, or to break some other deleterious habit. All of these motivations are good, but they sometimes fall short of the mark of heightening our awareness of God’s presence and power in our lives and enabling us to hear God’s call to follow him.

There is another tradition that is parallel to the practice of giving something up for Lent: starting something new. Sometimes it is a practice of daily prayer, or Bible study, or meditation, or exercise, or some other habit that will draw one closer to God. Again, like giving something up, there is the possibility that one will start something with a motive other than deeper discipleship: health reasons or the desire to be more productive. These reasons are fine, but the purpose of a Lenten practice is to develop a habit that will lead to a deeper and more sustaining relationship with God.

This devotional is offered to you in the spirit of starting something new for Lent. It is my hope that it will be an entry point, or a change of pace, for daily devotions. Each day will have a scripture, a brief reflection, a question or two, and a brief prayer for the day. The devotional is also organized by themes, week-by-week. In the history of the Church, Lenten is not done on Sundays because Sunday is always a feast day in the life of the church, but I have written devotionals for Sundays, too. The Sunday devotionals, though, are the breakpoint for each week and the Sunday themes are unrelated to the themes of the week. Each Sunday, the scripture reading will be the reading for the sermon on Sunday with a brief reflection on that theme. The Lenten Sermon Series this year is “Questions and Answers with Jesus,” because throughout Jesus’ ministry people were constantly asking him questions, and his answers reveal to us who Jesus is and what God is doing through him. I hope that you will use the Sunday devotions to either reflect on the sermon or to prepare yourself for worship to give you some familiarity with the scripture as you participate in worship each Sunday.

The other themes in this devotional are: Study, Prayer, Sacrifice, Repentance, Action, and Remembering. As you go through these devotions, I hope that you will carve out 15 minutes each day read, reflect, and pray. It is also my prayer that by doing these devotions for a few minutes each day, you will cultivate a new habit that will sustain, stretch, and encourage you to draw near to God as we move toward Easter.

Of course, if you have questions, thoughts, ideas, or just want to talk about these devotions or anything else, I would love to hear from you!

Yours in Christ, Ryan Balsan, Pastor Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

John Calvin once wrote that the human mind is a factory for idols. What he meant is that human beings can take almost anything and make it into an object of worship, misconstruing the importance of any object, practice, or attitude. Even our worship and service to God can become idolatrous if they are done for the wrong reasons.

This passage is one of the traditional scriptures read during worship. It warns us not to make any penitential practice an idol. It is a reminder that practicing spiritual disciplines is something we do, not for public consumption, but to draw near to God. Jesus’ words are more than mere instruction, though, they are also challenging. They challenge us because he tells us that when you “practice your piety before others in order to be seen by them,” then the recognition from others is the reward, and there is no further reward from God.

Today, as we begin this Lenten journey, take a few minutes to pray about what Lenten practice you will take up, or what Lenten sacrifice you will make. Perhaps you will want to write it down somewhere, or maybe you will keep it to yourself. In any case, remember Jesus’ admonition from this passage: that we do not pick up or put down a particular practice so that we will be noticed, but instead so that we will draw near to God. When we make changes to our lives so that we will grow in our relationship with the Lord, God pays attention and God will notice.

Questions: 1. Are you planning to do something different this Lent? If you are giving something up, or taking something up, what do you hope God will do in you in these coming weeks? 2. Why do you think Jesus was concerned that his followers would engage in disciplines as a way to show off or be noticed? 3. How can we practice our faith so that it will be noticed by God, but not to be noticed by other people? Do you think it is wrong, or you will lose God’s approval if your Lenten practice is noticed by others?

Prayer – This prayer is from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship

Almighty God, you despise nothing you have made and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite heats, that truly repenting of our sins, and acknowledging our brokenness, we may obtain from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

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Thursday, February 18

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-9

What do we spend our time thinking about? The things we spend our time contemplating and thinking about give a lot of shape to our lives. In fact, care in our thought life is an important part of spiritual health and discipleship. In a document written by the Protestant churches in Germany called “Ten Articles on the Freedom and Service of the Church,” the leaders of the church wrote this, “We act disobediently if in our worship we confess that God is the Lord of our life and then, in our daily life, accept the absolute claims of an ideology and thereby withdraw from obedience to the absolute demands of the first commandment.” The Church in Germany was, of course, wrestling with their history of complicity during the Nazi years which led to a clear message that commitment to an ideology over our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ is an error and falls short of living faithfully.

The word to the Church in Germany, though, is a word that is important for the church to hear in every time and place. It is also important for us as individual people to hear and consider, too. In the passage for today, the Apostle Paul charges the believers in Philippi to rejoice, because the Lord is near. He challenges them to pray in everything, trusting that a life of prayer will give us peace that surpasses understanding. In the context of prayer, though, Paul also tells the Philippians, and by extension us, to think about things that are pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, and things that are worthy of praise. Paul knows that prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and focusing on things that are good and beautiful are important pieces of our spiritual health and are even signs of maturity.

Questions: 1. What are some reasons that you have to rejoice today? 2. In the winter, and during the pandemic, it can be difficult to see and focus on the beauty around us. This isn’t a question, more of a challenge. Today, as you go through your day, look for moments and places that you see beauty, stop and take it in. Then, give thanks to God for beauty that surrounds you.

Prayer – This prayer is from William E. Channing, an 19th Century American Pastor

O God, animate us to cheerfulness. May we have a joyful sense of our blessings, learn to look on the bright circumstances of our lot, and maintain a perpetual contentedness. Preserve us from despondency and from yielding to dejection. Teach us that nothing can hurt us if, with true loyalty of affection, we keep your commands and take refuge in you. Through Jesus Christ our Savior we pray. Amen.

