Easter Sunday He is Risen! Risen indeed!

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.   There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.   His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.   The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.   The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.   He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:1-6)

The women came to the tomb that morning bent over by grief and expecting only death.  A sudden earthquake shook them out of their sorrow and awoke them to an angel announcing good news, assuring them: "Do not be afraid.  Jesus is alive!"
 
Like the women at the tomb, we are scarred by our Good Friday stories of struggle, stumbling and suffering.  But we also give witness to the many kinds of resurrection that are just as real in our lives.

We are an Easter people, called to embrace the cross always in the hope of resurrection.  Many of us our bent and scarred and yet full of promise and hope because the tomb is empty, Jesus is alive and he is with us!

May you have a blessed Easter Sunday!

PRAYER. . . God of hope and promise, shake me from my sorrow and awaken me to your presence.  Give me eyes to see and a heart attuned to resurrection happenings in my life.  Christ is risen!  Risen indeed! Amen.

In Silence We Wait. . .

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

Some thoughts on this "Day-in-Between". . .the Disciples hidden away in the Upper Room; door locked for fear that the religious leaders would come after them now that Jesus was dead. They must have been afraid, confused, trying to make sense of it all, uncertain of what the future would hold.

It was the Sabbath, for the Jews, they were instructed to "Rest". . .the traditional way to experience the Sabbath for Jewish families. So do you suppose the Disciples continued and kept the Sabbath?  Would they focus on God and truly reflect and take in all that had taken place during that week?

Maybe it was a time to "breathe". . . in the midst of their deep and profound grief. . .to draw together and draw strength from each other and their traditions. They had no idea what Sunday would bring.

So today for us is the "Day-in-Between". . . but maybe it's more than the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. . . perhaps it's the day that allows us the time and space to take it all in. To remember our experiences from our Good Friday services.  To take at least a short period of time to ponder OUR relationship with God. . . OUR relationship with this Christ, who gave himself fully and completely for OUR sakes. . . to take the time to "breathe" and take it all in. . . in anticipation of celebrating HIS resurrection with friends and family tomorrow.  May you take the time on this day.
(Thanks to Steve Conner for his post this morning about the "day-in-between")

PRAYER. . . Dear God, I've experienced so much this week. .  .from Palm Sunday to the death of my Savior. Help me to take it all in. Help me to breathe in the depth of your love for me as you died upon that cross. Lead me to rest in that love today and to anticipate eternal life because of that love. Amen.

April 18 Lenten Devotoinal Good Friday

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.”  One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”  Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.(John 18:25-27)

CONSIDER. . .In today's scripture, we hear the story of Peter vehemently betraying Jesus--his friend and Lord--three times.  Jesus courageously offered himself to those who came to arrest him.  In contrast, Peter denied the one who so freely gave his life. But Jesus forgave Peter and restored him to full relationship.  Jesus put Peter back on his feet. Jesus suffered in love to save us and set us free.  He is present today wherever people are betrayed by their friends, accused falsely, treated unjustly, stripped of their human dignity, abused or violated in any way.

SO WHAT. . .Today, Good Friday, we remember that we are not alone on our journey through the sufferings of this life and that our journey is never without meaning and purpose. No matter how many times we lose our footing under the weight of our crosses, God always responds with mercy and sends a "Simon" to catch us, set us on our feet and place us on the path of everlasting life.

PRAYER. . . Dear God, help put me back on my feet, restore me into a full relationship with you. May I always know that I am not alone and that you are with me. When I am betrayed by friends and treated unjustly catch me and put me back on the right path. May I never deny you. Amen.

 

April 17 Lenten Devotional Holy Thursday "Will You Go?"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . . When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.   Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.   I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." (John 13:12-15)

CONSIDER. . .After Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 young offenders at a juvenile detention center during his inaugural Holy Thursday Mass he spoke to the young offenders. He said, "that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion in a gesture of love and service."

SO WHAT. . .The unlimited and unexpected love of Jesus bends before us, washes us clean, and urges us to treat each other--especially the least among us--with the same love. This day reminds us that the Gospel is a life to be lived and not just an ideal to be contemplated.  Jesus sends us. The question is, will you go?

