[UN]CERTAIN Questions may imply uncertainty. Questions make us ponder. Questions spur us on to dig deeper for an answer. Ques- tions help us discover an answer on our own terms, in our own way and in ways that we will remember far longer than if we were just told the answer. Jesus asked over three-hundred questions throughout his ministry. Jesus did not ask questions because he was uncertain. He had a sure and certain purpose in asking the questions he did, when he did and how he did. He desired for his friends, followers and even his enemies to learn from the questions he asked. The questions Jesus asked then, still matter today. The questions we ask today still matter to Jesus. In 2021, a year of uncertainty, we ask many of the same questions those who walked with Jesus asked. And in our un- certainty, may we ponder these questions and look deep into God’s Word for answers. May our uncertainties be made certain in the one true Answer--Jesus, our Savior. Enjoy your interactive devotional each day during this Lenten Season by using: - personalized devotions written by members of Faith Community Lutheran - space on each page to journal your prayers and ponderings - weekly family activity prompts - additional end pages to write prayers, concerns, and God’s responses SERVICES A Lenten service will be offered at Faith Community Lutheran each Wednesday at 5:30 PM beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 17. Confirmation and ZIP! will have classes from 6:15-7:15 PM (No classes on Ash Wednesday). 2021 DEVOTION CONTRIBUTORS Each devotion in this book bears the unique mark of the person who wrote it. The different styles from page to page reflect the diversity, life experiences, and growing faith of each of our Faith Community Lutheran Church contributors. Thank you all! We hope you are blessed. Holly Adams Rhea Hoops Pastor Amy Selby Bob Balsman Andrea Hoyt Blair Smallwood John Bauman Bob Kaiser Bruce Smith Julie Bock Wendy Kerr Pastor Jacob Tackitt Gloria Borcher Pastor Lucas Kinser Catherine Vis Pastor Dylan Curtis Glenn Knipscheer Timothy Vis Hannah Curtis Nick Lehnert Anaka Weiss-Jones Bob Dugan Kristy Martinez Zoe Weiss-Jones Margie Dugan Kaye Mason Pastor Bruce Welander Lindsey Dunlop Marcie Mason Taylor Dunlop Sally Meier Chris Garcia Rick Nelson Kirsten Gjelde-Bennett Marie Powell Bob Goings Lee Quaintance Nanette Goings LaRae Schaff Teri Hassa Debbie Schroeder Annual Lenten Devotionals are created, edited and coordinated by Nanette Goings, Director of Christian Education. They are designed and assembled by Emily Entner, Director of Communications. Art directed by Emily Entner and created by Bailey Entner. Family Activity Prompts created by Kaye Mason, Director of Children’s Ministry. WHO? Jesus and YOU, of course! This week, think about WHO Jesus is to YOU. There are so many names for Jesus! Circle a few that mean the most to you. LIFE HOLY TEACHER COUNSELOR PRINCE OF PEACE SON OF MAN DELIVERER MEDIATOR HEALER TRUTH GIFT RIGHTEOUS SERVANT MIGHTY GOD WORD OF TRUTH HOLY WISDOM ETERNAL LEADER POWERFUL SON OF GOD KING EVERLASTING FATHER GOOD SHEPHERD WONDERFUL LIGHT FRIEND LIVING GOD Add more here if you’d like ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Discuss with your family WHO Jesus is to YOU. Remember that your family can be dads and moms, daughters and sons, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grand- ma’s and grandpa’s, nieces and nephews-- as well as anyone close to you that’s part of your life. ASH WEDNESDAY JESUS ASKS: WHO DO YOU SAY FEBRUARY 17, 2021 THAT I AM? MATTHEW 16:13-20 ____________ In Matthew 16, Jesus asks a very important question. It is a great place for us to begin our Lenten journeys. Our answer to this question can pro- vide the foundation for all the other questions we’ll look at this season. ____________ The answer to this question can help us move from uncertain to certain. Jesus asks his disciples, “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you ____________ say I am?” Peter answers definitively (although we’ll still see him falter at times!) “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ____________ Friends, this is the place to begin. Who do you say He is? As we answer and ponder this question, we can look at many other questions this sea- ____________ son through the lens of our answer to this question from Jesus. Know- ing that He is Messiah, gives us the confidence and hope to ask tough ____________ questions and wrestle with the answers. The Bible offers many descrip- tions and titles of