3 Friday, February 19, 2021

Scripture: I Corinthians 13:1-13

This passage is best known from weddings, because the Apostle Paul reflects beautifully, on movingly, on love. The passage is set in the context of Paul’s discussion of the gifts of the Spirit, and it is a bit of a challenge to the Corinthians who saw spiritual gifts as a way to separate people and to determine who is more important to the kingdom than others. Before we judge the Corinthians too harshly, let us pause for a moment and think about how we use the gifts that God gives for our benefit, and sometimes without love. One of the gifts that is most dangerously used without love is knowledge because, as they say, knowledge is power.

Paul answers the Corinthians, and the whole Church’s fascination with Spiritual gifts and power with a deliberation on the body, and then turns to the power of love. He reminds believers that love is the one gift that God gives that is most important, and the one that will last. He tells us that without love, all other talents, gifts, and skills seem like little more than a clanging gong or a resounding cymbal. Love is the catalyst that makes all the other gifts effective,

During Lent, as we turn toward Jerusalem where Jesus was put on trial by his enemies, unjustly condemned, executed even though he was innocent, all without argument and complaint, we see a perfect picture of love in action. The theologian Rowan Williams in a sermon entitled , “Knowing and Loving” writes, “Knowledge is power. But God does not deal with us in power of that sort. Where we are vulnerable and fragile, it is he who is wounded and broken. He will not break the bruised reed or quench the smoldering flax but carries all our hurt in himself. So, we may take to him our whole selves, in the sure trust that nothing will be thrown back at us to wound or destroy. And that is the gospel whose ministers we are.” As you reflect on this passage today, pray and ask God that you would know God’s incredible, unfailing love today, and that you would share that love in all you do and say.

Questions: 1. Why do you think love, as Paul describes it is so challenging? What stands in the way of loving in this way?

Prayer – Today’s prayer is from the so-called Grey Book, a proposed (but rejected) alteration of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer in England in 1928.

O God, the God of all goodness and grace, who art worthy of a greater love than we can either give or understand: Fill our hearts with such love toward thee that nothing may seem too hard for us to do or suffer in obedience to thy will; and grant that thus we may become daily more like unto thee, and finally obtain the crown of life which thou hast promised to those who unfeignedly love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Saturday, February 20, 2021

Scripture: I Peter 4:7-11

Why do we forgive? Why do we serve others? Why do we practice hospitality? Often, I think people would answer these questions with some version of, “It makes me feel good to do these things.” and in many cases, that’s true. But it is not always true. In fact, there are a lot of times when forgiveness is difficult, service is a hassle, and hospitality is inconvenient.

For followers of Jesus, we have deeper reasons for practicing these things: because they grow our of what we believe and who God has created us to be in Jesus Christ. In this passage, Peter puts it this way, “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” That phrase is stunning! How often do you think of yourself as a “steward of the manifold grace of God?” This means that we have an important role in God’s redemptive work. The way that we treat one another, the way that we forgive each other, welcome strangers, and serve the people around us is a reflection of God and God’s grace.

How can we even begin to do this well? I think the key is in the passage: love covers a multitude of sins. Loving another person is not just an act, it is also a decision. When we choose to love other people, it covers over a lot of foibles, shortcomings, and even enables us to forgive hurts that we have received.

Questions 1. How can you begin to love the people around you today? What are some concrete ways that you can express love and care?

2. Pray today that you will be a good steward of God’s grace in all your interactions today.

Prayer – Today’s prayer is from Cecil Hunt, an English writer.

O Lord give me strength to refrain from the unkind silence that is born of hardness of heart; the unkind silence that clouds the serenity of understanding and is the enemy of peace,

Give me strength to be the first to tender the healing word and the renewal of friendship, that the bonds of amity and the flow of charity may be strengthened for the good of the brethren and the furthering of thine eternal, loving purpose. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

5 Sunday, February 21, 2021

Scripture: Luke 4:14-31

Jesus went to preach in his hometown. One might think that this would be a time of celebration and welcoming back a local hero: The Messiah is from Nazareth! But, as we discover in this passage, this is not the response of the crowds who went to hear from Jesus at the synagogue.

This conflict started with Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue on the sabbath. His message was short and pointed: he read from Isaiah, then told the gathered congregation that he was the one of whom the prophet spoke. If we’re honest with ourselves, it Is not too difficult to see why the people were scandalized by Jesus’ teaching. It was a lot to claim for himself! Their response was more like this: “Who do you think you are? Because we already know, you’re Joseph’s son.”

Wondering about Jesus is not confined to the people who knew Jesus in Nazareth. To trust that Jesus is the Son of God, as he claimed, is difficult for many. It is a scandalous assertion, to say that the infinite God, the maker of heaven and earth, has come to us. In Mere C. S. Lewis wrote, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Questions 1. Why do you think it is difficult to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, as he claimed and as the scriptures promise? 2. If we believe that Jesus is God’s Son, what does this mean for the ordering of our own lives, and the way that we listen to, and obey, what Jesus commands?

Prayer for the Day – Today’s prayer is from the Book of Common Order from the Church of Scotland.

Eternal God, who in thy redeemed and holy ones of old hast manifested thy wonderful love and power: Grant that we, finding thee whom they have found, and loving thee whom they have loved, may come to dwell with them and thee forever, in the gladness of thy glorious presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Monday, February 22, 2021

Scripture: I Samuel 15:17-31

I have been a student of the Bible for my whole adult life, and one of the people in the Bible I have often felt the most sympathy for is King Saul. If you read through the Old Testament, you will discover that Saul is the first king of Israel, selected by God and anointed by the prophet Samuel. After a strong start to his reign, things fall apart. Over and over again, it seems, Saul runs afoul of Samuel and God. I Samuel portrays him as hasty, rash, thoughtless, and someone whose faith often wavers.

