2014 lent devo booklet

8/12/2019 2014 Lent Devo Booklet

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LENTEN DEVOTIONAL 2014

THETREEOF

LIFE

BENEATH


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Southwood Lutheran ChurchLincoln, Nebraska2 3Beneath the Tree of LifeLenten Devotional 2014

Come and gather, beneath the tree of life.

Come and gather, beneath the tree of life,

root of wisdom, branch of peace,

fruit of healing and release.

Come and gather, beneath the tree of life.

Beneath the Tree of Life 2001 GIA Publications, Inc.Author: Marty Haugen. Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-705211

Dear Friends,

Te season of Lent is here. We will gather in word, in worship, and by the powerof the Holy Spirit beneath the tree of life. Te tree of life is an image of healing

and hope. It is an image of strength and nourishment. ake this vision of the NewJerusalem for instance:

1Ten the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal,flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2It flowed down the centerof the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelvecrops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. Te leaves were used for medicineto heal the nations. R :- ()

I get lost in this vision that gives us hope and not despair when we are faced withthe reality of life across our nation and world today.

Tis devotional booklet is about digging through Gods word to uncover that kindof hope, the hope that comes through the tree of life. I pray that this resourcewill guide you in your personal and Small Group study this Lenten season withinspiring ideas, thoughtful questions and heartfelt prayers. It brings joy to me

LENT & EASTER SERVICESLent and Easter offerings will support Southwoods Global Mission work inHonduras and anzania. Over people will be serving with Southwood at thesemission sites during .

Ash Wednesday Worship

Wednesday, March : and : .. Services with Holy Communion

Lent Worship

Wednesdays, March , , April : .. Service with Holy Communion

Lenten Meal served :: ..

Holy Week Worship

Maundy Tursday, April : .. Good Friday, April : .. Easter Services, April :, :, : and : ..

CONTENTS3 Lent Daily Devotions

34 Lent Family Devotions

39 Small Group Questions

Sunday Services at :, : : .... .

Mailing Address: .. Lincoln, Physical Address: Wilderness Hills Blvd. Lincoln,


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ASH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5Read: Genesis 2:4-3:19

Tis is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the Lord Godmade the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on theearth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were nopeople to cultivate the soil. Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered allthe land. Ten the Lord God formed the man f rom the dust of the ground. He breathedthe breath of life into the mans nostrils, and the man became a living person. (. :-)For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return. (. :)

Such a promising beginning, so much potential in these opening lines. We areGod-breathed, and as we have read so many times, we are created in His image.Just as He breathed life into Adam, He breathes life into each one of us . Yet wealso know, as we acknowledge on this Ash Wednesday, that this beautiful andbright beginning so full of hope and promise was not to last. We remember how itcrashed into despair the moment Adam and Eve bit into the serpents tantalizingfruit. And we remember Gods frightening words. We will die. We will return tothe dust from whence we came.

Tough our thoughts turn to darkness, dust and death this Ash Wednesday,we know something Adam and Eve did not. In spite of our fear, in spite of thedarkness, there is hope. God, through His son Jesus Christ, redeems us. He shinesHis light of hope and love upon us always, a light that cannot be extinguished.

Lord, help me remember that Your light always burns bright, no matter what

darkness or dust obscures my sight. Amen.

THURSDAY, MARCH 6Read: Genesis 1:26-28

Ten God said, Let us make human beings in our image, to be like usSo God createdhuman beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and femalehe created them. (. -)

Its a notion so astonishing, so mind-boggling, so audacious, it bears repeatingtwice: God created humans in his own image; in the image of God he createdthem. Have you ever really thought about these verses before? God createdyouinHis imageto be like Him, to act like Him, to love like Him. It seems like a lotto live up to, doesnt it? In fact , it seems downright impossiblethat we couldlive like God and be like God. But its not. While well never be (and shouldnt be)the omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient God, and while we cannot live likeGod on our own accord, with His grace and in His eyes, we are perfect and holy, areflection of Him. You may not see yourself, with all your flaws, shortcomings andsinful inclinations, as an image of God, but in His eyes, thats exactly what you are.

Lord, it humbles and astounds me that You made me in Your image. Tank

you for Your relentless grace and for creating me as worthy in Your eyes.

Amen.

to know that as we gather around the same texts, questions, and prayersthesewords become more than wordsthey become a source of life and an offering ofgrace.

Tanks to Michelle DeRusha who graciously shares her faith and her gift ofwriting with us. Tis year we are excited to feature the photography of CurtBrinkmann who has such an eye for capturing the beauty in Gods creation. Weare also grateful for the blessing of Deb Paden and Jerry Frahm who have workedtogether to design and build the ree of Life that we will gather around in oursanctuary for Wednesday worship.

Now, we are ready. Come and gather beneath the tree of life!

May you be blessed as you give attention to the readingand the living of Gods word.

