Alumnae Devotional

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

Lenten Reflections by Alumnae of Covenant Theological Seminary

Compiled by Dr. Joel Hathaway

Edited by Rick Matt

Unless otherwise indicated all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover Design: Kent Needler

Interior Formatting: Rick Matt

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Dr. Joel Hathaway...... 1 Introduction Caroline Scruggs (MDiv ’13)...... 3 The Fall: Grace Amid Our Shame (Gen. 2:7–9; 3:1–7) Sarah Viggiano Wright (MAC, MDiv ’12)...... 5 The Fall Undone: Grace to Live Victoriously (Matt. 4:1–11) Katherine Powers (MA ’12)...... 7 Grace Amid the Storm (Gen. 9:8–15) Carolyn Leutwiler Campbell (MAEM ’15)...... 9 Grace Amid the Wilderness of Temptation (Mark 1:12–15) Katrina Dalbey (MA ’05)...... 11 Remembering, Not Murmuring (Deut. 26:4–10) Amy Allan (MDiv ’17)...... 13 Relationship, Not Magic (Luke 4:1–13) Edith Reitsema (MA ’98)...... 15 The Purpose and the Promise (Gen. 12:1–4) Colleen Basler (MA ’10)...... 17 The Greatness and the Glory (Matt. 17:1–9) Betty McCracken (GC ’99)...... 19 The God Who Provides (Gen. 22:1–2, 9–18) Jennifer Baldwin (MAC, MDiv ’06)...... 21 The Son Who Redeems (Mark 9:2–10) Karen Grant (MA ’07)...... 24 The God of Interruptions (Exod. 3:1–8)) Jennifer Cronk (MAEM ’10)...... 26 The God of Transformations (Luke 9:28–36) Courtney Roach (MA ’09)...... 28

Waiting for the End of Waiting (Gen. 15:5–18) Cynthia Fischer (MAEM ’14)...... 30 Drinking the Water That Always Flows (John 4:5–26) DeLyn Brancato (MDiv ’10)...... 32 Trusting in the Character of God (Exod. 17:3–7) Jenilyn Swett (MDiv ’13)...... 35 Standing for the Ways of God (John 2:13–22) Kay Ellen Bleyer (MAC ’97)...... 37 The Grace of God’s Law (Exod. 20:1–17) Allie Vining (MAEM ’15)...... 39 The Mercy of God’s Grace (Luke 13:1–9) Ada Moore (MAEM ’08)...... 41 Looking to the True King (1 Sam. 16:1, 6–13) Kim Lee (MAC ’04)...... 43 Seeing by the True Light (John 9:1–25) Becky Kiern (MAEM ’11)...... 45 The Way of Pride or the Way of Humility? (2 Chron. 36:14–23) Ann Louise Schmidt (MA ’05)...... 48 Be the Savior or Rest in the Savior? (John 3:14–21) Anne Reitsema (MAC ’03, MA ’04)...... 50 Remember the God Who Gives Good Things (Josh. 5:9–12) Rebekah Rose (MA ’08)...... 52 Remember the Savior Who Gives New Life (John 11:1–27) Hillary Allebach (MAC ’05)...... 54 Rattle My Bones Back to Life! (Ezek. 37:12–14) Amy Roebke (MAEM ’09)...... 57 Revive the Soul Within Me! (Luke 15:1–3, 11–32) Elizabeth Ranheim (MAC ’06)...... 59 The Promises That Offer God’s Peace (Jer. 31:31–34) Caroline Scruggs (MDiv ’13)...... 62 The Pain That Reveals God’s Love (John 8:1–11) Kari Kristina Reeves (MDiv ’07)...... 64 The Challenge of Learning Trustful Obedience (Isa. 50:4–7) Gwen Siu (GC ’10)...... 66

The Joy of Living in the Freedom of Forgiveness (Matt. 26:14–27, 66) Brittany Sears-Flowers (MA ’10)...... 68 To the Kingdom by Way of the Wilderness (Isa. 43:16–21) Rachel O’Banion (MAC ’08)...... 70 To Paradise by Way of the Cross (Luke 23:26–43) Katherine Spearing (MARC ’16)...... 72 Postscript: The Feat (inspired by Matt. 26:14–27:66) Mazaré Rogers (MDiv ’16)...... 74 About the Contributors...... 77

Acknowledgments

I give thanks for the women who, out of their theological training and personal piety, gave themselves to reflect on these passages for the season of Lent. Some of these women are single, others married. They work in the church, counseling centers, businesses, military settings, and the home. They are from different cultures and countries. Several are sick or have been; others are active. The oldest is 75, and their ages go down from there. A mother and daughter both contributed. All have known the joys and sorrows of life and ministry. They have known abundance, and they have practiced self-denial. Collectively, they await the return of our Savior. These are their reflections on and for the season of Lent.

DR. JOEL HATHAWAY Director of Alumni and Career Services Covenant Theological Seminary

Introduction

In the mid-1800s, a young Scottish woman named Elizabeth C. Clephane penned the following words:

Beneath the cross of Jesus, I fain would take my stand, The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land; A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way, From the burden of the noontide heat and the burden of the day.

Nearly 200 years later, our need is still the same—to come, in the wilderness and weariness of life, and hide ourselves in the shadow of the cross. In this way, the season of Lent is a gift to the church because it leads us to slow down and intentionally focus on the cross of Christ. Lent is an invitation to come, from the chaos and loneliness and burden of the day and of our hearts, to sit in the shadow of the cross and to fix our gaze upon the One who hung there in our place. It is an invitation to sit in the story of God’s redemptive work in the world and to feel the weight of it—to feel the weight of sin and failure and brokenness, to feel the weight of God’s coming again and again to his people with faithfulness and patience and love with the promises to rescue and to redeem and to restore, and to feel the weight of the cross where these two realities meet. It is an invitation to examine our hearts and to repent and, in our repentance, to find our rest. The texts and reflections in this book—though not meant to cover every single day of Lent—are intended to guide us as we seek to sit, slow down, and savor the cross of Christ throughout the Lenten season. Our prayer is that the Lord might use them to give us a larger picture of the cross and a deeper communion with the God who willingly gave up his life there in our place. The readings span the story of redemption, finding their telos in the cross. The Old Testament readings highlight Israel’s deep need for redemption and illuminate God’s covenant promises to redeem. The New Testament readings narrow in on the life Jesus, the better Israel, the beloved Son, the answer to the covenant promise, whose ministry provides a window into what that ultimate redemption will be. All shape the picture of our desperate need for the cross and the infinite weight of it. As we journey through this season with our eyes lifted to the cross, may our God enlarge our vision and understanding. May he open and convict our hearts. May he lead us to worship and to repentance, for in these our deep rest is found.

CAROLINE SCRUGGS (MDIV ’13) 4

THE FALL: GRACE AMID OUR SHAME

[T]hen the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. . . . Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. — GENESIS 2:7–9; 3:1–7

REFLECTION Their communion with God was now broken. Their stewardship would now be toil. Their relationship to each other would bring in pain and consumption of the other. Their minds and hearts would be broken. They would love idols and hate themselves and be subject to all types of illnesses. Their physical bodies would return to dust. And, without reconciliation to the God with whom they had forfeited a relationship, they would be doomed to a fate far worse than weeping and gnashing of teeth: void of God for all eternity! Shame. Nakedness and shame. They covered themselves in the very leaves God planted for them to steward; leaves that would eventually decay and return to dust. For there is no man-made covering that could shield them from the deserved consequences of their disobedience: death, dust, and void. 6

What causes you to challenge God’s goodness? Negative circumstances? Negative emotions? Suffering? Wickedness winning? What whispers echo in your heart, deepening your void and ache? “You’re not enough. God doesn’t see your pain. No one understands. You are alone. You are insignificant. What serpent’s lies do you believe more than the goodness God has spoken over you? God isn’t good. You are void of dignity. You are not worthy. What fig leaves of self-righteousness have you sown? My _____ will cover me. As long as _____ is good, I’m not that bad. (What fills your blanks? Your spouse? Your kids? Friends? Talents? Success? Money? Savings? Intellect? Status? Power? Knowledge? Reputation? Substances? Possessions?) But, Yahweh Elohim was is in their midst, and even in his announcement of the curse, he withheld the judgment Adam and Eve deserved, and he provided grace and hope. There would be an offspring to crush the head of the serpent and undo all of the evil unleashed by disobedience. And Yahweh Elohim would cover their sin and shame with his own sacrifice—the shedding of the blood of his Begotten Son for the forgiveness of sin. This reconciliation would sustain them until the Day when God comes back to make all things right, and the ground that was cursed would become a part of the New Heaven and the New Earth. Then, God would be in their midst again, with joy, gladness, and shalom permanently filling every void, forevermore.

PRAYER Lord of Life, we confess that we try to find goodness outside of you. We consume our work, relationships, substances, and experiences for the satisfaction of our voids and aches— emptiness only you can fill! We listen to whispers from the enemy telling us that we’re not good enough, that your love is not strong enough, and that your sacrifice is not deep enough to cover us. Lord, in your mercy, let us repent and return to your righteousness, as your sacrifice is the only fit covering for our disobedience. Please allow the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in our stead to calm every doubt and comfort every ache until we are reunited with you forevermore. Only in your return will shalom reign. We eagerly await that Day! Amen.

SARAH VIGGIANO WRIGHT (MAC, MDiv ’12)

THE FALL UNDONE: GRACE TO LIVE VICTORIOUSLY

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.” — MATTHEW 4:1–11

REFLECTION Vulnerable . . . who likes to feel vulnerable? It’s a sign of weakness and opens us up to bullying, criticism, and scoffing. Our faces must reflect strength, invincibility, and power. No one wants to expose his soft underbelly to the enemy, whoever that may be, and certainly not Satan himself. After forty days in the wilderness with no food or drink, a person could not get much more vulnerable, and yet that is exactly where Satan finds Jesus. Hungry, thirsty, tired, vulnerable. And he puts him to the test. Could Jesus have sinned and accepted Satan’s offers? Yes, he could have because he was fully human. But he did not. Did he need to prove to God that he could withstand the test? No, he was already the beloved Son. Then, for whose benefit did Jesus submit himself to the great Tempter? As in many things Jesus did throughout his earthly existence, it was for us, and a blessed gift it was. From the time of Genesis 3 until Jesus’s wilderness temptation, the world had been subject to the ramifications of Adam and Eve’s choices in the garden. It was a lush, fruitful place where they had a sufficient amount, if not an overabundance, of 8

food at their disposal. And what do they do? Amid plenty, they wanted more. They caved into temptation and failed the test. In contrast to the failure of Genesis 3, we have the account in Matthew 4:1–11 of Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness after forty days of fasting. Jesus, in a place of desolation and hunger, is tempted just as Adam and Eve were and, in his humanity, he does not succumb. The fall was remedied, and his ministry was begun. Jesus’s temptation also echoes the temptations of Israel, as three times Satan baits Jesus with the same temptations God’s people faced during their forty years of wandering in the desert. They were wandering because they did not put their trust in the Lord their God, who brought them up out of Egypt. They complained of hunger, and God provided them manna. And when the promised land lay before them, they feared the people of the land rather than the Lord their God. The Israelites, like Adam and Eve before them, failed the test. Jesus demonstrates to us after his forty days of fasting, followed by the temptations and taunts of Satan, that his dependence on God was firm and immovable. He redoes creation’s and Israel's history and he succeeds. In his human nature, he exposed his soft underbelly to the Prince of this world, knowing that God was his source of strength to endure the onslaught. Once the Holy Spirit had descended upon him, the attack began. And so it is with us. When we begin our walk with Christ in obedience to God, the attacks begin. There isn’t any point to start before this because we are already in Satan’s hands. When we repent of our own Genesis-like failures and take as our own Christ’s righteous works, the attacks begin in earnest. Our vulnerability is our strongest weapon. That sounds odd, but then again, the Christian walk is fraught with challenging truths that our minds do not fathom. Christ encouraged Paul that “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Jesus’s temptation in the desert displayed the power of the Almighty to not only withstand the attacks from the evil one but also to vanquish him in human weakness. In our weakness, may we find our strength in the power of the one who lived the story victoriously and overcame temptation so that we may have power to do the same.

PRAYER Faithful and steadfast Father, we are weak and vulnerable to sin and the attacks of Satan—and we fail the test. But our weakness is your strength because our motives, our designs, our plans are set aside to allow you to work in and through us. Thank you, Father, that you use us to bring your Word to the world. And help us to be more vulnerable so that in our meekness you are free to use us to glorify you.