Perhaps the reason I feel so much sympathy for Saul is that he is so human. The adjectives I just used to describe Saul are probably the adjectives that would describe us sometimes. Who among us has not done something hasty, rash, thoughtless, or had wavering faith?

Maybe my sympathy is also a little bit of fear. Reading this passage, God’s judgment – stripping away Saul’s kingdom – seems harsh. Why was Saul’s kingdom taken from him and given to David? This question is too complicated to answer thoroughly in a short reflection like this one, but I think the passage gives a place to begin our thinking. In verse 22, the passage says, “And Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the LORD? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” It’s that phrase, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” In the passages about Saul, he seems to believe that he can always do whatever he wants to do in the moment and seek forgiveness later. His first concern was not to be obedient to God’s command, but instead to lean on God’s grace after he knowingly acted outside God’s commands.

In a more modern context, theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about this as “cheap grace.” Bonhoeffer, in his book The Cost of Discipleship, wrote, “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Grace is costly. It costs us obedience, but also awareness that to receive grace is also a call to discipleship, following Jesus, listening to his voice, not simply relying on forgiveness after the fact, but to seek to follow, love, and serve him today.

Questions 1. How do you sometimes treat God’s grace as if it’s “cheap” or easy to get, instead of being aware of the cost of discipleship?

2. How do we try to “make it up to God” when we sin and fall short? How can you become more aware of the daily call to discipleship?

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Prayer – Today’s prayer is from Dietrich Bonheoffer, written as he was awaiting execution in a Nazi prison.

O God, early in the morning I cry to you. Help me to pray And to concentrate my thoughts on you: I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness, But with you there is light; I am lonely, but you do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help; I am restless, but with you there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience. I do not understand your ways, But you know the way for me . . .

Restore me to liberty, And enable me so to live now That I may answer before you and before me. Lord, whatever this day may bring, Your name be praised. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Scripture: Amos 4:1-13

The theme of the devotions and scriptures this week is sacrifice. When people speak about the Old Testament, there is a lot said about the “sacrificial system,” and the sacrifices required for God’s people in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. This understanding of sacrifice is important, because it is the way that God established to seek the forgiveness of sin. It is also the foundation for our understanding of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for us.

But the sacrificial system was not faultless. One of the challenges that the Israelites faced was that, as the sacrifices became codified and regular, people began to change the way that they understood the sacrifices. People began to see them as the center of their religious practice, where following God became all about following the rules around sacrifice, and also the rules about food, clothing, and other outward things. When one reads through the scripture it becomes clear that there was a deep misunderstanding of both the law and sacrifice that grew up over time.

Sacrifice was never something that was to be done for its own sake. Obedience to the law was not intended to be a substitute for daily faithfulness to God in relationships with other people, concern for the poor and oppressed, and love for neighbors. The law and sacrifices were not intended to become something that separated people from one another; they were established to give God’s people a framework to live faithfully, to seek and build right relationships, and to remember God’s goodness and the obligations that following the Lord places on those who love and serve Him.

In the passage for today, the prophet Amos mocks some of the people who believe that they are being faithful. His words are harsh, even offensive, calling the women of Bashan cows, and telling them that when they go to make sacrifices it is not pleasing to God, but transgression. He also tells the people that God’s judgment is coming. The message is simple: sacrifice, without righteousness, is not enough. Faithfulness is not going through the motions, it is commitment and dedication to the Lord that will shape the actions and sacrifices we make.

I think that during Lent this is particularly important to remember. Many of us have made Lenten sacrifices, but Lenten sacrifice is not enough if it is done for its own sake. Sacrifice matters when it grows from a deep relationship with God, seeking to know the Lord more deeply, and draw closer to God. Sacrifice can be a way to lead us to deeper discipleship, or it can simply be another thing we do.

Questions 1. How can we make sacrifices that matter and that draw us closer to God? What makes a sacrifice redemptive?

2. How can our “religious practices” draw us closer to God? How can they drive us away? What would be helpful for you to practice your faith in a way that will strengthen and bolster your faith?

9 Prayer – Today’s prayer is from The Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland

God of all seasons, in your pattern of things there is a time for keeping and a time for losing, a time for building up and a time for pulling down. In this holy season of Lent as we journey with our Lord to the Cross, help us to discern in our own lives what we must lay down and what we must take up, what we must end and what we must begin. Through Christ our Lord, I pray. Amen.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Scripture: Amos 5:18-27

Be careful what you wish for. This could be the theme of the passage today. The Israelites were hoping for God’s judgment to come down, because they believed that it would be the end of their enemies who would experience judgment from God. Amos warns them, though, that they should not look for God’s judgment to smite enemies, because they, too, would be caught up in God’s judgment.

This passage is one that is often quoted because it expresses a beautiful hope: that justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. This beautiful passage, however, comes in the context of God’s judgment. Again, like in yesterday’s passage, Amos is critical of the people’s practices of faith. It is not that they are doing it wrong, it is that they have come with the wrong attitude and approach to serving God. The Israelites, in Amos’ estimation, are going through the motions, rather than worshipping God with full hearts and deep commitment. They encountered God not with the hope being transformed, but to endorse their lifestyle that was inattentive to God’s deepest desires for the world.

I think this tells us something about the way that we worship and sacrifice. When we come to worship, and we call out to God for help, and for God to be at work in the world, we need to know what we are asking God to do. When we invite God to get involved in the world, in our church, and in our lives, we open ourselves up to the movement of the holy Spirit that is beyond our ability to control. In John 3, when Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus about the need to be born again, Jesus says, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8). When we ask God to come into our lives and to move in us, it has the potential to transform, and change our lives. May we be people who pray for God to come into our lives and be open to the transformation that a real encounter with God will bring.

Questons: 1. How do you think Amos’ original readers became blind to the fact that God’s judgment is not just for others, but will also happen to God’s people?