PRAYER. . .Lord Jesus, send forth your cleansing and healing upon me. Give me the grace to bow down before my sisters and brothers and imitate your love in humble service. Amen

April 16 Lenten Devotional "Prepare Your Heart"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”   He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. (Matthew 26:17-19)

CONSIDER. . .Today is the last full day of Lent.  Tomorrow at sundown we begin the great "Three Days" or Easter Triduum, which stretches from sundown on Holy Thursday to sundown on Easter Sunday. The Triduum liturgies include several major services and can be understood as one continuous act of worship commemorating the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, so that we mark our own dying and rising of the past year.

The above scripture is the beginning of preparations for the final events of Jesus' life on earth. Jesus instructed the disciples to go to Jerusalem and get ready for the Passover meal. They immediately and willingly obeyed Jesus. They did as he asked and made final preparations for an intimate Passover dinner with Jesus and his closest friends.

SO WHAT. . .These are important days. Prepare generously and freely your heart, mind and home for the celebration of Easter. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the preparation for meals and worship services that we miss the opportunity that is before us to spend time with Christ.

• Are our minds more on Easter ham and coloring eggs or on Christ's sacrifice for us?
• Do we view our opportunities for worship as just another thing to do before the Easter Egg Hunt or as opportunities to grow closer to Christ?
• Where will you find quiet time in the next three days to be still and listen?

PRAYER. . .Loving God, lead me into the Triduum with an open heart and a seeking spirit. Help me to prepare myself to more fully enter into the life, death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

April 15 Lenten Devotional "No One Beyond Forgiveness"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”   His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.  One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.  Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”   Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”  Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.   As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” (John 13:21-27)

CONSIDER. . .Judas in his dark despair cut himself off from the truth of God's inexhaustible mercy. The difference between Peter and Judas is that Judas gave up on God's mercy. In contrast, Peter, who denied Christ three times, clung to faith.  Peter had the capacity to experience God's mercy more than once.  Judas could not move past his betrayal.  No one is beyond redemption--not Peter, not Judas, not anyone.  Jesus's strongest message is mercy.

SO WHAT. . .The Lord never tires of forgiving us--NEVER! We are the ones who get tired of asking for forgiveness. Please hear this. . .there is nothing you have ever done or will ever do that will stop God from loving and forgiving you.  We each have access to God's inexhaustible love through Jesus Christ, our savior. All we need to do is ask and accept.

As our journey continues through Holy Week,  do not grown weary of asking for forgiveness.  And do not grow tired of forgiving others as God has forgiven you.  Remember it is all about LOVE.

PRAYER. . .Loving and merciful God, let me never tire of asking you for forgiveness.  Pour out your inexhaustible love upon me so my heart might be large enough to forgive those who hurt me. Renew my hope and cast out any despair that lingers in my heart. Amen

Cross references:

1. John 13:21 : S Jn 12:27
2. John 13:21 : Mt 26:21
3. John 13:23 : Jn 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20
4. John 13:25 : Mt 26:22; Jn 21:20
5. John 13:26 : S Mt 10:4
6. John 13:27 : Lk 22:3

 

 

 

 

 

April 14 Lenten Devotional "Chosing the Better Part"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.   Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.  Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:1-3)

CONSIDER. . .Mary and Martha are mentioned three times in the Gospels--hosting a dinner for Jesus; mourning the death and witnessing the raising of their brother, Lazarus; and, in John's account, hosting another dinner for Jesus shortly before his death. Each time, Martha is proactive and in this passage, once again, Martha served while Mary sat quietly, attentive to Jesus, anointing his feet. At both dinners, Jesus defends Mary; "Mary has chosen the better part."

SO WHAT. . .Jesus comes into the busyness of our lives, extending the same invitation he gave long ago to the two sisters from Bethany.  Jesus invites US to choose "the better part"--a joyful life of intimacy with him that flows naturally into loving service. All of us can draw closer to Christ; deepening our prayer life, strengthening our service and doing both with less stress, more freedom and spontaneous joy.

• As we begin Holy Week, how can you deepen your prayer life?
• How might you say yes to serving Christ going forward?
• What are ways you can balance your "Martha and Mary"?

PRAYER. . .Dear God, help me to deepen my prayer life and strengthen my service because of my love for you.  Free me from judging myself and others, from resentment and from trying to be someone I am not. Lead me to be more attentive to you in my life. Amen..

April 13 Lenten Devotional "From Hosanna to Crucify"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . ."The governor said to them,   “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.  “Barabbas,” they answered.  “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”   “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” (Matthew 27:21-23)

CONSIDER. . .Jesus rode into Jerusalem with the people lining the road, shouting his praises. A short time later, they were shouting for him to be crucified.  Obviously their praise for Jesus as he entered Jerusalem was shallow--they possessed a casual, not a committed faith.