KATHERINE POWERS (MA ’12)

GRACE AMID THE STORM

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.” — GENESIS 9:8–15

REFLECTION Have you ever witnessed a storm with clouds so thick, winds so severe, and thunder so fierce that you were shaken to your core? Often these types of storms spring up quickly and disappear almost as readily, perhaps leaving only traces of dark clouds overhead. Not always so with our lives, in which suffering can come in all forms, from quick bursts of fury to steady streams of sorrow. Maybe you are enduring the torrential rains of a season that has lasted for years. When will the storm relent? Noah prepared diligently for the rains that God had foretold would come. The Lord’s words of hope to Noah were, “I will establish my covenant with you” (Gen. 8:18). Noah had to walk by faith in this promise while building the ark and sensing the gathering storm ahead (cf. Heb. 11:1–3, 7). And, when the actual storm came, it was not a pleasant forty-day cruise, as sometimes depicted in children’s renderings of the Flood. Rain came from above, but also “the fountains of the great deep burst forth” (Gen. 7:11). Most likely, there was unprecedented upheaval and turbulence; God’s wrath against sin was being displayed in full. After about a year-long journey, the time came when the travelers were able to walk out from the ark. Then God set in the sky the sign of his everlasting covenant. Lest we miss the importance of this covenant between God and every creature, he mentions it seven times in this short discourse with Noah. Remember again the furious storm you have viewed perhaps outside your window, and the moment when the sun burst through a tiny opening in the bleak backdrop. Is it still raining? “Yes!” your heart cries out as you quickly look for the rainbow. You catch a glimpse of it in the sky and your heart settles just a bit. All will 10

be well. You can remember God’s promise—in fact, his covenant—to us (Gen. 9:9, 12). And, yet, who does Genesis 9 say remembers the covenant? God! Anytime a rainbow is seen in the clouds, he himself will remember his covenant with mankind and the earth! This is astounding and should make our hearts leap. No matter the rampant sin in our world or even the relentless temptations in our lives, no matter the intensity or length of personal storms, no matter how deep the floods of our sorrows and tears, the Lord is faithful. He will not flood the entirety of the earth again. Nor does he intend to sink us in the sins and sufferings of this life, even though rain must still be present here on earth for a rainbow. We can look up to the rainbow, wherein is the sign of God’s covenant, and ultimately to the cross, on which the Savior died. For in the cross is the summation of all the covenants God had previously made with his people. It is the greatest covenant, “the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). The Lord is the covenant-keeping God, one who has made and kept his covenants throughout the ages. Never again does sin need to be destroyed by a flood, because the life of Christ was buried so that by his wounds we are healed (Isa. 53:5). How can you trust more firmly in the covenant-keeping God today?

Firmly trusting in your blood, nothing shall my heart confound; safely I shall pass the flood, safely reach Immanuel’s ground. — from “Christ, of All My Hopes the Ground,” by Ralph Wardlaw

PRAYER Lord, steady me today in spite of the storms of life. Cause me to look upward to the cross and ultimately heavenward, where my faith rests secure. I trust in the finished work of Christ and pray in his name. Amen.

CAROLYN LEUTWILER CAMPBELL (MAEM ’15)

GRACE AMID THE WILDERNESS OF TEMPTATION

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” — MARK 1:12–15

REFLECTION From this passage, we first see that Jesus was lead into the wilderness. The Son of God, the Savior of the world, was lead into the wilderness and would be tempted by Satan, the enemy. Like Jesus, we are also lead by God into various situations and at times must also face temptation. This event comes directly after the Baptism of Jesus in verses 9–11, in which God declares that Jesus is his beloved Son. In Romans 8:16– 17, God also calls us his beloved. We are declared to be children of God, heirs of God and heirs with Christ. Why would God call his own beloved Son, or us, his beloved children, into a wilderness only to abandon us there? Certainly, our loving Heavenly Father has a purpose in the midst of struggle and will take great care of all his children, even in the wilderness. Next, we see that the Spirit lead Jesus. God’s leading of Jesus into the wilderness provides us with the immediate assurance that he is not alone. We also are not alone. God is with us and is leading us each day of our lives. He leads us in our learning, our walking and talking with people. He leads us even when we don’t feel him. He led Jesus into the wilderness, which must have been a rather scary place. Certainly, with all those wild animals there must have been a time that Jesus wanted to go home and back to a place with a bed, walls, and shelter from the unwelcoming and even dangerous environment in which he found himself. Just like Jesus, we experience times of being in the wilderness. We are afraid. We feel like wild animals are going to scare us, confuse us, or even kill us. We feel isolated in the wilderness. But yet, God is with us just as we was with Jesus. Finally, in the midst of his temptation by Satan, God was with Jesus. God sent his angels to minister to him. Perhaps the angels provided strength and comfort and assurance that he was his father’s beloved child. I believe this is also true for us. God is with us. The entire biblical story reminds us again and again that God is with us. He has sent his angels in various forms to minister or care for us each day of our lives. 12

So, if God cares in such a way for his Son, how will he not also care for us knowing that Jesus has died for us in order to bring us into relationship with him. Lent can feel like a time of being in the wilderness. You may have been led to give up something and this is hard. You may have been reminded of the weight of your sin. Perhaps you may be experiencing other difficulties in your life. This passage reminds us of how God, leading us in all paths, does not abandon Jesus and does not abandon us. Perhaps God will minister to you in various forms—through a friend who brings words of encouragement when they are needed, through a gift that can provide or bless your family during a difficult time, through a gift of peace over your soul when you feel lost, lonely, or afraid. Let us pray that the Lord would minister to us and encourage us in this season of Lent. And let us be reminded that God is present, and that no matter where we are led, he will always be with us.

PRAYER May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Rom. 15:13). Amen.

KATRINA DALBEY (MA ’05)

REMEMBERING, NOT MURMURING

“Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. “And you shall make response before the LORD your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O LORD, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God.” — DEUTERONOMY 26:4–10

REFLECTION When the next step is uncertain, looking back at past footprints can provide hope and courage to continue on the unknown road ahead. This beautiful creed of the chosen people of God emboldened them for what was ahead by taking a look at what had come before. In this Lenten season of reflection, what might we learn from the pattern of remembrance in this ancient creed? In a concise manner, this historic creed remembers the past provision of God through a few photographic snapshots. First, the wandering Aramean father likely refers to Jacob, who journeyed down to Egypt when he was quite old. The “wandering” description here has an even broader meaning, which may actually reflect Jacob’s homelessness and near-death starvation. This is not a simple case of Jacob needing to stop to ask for directions because he missed a turn on his trip. Our first snapshot shows Jacob in a life-or-death situation and longing for the stability of a place to call home. The second photo in the collection captures the horror of the enslavement and humiliation God’s people experienced by hands of their Egyptian oppressors. It focuses our attention on a time when the people of Israel were victimized, prevented from leaving, crushed under the weight of heavy physical labor, mocked, and beaten by their taskmasters. They were treated as “less-thans” rather than God’s precious children. There is pain, regret, heartache, and a sense of wish-it-had-not-been- pictured in this second snapshot. 14

Yet, the third photo in verses 7–9 depicts a joyous change. The people of God cry out—and the Lord hears and sees their turmoil. God, the maker of heaven and earth, hears, sees, and is moved to action on their behalf. This is the God of the Old Testament and of the ancient nation of Israel. This God cares about his people! This is our God! This God not only sees and hears, but also has the power and desire to rescue. It may have been difficult for the people of God to feel his care as slaves in Egypt for over 400 years, but God brought them out from their oppression with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. Even more amazing, this third snapshot shows God rescuing them from their slavery and to the abundant, overflowing land of milk and honey. Shackles and whips are replaced with food and laughter. Take a quick look back through today’s Scripture passage. Count the number of “my,” “us,” “we,” and “our” words in this brief creed. This is a deeply personal account relaying the intimate relationship between God and his people. We are a storied people. This family photo book invites us to remember that we are part of an overarching story of God’s faithful presence with his people. The past informs our present, and the hope of God’s assured guidance comforts us as we step into the future. Verses 10–11 model a posture of gratitude, sacrifice, and worship that rightly follows this browsing through the family photo collection. In light of all that God has done in the past, it is a privilege for us to bring our first fruits to the One who rescues with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. In this present moment, God has filled our lungs with oxygen and given us the ability to carry out the good work to which he has called us. Let us praise him! As we step into an unknown future, may we do so through worship fueled by the hope in the God who goes before us. This Lenten season is a cherished time to pause, reflect, praise, and hope for all God has, is, and will do in our lives and community and in the world.

PRAYER God of our ancestors, Maker of heaven and earth, the Lord our God, we praise you for hearing our cries and delivering us from our oppressors. You are great and worthy of our praise. Thank you for seeing our affliction and bringing us out of the realm of our enemies with your mighty hand and outstretched arm. We proclaim your deeds and wonders to our family and friends and humbly bow before you in worship for who you are. You turn our tears to joy! It is right and good to bring our fears and concerns to you as you love us. May we never forget your abiding presence or your past works in our lives as we seek to bring you glory in this current moment. You see the sojourner, homeless, refugee, sick, needy, rejected, tormented, forsaken, destitute, unpopular, hurting—you see us and are with us. We praise you! In the powerful name of Jesus, your beloved Son, we pray. Amen.

AMY ALLAN (MDIV ’17)

RELATIONSHIP, NOT MAGIC

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. — LUKE 4:1–13

REFLECTION Have you ever prayed: “God, if you want me to have that difficult conversation, let me find a parking place. But if I don’t easily find a place, then I’ll know you don’t want me to have to go through with the conversation.” When we try to hold God to ransom, testing God by requiring specific signs from him, something suspicious is going on. Have we let superstition creep into our prayer lives? Or is this at best a manipulative way of dealing with God, such as Satan was tempting Jesus to do? The painting of the “Temptation of Christ,” by Peter Paul Rubens (1620), hangs in the Courtauld Gallery in London. What I appreciate about Rubens’ depiction of Luke 4:1–13 is the compassionate but stern glance of Jesus, showing a longing for true relational interaction. This stands in strong contrast to Jesus’s dismissive hand, which rejects the stone the devil is offering him. The temptation put before Jesus was the challenge to magically turn the stone into bread. When giving into temptation, you use your own position to fulfil your own needs and desires. Jesus could have easily used his powerful position to satisfy his hunger in the desert. In this story, the devil challenges Christ to prove that he is the Son of God. By doing so in this way, he is suggesting that Jesus enter a magical kind of relationship with his Father— because magic (and superstition too) attempts to manipulate spiritual forces for our own needs. Sadly, this is what many of us are tempted to do as we relate to God in 16

our prayer lives. When we demand signs from God, we may be confusing God’s miracles with magic. And by entering a magical relationship with God, we lose the personal relationship. This stands in contrast to the reason Jesus later performed his miracles: to draw people to himself. The true challenge of the “power” that the Almighty Creator gives us that we might live in a relationship with him is actually to live justly and mercifully, to share the truth of the gospel—and not to try to manipulate that power or him to our own ends. Superstitiously asking God for signs is not going to get us anywhere. But why do we pray? God has asked us to talk to him. He wants to hear our needs. He wants to be welcome to work in our hearts. He wants to develop our eyes so that we can see his hands at work in our lives—to see the sign that he has already given us, to see the Cross. Such a prayer should echo Ephesians 1:16–19: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” God longs for me to pray about things big and small—even about parking spaces. But, are my desires central, or is God’s will? What is the difference between faithful prayer and a ritualistic attempt to manipulate God? Faithful prayer does not presume to know God’s answer already. Faithful prayer continues beyond a crisis. It’s an ongoing conversation. A life of prayer is not a prolonged attempt to control God, but a desire to have him work through us. As Corrie ten Boom once said, “It’s not my ability, but my response to God’s ability, that counts.”