2. Where would you like to see God bring justice to roll down like mighty waters? If you really pray that God will do it, what changes will you have to make when justice rolls?

Prayer – Today’s prayer is from the Sarum Breviary, an ancient prayer book from the 11th Century.

O God of surpassing goodness, whom the round world with one voice doth praise for Thy sweet benignity; we pray Thee to remove from us all error, that so we may perform Thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord – Amen.

11 Thursday, February 25, 2021

Scripture – Micah 6:1-8

This passage takes place in a cosmic courtroom, and God’s people are on trial. Like the past two days, there is a problem among God’s people: they think they have it all together, but when the Word of the Lord comes to them, it is crystal clear that they are not as put together as they believe themselves to be. They have missed the mark.

One of the most challenging things to do in life is to see ourselves honestly and clearly. It is difficult to be honest about our shortcomings and faults; harder still, sometimes, to confess sin and to admit our own brokenness. We have some sophisticated ways of shielding ourselves from the truth: we can live in denial, we make excuses, we argue that our shortcomings are actually the fault of others or circumstances, or even that our sins, failings, and shortcoming are actually a sign of integrity or strength. Human beings have a remarkable capacity to deceive even ourselves.

This passage, though, is not all about judgment. It leaves the door open for a new way of life that is honest, acknowledges wrongdoing, and invites God’s people to live out their redemption. In Micah 6, the prophet asks how God has wearied the people, and then reminds them of God’s redemption and goodness. Then, in verse 8, the prophet tells them what the Lord desires from his people: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” The path to humility begins with being honest with ourselves. This involves submitting ourselves to God’s judgment, trusting that with God’s judgment also comes God’s mercy. And, if you read this passage closely, and pay attention to the whole of scripture, you will hear that message again and again: you can face your sin and brokenness and bring it to light in the presence of God, because God’s light is illuminated by God’s unfailing love and mercy.

Questions: 1. What are the ways that we offer our lives to God that might hold something back and keep us from doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God?

2. Micah reminds God’s people to look back and remember God’s deliverance and God’s faithfulness. Where have you experienced God’s faithfulness, and received God’s mercy?

Prayer – Today’s prayer is from one of my favorite little prayer books, now out of print, called Further Everyday Prayers.

We thank you, Lord, that you have made us accountable for all we do. We thank you that you have given us ample guidance about how we should live. you have given us your law, and the example of your saints. You have given us the teaching and example of our Lord and Saviour. Therefore, we are without excuse. WE confess to you that sometimes we create problems for ourselves. We persuade ourselves that to know what is right and what is wrong is very difficult. Remind us, Lord, that most of the time we have no problems in knowing how we ought to behave.

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Lord, when there are really difficult issues to decide, concentrate our minds, stimulate our prayers, make us open to each other’s opinions and insights; and give us the guidance of your Holy Spirit. But take ways our excuses, when we are manufacturing the problems, call our bluff.

Lord, do not allow us to comfort ourselves with the thought that the day of judgment is a long way off. Teach us to live every moment as though in your presence, and to take every decision as though we must answer immediately to you.

But remind us, Father, that the judgement is the judgement of your Son, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us; and that the wrath which we must fear is the wrath of the Lamb.

Father, we pray for those people who seem to have no conscience; those who commit hideous crimes. We pray for those who in less serious ways seem to have little regard for right and wrong. Enlighten their minds and hearts, as only you can.

We pray for those whose consciences are overburdened, who condemn themselves, though you do not condemn. Give them your divine sense of proportion. Thorough Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

13 Friday, February 26, 2021

Scripture – Luke 21:1-4

“My, oh my. Jesus was really pretty radical. One place where Marx and Jesus meet is that each believed that money leaches out all other values.” – Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer’s statement is, on the surface, a bit shocking. I included it for exactly that reason, because we are not often shocked by Jesus and what he taught. Maybe we should be, though. As Christian people who read and are familiar with the Bible, it is easy to miss out on just how radical Jesus really is. We read passages where Jesus’ teaching seems extreme, and we quickly gloss over it, thinking that we understand the nuances of a particular passage, we explain away the ideas that Jesus proclaims that are fundamentally dangerous to our way of life, and imagine that, somehow, Jesus didn’t mean what he said.

There are moments, though, when it is important to focus on just how demanding Jesus’ preaching is, and how exacting his demands. This passage is one such passage.

Of course, the context matters. Jesus is in the Temple, he is warning his followers about the scribes who prefer to brag and show off their personal piety and devotion, believing that this will win them favor with God and other people. But in this passage, Jesus holds us a poor and simple woman as an example of fully devoted and radical faith. What can we learn from this passage?

These few, simple verses, remind us that our devotion and our commitment to the Lord is not measured quantitatively but qualitatively. Jesus did not measure the gifts of the people coming to the Temple by how much they put in the coffers, but by how fully they devoted themselves, and gave themselves, to the Lord. In this passage, there is a lot of theological fodder to argue, unpack, and debate. But even with all that, the basic message is simple: True devotion to the Lord means giving sacrificially, trusting in God’s goodness and provision. May we become people who trust so fully.

Questions 1. How does this passage challenge our idea of generosity in response to God’s faithfulness?

2. What is an example of incredible generosity that stunned you and challenged you to be more generous?

Prayer – Today’s prayer is by William Temple, and English Anglican Priest who was also the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942-1944

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, but always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Saturday, February 27, 2021

Scripture – Romans 12:1-2

When I was a child, a family friend challenged my parents to memorize Romans 12. For some time, every night at the dinner table, my dad would lead us as we memorized this passage together. We would say it together, he would call on each of us individually, we would work on it regularly until we knew it by heart. I still know it to this day, almost 40 years later.