SO WHAT. . .Are we like the people in Jerusalem, cheering Jesus one minute and then yelling crucify him the next? Or in other words, opening our hearts ever so briefly for Him and then turning our backs the immediately. We are content to have a shallow faith many times, one that is casual and uncommitted.

• "I'll come to church and worship God". . . when it's convenient, "but please don't ask me to go deeper by studying the Word or really getting involved in Christ's ministry".
• "Ill come to church and worship God". . . when it's convenient, "but don't expect me to allow Christ to transform me or change me."
• "I'll come to church and worship God". . . when it's convenient, "but please don't ask me to love "those people".

It's Holy Week, have you allowed Christ to transform you during this Lenten season? Don't let up now, push yourself to go deeper.

PRAYER. . .Dear God, fill me with a deep desire to live by your words to love others. Help me to understand that going to church is not a casual commitment but an opportunity to go deeper and to grow stronger in my faith. Show me how to truly open my heart to your love and refuse to be a part of the crowd yelling "crucify, crucify".  Amen.

April 12 Lenten Devotional "Giving Ourselves Away to Be Used By Jesus"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .So from that day on they plotted to take his life.   Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” (John 11:53-56)

CONSIDER. . .Religious leaders who were plotting Jesus' death asked, "What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?"--referring to the Passover observance in Jerusalem.  Of course, Jesus went to the feast, and was arrested and put to death. He had warned his followers that he would die, but also promised them that from his death would come salvation and eternal life.

SO WHAT. . .When Jesus calls us to carry a cross, he doesn't mean that we necessarily have to accept a violent death, but we do have to be willing to give away our lives to others by being present to those who need love--to be Jesus in the lives of those around us.

• What are the ways you can "give away your life to others" to be Jesus to them?
• What are the times that you have withdrawn to a place of safety where you didn't have to deal with those in need?
• What are some specific things you can do to take a risk and truly reach out to those in need in the next few days? Take some time here and really give this some thought.

PRAYER. . .Loving and gracious God, please give me a courageous and expansive heart ready and willing to take a risk. Show me how to give away my life each day for those in need of your love and presence. Amen.

April 11 Lenten Devotional "Revealing Jesus to the World"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.  But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”  Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.  (John 10:37-39)

CONSIDER. . .Jesus continues to challenge the Jewish leaders and tries to win their hearts, but they are so stuck on their understanding of scripture and tradition that they are closed to God's presence in Jesus' works. Jesus reminds them, "Many good deeds I have shown you from the Father. For which of these of do you stone me?" Maybe it was Jesus' works of preaching. . .healing. . . forgiving. . . praising God. . . caring for the poor or reaching out to those on the margin. Even though many listened to Jesus and came to believe he was from God, many others ignored his works and remained stuck on their perception that he was a blasphemer, making himself God.

SO WHAT. . .Do our works reveal the Word of God in our hearts? Just as Jesus revealed God, we are called to reveal Jesus to the world through charitable works, just acts and kind hospitality.  If our lives are not reflecting and revealing the Word of God is it because we are stuck on our own understanding of scripture and we have our eyes closed to the works of God in our world?  Are we like those in Jesus' time, seeing, but refusing to embrace God's works in the world?

Ending the week pushing us deeper as we move into Holy week. Be open to where God is leading you on this day. . .

PRAYER. . .God of the poor and brokenhearted, give me the grace to reveal Jesus today by MY loving words, patient responses and kind actions. Take me deeper as I continue this Lenten journey, open not only my eyes but my heart to you in this world. Dear Lord, help me to reveal you to a broken world. Amen.

April 10 Lenten Devotional "The Presence of God"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death.  Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.  Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”   “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”  “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”  At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

CONSIDER. . .The Jewish authorities were totally unaware of the presence of God in Jesus. All the signs were there,  but they refused to see. As Jesus' hour approached, the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders heated up. It rose to the point of violence as they picked up stones to throw at Jesus. By using the phrase "I AM", Jesus clearly identified himself as one with God , his father, not Abraham.

SO WHAT. . .God who is utter mystery was made present in the person of Jesus the Christ. WOW, they didn't realize that they were in the presence of GOD.

The earth is crammed with heaven, and God is present in our world. It is to this created world that God sent his only son, Jesus, not to condemn the world but to save it.