PRAYER Father, thank you that you care, that you are there and not silent. Thank you that you notice me, that you see me for who I am, and that you meet me in my needs. Help me to have eyes to recognize your hand at work in my life. And help me to entrust all my worries and concerns of today to you. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

EDITH REITSEMA (MA ’98)

THE PURPOSE AND THE PROMISE

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. — GENESIS 12:1–4

REFLECTION I live in a military community, where each man and woman leaves hometown, friends, and family to go to the military base that God will show them—and beyond. We trust the Lord for safety, for community in each new place, for hope. This sounds a lot like Abram. But is that what Moses is writing about here? This passage of Scripture was first heard by the people of Israel as they traveled between Egypt and the Promised Land. They have just been redeemed from slavery and are hearing through Moses for perhaps the very first time who this God is who has redeemed them, and how he has already acted in history up to this point. Part of that history, they heard about was God’s magnificent creation of all that exists, including humanity (Genesis 1). Mankind was created to bear the image of God and to steward the earth he had made, and God blessed us and told us to multiply and fill the earth. What does it mean that God “blesses” us, or Abram, or all the families of the earth? In the context of Genesis 1, blessing entails fruitfulness and dominion. In broader terms, one could say that it means God’s enabling us to fulfill the purpose for which he has created us. What is that purpose? To bear his image, giving him glory as we live out our particular part in his story. We were made for that purpose, but when Adam chose to go his own way and eat the fruit that God had told him not to eat, the image of God in humanity became tarnished. God promises to set things right—not only for man, but for the whole world—by defeating the evil that took the form of the serpent. But things got worse before they got better. Remember the judgement of the flood (Genesis 6–8), where God wiped away all but a few humans and animals? And Babel (Genesis 11), where man’s pride flared to such a degree that he thought he could reach heaven by himself? Here in our passage, the focus narrows down to a single man, Abram. And God tells him to leave his country for a land that God will show him. And to leave his kindred, and God will make of him a great nation. And to leave his father’s house, 18

and God will bless all the families of the earth through him. The people of Israel on the border of Canaan would hear this and learn not only some of their family history, but also that this God was trustworthy. He had already fulfilled one of those promises—they were indeed a “great nation.” They were about to see another promise fulfilled—they would take possession of the land where Abraham had only sojourned. Their life in that land would partially fulfill their calling to bless all the families of the earth. But greater fulfillment was yet to come. The people of Israel were learning how to be God’s covenant people. This passage gives them, and us, a flavor of what that covenant life is like. God calls. God chooses. God is trustworthy. But because “So Abram went” is part of the text too, they see that there are also covenant obligations. The choosing and the promises come first, just as the Israelites had first been called and redeemed from Egypt before God gave them the law; but relationship with the Creator God then leads to obedience. In this Lenten season, we anticipate the darkness of Good Friday and the rejoicing of Easter Sunday. At the cross, Jesus bore all our sin and the wrath of God, so that we can be free to live out our purpose as image-bearers. In the resurrection, our God is vindicated, and our future glory is sealed. In hope we, like Abraham, are called to exchange known pleasures for unseen eternal pleasure and to exercise faith in the One who guides us. We will be conformed to the image of Christ, just as we were always meant to be. We are not all called to physically leave our hometowns, but for all of us, there are ways in which growth in Christlikeness will lead us to forsake our roots—whether it be a job or status that we grew up expecting to fall into, or a way of thinking that is counter to the gospel. As we draw nearer to the Lord in this season, may we see how the promises to Abraham and the patriarchs—fulfilled partially in their lifetimes, more fully in the first coming of Jesus Christ, and ultimately in his return—can give us hope and spur us on to live out our purpose with confidence and joy.

PRAYER Father God, thank you for all that you accomplished by sending your Son to die for our sins. We pray that we would remember that sacrifice daily as we progress through Lent, and that it would be cause for grief over our sin but also joy at your plan, your promises, and your provision. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

COLLEEN BASLER (MA ’10)

THE GREATNESS AND THE GLORY

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” — MATTHEW 17:1–9

REFLECTION The Scriptures are God-breathed, the Word of God, written by men who spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. In them we read of truths, often by those who were eyewitnesses to events, and in them we catch glimpses of glory. In the book of Hebrews we read, “Long ago, at many times, and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son . . . he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:1–2, 3). Today’s passage tells us that at the transfiguration, Jesus’s face shone like the sun. We can glean much about others by their faces, even before they speak. Literature often uses symbolism of the face to reveal one’s nature and character. In this passage, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him up to the mountain-top (a place where God often met with his servants) and there his face shone like the sun, and they heard the voice of God. Imagine! What was the meaning and purpose in this? In Matthew 16 when Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter declared, “You are the Christ.” Now, a few verses later, Peter’s words ring true with a resounding “Amen.” What did such brilliance represent? On the road to Damascus, Saul was confronted with the same brilliance by the appearance of Jesus that he was blinded for three days. For such events the word that comes to mind is glory. The glory of God leaves us unable to find words that express a worthy description. When Moses asked God to “show me your glory,” God replied that man could not see his glory 20

and live. Yet, here, and in other places in Scripture, God gives glimpses of his glory, that those who see it—and we—might know him. In John 14 when Philip asked Jesus to “show us the Father,” Jesus replied, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). It is at the transfiguration that Jesus reveals his divinity, his Oneness with the Father—indeed, that he is God Almighty. What the apostles saw was as brilliant as the shining of the sun! They looked upon the face of God and did not die, but lived, and in fact still live. In Peter’s last letters he writes of being there on the mountain. John, also a firsthand witness, is later given a glimpse of glory that is yet to come. In Revelation, “the throne of God and the Lamb will be in it [the New Jerusalem] and his servants will worship him; they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads” (Rev. 22:3–4). Beloved, those who believe shall see his face and live! Look now at this transfiguration account and seek his face, that you might know the “already and not yet” of the Son whose face shines like the sun. Join the community of faith and live.

PRAYER O Lord, we pray that you would give us a glimpse of your glory as we come to you in faith, remembering the words of Jesus, that whoever believes in him might become “sons of light” (John 12:36) and “not remain in darkness” (John 12:46). We ask this in his great and holy name. Amen.

BETTY MCCRACKEN (GC ’99)

THE GOD WHO PROVIDES

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” . . . When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” — GENESIS 22:1–2, 9–18

REFLECTION Are there any passages of Scripture that you struggle with, that leave you feeling unsettled and with more questions than answers? I must confess I have many. One of the hardest ones for me is this very story of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac. The more life I have lived, the harder this passage has become. I can look at it theologically and see a supreme example of faith and obedience demonstrated by Abraham passing God’s test, or as a manifestation of God’s provision as he faithfully keeps his covenant promises, or even as a foreshadowing of the sacrificial atonement that would be made on the cross. But these truths don’t stop my heart from also looking at this passage on a purely emotional level and seeing the gut-wrenching call God made on Abraham to test his faith. 22

Four times the passage emphasizes the horrific difficulty of this test, as if we would miss it: “take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love.” Isaac is the son who was supposed to be the gateway to God fulfilling his promise to make Abraham a great nation. He is the son for whom Abraham longed, waited, and, like any parent, loved dearly. He is the son God miraculously gave Abraham. Now, God is asking Abraham to do such a horrific thing as sacrificing him? Who is this God? While this is a pivotal episode in the story of God's people, I refused to read it to my own son for a full year because I couldn’t fathom explaining it to him. How could I answer the questions I feared he would ask about who God is and why he would make such a demand? These questions echo broader questions many Christians wrestle with: As the people of God, how do we cope with the tension we feel when what we believe about God and our experience of life seem to contradict each other? Who is God in the midst of our hardest seasons? Though this story can throw us into turmoil when we consider its relational dynamics, some of the very things at which it hints point us to another story, an even bigger story, which enables us to find some answers to these questions. This story testifies to a God who will provide. In faith, Abraham speaks to Isaac of God’s provision before he even knows the outcome of the test. Then, once God has provided the ram as a substitute, it is as if Abraham puts bright, flashing lights all around this aspect of God by naming the place “The LORD will provide.” During Lent, we meditate on the story of the cross, where God’s provision is even brighter. Like Abraham, God had an only Son, whom he loved, a Son who, like Isaac, would also be the gateway into God’s promises for his people. But there was no substitute for God’s own Son—Jesus himself became the substitute for us. God’s love for his Son would have been even deeper than Abraham’s for Isaac, since God’s heart has an even greater capacity than ours to love. But God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all, demonstrating the depth of his love for us (Rom. 8:32; 5:8). When God provided a ram for Isaac, little did Abraham know that it was pointing to a greater sacrifice—Abraham would not have to sacrifice his son, but God himself would one day provide his own Son for Abraham, Isaac, and all of God’s people. As we peer into God's sacrificial love, we find a true Provider we can trust. Even when life’s struggles leave us hurting and with unanswerable questions, we can still trust that a God who loves us this faithfully and passionately stands behind everything we encounter and will walk with us through it. In times when we don’t know why we are in these challenging places or how to get through them, as we gaze upon God’s love and goodness at the cross, we can, in all circumstances, say in faith with Abraham, “God will provide.”

PRAYER Heavenly Father, help us to draw near to you in times of confusion and pain. Give us eyes to see and hearts to understand the depth of your love for us in the midst of our trials. Thank you that you are the Lord who has and who will continue to provide for us. In the name of your precious, sacrificed Son, amen.

JENNIFER BALDWIN (MAC, MDIV ’06)

THE SON WHO REDEEMS

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. — MARK 9:2–10

REFLECTION Over 43 years ago, the cover of my wedding invitation read, “My beloved is mine and I am his.” It was the most romantic expression I could envision. My husband and I entered into a lifetime of discovering the many facets of beloving declared that day. The book of Mark highlights Christ’s belovedness with the Father as a facet of their relationship with each other, and ours with them. In Mark 1:11 we read that Jesus comes up out of the waters of baptism and a voice from heaven declares, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased!” Authority and approval are announced from heaven in terms of exultant, loving relationship. Then, in Mark 12:6 we are told, “[The vineyard owner] had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son,’” but the son is killed and thrown out of his father’s vineyard. Authority challenged: unjust slaughter is foreshadowed in context of loving relationship. There is another place Mark tells us Jesus was called beloved, nestled between these passages, in Mark 9:2–10. Just beforehand, Jesus foretold not only his suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection, but also its imminence. Peter had even appeared to grasp Jesus’s divinity. Then Peter, James, and John ascend a high mountain with Jesus, and see him transfigured before them. His radiant clothes attest holiness. Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. A voice comes from an overshadowing cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” Authority, approval, and a charge are proclaimed, within the context of loving relationship. 25

The characters from the bracketing passages emerge here: the loving Father, who exulted at Jesus’s baptism and sends messengers to the vineyard; Moses and Elijah as the servants who preceded the son to the vineyard; and the beloved Son, whose vineyard appointment with the murderous tenants approaches. Peter (who characteristically natters on), James, and John are off-scene witnesses. The Transfiguration is placed between triumphant announcement and parabolic warning. This “beloved” passage comes with a distinctive imperative the others do not: “Listen to him.” Moses and Elijah are no longer visible. The disciples descend the mountain with Jesus, who charges them to tell no one what they have seen until after he rises from the dead—a statement that still befuddles them. They do listen, but they do not understand. The beloved Son will continue to foretell their redemption at his own cost, yet they will not understand until he reminds them after his resurrection what has been written, what he has already told them, what they saw on the mountain, what he described in stories, and displayed in bloody sacrifice: he is the beloved Son of God. And yet, we find ourselves saying, “I can’t hear him. He isn’t answering me. I hear only silence.” Are we still placing ourselves off-scene, like the disciples? Listen for testimonial voices of the ages in Genesis through Revelation, even the lowly Centurion’s bald recognition, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” We can taste and see his body and his blood, and hear Sabbath proclamation of the glorious redemption he gained for us by his life, death, and resurrection. And there is more. Listen: the rocks and trees cry out! Our consciences can listen attentively to his Holy Spirit as he guides, comforts, and convicts us. There is yet more: We enter into the grand community of the beloved, as he unites us to himself. We take our places within the great story. Listen: He is coming again—a wedding invitation from the Beloved to his beloved sits before you!

PRAYER Father, thank you for sending your beloved Son to accomplish your plan for us, and who continues to intercede with you on our behalf. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Amen!

KAREN GRANT (MA ’07)

THE GOD OF INTERRUPTIONS

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.” — EXODUS 3:1–8

REFLECTION What a divinely interrupting God we serve! We start this passage with Moses doing something remarkably uninspiring—taking his father-in-law’s herd of sheep to graze. And here, during the most mundane of tasks, doing the least glorious job, clearly not anticipating anything extraordinary, Moses meets the Lord. All throughout Scripture, that seems to be what God is in the business of doing—showing up in places, and in ways, that are completely unexpected. Think about a dusty cattle stall in Bethlehem. God never looks for the limelight. He doesn’t need to. Because he is the Light. Think of it—this humble shepherd man, in the thick of a hard day’s work; this man who had tried to stand for justice with only exile and murder to show for it. His resume was far from spectacular. And yet . . . It seems those are God’s favorite words. He delights in taking nothing and making something that exceeds our wildest imaginations. And it’s no coincidence that Moses is shepherding at the time. In Isaiah 40:11, we’re given a beautiful prophecy of the coming Messiah:

He will tend his flock like a shepherd: he will gather the lambs in his arms; 27

he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

God introduces himself to Moses in the context he most wants to use Moses in—in all his humility, in all his quietness, in all his upside-down, makes-no-sense- to-the-world school of leadership. God didn’t want a commander-in-chief—he wanted a shepherd. He explains why in the next few verses, where he tells Moses that he has seen and heard the plight of his people in Egypt. He knows they are distressed and oppressed. And he cares. He cares enough to send a shepherd to his wounded sheep, not only to guide them out of danger, but to tend them gently and lovingly. He alludes to this picture of our Great Shepherd, Christ, in Isaiah 40:1–2 as well:

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended . . .

We can almost smell the cattle stall in this passage: God shows up in a bush, on a mountain, in the middle of nowhere, to an absolute nobody. Except that nobody is really a nobody in God’s economy. He says, I hear and I care about your suffering. May that encourage you deeply. He speaks this same promise to you, too. In fact, we’re told later in Scripture: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). During this Lenten season, may you draw deep comfort from the God who shows up in unexpected places, who reminds us that he knows and he cares, and who desires to care for you as only the best shepherd would and could. Later in this passage, God reveals his name to Moses for the first time in human history: “I AM.” God says to you in your suffering, “I am here”; in your distress, “I am peace”; in your darkness, “I am light”; in your confusion, “I am the way”; in your loneliness, “I am Emmanuel, God with you.” Consider how God “is” in your life. Recount his many promises to you. Choose to believe his words over any others. What a divinely interrupting God we serve! He is willing to interrupt our suffering, our doubt, our loneliness, our pain, and our grief. He comes with the gentleness of a shepherd into our ordinary lives and promises to take us to greener pastures, where he will, indeed, restore our souls.

PRAYER May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, as I fix my eyes, thoughts, and emotions on Christ. Amen!

JENNIFER CRONK (MAEM ’10)

THE GOD OF TRANSFORMATIONS

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. — LUKE 9:28–36

REFLECTION I glance up at the autumn sky and savor the way the reflected light of the dayspring’s sun peeks between tree branches. Between sips of morning coffee, my heart brims with joy. Green leaves slowly turn into an array of beautifully jeweled reds, oranges, and yellows. I know what is about to commence; I can barely contain my excitement. Sitting on my creaky old porch, I am the spectator with a first-rate view of the show. Autumn in its entire beautiful splendor is just outside my front door. Autumn is when my heart most feels the goodness of God’s grace and beauty. It is a time of reflection. Out of the cold ground of winter’s end, spring bursts forth in glorious splendor. Then come the hot, expansive, lazy days of summer. Then, the days finally become shorter, and once more, autumn makes its grand entrance. The cycle continues. The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, has chosen to give us the seasons as markers of moments in our lives. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’s disciples are privy to an extraordinary moment. As spectators situated in a particular time and space, they witness the Transfiguration. Peter has just declared Jesus as Lord (Mark 8:29), but it isn’t until the disciples witness Jesus’s face being altered during prayer and his garments becoming dazzling white (their description!) that they truly realize Jesus is the glorified Son of God. Jesus is being glorified from the inside out, right before their eyes! If being a witness to this singular event were not enough, Peter, James, and John also see Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. Here we see Moses, who represents 29

God’s law, and Elijah, who represents the Old Testament office of prophet, with Jesus. Both of their lives and ministries had pointed to the One who would ultimately come and save his people. The Transfiguration is the moment God sets aside to show the disciples that Jesus is the promised One who will rescue and redeem his people. In verse 35, God says, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” He is graciously reminding the disciples of Jesus’s identity and how he will take care of his people. The disciples now know they’re witnessing the autumn of Jesus’s earthly life; the time is nearing for Jesus to experience death. The time is coming for the Lord to drink the cup of wrath that is our due. He will die for us, cover our sins with his precious blood, defeat death, and return one victorious day to redeem and glorify his sons and daughters! I enjoy sitting on this old front porch of mine, coffee in hand, gazing out the window. It’s become part of my morning routine. The screen door swings open on occasion as it’s caught by an autumn breeze blowing through. I catch myself holding my breath at autumn’s beauty, its colors splayed upon every leaf and every morning sky. I know this moment is precious and fleeting. This season that I love so much will end; it always does. It will be crowded out by the cold winter months, until the crocuses and daffodils push up from the earth as a first proclamation of spring. Summer days will linger with their humidity and haze until . . . until that first morning I walk out onto the porch and feel the coolness of autumn’s returning kiss and see the first leaves of God’s handiwork showing color once more—the fantastic array of jeweled tones.

PRAYER Father, thank you for the seasons. Thank you for your perfect timing. We praise your for how you graciously reveal yourself to us in specific seasons and moments in time and space. We are in awe of you and the story you have written for us, as your precious, redeemed sons and daughters because of the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Amen.

COURTNEY ROACH (MA ’09)

WAITING FOR THE END OF WAITING

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, . . .” — GENESIS 15:5–18

REFLECTION Sarai and Abram were fully acquainted with longing and waiting. If they had kept color-coded calendars similar to that of the church year, the pages of their childbearing years would have been purple, except for a monthly page of red, watermarked with tears. While other women Sarai’s age were having grandchildren, Sarai and Abram had turned the last purple page of their calendar to find a green one, the color of ordinary time on the liturgical calendar. It was time for them to accept the truth that they could not have children. Green pages followed green pages and the pages grew in tall, tall stacks, until the night that God touched Abram’s shoulder and whispered, “Go from this country. I will make of you a great nation . . . and in you, all the nations of 31

the world will be blessed.” Abram believed God, and he and Sarai left all those they loved for the unknown home that God had promised for them. Could they dare return to days of purple, of longing, of waiting? Would a nation come from two old people? A decade passed before God spoke to Abram again: “I will give you a great reward!” Puzzled, Abram responded, “Will my servant be my heir? I am still childless.” Once again, God pointed heavenward and told Abram to number the stars. And once again, Abram believed that God would keep his covenant. His faith was counted to him as righteousness by God. When they opened their book of days, Abram and Sarai found purple days almost jumping off the pages of their calendar. Unlike the pages of long, long, ago, these pages would surely turn to white. Perhaps in nine months, they would nestle a firstborn in their arms. The allotted nine months passed, then the end of the year, and another year, and another. Their calendar became a heavy-laden book of purple with a torn and shredded spine. It seemed useless to turn another page. More than a decade passed before God appeared to Abram and Sarai and put them on a one-year notice that a child was on its way. Both Sarai and Abram struggled to believe this news, yet it was by Sarai’s faith that God gave her the power to conceive a boy, whom they would name Isaac. Our days are purple too. We wait for the acceptance letter, the surgeon’s report, a daughter to come home, blood count levels to stabilize. We pray for a job, a suitor, a remission of cancer, our spouse to come to counseling, our children to return to God. But sometimes the pages of our lives are endless purple. We weep for our crushed hopes. Broken with sin, we cry out to God for healing, for the return of prodigals, for forgiveness for our besetting sins. In truth, we all wait for the same thing. We wait for a time of no more waiting. We wait for a time of no more longing. We wait for the triumphant end of waiting because our salvation has come. Lent is God’s call to his church to wait, not in despair, but in hope. It is his call to believe that he will do what he has promised even when we cannot see it. We long for our salvation to be complete. We await the page of glowing white. We wait for the Final Lent.

PRAYER Father God, Give us the grace to live here by faith in Christ's death and resurrection on our behalf. By your Spirit, remind us that our waiting is not in vein. Whether or not we receive what we long for now, give us the confidence of Abraham and Sarai who looked “forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). Amen.

CYNTHIA FISCHER (MAEM ’14)

DRINKING THE WATER THAT ALWAYS FLOWS

So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” — JOHN 4:5–26

REFLECTION This declaration of Jesus to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well was a stunning metaphor that had great implications for one broken woman and for us all. Life had been hard for her. She had had five husbands and lost them all. Whether her loss was through widowhood or divorce or perhaps both, we can only surmise, and she was now living with a man who was not her husband. It was likely a sense of shame that brought her to the well at the sixth hour of that day. It was a time of day when she could avoid the other women of her village and their judgment of her. It was also most likely that she had no expectation that this day would be any different than any of her other days or that how she viewed herself or her life could change. There is a clue found in Jesus’s words to this woman indicating the kind of power he was offering to her—and that power is available to all those willing to drink of that which leads to eternal life. The Greek word for “welling up” is the word allomai, which means to “leap up” or “spring up,” giving a picture of a very vigorous action of fresh spring water. This is no stagnant pond. This envisions a force of energy that produces change and invigorating new life! What could result from this is clearly seen when this woman gladly leaves her shame with Jesus and boldly faces her past and the very people she thought condemned her. She did this in order to present to them the One who had just plainly declared to her that he was Messiah. New purpose and mission followed soon after her encounter with the Giver of eternal life. Her overwhelming desire was to bring to Jesus the very people she had avoided so that they too might know this Savior who had given her new life, new courage, and new destiny. One even sees the signs of a change in her relationship with the community as she seeks their confirmation regarding the conclusions she is drawing about this rabbi she met while going about her daily tasks. “Can this be the Christ?” she asks them in verse 29. It is a question they must answer, and one that we must answer as well. Among all those who experienced salvation that day, a new bond would be formed as they began to experience together the reality of eternal life entering and transforming their earthly existence. So, where is the need in your life today? Are you longing for your first taste of salvation, never having encountered your Messiah and his omniscience concerning every part of your life? Or are you one who has drunk deeply from the well of salvation, but the cares of this life and the complexities that it brings have weighed you down so much that you need to be refreshed by living water given only by Jesus Christ? He is ready! He is willing! Scripture indicates that Jesus was very intentional in seeking out this lost woman to give her what she most needed, the Holy Spirit himself, identified in John 7:38–39 as living water. He is seeking you and wanting to give you an energy drink today that is better than any found in any marketplace! Drink deeply and receive eternal life today and forever.

PRAYER Dear Lord, I confess that too often I fail to believe that change is possible or that new life could come to me. But today I choose to reach out to you and accept the drink of living water that you are extending to me in this moment. Please fill me now with new vision, new purpose, and new life in you. Amen.

DELYN BRANCATO (MDIV ’10)

TRUSTING IN THE CHARACTER OF GOD

But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the LORD said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” — EXODUS 17:3–7

REFLECTION In Exodus 17, we come upon a desperately thirsty people. They were grumbling, quarreling with Moses (and probably one another), and ultimately doubting God: the same God who had freed them from slavery and the oppressive reign of the hard- hearted Pharaoh; the God who had made a way for their firstborn sons to be spared from the deadly plague; the God who led them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, made bitter water sweet, and provided daily bread for decades. He had done all of this, and yet, in a psalm reflecting on what happened at Meribah, God said, “they have not known my ways” (Ps. 95:10). I have heard the hurt in a friend’s voice when I have doubted something that person said or did: “Don’t you know me better than that? Haven’t we been through enough? Haven’t you come to know and trust my character? Wouldn’t you believe that I’d act and respond in a consistent way?” God had never abandoned Israel, never failed to provide exactly what was needed, but in the people’s thirst, they were convinced that this time around, things must be different. This would be the end of them. I can almost hear God asking, “Don’t you know me better than that? Haven’t we been through enough? Have I ever turned my back on you in your hunger or in your thirst? Have I shown you anything but steadfast love and faithfulness? Have I given you any reason to doubt me?” They had forgotten, had failed to remember his ways and his character. Their hard hearts had led them astray. How deeply this must have grieved and frustrated the One who created, rescued, and sustained those very hearts. 36

My own heart can be just as hard at times. By the time the people came to Meribah, the parting of the Red Sea was a distant memory. And these were a people weary from waiting and longing for home. I feel this weariness and longing, and in my thirst, I, too, can forget the Lord’s faithfulness. I can begin to question whether this might be the point where God fails to show up and provide. Don’t you know me better than that? They should have known him well enough not to question, not to grumble. But they were faltering and forgetful. Nonetheless, our gracious and compassionate God had promises to keep. So he instructed Moses to take up a tangible reminder of the Lord’s past faithfulness and strike the rock. God himself would take the blow that would give a grumbling people what they needed to live. Because, though they grumbled, they were his. Though they tested once again, he would stay true to his nature and his ways. He would satisfy a thirsty people. Centuries later, Israel continued to wait, to forget, to question, to grumble. And God continued to keep his promises. He would once again take the blow as he sent his beloved Son, the Rock, to bear the punishment for our failures and faithlessness. And out of this Rock came living water, so that God’s people would never go thirsty again (John 4:10–14; 7:37–38; 1 Cor. 10:1–4).

PRAYER Oh Lord, when we are tempted to grumble, may we remember you and your ways, and drink deeply of this water that came at such a cost to you. Make our hearts thankful and trusting as you satisfy our thirst once again. Amen.

JENILYN SWETT (MDIV ’13)

STANDING FOR THE WAYS OF GOD

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. — JOHN 2:13–22

REFLECTION Jesus entered Jerusalem and, being an observant Jew, his initial desire was to go to the temple to worship. Upon trying to enter the temple, Jesus was appalled to see that the temple courts had become a bazaar for selling animals and exchanging money at greatly inflated prices. The religious leaders were sponsoring this practice to extract exorbitant profits from pilgrims. In many cases, those who came to worship had travelled long distances to fulfill a long-held desire to worship at the temple by bringing appropriate sacrifices. Can you imagine the cacophony of noises and stunning odors that must have been rising from such a market? The people were being duped, the religious leaders were being wrongly enriched, worship was being disrupted, and God was being dishonored. Jesus was overcome by the evil of such activity and obviously believed immediate action was warranted. Jesus’s zeal for God’s honor, his empathy for true worshipers, and his desire for the temple to be a place of worship moved him to remove aggressively the animals and profiteers. What a scene this must have been! Jesus certainly had the ability to act upon righteous anger, as we see in this incident. In this Lenten season, we are challenged to contemplate several questions.