who Jesus is. What would you add to Peter’s answer of who Jesus is? Great words to contemplate as today on Ash Wednesday ____________ we begin our journey to the cross and reflect once again on the meaning of the sacrifice made on Good Friday and the victory experienced on ____________ Easter! PRAYER: Father, we give thanks for the gift of Jesus. Help us to answer ____________ this question as definitively as Peter and to also reflect on other descrip- tions and titles Your Word gives us as to who Jesus is. Thank you, too, ____________ for the freedom and space You give us to ask questions and to seek the Truth. Speak to us during this Lenten season. Soften our hearts to You. Remind us all along this journey of Your presence, Your love and the ____________ certainty of our hope! In Jesus’ name, Amen. ____________ Pastor Amy Selby JESUS ASKS: WHO ARE MY MOTHER FEBRUARY 18, 2021 AND MY BROTHERS? MARK 3:20-21, 31-35 ____________ In the first set of verses Jesus is engulfed in an endless crowd, preaching and healing. His mother and brothers show up with hopes of removing him. We see Jesus caring for the sick and sinners, preaching love your ____________ enemy, and teaching to put God first even ahead of your family. These are very new ideas and some may question his sanity. His family must ____________ think he is overdoing it to the point of self destruction and they are there to protect Jesus from himself by removing him. ____________ Does his family understand Jesus? ____________ The second set of verses contain his family again coming to rescue him. A messenger tells Jesus his mother and brothers are looking for him. ____________ He replies “here are my mother and brothers, those that do God’s will”, speaking of the people surrounding him. Has he denied his family or has he increased the size of his family by this inclusion of all who are ____________ with him? He is explaining that we are all his family and He is first and all else is second. ____________ If we live by his earthly plan we will receive the eternal reward. PRAYER: Bless our family. Soften our hearts to do God’s work. Amen. ____________ Blair Smallwood ____________ ____________ References: - Quest Study Bible ____________ - MacLaren Expositions of Holy Scripture JESUS ASKS: WHO WILL TRUST YOU FEBRUARY 19, 2021 WITH TRUE WEALTH? LUKE 16:1-15 When Jesus asks “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” I find myself wondering what these “true riches” are. The Sunday school answers of “Jesus” or “salvation” are certainly true riches, but our salvation in Christ is a free gift that we haven’t earned (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5), so I think Jesus is getting at something else here. Jesus’ question comes right after one of his most confusing parables—a parable in which a manager is commended for using his ability to commit fraud to make friends before he loses his job. But the fraud isn’t the point here; the point is that he used his resources to make friends before it was too late, giving himself a welcome when his time in the job was up. He earned the trust and friendship of his master’s debtors, as well as the commendation of his master. Jesus instructs us to do something similar: “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Like the manager, our wealth is temporary. Like the manager, our wealth can earn the trust of others. Like the manager, what seems like squandering wealth may earn commendation from our master. Sharing Christ allows us to cancel debts and proclaim freedom (Isaiah 61:1-3). But who will give us the true riches of believing what we say about Christ if we can’t be trusted with money? Or, for example, who wants to go to a church whose members stiff them on tips at Sunday lunch? We cannot serve both God and money. Let’s make sure that we are trustworthy in how we use our wealth, so that those around us will want the more valuable treasure we have in Christ. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you have blessed us with so much. Give us wisdom to be trustworthy with what you have given us, so that we bring you glory with those blessings. May we always be so trustworthy with what you have given us so that those around us also want to glorify you. In Jesus name, Amen. Timothy Vis FEBRUARY 20, 2021 WE ASK: WHO IS “GOOD ENOUGH”? MATTHEW 9:9-13 ____________ The way that Jesus answers this question, ‘who is good enough?’ is so powerful in these passages because it is easy for us to create these artificial and arbitrary barriers in our minds and souls.