When we were working on memorizing that chapter, it was frustrating, and I dreaded it. But as the years have gone by, I have been immensely grateful that we committed this passage to memory. And the first few verses are perhaps the most memorable. Especially the part about offering our bodies as “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable, which is your reasonable worship.” I have probably thought about, meditated upon, and internalized this passage more than any other in all of scripture. What does it mean to “offer your body as a living sacrifice?”

I think that the season of Lent is the perfect time to think about a question like this. It is a season of reflection, repentance, and sacrifice. Protestants, and especially Protestants in the Reformed Tradition like Presbyterians, have struggled with the idea of Lent. But we have not struggled with the notion that we are to be living sacrifices. In this passage, the idea of being a living sacrifice is not simply about giving up your life, it is also about changing your perspective. It is about conformity with this world and being transformed by God’s will.

How do we discern God’s will? I can’t answer that for everyone, because discerning the Lord’s will for your life is something that each person needs to wrestle with, trusting God to give the answer. But I do know (especially from this passage) that it means that our lives will often look a little out of step with the rest of the world around us. Conforming to Christ will sometimes mean that we have unpopular views, and that we do things that don’t always make sense to everyone around us. It means that we love without the expectation of a reward, we serve because of need, not so that we will feel good, and that we will offer grace when others think that grace is too much to give. That is just a start. I do know this much: the renewal of our minds will change everything about the way that we approach the neighbors, our priorities, and the world.

Questions 1. What is one concrete way that you could begin to “offer your body as a living sacrifice” to the Lord?

2. How have you struggled with not being conformed to the world, and found that your commitment to be a follower of Jesus Christ puts you at odds with the ethos of the age in which we live?

Prayer - This prayer is from the Lindisfarne Community in Northumbria in England. They borrowed this prayer from Brother Klaus of Switzerland, a 15th Century layman, farmer, parent, and hermit.

My Lord and my God, Take from me all that keeps me from you. My Lord and my God, give to me all that brings me nearer to you. My Lord and my God, take me away from myself and give me completely to you. Amen.

15 Sunday, February 28, 2021

Scripture – Luke 8:22-25

During Lent, we will look at passages from the gospels where people ask Jesus questions. I believe that these questions were always honest and earnest, struggling to understand who Jesus is and what he is all about. In this passage, the disciples come face-to-face with a reality that they had not yet faced: that Jesus is more, and greater, than they initially thought. He defied their ordinary categories for people, and this realization made them fearful.

In this passage, the part that is so jarring, is Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples. They are a bit shocked when Jesus calms the wind and the waves, and it shakes their understanding of who, exactly, Jesus really is. Apparently, before this incident, they thought they had begun to wrap their heads around Jesus’ identity. Now, though, all that is thrown into question as they try to come to terms with the One who controls even the wind and waves.

I often wonder if their fear isn’t so much terror at Jesus, but fear for themselves. How can they stand in the presence of someone so powerful, so majestic? What does it mean for ordinary people to be confronted with divinity walking among us? It is an intimidating notion.

The English novelist Antonia White in her diaries wrote, “The New Testament is often of very little comfort. Christ seems so harsh sometimes – to demand the impossible of human nature. One wonders if anyone but great saints and ascetics can be saved?” Unfortunately, I think she misses the grace note in the New Testament. One of the messages that comes through again and again is that Jesus is far more powerful than his followers recognize. But this power is not used to destroy them, but to save and encourage them. It is also true for us. When we put our trust in Jesus, we are putting our faith in the One who has power over all creation, even the wind and the waves. And he uses that power and authority for us. Thanks be to God!

Questions: 1. Have you ever been afraid, and then seen the power of God at work that changes things, calms the storm, and rearranges the situation?

2. When Jesus asks, “Where is your faith?” to his disciples, he is challenging them to trust in him when it seems like he is acting in ways that is almost beyond belief. Where is your faith challenged? Can you ask God to increase your faith, and to trust in God with things that seem hard to give to the Lord?

Prayer – Today’s prayer was written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

O merciful God, forgive me all the sins I have committed against you, and against my fellow men. I trust in your grace and commit my life wholly into your hands. So do with me as seems best to you and as is best for me. Whether I live or die, I am with you, and you are with me, my God. Lord, I wait for your salvation. Amen.

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Monday, March 1, 2021

Scripture – Psalm 1

Today begins a week of prayer and reflection with the Psalms. It is fitting that we begin with the first Psalm that frames the rest of the Psalter. It is a call, and a guide, to righteous and faithful living. It is guidepost that points us to a rich, faithful life, shaped by studying and obedience to God’s teaching as we seek to live faithfully in this world.

In this Lenten devotional, we jump around through the scriptures thematically. But if I were to give you one guide to prayer, I would suggest that you begin to read the Psalms daily, and as you read them to meditate on them and take them as a launching point for prayer. In my own life, I have a few points when my faith grew dramatically, taking a big step in a relatively short amount of time. One of those times was over the summer between my Junior and Senior years in college. A pastor challenged me to read through the Psalms in a summer, by reading three psalms each day, using one of these Psalms daily to guide my prayers. If you do this, you can read the entire Psalter in 50 days. This discipline challenged, stretched, and changed me.

Later I learned that Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls the Psalms “the prayerbook of the Bible,” because it was Jesus’ prayerbook. The Psalms have been the prayers of God’s people for centuries: for early Christians, in the Temple, in monasteries, and in the church. Over the next few days, we will look at a variety of Psalms that will, hopefully, give us that language of prayer.

One of the things that we will discover about the Psalms is that they are honest, often raw, and always transparent to God. They do not shy away from difficult conversation with God, and they also do not hesitate to express anxiety, frustration, and wavering faith. But they also show us how, even when our faith wavers and questions overwhelm, we can turn again with trust toward the Lord of heaven and earth.