• Am I doing anything that would make it difficult for others to worship God? • Am I wrongly profiting from the desire of others to worship God? • Is God making me aware of practices that so warp worship and dishonor God that I need to take a stand against them?

Likely our responses would not be with a whip, but how would God want us to respond to our own actions and the actions of others who are creating barriers to worship?

PRAYER Lord, may I always listen to you and obey cheerfully. Give me a righteous zeal for your word and worship, and a heart to stand firmly but lovingly for your ways even in the midst of difficult challenges. Amen.

KAY ELLEN BLEYER (MAC ’97)

THE GRACE OF GOD’S LAW

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. — EXODUS 20:1–17

REFLECTION By the time I walked into the front doors of my high school as a ninth grader, I was entering the sixth school since my early elementary days. My family moved fairly often and with that came the challenge of locating the cafeteria, or the bathrooms, or the library of each new school I found myself in. I don’t ever remember getting assigned a “buddy” to show me around, so I often found myself following the crowd or wandering the halls on my own in search of the next place I was supposed to be. Rarely, if ever, would I ask for help. As an adult, it is not lost on me that I am quick to take a similar approach to navigating life. Following the crowd? Wandering 40

aimlessly? Too often what characterizes my walk with the Lord are those misguided approaches instead looking first and foremost to God’s law. In Exodus 20, Yahweh continues to reveal to his people the kind of God he is when he gives Moses the Ten Commandments. As in his previous covenants, Yahweh begins first with who he is and then (and only then) who Israel is to be in response to all that God has done for them. Verse 2 sets the scene: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” and the following Decalogue is Yahweh showing the Israelites what it means to bear his image. In God’s kindness, he does not leave them uninformed or guessing. They are not to “follow the crowd” or “wander the halls aimlessly,” but instead they have been given the blueprint for how life will best be experienced. Yahweh is Creator-God and therefore knows exactly what will bring his people both abundant life and devastating death. Sadly, like the Israelites, we are quick to miss the freedom being offered to us. Obeying the law brings freedom—freedom to enjoy the way God has intended the world to work. However, we often believe Satan’s whispers to stop trusting God and disobey. We end up enslaved to our sin, unable to say no to it. Ultimately, the Ten Commandments look forward to Jesus, the perfect law- keeper. On its own, the law condemns. We must view it in light of the finished work of Christ. But, as we anticipate the coming of Easter morning, do we see ourselves as desperately needing the tomb to be empty? Am I regularly practicing naming my pride, my self-protection, my thoughtlessness, my deception, my neglect, my anger, my envy, my lust, my greed? Am I quick to confess my obvious transgressions, the ways I easily succumb to Satan’s attacks, my self-centered habits, my broken relationships? All too often I am guilty of being ill-acquainted with, lacking sober judgment of, or being defensive about my sin. It does not have to be so. Instead, I can believe the apostle John when he writes, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). I can rest in the truth that while God sits as Judge, he does so as my infinitely and perfectly loving, good, and compassionate Father. What’s more, Jesus bears my guilt, takes on all my sin, and I count his perfect law-keeping as my own. I can rest in the wounds of Jesus! I can experience the life-changing power of his resurrection!

PRAYER Father, we thank you that you have not left us to figure out life on our own. Instead, because you are our Creator and love us, you have given us your law so that we might experience true freedom. We repent of the times when we have instead chosen to go our own way, becoming slaves to sin, believing we are better equipped to know where life is found. Holy Spirit, convict and encourage our hearts today to follow your perfect and holy law. Transform our hearts to long for its good and perfect guidance. We are lost without you O Lord! We rely on you wholly. Amen.

ALLIE VINING (MAEM ’15) 41

THE MERCY OF GOD’S GRACE

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” — LUKE 13:1–9

REFLECTION I had never seen an original Picasso. Honestly, I was never that interested. I am more of a Cezanne girl. However, a summer in Madrid, Spain, afforded the opportunity to see Picasso’s work on display at the renowned Museo Reina Sofia. His work was just as I had seen in pictures, art books, and countless prints on college dorm room walls and in first-apartment bathrooms. It’s a bit lost on me. However, just as I turned a corner, I was confronted with the most moving work of art I’ve ever encountered: Picasso’s Guernica. The massive painting is almost 12 feet tall, close to 26 feet wide, and painted entirely in shades of black and white. It depicts, quite graphically, the 1937 bombing of the Basque village of Guernica by Nazi and Italian forces. In a horrific display of ethnic and political oppression, Francisco Franco, Spain’s nationalist dictator, let Hitler and Mussolini “practice” bombing raids on the people of northern Spain. You cannot escape the tragedy of Guernica. It clings to you. My tears could not be stopped as I looked on the elongated and wildly shaped, grief-stricken faces in Picasso’s painting. It’s a huge sadness, an inescapable reality of death, despair, and injustice. Political injustice and tragedy are not gone. There are events equal to and even greater than the genocide in northern Spain that cause us to weep. However, In Luke’s Gospel account, we are confronted with Jesus telling us that there is something worse than catastrophe, something more heinous than oppression and unlawfulness, and that is unrepentance (read vv. 1–5). 42

Jesus uses two current events of the day, a political injustice (Pilate was well known for his cruelty) and the calamity of eighteen lost souls in a building collapse to highlight the inescapability of suffering on this earth. What will God incarnate say to these realities? Our Lord’s response is not a call to political action, nor is it a Supermanesque time-reversing miracle, changing the fate of the lost eighteen. He calls those following him to repent before they die too. This is not an insensitivity on the part of our Lord. It is a gracious call to see the catastrophe of our own hearts and minds. Jesus is telling us how seriously we should take repentance, that act where we take responsibility for all of our wrongs and all of the right things we have left undone before the Lord himself. This should be of even more concern to us than both natural and man-made calamity. Then Jesus tells a parable (read vv. 6–9). It is the tension between the vineyard owner and its keeper that captures our attention. Here, in the keeper, we read of God’s grace and mercy freely available, yet, in the owner, we see that his righteous judgement certainly comes. The keeper and the owner are both patient with the tree and long to see it flourish. Thus, we know God’s heart toward his people, for it is Jesus who says this. The very One who secures the grace and mercy of God for you also secures God’s certain final judgement over all creation. This truth does not negate the suffering we see and experience, but helps us walk through it with perspective. What is the proper response to this abundant mercy and coming judgement? Repent and believe.

PRAYER Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, would you soften hardened hearts and open them to the great need we have for YOU. We give you praise, Holy Spirit, for the ways in which you have shown us our brokenness; we pray that you continue to show us our need for Christ, continue to humble us, continue to remind us of the grace and mercy our heavenly Father has for his children. May our response to this great mercy be nothing less than repentance and belief! Amen.

ADA MOORE (MAEM ’08)

LOOKING TO THE TRUE KING

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”. . . When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. — 1 SAMUEL 16:1, 6–13

REFLECTION My daughter loves to read but it has not always been so. Over the past two years she has transformed into an avid reader, easily devouring 200 pages a day! Like her, I also love to read. A few weeks ago, my husband and I asked her why reading brought her so much joy. Without hesitating she said, “Every time I open a book, I enter into a whole new world.” Her answer captures my feelings perfectly. Though she can re- read books and find fulfillment, once I know the ending, I find it difficult to concentrate. Part of the joy is the anticipation of the ending. I find this same reality shows up in my reading of Scripture, especially in narratives. As I read a story, it is often hard for me to be in the moment because I know the end. I know how the characters will or will not respond to God. It is hard for us to read the Bible without wearing the lens of knowing the end, isn’t it? But it is precisely because we know the end that we can better prepare our hearts for Easter. Reading the beginning of the story of King David while simultaneously knowing the end of the story of King David reminds us of our great need of a true Savior! 44

In the previous passages leading up to David’s anointing, Israel has demanded a king. Samuel pleaded with the Israelites to turn from their sinful desires to replace God’s rule with an earthly king. The Israelites doubled down and demanded even more boldly for a someone to rule them so they could be like the other nations. So, God gave them over to their desires. Even for a first-time reader of the narrative, it is no surprise when King Saul departs from the instruction of the Lord and does what it right in his own sight. As you read the story of Saul, it comes with great anticipation of wanting a better king: one after God’s own heart who is chosen from the least in the family. The Lord even reminds us in verse 7, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” But it is hard to fully embrace the anticipation and relief of a godly king because we know the sins that David will commit. We know how he will fall short because, though he is called a man after God’s heart, King David is not the true King of Israel. David reminds us of our own brokenness, the reality of the sinfulness of all mankind. As you prepare for Easter this year, let the ending of the Story guide you. Let the reality of the resurrection be what shapes your reflection, confession, and worship in this time of Lent. This Story, the story of Christ’s death and Resurrection, gets better each time you read it because both our brokenness and God’s grace in Christ shine through all the brighter. His grace and mercy become sweeter and sweeter.

PRAYER O Lord, this Lenten season, help us to know the depth of our sin and the abounding mercies of your grace in Jesus Christ. Teach us to appreciate—and rejoice in!—the end of the Story that we know is coming. And grant us grace to seek only your will in all things, not our own, as we look forward to that great day of Christ’s return. Amen.

KIM LEE (MAC ’04)

SEEING BY THE TRUE LIGHT

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” — John 9:1–25 46

REFLECTION Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see!

In the last century “Amazing Grace” has been a cultural cry for believers and cynics alike. Renditions by Elvis, Aretha, and Cash have stirred our affections. While Harriet, Martin, and Fannie Lou have used its words to spread hope in times of deep darkness. As American slaves worked in fields and storerooms across our nation, they commonly sang call and response hymns. The last verse of “Amazing Grace” praises God for the eternal freedom to come and is thought to have been added to Newton’s original work through this black gospel tradition. When we are brought to our knees in times of tragedy or death, “Amazing Grace” has been there to gently remind us of the saving grace of God the Father. In John 9 we find an account of Jesus healing a blind beggar. Through John’s narration, we see that Jesus’s miraculous act is not simply about bringing physical healing to one man, but about illustrating a larger teaching point. It is only in our humble metaphorical state of blindness that we can truly see Christ. Throughout the book of John, we see the religious teachers placing their faith and righteousness in the ability to abide by the Law. In their own power, they argue theology with Jesus, but their accumulation of knowledge has made them blind and unable to see the Son of God, the fulfillment of the Law, standing before them. In direct contrast to the pride of the religious leaders, we are introduced to the blind beggar. This blind man has been brought to the end of himself, forced to admit his broken, humble condition before his whole community. Then one day, around the corner walks Jesus; God incarnate interacts with this man’s need without annoyance or condescension. The blind beggar had come to the end of himself, and in this state of humility, he is able to truly see the God of grace standing before him. His humility led him to shout in worship, “Lord, I believe! I was blind, but now I see!” The religious leaders were hardened by Jesus’s offer of grace to the humble, while the blind man, in humbly receiving Jesus’s grace, was given sight and life-altering hope. Grace is a sweet sound to the humble and wretched. To those who have come to the end of themselves, God’s grace is an amazing gift. In this Lenten season, may Jesus’s soul-redeeming, life-altering Grace guide each of us out of our blindness. May he show us our desperate need of him and reveal the places in which we are choosing blindness over sight. And may this amazing grace guide us toward both humility and hope.

PRAYER Light of the World, you have overcome the darkness of this world. Help us to see you in every aspect of our lives. As we struggle to let you into the dark, rebellious parts of our hearts, we ask for your continued merciful pursuit. As we struggle with our pride, help us desire humility. When we are arrogant, teach us to delight in our weakness. When our hearts are filled with entitlement, help us cultivate thankfulness. We are blind. Father, help us see the truth of your goodness, mercy, and love now and forevermore. Amen.

BECKY KIERN (MAEM ’11)

THE WAY OF PRIDE OR THE WAY OF HUMILITY?