• Where do you see the presence of God in all that surrounds you today?
• Are you rejoicing when you catch the presence of God in your everyday life?
• How can you be more aware of God interacting in your day to day life?

During this Lenten season you've been pushed to look deeper than just the surface. God wants us to see God's presence in the world God has created for us. . . we just have to be open to "God-sightings".

PRAYER. . .Jesus, light of the world. I pray that you will give me new eyes that I might be more aware of your holy presence in my life. Help me to look deeper than just the surface so I might see you in the world you have created for us. I pray that you will lead me to realize your presence in my life. Amen

April 9 Lenten Devotional "The Truth Will Set You Free"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word.  I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father”.  “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did.  As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.  You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. (John 8:31-42)

CONSIDER. . .Jesus makes three promises to those who commit to obey his word, "to do the right thing": they will know the truth; and the truth will set them free. The first two promises, his hearers accepted; but the third one, they resisted because it insinuated that they were not yet free. they argued that they were the children of Abraham and never had been slaves to anyone. They were talking about being literal slaves while Jesus was talking about being a slave to sin.

SO WHAT. . .Most of us our slaves to something. . .worries, bad habits, unhealthy attachments.

• What are the sins that keep you from being free?
• What are the worries, bad habits and attachments that may not be sinful but that keep you from being free?
• Take a few minutes and review your life and bring your worries, bad habits and sins to Jesus.

Let's take this a little deeper as we are approaching the end of Lent. How can we hold tighter to Jesus' teaching as we move to being true disciples of Christ?

PRAYER. . .Dear God, help me to identify those things in my life that keep me from being free. I know that my freedom is what you desire for me, yet I refuse to admit that I am a slave to my worries, bad habits and things that may not be sins but yet keep me from you. O Lord, teach me and bring me closer to you. Amen.

  




 

April 8 Lenten Devotional "The Cross of Christ"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”  This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”  But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.  I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”   “Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied.   “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”   They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.  So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.   The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”  Even as he spoke, many believed in him. (John 8:21-3-)

CONSIDER. . .Jesus is trying to convince the religious leaders that he is sent from God. He is telling them that they will die in their sins if unless they believe in him. There is a connection here between the bronze snake lifted up in Numbers and the way He will soon be lifted up on the cross. God used the hated symbol of Roman oppression--the cross--and turned it into the means of healing and salvation.

SO WHAT. . .Look at the cross in a new way. . .as God's people looked at the snake in the desert.

• Face your sin and look for healing.
• Gaze at the cross and remember the sins of injustice, cruelty and violence in our world.
• But. . . have faith in God's mercy.
• You are invited to come to the cross of Christ and see not only your sins, but Jesus, who comes to set you free from those sins.  

PRAYER. . . Suffering Christ, strengthen my belief in your redeeming work on the cross. Please help me to turn from the evil in the world and to stop rationalizing my own sinful behavior and look at YOU and be FREE. Amen.

April 7 Lenten Devotional "None Without Sin"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:7-11)

CONSIDER. . .Do you remember the international outrage that occurred a few years ago when Iran sentenced a woman to be stoned to death because she had committed adultery?  A European Union official called it "barbaric", but an Iranian spokesperson said it was about punishing a criminal--not a human rights issue.  Many of us are unaware of the discrimination and violence against women that still exists today in many parts of the world, even our own. Jesus challenged the establishment of his day, and we need to do the same.

"Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her", and then turning to the woman, said, "go and sin no more".

SO WHAT. . .From Pope Francis recently. . . "I think even we are sometimes like these people who on the one hand want to listen to Jesus. . .but on the other hand, sometimes we like to stone others and condemn others. The message of Jesus is this: mercy."

The first one set free by God's mercy was not the adulterous women, but the first elder to drop the stones from his clenched hands.  We are all sinners. . .Jesus invites this woman to begin a new life as a free woman.

• Can you see yourself as the elder holding the stones in your clenched fists?
• Who are you getting ready to stone for their sins?
• Are you the woman feeling condemned for past sins?
• Will you accept the forgiveness that Jesus brings to you and offers to you freely?