In Psalm 1, we are reminded that in the law of the Lord we find sustenance and can grow deep and sustaining roots that will carry us through life’s storms. In the love of God’s law and God’s Word, we can find life, hope, and trust that the future belongs to the Lord. As we pray through a few Psalms this week, I encourage you to spend some time reading and re-reading the Psalms, especially if one particularly strikes you. I would even challenge you to memorize one Psalm this week, trusting that in doing that God will draw you deeper into prayer and contemplation.

Questions 1. Have you ever mediated on the “law of the Lord,” or a particular scripture for a while? What did you learn from this discipline?

2. Where in your life do you feel the need for the streams of water that nourish and bring forth fruit to God’s glory?

17 Prayer - Today’s prayer is from Sarah Frazer, a missionary in Honduras. This is a great example of how to turn a Psalm into prayer.

When I see, O Lord, the power of your Word, I wonder if I can see the power in my own life? I see the mistakes, and all of the times I walked in the way of the wicked. Forgive me. I have sat down at the table of the ungodly. Your law reveals the path away from evil. Your word is my delight, my satisfaction. I can find no other thing to fill me. Sinful habits, selfish ambitions, unbridled pride all try to fill me up with good things. Like the chaff, the wind blows away the pleasures and I’m left empty. And alone. For God, you see my life when I walk in righteousness. Not because I have to be perfect, but because walking with you makes me righteous. Help me to walk. Help me to meditate. Help me to grow in your instruction. My joy, my fruit, my peace will come from the streams of your living waters. Amen.

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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Scripture – Psalm 146

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the beauty of the world, and the wonder of life? I hope so, because those moments are wonderful. I can’t honestly say that I feel that way every day, but there are regular moments in life where I am amazed at life’s beauty and filled with joy. Sometimes it is when I see something remarkable, like a vivid sunset, or travel to some lovely place and am almost overcome with the beauty of all that God has made, or even a glimpse of everyday beauty amidst the gray, ordinariness of a winter day. Other times, I am struck by people who are kind and gracious to one another or offer forgiveness and goodness to someone when it is undeserved. And there are also times when I am filled with thanksgiving when I remember the overwhelming grace of God.

How do we express our thanksgiving and praise in these moments? It can be hard to find the words to express our thanksgiving and praise, so we often pass these moments by without much recognition that we have encountered true beauty. Dorothy Day, in her autobiography The Long Loneliness, wrote about how she responded to the beauty and grief in the world. She wrote, “Whenever I felt the beauty of the world in song or story, in the material universe around me, or glimpsed it in human love, I wanted to cry out with joy. The Psalms were an outlet for this enthusiasm of joy or grief.”

Psalm 146 is a Psalm of praise that grows out of remembering with thanksgiving God’s goodness and God’s power. The Psalmist seems to have been reminded that earthly powers are temporary, but God’s authority is eternal. It is easy to get caught up in the idea that things will never change, and that way things are is how they will always be. The Psalmist reminds us to look back and also to look ahead, trusting that God is powerful and lifts up the lowly. Looking back and looking ahead lead the Psalmist to praise God, remembering God’s goodness in the past and looking ahead to God’s future faithfulness. Praying these Psalms of praise can train us to look for God’s goodness in the past, and look ahead with trust that God is good!

Questions 1. Where do you see goodness and beauty in your daily life, or in the past week?

2. How does God’s past faithfulness, and trusting in God’s goodness in the future, help you to live faithfully, and to sing God’s praises, today?

Prayer – Today’s prayer is from W. David O. Taylor’s wonderful book on the Psalms Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life, which I recommend as guide to help one learn to pray with the Psalms.

God of joy unspeakable, you have not created us so that we should merely endure existence. You have created us rather for delight and you have filled our mouths with laughter. Turn our tears into songs of joy, change our wailing into dancing, and make our wilderness blossom with life, so that with the morning stars we might sing for gladness and with the festive throng we may come to your house with shouts of praise. We pray this in the name of the One who endured all things for the joy set before him. Amen.

19 Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Scripture – Psalm 51

“‘I have done that', says my memory.’ ‘I cannot have done that,’ says my pride and remains unshakeable. Finally—memory yields.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Psalm 51 is the great penitential Psalm. Tradition tells us that it was written by King David after he was cornered by Nathan and confronted with the accusation of adultery and murder in 2 Samuel 12. David, confronted with his sin and duplicity, repents and turns to God. Regardless of when and under what circumstances this Psalm was composed, it is a powerful expression of sorrow for sin and unbridled repentance. It is a raw confession of sin, laying bare the reality of how sin has broken the Psalmist’s relationship with God.

The Nietzsche quote above makes me think of the old image of the angel on one shoulder, and the devil on the other, each making their case to the conflicted individual. This quote explains the thought process that we often go through to justify our own behavior and to excuse our ability to wound, to hurt, and to damage relationships. Our pride gets in the way, and shapes our interpretation of an experience to the point that we turn away from the consequences of our own actions. How do we discipline ourselves to face the truth about ourselves and our actions so that we can know and experience God’s grace, rather than self-justification?

There may be a few people who are able to, by force of will, look at themselves with brutal honesty. But for most of us, it takes time and discipline to learn to do that. Praying the Psalms is a discipline, because as we pray the Psalms we start to discover our own experience in the words of the Psalms. To pray this Psalm is to learn how to cut through excuse-making that comes so naturally and place ourselves under the loving judgment of God. W. David O. Taylor in his book Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life writes, :”What the psalms offer us is a powerful aid to un-hide: to stand honestly before God without fear, to face one another vulnerably without shame, and to encounter life in the world without any of the secrets that would demean and distort our humanity. The psalms, then, are for those who know that they spend much of their life hiding secrets’ they are also for those who know that standing in the presence of God ‘is the one place where such secrets cannot and must not be hidden.’” (p. 9).

Questions 1. What keeps you from being honest with God about our deepest thoughts and our most challenging sins?

2. How does this Psalm move from repentance to hope? Why do you think the Psalms almost always end with hope rather than despair?