All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the LORD that he had made holy in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy. Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.’” — 2 CHRONICLES 36:14–23

REFLECTION Who do I think I am? God? I am a white, middle-class woman who had significant trauma in childhood and into my mid-twenties, and so I thought I would be great at being a foster mom. Through fostering I have met a single mom, age 26, black and lower class, who has three children in foster care. We have walked with her through the work of getting her children back in her care for two years now. She lived in our home six months while trying to get back on her feet. She has done everything the system has asked of her, except that she is unable to rent a big enough home for all 49

the family on her minimum-wage salary. She has been on the Section 8 housing list to receive housing assistance for five years already. I have seen racism and classism like I have never seen before, injustice that poor and black people see and carry daily. It has often felt defeating and overwhelming; of course, it would feel that way, because it is sin. But who gives hope in the middle of despair? Our Lord. But did I turn to the Lord? Somewhat. But I also turned to myself. “If I shove this racism down the throats of white people, then surely they will see it too,” I thought. “If I tell this single mom how to live like I think she needs to live, then I can fix things,” I thought. Then the Holy Spirit brought humility. Again: who do I think I am? This passage describes the time at the end of the kingdom of Judah. The Israelites were already divided between Israel and Judah and had been given many chances and many kings. Jeremiah was the prophet during the reign of Judah’s last king, Zedekiah. This fall and exile was prophesied by Jeremiah, and the people were called to humility again and again, but because of their pride and idolatry, they did not repent: “Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit” (Jer. 1:11). God’s wrath on pride and idolatry was for the people to be exiled. But then: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:10). Hope. There is hope. There is mercy from the Lord again and again. My friend Tasha is still homeless. She can still get her kids back if she can find a home, but time is running out, and my husband and I know firsthand the pain that comes to children taken from their biological mothers. I desperately want this family to grow up together. Will I finish this journey with Tasha and her children with humility or with pride? Our Lord is there with mercy for my pride, although it deserves his forever wrath.

PRAYER Heavenly Father, please fight poverty and racism. Please help children in foster care. But most of all, as we join you in wanting to fight these things, may we follow you in humility and faithfulness in all ways and all things. In Jesus’s name I ask it. Amen.

ANN LOUISE SCHMIDT (MA ’05)

BE THE SAVIOR OR REST IN THE SAVIOR?

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” — JOHN 3:14–21

REFLECTION Working in war-torn areas for fourteen years has highlighted for me how important it is to remember that God is the one who is in the business of reconciling this world to himself (Col. 1:16–20). He uses us at times, but he is the one who is doing it. Whether we are talking about major war zones, horrendous injustice and human suffering, or the painful frustration of the imperfections of our closest relationships, we are tempted to try to fix things ourselves. On a more personal note, when we are really honest, most of us realize, like Paul did in Romans 7, that we can’t solve the problem of our own sinfulness. Often, we end up doing the opposite of what we want to do. We need a Savior! Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” You would have none of it! Does this resonate with your own mental narrative? With our efforts to help others, we so often get confused and try to save them. We are tempted to take things into our own hands, and that’s when our efforts to help can end up hurting us and those around us. After my first years of humanitarian work, I realized that I was carrying the burden of the injustice I had witnessed. I felt we had not done enough. Doesn’t knowing that villages are attacked, that vulnerable women and children are victimized, and not doing anything about it, mean you have become part of the problem? As Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” It is true that as God’s children we are called to have 51

conviction, to stand up for what is right, to be outraged at injustice, both in ourselves and in others. So where do we cross over from an appropriate desire to stand up for what is right to an inappropriate desire to be the savior? In John 3:16–21 and Isaiah 30:15, we are told that all we need to do is believe, rest in our salvation, and trust quietly. It’s so counterintuitive to find strength in resting and trusting. We easily think our strength is in doing. As we seek to help others, we are often in danger of taking on inappropriate burdens, thinking we are the savior. If you don’t want to be burnt and broken by caring for others, you have to realize that God is the one who saves. He is in the business of reconciling the world to himself. God sent his Son to save the world (v. 17). We are not condemned if we believe in him (v.18). Embracing our salvation has everything to do with shining God’s light. Wanting to shine God’s light into the darker places in this world is a good thing. However, we must remember that it starts with living in the truth and coming into the light ourselves (v.21). Christ is the source of light that came into the world. We need to be plugged into the power source and let that power source be the source so that we can be part of shining his light in dark places. We don’t have to carry an inappropriate burden. We can only give real help in this world when we realize that we are not the Savior. He is! He is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before the presence of his glory.

PRAYER Father, thank you that we don’t need to do things in our own strength; we don’t need to be the Savior. Thank you that you are. Thank you that we can plug into you, the real power source. Help us to do this. Help us to remember that it is you who keeps us from stumbling and presents us blameless before the presence of your glory. What an amazing reality! We praise you for that. Amen.

ANNE REITSEMA (MAC ’03, MA ’04)

REMEMBER THE GOD WHO GIVES GOOD THINGS

And the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day. While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. — JOSHUA 5:9–12

REFLECTION This generation of Israelites, having spent their lives wandering in the desert, is here reminded of their identity as the people of God as they celebrate the feast of Passover on the plains of Jericho. In explaining to their children why they sacrifice a lamb on this night, they must have been reminded that the God of their fathers is also their God—they are his people, called to be holy as he is holy. This generation is presented with a fresh start, a renewed hope for Israel, as they camp within the borders of Canaan and eat of the fruit of the land. Egypt can no longer exult over them, but cowers before them, even as do those in Jericho, whose hearts, we are told by Rahab, melt before Israel and her God. Similarly, Jesus, in Matthew’s Gospel in particular, is presented as a new Israel—Israel as she was always meant to be—fulfilling the word spoken by Moses and all the prophets as old Israel never could. After his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, and there he was tempted by Satan. As Satan tempts him a third time, Jesus banishes him, as he has done each time before, with the words of Moses from Deuteronomy, pulling from Moses’s warning to this generation not to forget God once they are in Canaan and eating of the fruit of land. Moses says in Deuteronomy 6:12–13, “Then take care lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is Yahweh your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” Israel here begins to eat of the fruit of the land, which is both a beautiful fulfillment of the promises of God, and also an ominous hearkening back to Moses’s warning to the people that they not forget Yahweh their God. Is this not an ominous warning for us also? We are certainly many of us in danger of feasting on all the good things our God has given us and forgetting from whose hand they come. As Israel was commanded to come continually in repentance and thanksgiving to the Lord with burnt offerings and sacrifices, and as our Lord Jesus showed his own dependence 53

on the Father in prayer, fasting, and participating with his disciples in the Passover and the other feasts and sacrifices commanded by God, may we not neglect to gather together to feast on him, our Passover Lamb. In doing so, we will be strengthened to live a life of dependence on God in prayer, repentance, and faithful obedience as we follow our risen Lord Jesus, who, as the prophet Isaiah foretold, “will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth” (Isa. 42:4) and even into every dark corner of your heart and mine.

PRAYER Father, you have given us your Word out of your great love for us. Make us doers of your Word, and not hearers only, that we may be transformed as your beloved sons and daughters, faithfully bearing witness to Christ our King through every beautiful, mundane, or excruciatingly painful moment of our lives. Through Christ who is our life we ask it. Amen.

REBEKAH ROSE (MA ’08)

REMEMBER THE SAVIOR WHO GIVES NEW LIFE

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” — JOHN 11:1–27

REFLECTION “Now, a certain man was ill.” Those five words described several months of my life. I could have written pages yet the bible uses simply five words to set the scene. Just days after graduating with my master’s degree, I received a call from my mom saying she was in the hospital. A few tests later came the diagnosis: cancer, ovarian, stage 4. In John 11 we enter the scene and a man was seriously ill. We don’t know for how long, or how he became ill, if he deteriorated quickly or slowly wasted. There is much behind these five words that the Scriptures do not tell. Some of you understand: illness, the failing health of a loved one, the exhaustion of being a care giver, driving to and from appointments and treatments and visits, long hours at the hospital, keeping “regular” life going, the drain from the rollercoaster of emotions, the fear of the unknown or potential outcome, the stress of battling insurance companies, paperwork, and finances—and the list goes on. “A certain man was ill.” This man has a name, Lazarus, and is the brother of two sisters, Martha and Mary. He is one whom Jesus loves, as mentioned by Martha and Mary in verse 3 and confirmed by Jesus himself in verse 5. Each of these suffering siblings loves Jesus. In a world marred by sin, the Christian—the child of God—is not immune to decay, disease, or death. Jesus’s words and actions in the midst of this sickness and death confuse his followers. Jesus delays his trip to see his sick friend (vv. 6–7) and will not heal as he has in other situations (v. 37). Jesus declares that Lazarus’s illness will not lead to death (v. 4), but also tells his disciples that “Lazarus has died” (v. 14). What is Jesus up to? Jesus explains himself with a comparison to the length of a work day and says Lazarus isn’t dead but just needs to be woken up. If Lazarus is going to be okay, the disciples wonder why Jesus is going to a place where he is putting himself in harm’s way. What is Jesus saying? What is he doing? He has a plan, but it is not obvious to anyone else, even when he seems to speak plainly (vv. 11–15). The disciples don’t get it, and neither do we. As this story unfolds, we are told that this sickness “is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (v. 4). Everything Jesus does is purposeful. There is purpose in the illness. This is important to hear but hard to understand. In this first part of the passage, God does not seem to be powerful, loving, or good. Martha and Mary, who are grieving the loss of their brother, both say the exact same words to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Yet he responds to each of them differently. To one, he speaks plainly of his deity: “I am the resurrection and the life” (vv. 25–26). To the other, he is overcome with sadness and anger, weeping (vv. 33, 35, 38). For each sister, there is truth and compassion. God does care and is saddened with the fallenness of this world. He doesn’t just show empathy, though. He is the God who acts. Jesus arrives at Bethany, a village close enough to Jerusalem so that many could come and mourn (vv.18–19). With the delay, Lazarus has been dead four days, taking him beyond the time limit when some believed the soul was still near the body. 56

Lazarus is dead, well beyond hope. There is purpose in Jesus’s waiting. He permits those he loves to grieve and mourn the loss of Lazarus so that he may display his great and glorious power. “A certain man was ill.” Jesus’s mysterious purpose, his abiding love, and perfect power were seen in Bethany that day and are still seen today. Seven months after my mom was diagnosed with cancer, she died. I struggled with God’s sovereignty, his love, and wisdom. The months wore on, but then Easter arrived. Where did my hope lie? I was challenged by this thought, and on Easter morning I believed more deeply, more fully. Yes, Christ died. Yes, Christ arose. Yes, Christ will come again. Jesus says to the distraught sisters—and to me, and to you: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die, Do you believe this?”

PRAYER Father God, you have given Jesus as our resurrection and life. Give me ears to hear your truth more clearly. I do not understand your timing and purposes. Strengthen me to take a fiercer grasp on your promise of the Resurrection. Bring life where this is death. Teach me to grieve with hope and direct my path through this fallen world. I look to the work of your Spirit and the world to come. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

HILLARY ALLEBACH (MAC ’05)

RATTLE MY BONES BACK TO LIFE!

“Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the LORD God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” — EZEKIEL 37:12–14

REFLECTION I am spiraling. Thought I told myself the last time this happened it would be the last time, but I find myself sitting on the floor by myself thinking about how I got to this place. I retrace my footsteps, replay the conversations in my head, scrutinize my decisions, beckon the memories of the story and to the moment. The moment where I lost it all.

I lived for love and it was taken away. I lived for money and it was taken away. I lived for possessions and they were taken away. I lived for reputation and it was taken away. I live for life and now I face death.

When I sit and look at this list, I cannot move. My energy is drained. I have lost all meaning in life. My hope is gone. I am as dry as a bone. But, when I look to you, my Lord, you are my Hope. You are far greater than the list I lived for. Put me back together and take me out of this human-created exile like you did with the Israelites. Breathe life into me and make me move.

Let me hear the truth of the gospel to make me move. Let me believe Jesus faced death to make me move. Let me believe Jesus conquered death to make me move Let the Holy Spirit come into me to make me move.

Because in Christ Jesus: I am known and loved and it makes me move. I am secure and it makes me move. I am heir to the One who sits on the heavenly throne and it makes me move. 58

I am worth far more than I can imagine and it makes me move. I am not at the end of the story and it makes me move.

Because the Lord has redeemed me and will come back, I know that he is the Lord. Lord, your breath rattles my bones and makes me move now and forevermore.

PRAYER O Lord, out of our dusty dryness, out of our bony barrenness, out of our shaky, skeletal emptiness we cry to you—for you are the One who lives! You are the one who gives life! You are the one who makes dry bones live and breathes the Spirit of holiness and power into dead souls full of ash and dust. Father, give us life today and every day, and remind us again of the redemption found in Jesus Christ so that we may praise him with newly singing voices every moment of our Spirit-sustained lives. We pray it in his name. Amen.

AMY ROEBKE (MAEM ’09)

REVIVE THE SOUL WITHIN ME!