PRAYER. . . Dear God, help me to recognize when I am the one standing, holding the stones clenched in my fists. Help me to release those stones and admit that I am also a sinner. Help me to accept the forgiveness that you give and show me opportunities to forgive others. Amen

April 6 Lenten Devotional "He Waits to Set Us Free"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”  When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”(John 11:41-44)

CONSIDER. . .In the prayer that Jesus taught us (The Lord's Prayer), "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us"--it could also be translated, "unbind us, as we unbind those who trespass against us."

In this scripture, Jesus calls Lazarus from the tomb to new life and invites his friends to unbind him and set him free.  As Jesus arrives at the tomb, burdened not only with his grief but also with the deep sorrow of Mary, Martha and other friends who have gathered. Jesus is deeply moved.  Jesus says to his friends, "untie him and let him go." Lazarus lets himself be unbound.

SO WHAT. . .Many times we are bound by sin and an incapacity or even unwillingness to forgive. Jesus waits for us in merciful love and tender compassion. He waits to set us free. . .

• From what or who do you need to be "unbound" or set free?
• What is keeping you from "taking off your grave clothes and letting go"?

PRAYER. . . Lord release me, unbind me and let me go free. Help me to see what I need to be "unbound" from.  Give me the courage to open my heart and hands and let Jesus heal me. Amen

April 5 Lenten Devotional "Each Person A Child of God"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . ." On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”
Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?  Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”  Thus the people were divided because of Jesus." (John 7:40-43)

CONSIDER. . .The Pharisees in this scripture claimed that the working people in town were being led astray by this false prophet from Galilee. The Pharisees were frustrated that these common people didn't know the law or the scriptures.  If they knew the scriptures certainly they would not expect that the Messiah would come from this obscure place. Nicodemus tried to talk the Pharisees into opening their minds and giving Jesus a chance, but they refused. They just couldn't get beyond Jesus being from Galilee.  Jesus was not from Galilee, nor was he simply a prophet; He was from God.

SO WHAT. . .Do you look down on people because they come from the "wrong side of town" or from a country you know little about?  Can you disregard the housing project or the homeless center, or any other circumstance that keeps you from seeing that each person comes from God and deserves to be loved?

• Who is God placing in your life, regardless of their circumstance, for you to share Jesus with?
• Can you open yourself to begin seeing others as God does?
• Is God calling you to stand up for the disenfranchised in your community? in the world?

PRAYER. . . Gracious God, free me from the prejudices and judgment of others. Give me the grace to see each person as a child of God with potential and promise, regardless of where they live or what their outward appearance may be. Give me the courage to stand up and advocate for those who are judged because of their external circumstance. Amen.

April 4 Lenten Devotional "Without Fear"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . "At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?   Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah?   But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”  Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,  but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”  At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come." (John 7:25-30)

CONSIDER. . .Jesus is a marked man. He has infuriated both the religious and political leaders of his day and they have threatened his life. Jesus didn't go to Judea at first because he knew he was in danger. However, he put aside his fear and went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles and began teaching in the temple in full view.  It was thought that he spoke freely because the religious leaders now believed he was really the Messiah. The truth is. . .he was teaching without fear because He knew He was sent by God.  

SO WHAT. . .We may not be marked men or women, but we also need courage to live and witness to our faith in the secular world that we live in. We have been sent by God to talk about the Good News to whoever will hear us. Sometimes we are afraid to share that Good News. We tend to think that everyone we know already knows,  when in reality, there are many friends, family and co-workers that don't know about that Good News.

Some tough questions at the end of the week, but that's what Lent is about, asking and answering the tough questions. . .

• What keeps you from sharing your faith with others?
• Who do you know that you can share the Good News with today?
• How does your life reflect your faith walk? Or does it?

PRAYER. . . Gracious God, help me to stand firm in my faith convictions. Fill me with your courage and your power so I may share your Word by the testimony of my life and the truth of my words. Lead me to those who need me to show them you. Amen.

April 3 Lenten Devotional "Following the Rules"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . "I have testimony greater than John's. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me." (John 5:36)

CONSIDER. . .Jesus performed miracles on the Sabbath and thus was accused of violating God's law. His detractors couldn't see past that. It didn't matter that he healed a man who had been ill for 48 years--that was beside the point. Jesus defended himself by claiming his power and authority to work miracles on the Sabbath came from God.

Jesus cannot be limited to acceptable Sabbath behavior. Yet many religious people could not see the gift of God in Jesus--they couldn't get past a broken law. The Sabbath laws were meant to give God honor and worship--to set aside all work in order to see God more clearly.  Instead, the Sabbath laws sometimes blinded people to the healing power of God in Jesus.