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Prayer – Today’s prayer is from William Bright, an 19th Century English Church Historian and hymn writer.

O Lord our God, great, eternal, wonderful in glory, who keepest covenant and promises with those that love thee with their whole heart; who art the life of all, the help of those who flee unto thee, the hope of all who cry unto thee: cleanse us from our sins, and thought displeasing to thy goodness; that with a pure heart and a clear soul, with perfect love and calm hope, we may venture confidently and fearlessly to pray unto thee. Amen.

21 Thursday, March 4, 2021

Scripture – Psalm 121

This is one of my favorite Psalms. I fell in love with this Psalm when I heard a sermon on this Psalm. The preacher used this Psalm as a way to say something significant about God: that God is a “keeper.” It is God who watches over us, God who keeps our going out and our coming in, and the Lord who keeps our life. The sermon was a reminder that God watches over us and cares for us, that we are not left to find our own way in the world, and we are not abandoned by God to struggle through life’s most difficult challenges. In that moment, when I was facing some uncertainty and starting out in a new place and doing something new, it was just the word I needed to hear. Since then, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on, and praying with, this Psalm.

The Psalms are, of course, a collection of prayers and poems that were composed over many years, and in many different contexts. Psalm 121 is part of what students of the Psalms call the “Songs of Ascents.” Scholars tell us that this Psalm is part of a collection within the collection of Psalms on written for a particular occasion and on a particular theme. The Songs of Ascents begin at Psalm 120 and conclude with Psalm 134. These Psalms were songs and prayers that were sung by God’s people as they journeyed to Jerusalem for the Holy Days and festivals. People would gather from all over Israel, several times per year, to go to Jerusalem to pray and worship. They are called Songs of Ascents because, if you have ever been to Israel, you know that Jerusalem is uphill from almost everywhere. So these songs were sung as people ascended the hill of the Lord.

For many, this was a long, arduous journey to Jerusalem. Although Israel is not geographically large, in the ancient world, when everyone travelled by foot, even what for us is a relatively short journey could take days. And people often travelled in groups with children and older family members, too, who might cause the group to move even more slowly. People travelled through hot, dusty lands for days to go to Jerusalem to celebrate and to worship.

When I hear, pray, and read this Psalm, I think of weary travelers who might even regret their decision to go, flagging in the hot Middle Eastern sun. Then, as feet drag and energy wanes, I imagine a voice crying out, “I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where does my help come?” Then, as spirits lift, voices rise in response, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” As the Psalm goes on, I envision a call and response, raising the mood and giving an extra boost to tired travelers, reminding them that God goes with them, watches over them, and will keep them when times are tough.

When I hear, pray, and read this Psalm and as the voices singing to God echo through the centuries, I find my spirit lifted when I feel tired, strengthened when I am worn down, and encouraged when I am low, knowing that their song is our song, too. We, too, find our help and strength in the Lord who does not slumber or sleep. The Lord is our keeper, and in that we find hope and strength to carry on and endure life’s ups and downs.

Questions 1. When have you experienced the strength that God provides to help you through a difficult time?

2. How does God’s watchfulness and faithfulness give you hope and courage in day-to-day struggles?

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Prayer – Today’s prayer comes from the Iona Abbey Worship Book from the Iona Community in Scotland. This prayer is part of their “Liturgy of Leaving,” and it takes the 121st Psalm as a guide for a contemporary prayer. As written, it is intended to be prayed responsively, but it is also appropriate to pray this prayer as a personal prayer, too.

Where does our help come from? It comes from God who made heaven and earth. God doesn’t go to sleep and forget us. God is always awake. God loves us and looks after us. God guards us day and night. When we go out God is with us. When we come home God is by our side. God is always with us, for ever and ever. Amen.

23 Friday, March 5, 2021

Scripture – Psalm 55

“Sometimes people will respond to a show of anger or irritation by saying, ‘Don’t give me any grief,’ meaning, I suppose, ‘Don’t make my life any harder than it is.’ But here is a variant to this expression that goes, ‘Don’t give me your grief,’ or ‘I’m not going to take any of his grief’ – and in that case the meaning is more subtle. What it might suggest is that anger is an expression of unresolved loss. In other words, we grow infuriated at one thing because we are not done – or perhaps we haven’t started – mourning another.” – Garret Keizer, from The Enigma of Anger: Essays on a Sometimes Deadly Sin, (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2002), p. 111.

In Psalm 55 we encounter a Psalm of lament. It can be difficult to distinguish lament from anger, because deep lament, expressions of deep sorrow for something lost, can often sound like anger. This Psalm gives expression to ideas and thoughts that we seldom raise in church or possibly in our own prayer life. In verse 15 the Psalmist is angry with a former friend, and hopes for the worst for him! This sort of grief at the loss of a friend, someone who turned on the Psalmist and became an enemy, comes out as anger, even rage.

But notice the turn in the Psalm. The prayer moves from expressing anger, disappointment, and rage to turning to the Lord with trust. This is an important part of these Psalms of lament. When we think of the Psalms as a guide to prayer, they teach us that we can express anger, even rage, in prayer. And when we express these dark and difficult thoughts and feelings in prayer, we put them into God’s hands for the Lord to deal with. In this sort of prayer, we are encouraged to name our own reality and the truth of the world that we live in, trusting that God is both merciful and just and will deal with the things that we cannot and have not resolved on our own. Even in the most complicated, difficult thoughts and feelings, we can turn to God with trust, asking God to help us deal with challenging experiences and emotions.

Questions 1. Do you have thoughts, feelings, and emotions that you don’t bring to the Lord, or think are inappropriate for prayer? What are they?

2. What are the burdens that you are carrying now that you can cast on the Lord, trusting, trusting God to give you strength and hope?