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: . . . “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’” — LUKE 15:1–3, 11–32 60

REFLECTION What did the Lord have to say in response to the grumbling, judgmental hearts of the Pharisees? Did Jesus use this opportunity as an invitation and to tell a story? He did. Come here, you who are yourselves a “long way off,” you Pharisees. Even now, I am pursuing your unworthy hearts, if you have ears to hear. I am the God who goes after my own. Here is a story of a child who wants to be his own master. He wants to handle his own finances. He finds authority distasteful and freedom alluring. The pleasure of reckless living and imaginary fulfillment fill his dreams. In essence, his desire is giving birth to sin, and sin is giving birth to death (James 1:15). He is completely deceived. Unaware, he follows his own wisdom and logic. After a time he has wasted all he has been given. Lust has left this child with nothing. He is literally spent. He is hungry. Hunger so overwhelms him that he is longing for the pods the pigs ate. And this child began to be in need. What a waste. What a sad story. But being spent, hungry, and needy are purposeful in this story, aren’t they? They are a mercy. The teller of the story, Jesus, is planting mercy in this son’s life by revealing the need of which he was completely unaware. The son had to despair of his ability to save himself or be saved by all he coveted, pursued, and consumed. Life was not found in any of those things. At this point the text says, “When he came to himself,” That is the blessing: to come to the end of self, to have eyes to see the futility of the material and imaginary fulfillment. This is a time of recognizing and repenting of personal sin. Give yourself some time to hear the Lord’s merciful invitation to see yourself as you are.

For thus said the LORD God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; — ISAIAH 30:15–16

And to whom are we returning? Is it a harsh master? One we must approach with our heads shamefully down? No, we return to the “lifter of our heads” (Ps. 3:3). He does not take us as hired servants who work to earn his favor. He who allowed hunger and exposed our need for him is eager to receive us. He is not begrudgingly allowing us in, but stands with eyes waiting to see our coming, and with a heart of compassion, like the father in this story, he runs to his child! Our God is eager to run and embrace and kiss those who belong to him. The father here is rejoicing that his son’s dead, self-centered, idol-worshiping heart had been driven back to his merciful arms. The son is brought back not just to blessing, but brought back to life. 61

Why lean in to do the work of leaning in to Lent this season? It is a painful mercy to be exposed. It is a mercy that we would “come to ourselves” to see ourselves as we really are. “No one does good, not one” (Rom. 3:10). Don’t despair; there is a Savior! There is good news! As we see ourselves as wanderers, as self-righteous, and as rebellious ones, we are in a good position. “Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am the worst” (1 Tim. 1:15) “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8) It is only good news to those who have need of it. May we be women who will see our need and return to the loving Father, who alone is our salvation and strength. What an invitation!

PRAYER Father in heaven, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things out of your law” (Ps.119:18). Revive my soul and put a fresh spirit in me today and every day, I pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

ELIZABETH RANHEIM (MAC ’06)

THE PROMISES THAT OFFER GOD’S PEACE

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” — JEREMIAH 31:31–34

REFLECTION The author of Hebrews speaks of a hope that is anchor to the soul, a hope so weighty that it tethers us at our core in the storm. To a people in exile, the promises of this passage from Jeremiah are such a hope. Yahweh, the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God, declares over his people glorious promises, a new covenant, anchored by one beautiful, weighty phrase: I will. Just a single word in the Hebrew. Repeated six times. It frames and focuses the passage. Yahweh is at the center of the new covenant. He declares again and again what he, himself, is going to do.

I will . . . make with them a new covenant. (v. 31) I will . . . put my law within them. (v. 33) I will . . . write my law on their hearts. (v. 33) I will . . . be their God and they shall be my people. (v. 33) I will . . . forgive their iniquity. (v. 34) I will . . . remember their sin no more. (v. 34)

He promises a new relationship, a new heart for his people. A heart that knows him and has his law written upon it. He promises full forgiveness. He promises a relationship that cannot and will not be broken. And all of these promises are weighted, not on the hope that the people would change, but on him—on the sure declaration that he will do it: I will. What we celebrate in this season could not be known to the exiles, but is now fully known to us; namely, the extent to which God would go to bring these promises to bear. What Yahweh declares verbally in the new covenant, he declares visibly in 63

the person and work of Christ—most specifically on the cross. The cross shows us exactly to what extent the Lord’s I will will go. The cross is the I will that answers the question, “How?” How will a just God change a faithless people from the inside out? The answer: I will give myself for you!

He promises an unbreakable covenant, knowing that in order to bring it about, he will become broken in our place. He promises a new heart, knowing it would come at the cost of his very heart on the cross. He promises his sure presence, knowing he would turn his face from his very own Son. He promises complete forgiveness of sin, knowing that he would bear the full weight of it. He promises that he will remember that sin no more, knowing that under the weight of it, Jesus would cry out, “It is finished.”

Many of us today find ourselves in seasons not wholly unlike that of the exiles. Seasons that are hard and dark and lonely. Seasons in which our own sin and the sin of others weighs heavily upon us. Seasons in which the suffering around us feels overwhelming. Seasons in which waiting seems like the status quo. In the midst of the storms, we, like God’s people in exile, are tethered to the promises of God, promises spoken by the prophets and seen fulfilled in the person and work of Christ. The cross of Jesus Christ anchors us as it puts the faithfulness of the God who says I will on glorious display. He has already fulfilled his promises and at the greatest cost to himself. We have tasted of them, and we will one day experience them fully. He will bring it to full fruition. The weight of all his promises rests on him, “our sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Heb. 6:19).

PRAYER Father, we thank you that all of your promises are “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus. Thank you that though our hearts are often hard and wandering and doubting, you have been faithful to all of your promises to us in him. In this season, would you help us to lift our eyes to the cross and to truly see Jesus? Would the cross weigh on our hearts with the reality of what our faithlessness has cost? And would it give us great hope, that no matter what our stories and struggles may be, we can look to Jesus and be reminded that you will.

CAROLINE SCRUGGS (MDIV ’13)

THE PAIN THAT REVEALS GOD’S LOVE

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” — JOHN 8:1–11

REFLECTION* Broken hearts are part of this life. Pain, injury, loss, and death are components of any earthly existence, regardless of a person’s spiritual orientation, financial status, nationality, or social influence. Every human being is vulnerable to heartache. As we encounter God’s presence and love, however, even the most painful experiences are miraculously intertwined with hope. With God’s help, our sufferings become opportunities for transformation, ultimately leading us into deeper levels of healing—often in this life, and certainly in the next. Whether our injuries are inflicted by others, ourselves, or circumstances beyond our control, God wants to touch our inner beings, where we carry emotional and spiritual wounds, through the work of his Spirit. Jesus suffered as a human being, and as we follow in his footsteps, we experience different forms of crucifixion throughout life so that we may also receive the rewards of resurrection. The principle of death and life operating in our midst is not theoretical commentary; it is reality. Jesus came to actually set us free from chains of addiction, pain, misery, and torment into the liberation that only his Spirit brings. Pain becomes the doorway through which we experience eternal love.

* Excerpted from Canyon Road: A Book of Prayer, by Kari Kristina Reeves (New York: ATLAS Spiritual Design, Inc., 2012), and used with permission. More information at www.exploreatlas.com.

Suffering is inherently complicated, and healing is inherently mysterious. Some wounds will not be completely healed until we are in heaven with God. This is a challenging and perplexing dynamic of God’s ways in the world. However, there are many wounds that God will heal on this side of eternity, so it is appropriate to pray for healing, even as we leave the outcome in God’s hands. Our resting place as we ask for healing is faith, trusting that the heart of Jesus is compassionate, loving, and good, no matter what transpires. God accompanies us on the journey from suffering to joy. The power of God’s Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead to eternal life, brings us up from the literal and figurative graves of our own lives into enduring wholeness and peace.

PRAYER Heavenly Father, you alone have words the of life. Where else can I go, but to you? Grant that the healing power of your love would accompany me—and all those who endure the sufferings of this life—on my journey into joy, especially during those times when the pain seems like it will never end. Give us glimmers of your grace to comfort and console, and to hint at all the glories that await us at our journey’s end. Amen.

KARI KRISTINA REEVES (MDIV ’07)

THE CHALLENGE OF LEARNING TRUSTFUL OBEDIENCE

The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.

But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. — Isaiah 50:4–7

REFLECTION Isaiah 50:4–5 describes how gentle and obedient the Messiah is toward the Word of the Lord. As for me, my dad passed away in July 2017. After two months, God moved me to see that there were some scales in my heart (Acts 9:18) that he wanted to remove. Our Father in heaven wanted me to turn wholeheartedly to him for a spiritual shakeup. Almost a year later, he opened my ear, and I prayed, “Whatever areas you want to change, change them. Whatever you want me to see, open my eyes.” So the Father began to circumcise me by his Word and through his people. He opened my eyes to see so many areas in my life that needed to be changed. By his grace and power, I was changed. After six months, he cleaned up so much darkness in my life that I really experienced the freedom of knowing the Truth (John 8:32). I had been very much wearied by so many lies in my life: that I was good humored, better than others, not controlling, not judgmental. It is uncomfortable to admit our sins, “but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26b). Freedom from many sins brings such joy. 67

Thank God for Isaiah’s prophesizing the courageous and selfless suffering of the Messiah, and for our Lord Jesus Christ for being willing to suffer so as to fulfill the Word of God (Matt. 26:30, 50; 27:26)! Jesus also taught us to do something similar in Matthew 5:39: “I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” Whenever I lead a Bible study on this, someone will ask, “Will this encourage others to hurt us? Are we supposed to be doormats?” These questions reveal that we may be naturally too concerned about our own welfare more than obeying God. The questions also reflect our nature of doubting God and thinking we are wiser and more just than he is. What if, instead, we attempt something unnatural? What if we just accept this teaching? Christ set the example for us to follow. Why not “put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, [and see] if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal. 3:10b)?

PRAYER Father, I do not trust myself; help me, a weak child. Weed out all the dark and unsurrendered parts of who I am, soften my heart, and allow the gentleness, meekness, and submissiveness of Christ to live fully in me so that I may trust and obey you in all things. I ask it in his name. Amen.

GWEN SIU (GC ’10)

THE JOY OF LIVING IN THE FREEDOM OF FORGIVENESS

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” — MATTHEW 26:14–27

REFLECTION Today, as we contemplate the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in Matthew, let us reflect on forgiveness. As I read this passage, I am drawn to the Last Supper. Jesus says, “for this is the blood of my covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). For the forgiveness of sins. In Psalm 103:11–12, David writes that God’s love is steadfast “toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Through the sacrifice of Jesus, our sins are forgiven! Not only are we forgiven, we are called to forgive others. You may have heard the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:21–35. As God has had mercy on us, so we are to have mercy on our brothers and sisters. In Ephesians 4:31–32, Paul writes, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be 69

kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.” Why do we forgive others? We are commanded to forgive because God has forgiven us. Just knowing this does not make it any easier! Why do we hesitate to forgive? For me, it is fear—fear of losing control. Keeping hold of anger makes me feel in control. As I walk this road of forgiving deep hurts that have been committed against me, I have learned that there is freedom in forgiveness. As I forgive those who have wronged me, I do not dismiss the wrong, but rather dismiss its control over me. I decide that fear is not going to control me; instead, I surrender myself to the perfect grace and love of God. There is freedom is forgiving others. The wrongs that others have done against you can be released. We are releasing the wrongs to God. God is teaching me that anger does not really put me in control. It does not give me freedom. Rather, in releasing myself and releasing the wrongs to God is found true freedom. During this Lenten season, as we reflect on Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, I am challenged to remember its perfection, to remember that it is enough to cover my sins and the sins committed against me. God’s grace is enough.

PRAYER Lord, I pray that you would give me the grace to forgive those I need to, including myself, for the wrongs done to me or others. Help me to see that the only true freedom is in letting go of my anger, letting go of any grudges, and moving forward in faith, trusting that Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf has washed away the stains of all our sin. Give me grace to see myself and others in light of that ultimate reality, and to love as you love despite the many failings and frailties of this broken world. In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.