SO WHAT. . .We can also become overly caught up in the rules and regulations and miss the spirit of the law.  The greatest rule Jesus gave us is to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  All other laws are second to this Great Commandment. Fear. . .insecurity. . . can bind us to law and keep us from wrestling with the fullness of truth in love.

• Are we missing a gift from God because we are blinded by strict adherence to a law?
• Are we missing a gift from God because we have condemned another and refused to love?
• Who have we written off because he or she is not living as I think that person should?
• Can we allow God to open our eyes to see Jesus' presence in those people?

PRAYER. . . Loving God, give me the grace to follow your will and way. Help me to follow the spirit of your law of love and always give people the benefit of the doubt. Help me to have the courage to wrestle with the facts and the law but to always seek the fullness of truth in love. Amen.

April 2 Lenten Devotional "Spiritually Dead"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . ."For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.  Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:21,24)

CONSIDER. . .In the Old Testament, giving life is presented as a prerogative of God.  In today's scripture, Jesus claims the same authority as God the Father--the power over life and death.  Sometimes we find ourselves spiritually dead. We feel unloved and our spirit is flat.  However, Jesus came to bring us life.

SO WHAT. . .If you are dissatisfied with your spiritual vitality and life, maybe it's time for a fresh encounter with the God who really is, not the God society has made.

When we're feeling this way we need to turn to the God who loves us unconditionally and has the power to give us new life. We need to spend time with the God who lit a burning bush and formed a pillar of fire in the desert; the one who came to the Disciples as flaming tongues of fire. We need to open ourselves up to this God who can re-ignite that fire in our souls that the world has put out.

If God can ignite a bush and form a pillar of fire out of nothing, think how much more able God is able to ignite the spark in you into a raging flame. And once that spark is a flame, how might you share that flame in this dark, lonely and broken world.

• Where is God fanning a flame in your life?
• How can you spend more time with this God who has given you life?
• Are you willing to allow God to re-ignite your flame today?

"For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it."

PRAYER. . . Loving God, you are the author of life.  Thank you for your unconditional love revealed in Jesus and for never forgetting me, even when I feel all alone. Lord, may your pour your mercy and compassion upon me and fan the spark in my heart into a flame of love for you that I may share that love in this world. Amen.

April 1 Lenten Devotional "Illness in Our Lives"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”   “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”  At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

CONSIDER. . . Most of us are probably aware of the illness in our lives--physical, spiritual or emotional. But many times, we don't like the cures, because remedies call for change. Like the man lying at the healing pool for THIRTY EIGHT YEARS, we have all sorts of excuses for avoiding healing in our lives, and we put up all sorts of defenses to prevent healing in our hearts and lives. "Eat better, exercise more" We say, "I'll get a second opinion."  We're told, "Spend less time at work, more time with family."  We say, "That sounds good, I'll get to it one of these days." We always have excuses because we don't want to change and we are not sure we really want to be healed.

SO WHAT. . . If you want to be healed, you must first WANT to be healed.  Jesus asked the sick man, "Do you want to be healed?" The man replied, "yes, BUT. . . " He gave the excuse that no one was there to help him into the waters and that others jumped ahead of him. Do those excuses sound familiar?  Jesus told him to do what he could not do--what he had tried to do unsuccessfully for 38 years.  "Take up your mat and walk!"  He stood up and walked away.

• What would it look like to be a whole, healthy, spiritually free person? 
• What healing do you need in your life? 
• Are you willing to step out in faith and ask for it?

Don't wait for your disease or wounded spirit to bring you to death.  Stand on your feet like a strong, spiritual person made whole! Move forward and walk toward your God.

PRAYER. . . Dear God, help me to name my illness or distress and bring my desire for healing and wholeness to you. May I hear you say, "Get up! Walk!"  Amen.

You are always invited to comment on this post or any of the previous ones.

Lenten Devotional March 31 "God is With You"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.  When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.  “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”  “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. (John 4:45-50)

CONSIDER. . . Signs provide an opening to faith, but signs in themselves do not guarantee faith dependent on them.  Jesus healed many people and performed powerful works, yet many still did not believe in him.  This scripture tells us that Jesus performed another sign and the royal official not only rejoiced in the miracle of his son's healing but also came to see beyond the miracle itself.  When a miracle is fully understood as a sign, it points to who Jesus truly is--the giver of life--and Jesus points to who God is.  This is the grounds for our faith. 