Prayer – Today’s prayer is from St Bonaventure, a 13th Century Franciscan who became the leader of the Franciscan Order and was a student of St Francis.

O Lord, holy Father, show us what kind of man it is who is hanging for our sakes on the cross, whose suffering causes the rocks themselves to crack and crumble with compassion, whose death brings the dead back to life. Let my heart crack and crumble at the sight of him. Let my soul break apart with compassion for this suffering. Let it be shattered with grief at my sins for which he dies. And finally let it be softened with devoted love for him. Amen.

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Saturday, March 6, 2021

Scripture – Psalm 137

This is possibly the most difficult, challenging passage in all of scripture. It is bitterly angry, vengeful, and vindictive. It seems out of place in the Bible, and it is shocking to read it. It is even more scandalous when we think of the Psalms as a guide to our prayers. How can this Psalm possibly be something to guide our minds and hearts in prayer? Most of us would think of this particular chapter as a guide on how not to pray. What can we learn from prayer about this Psalm, and how can we use even these verses to guide our prayers?

This Psalm is one of several that are called “imprecatory Psalms.” These Psalms call down judgment and calamity, they pray curses upon enemies. There is something important to remember about these prayers: they are words to God, not words to other people. They are not words that rouse others to violence or lashing out, they are words spoken in the context of prayer, opening oneself up to the Lord, trusting that God can handle even our most angry, bitter, and raw emotions. A professor in seminary, when we studied imprecatory Psalms, told us that these Psalms bring before the Holy One our deepest anger, despair, and potential for violence, trusting that in God’s hands our anger and hatred can be transformed into something productive and life-giving. The Psalmist teaches us that it is not necessarily wrong to have these sorts of thoughts and feelings – they are natural – but that we can entrust them to God, leaving vengeance in the Lord’s hands.

John Calvin wrote, “[Here] we have permission given us to lay open before [God] our infirmities, which we would be ashamed to confess before men.” Perhaps these imprecatory Psalms teach us that, in prayer, we do not need to hold anything back from the Lord; God can deal with even our darkest thoughts.

Questions 1. This Psalm moves from sorrow to anger. Why do you think that sorrow so often turns to anger and even rage?

2. What thoughts, feelings, and ideas do you have that you know would be better left in God’s hands?

25 Prayer – Today’s prayer is long and deeply moving. It is a prayer by Anglican Bishop Dehqani-Tafti of Iran, written and prayed after the murder of his son in 1980 by supporters of the Iranian revolution. It expresses anger, sorrow, bitterness, and also hope for God’s transforming work in him even when he has known one of life’s most unimaginable tragedies.

O God, we remember not only our son but also his murderers; not because they killed him in the prime of his youth and made our hearts bleed and our tears flow, not because with this savage act they have brought further disgrace on the name of our country among the civilized nations of the world; but because through their crime we now follow thy footsteps more closely in the way of sacrifice.

The terrible fire of this calamity burns up all selfishness and possessiveness in us; its flame reveals the depth of depravity and meanness and suspicion, the dimension of hatred and the measure of sinfulness in human nature; it makes obvious as never before our need to trust in God’s love as shown in the cross of Jesus and his resurrection; love which makes us free from hate toward our persecutors; love which brings patience, forbearance, courage, loyalty, humility, generosity, greatness of heart; love which more than ever deepens our trust in God’s final victory and his eternal designs for the Church and for the world; love which teaches us how to prepare ourselves to face our own day of death.

O God, our son’s blood has multiplied the fruit of the Spirit in the soil of our souls; so when his murderers stand before thee on the day of judgment remember the fruit of the Spirit by which they have enriched our lives. And forgive. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Sunday, March 7, 2021

Scripture – Luke 6:1-11

Throughout the gospels, we discover again and again that Jesus was constantly in conflict with the Pharisees. The reason for this is not because the Pharisees were particularly obnoxious and rule- following killjoys. Now, certainly they were serious about the law, and they sought to live upright and righteous lives, but they are not necessarily the finger-wagging scolds that they are portrayed to be in popular culture.

The New Testament scholar Frederick Dale Bruner suggests that when we speak of the Pharisees we not call them “Pharisees” any longer because that term is so tainted by popular use. They Pharisees were not the professional religious class, and they were not priests. They were religiously serious lay people who wanted to live lives that please God and wanted to invite others to do the same. Therefore, Bruner suggests that we call them “the Serious,” to reflect their genuine concerns.

This bit of historic understanding also helps us to get to the root of the conflict that they had with Jesus, too. Part of the reason the Pharisees were so upset by Jesus was because they saw him as one of them. They were upset because they feared that Jesus was leading people astray by disregarding the rules about the Sabbath, and cleanliness, and talking to the wrong kind of people. They were genuinely concerned for the spiritual health of God’s people. So, they asked him, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

Jesus’ answer was clearly unsatisfying to them. He pointed to David when he was on the run and challenged them to think about what God requires: to do good to the person in front of you, or stick to the letter of the law regarding the Sabbath. It was clear where Jesus stood on the question!

In truth, when we seek to conform our lives to Jesus’ way in the world, it will often make us uncomfortable. He continually pushes us beyond our comfort zones and into places where we come face-to-face with the brokenness and needs of the world, trusting God to bring grace and hope to these broken places. As you seek to walk with Jesus and follow him, let yourself be uncomfortable sometimes, sit with the discomfort, and ask yourself why Jesus makes you feel uneasy. When we come to terms with that, we will take another step toward lives fully devoted to Jesus and his way.

Questions 1. How does one discern when to “follow the rules” vs. when to meet needs?

2. What teachings of Jesus have made you uncomfortable? How have you come to terms with that discomfort?

Prayer – Today’s prayer is from W. H. H. Aitken.

Lord, take my lips and speak through them; take my mind and think through it; take my heart and set it on fire. Amen.

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