BRITTANY SEARS-FLOWERS (MA ’10)

TO THE KINGDOM BY WAY OF THE WILDERNESS

Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise. — Isaiah 43:16–21

REFLECTION Have you ever experienced something so oppressive that you saw no way out? Maybe you are enslaved by an addiction or pattern of sin that you feel helpless to change. Perhaps you have been weighed down by overwhelming grief over the death of a loved one, a wayward child, or a broken marriage. You need rescuing; you need a savior. Have you ever been thirsty, filled with longing, with no way to quench that thirst? Maybe you are lonely and longing for deep relationship, for friends, a spouse, or a long-prayed-for child. Perhaps you are discouraged and yearning for a change in your circumstances, vocation, or home. You have deep desires; you need a provider. The Israelites experienced these things. In the Old Testament, the central event used by God to reveal himself to Israel, his chosen people, is the Exodus. They are slaves in Egypt and God comes to their aid, delivers them out of the hands of the Egyptians through a series of signs and wonders, proving himself more powerful than all the gods of Egypt. In a final act of severance from their life as slaves, God parts 71

the waters of the Red Sea, allowing Israel to pass through on dry ground, but when the chariots of the Egyptians try to follow, the army is drowned in the sea, never to rise again. God does not stop there. He has brought his people out of Egypt, but he doesn’t just leave them on the other side of the sea to fend for themselves. No. He leads them through the wilderness and provides them with water. He gives them drink in a dry and barren land, a land where water is a rare commodity, especially enough water for an entire nation to drink every day for forty years. Yet God provides what his people need. In a place where water does not naturally exist, God provides rivers of living water to give life and refreshment. But, the Israelites are a rebellious people. They are slaves to something more powerful than the king of Egypt; they need a greater deliverance. They are thirsty for more than water; they need something that will give spiritual life and refreshment. They need a savior. As we look towards the cross, may we identify with the Israelites in these needs. Like them, we are enslaved to sin and need to be delivered by a great God. We are parched in a dry and barren land and need living water. In Jesus, these needs are met. In his death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death so that we might be freed from them and given new life. By his death, Jesus provides freedom and life. In this season of lent, let us take time to ponder and reflect upon this life-giving event of deliverance. And then, let us respond by honoring him and declaring his praises.

PRAYER Heavenly Father, you are our great deliverance. You know our every need and provide abundantly for your children. Thank you for sending your Son to deliver us from bondage to sin. Thank you for providing for our every spiritual need. We confess that we often look to ourselves or those around us to provide what we want in this life. Help us to look to you, and you alone, to quench our spiritual thirst. Refresh us again as we reflect upon your life, death, and resurrection during this Lenten season. Amen.

RACHEL O’BANION (MAC ’08)

TO PARADISE BY WAY OF THE CROSS

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” — LUKE 23:26–43

REFLECTION Three men hang on trees, their sweat- and blood-covered bodies strain against the spikes securing them in place. The man on one side begins to curse the man in the middle. He yells, “I know who you are. I know what you can do. Why don’t you use some of your power to free us from this place?” The man on the other side interrupts. “Do not curse him. If you know who he is, then you know he has done nothing to deserve this punishment. But you and I, we deserve it.” Then with a strange audacity, this same man turns to the Savior. “When you’ve completed your work, remember me.” 73

The Savior turns his bloodied and bruised face to look upon the criminal who accompanies him during his slow, cruel death. His parched lips crack when he speaks: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” What sort of courage causes the criminal who has just confessed his guilt to ask Jesus for a favor? Yet, it is not even a request, it is a demand. There is no hesitant “if it pleases you” attached to the end of his words. With an inexplicable confidence, the convict who’s facing his execution tells the Keeper of Heaven to open the gates and let him in. And the Savior agrees. Could it be that the criminal knows who Jesus is? The criminal knows Jesus offered himself willingly to abuse and mocking (Isa. 50:6). The criminal knows why Jesus hangs on a tree with criminals when he—as the other criminal pointed out— has all authority and power to rescue himself and those around him. He knows the Savior is dying for the criminals who hang beside him. So, the criminal does a brazen thing. He reaches out and claims the prize won on his behalf. His gumption comes from knowing Christ’s death was his entryway to the Kingdom. So he takes it. And with it, he approaches the throne of grace with boldness. He is like a child at a family meal. The child doesn’t ask permission to sit at the table. The child approaches the table, takes a seat, and reaches for the mashed potatoes. The child knows he belongs, because he is a part of the family. Only, for this criminal, all evidence that he does not deserve a seat at the table hangs with him on the cross. In Matthew 27, we are told that both of these criminals mocked Jesus (v. 44). Could this thief have come to recognize Christ, even as he mocked his own Savior? Yet, he has the courage to say, “I do not deserve to enter your kingdom. Take me into your kingdom.” The King of the Universe hangs on a tree. He turns his gaze toward a single, lowly criminal: mangled, broken, and breathing his last. “I know who you are,” the King says. “Come with me. You are mine.”

PRAYER Dear God, what sort of love would cause you to glue yourself to the torturous cross when a flick of your wrist would have popped the nails from your flesh, a blink of your eyelashes would have healed all of your wounds; one word would have destroyed the crowds who mocked you? Yet you stayed. You stayed until it was finished. Let this love become more real to me. Let the reality of this love cause me to love you more each day. Amen.

KATHERINE SPEARING (MARC ’16)

POSTSCRIPT

THE FEAT (inspired by Matthew 26:14–27:66)

i’d jump in front of an Amtrak train for you. dig my heels in the grooves of the tracks brace myself for the impact absorb every pound of force, no question.

i’d swim the Red Sea the Dead Sea the Euphrates, all the bodies if you asked me.

i’d Everest Atlantic Amazon Tundra for you.

tightrope Niagara Falls after an 80-day fast because i’m doubly committed. read the Bible cover to cover in one sitting no matter how long it takes.

measure my days in spoonfuls and meet you every morning for tea to give you each cup. i like to think i’d never stand you up. i like to think if given the chance to prove my love you’d be impressed.

i would never peter judas or thomas you, i promise you i promised you.

so why is it that i find my hand dipped in the dish? my eyes drooping mid-prayer my lips on your cheek and “friend, why are you come?” in my ear?

the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. human ankles are no match for locomotives. unless the ankles have holes and the train is carrying flaming freight.

MAZARÉ ROGERS (MDIV ’16)

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

AMY N. ALLAN is currently pursuing a PhD in Old Testament biblical studies at Wheaton College. In addition, she is a professional speaker and musician who enjoys ministry opportunities around the world.

HILLARY ALLEBACH lives in Worcester, Massachusetts with her husband, Jarrett, and children. She is a church planter's wife and lay counselor.

JENNIFER BALDWIN lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Steve, and two children, Jonathan and Laura. She works part time as a counselor for Agape Christian Counseling Services, in addition to taking care of her two children.

COLLEEN BASLER, originally from Canada, received her MATS in 2010 and is currently completing her MDiv. She married a fellow student who is now a military chaplain. She enjoys leading women’s Bible studies through the Chapel, a cultural outreach venue of her church.

KAY ELLEN BLEYER, her husband, Mark, and their three children have served in Swaziland with Cru for the past 11 years. Kay and Mark are now retired and enjoying five grandchildren.

DELYN BRANCATO lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband. Dr. Donald Brancato. She is a mother of five and grandmother of twelve children. She is active in the women’s, children’s, and mission ministries of her local congregation as well as in Christian education.

CAROLYN LEUTWILER CAMPBELL, her husband, Bill, and their two children, live in St. Louis, Missouri. Apart from time with family, Carolyn enjoys connecting meaningfully with women, writing occasionally, and dabbling in musical pursuits.

JENNIFER CRONK lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her adorable rescue dog, Bentley. She serves as Director of Children’s Ministry at College Hill Presbyterian Church.

KATRINA DALBEY lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Steven, and three children. She is a photographer with All Things Simple Photography and also works part time as a paralegal. She is an active member of Chesterfield Presbyterian Church, the St. Louis City MOPS group, and volunteers in her local school. Katrina loves to spend time outdoors with her children, family, and close friends.

CYNTHIA FISCHER lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Doug. She writes children’s Sunday school preschool and early elementary curriculum titled The Children’s Sanctuary, which she pilots at Restoration Community Church.

BRITTANY FLOWERS lives in St. Peters, Missouri, with her husband, James, and four children. She homeschools her children three days a week and serves as the literature teacher at Trinity Christian Academy, along with selling children’s books from home.

KAREN GRANT lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband, George, who pastors Parish Presbyterian Church. Being a pastor’s wife is almost as much fun as being a grandmother to six grandsons.

BECKY KIERN has served in staff and lay leadership roles in multiple churches. Currently living in Nashville, Tennessee, she enjoys teaching the Bible in her home church, Christ Presbyterian Church, speaking at retreats, developing resources for church leadership, and writing Bible study curriculum.

KIM LEE, a 2004 MAC graduate of Covenant Seminary, and her husband, Murray (a 2005 Covenant grad), live in Birmingham, Alabama, where they planted Cahaba Park Church (PCA). Kim’s passion for building community and supporting businesses led her to open Forge, a coworking space, in 2017, as an avenue for entrepreneurs and small business owners to thrive and grow their businesses. Kim and Murray have three children: Ella (13), Miller (12) and Sara Wells (10).

BETTY MCCRACKEN resides in St. Louis with her husband, Tom, to whom she has been married for 57 years. She is the mother of five adult children, nine grandchildren (with another on the way), and two great grandchildren. Betty has served several PCA and EPC churches in the St. Louis area for the past 50 years by teaching, mentoring, speaking, writing women’s Bible studies, and organizing events.

ADA MOORE lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband, Ryan (MDiv ’08), and four daughters. She is a member of Fort Worth Presbyterian Church.

RACHEL (VANDER MEULEN) O’BANION lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband and two children. She is an at-home mom who enjoys reading and writing. She is passionate about studying and sharing God’s Word in the local church and loves supporting her husband’s work providing theological education to pastors around the world.

KATHERINE POWERS lives in Canberra, Australia, with her husband. She serves as a Bible teacher and youth leader at Crossroads Christian Church.

ELIZABETH RANHEIM lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, John, and four boys. Elizabeth values outreach to young moms, a crowded table at her house, and loves to be alone with a good book and drinking tea. She is also a preschool teacher.

KARI KRISTINA REEVES is the author of Canyon Road: A Book of Prayer, a nearly 500- page collection of prayers which won First Place at the 2013 New York Book Show in the General Trade–Poetry category. She is the Founder and Principal of ATLAS Spiritual Design, Inc.

ANNE REITSEMA serves as the International Programmes Director for Medair, based in Lausanne Switzerland.

EDITH REITSEMA grew up in South Africa, where her parents were missionaries to the Zulu people. She has worked at English L’Abri since 2002. She holds degrees in in music and modern English literature (Potchefstroom University, South Africa), theology (Covenant Seminary), and philosophy (Free University in the Netherlands); helped translate The Complete Works of Hans Rookmaaker; and often speaks on the relationship between Christianity, contemporary culture, and the arts.

COURTNEY ROACH resides in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Jim, and their active and adorable daughter, Zoa. When her nose is not in a book, she enjoys baking delicious gluten-free treats and taking the occasional nap with the family’s rescued Boston Terriers, Bruno and Sadie.

AMY ROEBKE completed a Master of Arts in Educational Ministries from Covenant Theological Seminary after teaching five years in public and private schools. She currently lives and serves in Washington, DC, where she is the Ministry Director at a local church. Amy is also passionate about coaching and caring for other women in vocational ministry. When not training for a marathon, or hanging out with her nieces and nephews, she is at the ball park cheering for the home team.

MAZARÉ ROGERS is a spoken-word poet who describes herself as raw honey, “a teaspoon of brutal truth fresh from the comb—bold and thick with sweet.” She is the Community Life Coordinator at Grace Downtown in Washington, DC

REBEKAH ROSE lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, Erich, and their four boys. She cares for her boys and home full time, with a side hustle in fantasy reading.

ANN LOUISE SCHMIDT came to Covenant Seminary while single and took classes because she wanted to. She is now married and raising children, and she uses what she learned in seminary all the time.

CAROLINE SCRUGGS lives with her husband, John Mark, and three young kids in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where they serve with Reformed University Fellowship. She 80

loves to write, teach Bible studies, and have students and friends in her home. Her heart is to help women of all ages connect the story of the gospel to the stories of their lives.

GWEN SIU was born to a poor grassroots family of eight in Hong Kong. By the grace of God, she became his child at age 14 and committed to serving him full-time at 21. She completed a Graduated Certificate in biblical and theological studies through Covenant and Gordon Conwell Seminaries and now serves at Northeastern University’s Chinese Christian Fellowship. Gwen and her husband celebrated 25 years of marriage in 2019.

BRITTANY SEARS-FLOWERS lives in St. Peters, Missouri, with her husband, James, and four children. She homeschools her children three days a week and serves as the literature teacher at Trinity Christian Academy, along with selling children's books from home.

KATHERINE SPEARING has served as a missionary and worked with young adults in several different contexts. She is totally stoked to get to do what she loves every single day, including drinking coffee like it’s water, doing yoga to relieve stress (and creating cool IG photos), and writing voraciously in the dark hours of the day.

JENILYN SWETT lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and has loved getting to know the city and its people better since she first came to Covenant Seminary a decade ago. She serves as the Director of Adult Ministries at Restoration Community Church.

ALLIE VINING lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Drew, and two children. She serves as the Coordinator for Women’s Ministry at Chesterfield Presbyterian Church.

SARAH VIGGIANO WRIGHT serves Reformed University Fellowship alongside her husband, Lee, and their three children. She equips churches in their educational ministries, speaks at conferences, and teaches in the Teaching Women to Teach the Bible initiative through Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.