SO WHAT. . . Every Sunday I ask the congregation, "where have you seen God at work in your life, how have you been blessed by God this week". Many times, we have a difficult time identifying those "signs", identifying where God is at work, identifying where God's hand has made a difference. We don't recognize God at work because we overlook the presence of Christ in our daily lives. Good and wonderful things happen in our lives every day, even on the worst of days; we just don't attribute them to God. We have to be able to see beyond the sign and recognize the presence of  Christ in the situation. However, instead of asking for a sign, ask for the grace to know the presence of God in our ordinary human experiences.

• Where do you see God's hand in your daily life?
• How can you open your eyes to the answered needs in your life?
• Can you be more aware of the presence of Christ in every situation?

During this Lenten season may you remember that even in the most difficult of situations, every day, God is with you and all will be well, no matter the outcome.

PRAYER. . . Dear God, reveal to me your loving presence on this day and the days to come. Give me eyes to see and heart open to your amazing grace.  May you increase my faith and help me to place my life into your care. Amen.

You are always invited to comment on this post or any of the previous ones.

March 30 Lenten Devotional "Have Mercy On Me, a Sinner"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’" (Luke 18:11-13)

CONSIDER. . . I love to watch football. One of the things that seems to be on the increase on the football field is what happens when a player scores.  Many times after the touchdown is scored, the player drops to his knees, crosses himself and points skyward.  A wonderful gesture, if they are sincere in their praise. . .but I sometimes have my doubts.  Now, I don't know for sure, and have no way of knowing for sure, who is sincere and who is not. I'm just always a little uncomfortable with this grandiose display of prayer.

This parable speaks of both the posture and prayer of a Pharisee and of a tax collector.  the Pharisee separates himself from others in order to remain pure.  His prayer is all about himself and how righteous he is. He is aware of the tax collector in the temple and regards him and others like him with contempt.  He begins to become absorbed and impressed with his own virtue and asks nothing of God. The tax collector on the other hand, stands off to the side, feeling unworthy, trying not to be seen, and acknowledges his unworthiness before God.  He beats his breast and asks for mercy.

SO WHAT. . . This parable is not only about the proper posture for prayer but also speaks of the way the Pharisee regarded the tax collector.  The Pharisee totally disregards him. The Pharisee has lots of religious virtue and piety, but only judgment for his neighbor, the tax collector.

We hear the truth again--only those who show MERCY and FORGIVENESS to others will receive MERCY and FORGIVENESS.

• What areas in your life are in need of God's mercy and forgiveness?
• Do you struggle to show others mercy and forgiveness?

During this Lenten season is God calling you to be honest about how you share mercy and forgiveness. . .

PRAYER. . . Dear God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Bless me with the virtue of humility and give me a heart full of mercy, especially to those I find difficult to love. Amen

You are always invited to comment on this post or any of the previous ones.

March 29 Lenten Devotional "Spiritually Blind"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .(If you are not familiar with the story of the Blind Beggar, you can read John 9:1-41. I have included an excerpt)  As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.   As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”  Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” (John 9:1-9)

CONSIDER. . . The story of the blind beggar gradually moving from blindness to sight and then sight to insight reminds us that conversion, too, is a process.  Jesus restores the man's physical sight, but that is just the beginning.  After Jesus heals him, he is asked what he has to say about Jesus. He begins by calling him a "man" who did a great deed for him.  Later, when asked again, he calls him "prophet" and then he finally professes Jesus as the "Son of God".

SO WHAT. . . Jesus, the light of the world, moves this man from blindness to sight and then more importantly, from sight to insight.

Lent is a good opportunity to reflect on your relationship with God and to have your eyes opened.

• Are you growing in your knowledge of and closeness to God?
• Are you living the Gospel more deeply?
• Are you moving and growing in your spiritual life?

If you are not moving forward, maybe you are stuck. Maybe it's time to get back to church if you haven't been there in awhile.  Or maybe it's time to find a church.  Or maybe. . .if you are going to church, you should join a study or a small group, somewhere that you can go deeper than just a sermon on Sunday.  This is the season to move forward and grow closer but you have to be ready to move.

PRAYER. . . Jesus, you are the light of the world. Shed your light on this day and my life that I might know you more deeply. Help me to see where I can grow closer to you and that I can grow in my spiritual life. Amen.

You are always invited to comment on this post or any of the previous ones.