Creation


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FRIDAY, MARCH 7Read: Psalm 139

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, Iknow that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secretplace, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. (. - )

Te Bibles use of the word fear often differs from our ordinary definition. Ratherthan conjuring images of terror, fearfully made in this instance connotes aweand reverence. David, the speaker in this psalm, emphasizes the awesome andastonishing uniqueness of each human being on Earth. He reminds us that wewere not dropped randomly into our places on Earth or given a random selectionof skills and gifts, but rather, that we were each made especially for a uniquepurpose and plan. We neednt worry about or compare ourselves to others,because God created each one of us uniquely and gifted each one of us with a

special set of talents to be used to further His kingdom on Earth.Forgive me, Lordsometimes I dont feel particularly special or unique. I

needed to be reminded today that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by

You. Help me make good use of the unique gifts You have bestowed on me, so

that I may use them for the good of Your kingdom here on Earth. Amen.

SATURDAY, MARCH 8Read: Isaiah 64:1-8

And yet, O Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are allformed by your hand. (. )

Sometimes, as we wrestle for control in our lives, we forget the God-establishedorder; we forget that we are the created,the clay, while God is the Creator, thepotter. While its hard to surrender, to relinquish control, theres also greatfreedom in thisto know that God has formed us and shaped us in His image, toknow that He guides us with a loving hand through the challenges and obstaclesthat threaten to derail us on this journey. Teres comfort here as well, as we trust

that the Artist Himself has formed and shaped us into the people we are and thepeople we will grow to become. And there is great joy and gratitude in knowingours is a personal God, a God who cares enough to form each and every one of uswith His own hand.

Lord, I yield to Your loving hands, and I thank You for creating me and

continuing to shape me into the person You envision and the person You

desire me to be. Amen.

SUNDAY, MARCH 9Read: John 20:19-23Ten he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forg ive anyonessins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. (. -)

Tink about this for minute: Jesus gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to His disciplesas they sat together on the evening of Easter Sunday, just hours after He hadrisen. Te disciples didnt do anything to earn this treasured gift. Jesus didntrequire them to perform a certain number of good deeds or even believe a certaindoctrine. He didnt even require that they profess their faith to Him. In fact, thisvery moment came on the heels of their betrayal of Jesus, just three days aftertheyd abandoned Him to the Romans and allowed Him to die on the cross. Butnone of that mattered to Jesus. He didnt hold it against them. Jesus simply offeredHis disciples peace, twice, signifying that He forgave them, and then breathed theessence of Himself in the form of the Holy Spirit into them, no questions asked, nostrings attached.

You know whats even more amazing about this story? Jesus does the same for

each one of us. We all make mistakes. We all sin. We all separate ourselves fromGod through our thoughts, actions and words. Jesus knows this about us, and Heloves us anywayfully, completely and unconditionally. We dont have to jumpthrough any hoops, prove ourselves to God, perform a certain number of gooddeeds, follow a certain set of laws or ruleswe get the gift. Period. In spite of ourpast and even our present flaws, we get the gift of the Holy Spirit. Knowing full-well we will flounder and flail and fall, Jesus trusts us anyway. He trusts us withthis most exquisite gift: Himself.

Dear God, I am humbled by Your generosity and Your infinite grace. You

know my flaws. You know my sins. Yet You lavish the ultimate gift on me,

day after day after day. Tank you for trusting me with the most precious gift

of all, the gift of the Holy Spirit in me, a gift I dont deserve but still receive.

Amen.


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MONDAY, MARCH 10Genesis 1:9-13

Ten God said, Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dryground may appear. And that is what happened. God called the dry ground land andthe waters seas. And God saw that it was good. Ten God said, Let the land sproutwith vegetationevery sort of seed-bearing fruit. Tese seeds will then produce thekinds of plants and trees from which they came. And that is what happened. Te landproduced vegetationall sorts of seed-bearing plants and trees with seed-bearing fruit.Teir seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day. (. -)

Sometimes I read these opening verses in Genesis and Gods response to hisown workhe saw that it was goodand I think, Good? Just good? Whata remarkable understatement! Its way better than goodits great, amazing,remarkable, astonishing, mind-boggling! oday, let yourself be awed by ourEarths incredible biodiversity. ake a few minutes to step into your backyardand simply look at the thousands of miracles that abound in the burgeoning lifearound you. Celebrate the ripening buds, the symphony of bird song and thevariety of leaves that will soon burst into a canopy of green over your street.Marvel at our Gods artistry, and then give thanks to the One who created somuch that is not just good, but awesomely, breathtakingly great.

Far too often, Lord, I miss Your incredible gifts. Swept up in the busyness of

life, I fail to appreciate Your creation, the astonishing array of beauty in my

own backyard. Hear me now, Lord: thank You, thank You. Amen.

TUESDAY, MARCH 11Read: Psalm 104

You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from themountains. Tey provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench theirthirst. Te birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. Yousend rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with thefruit of your labor. (. -)

O Lord, the psalmist exclaims, what a variety of things you have made! Fromthe storks that sing in the cypresses and the rumble of thunder in the sky, fromthe starry curtain of the heavens and the roar of a glacial spring, God createdeverything on the face of the earth and beyond. Even more, He offers spiritualsustenance when our reserves run dry. Just as He provides rain on the mountainsand streams in the ravines in this eloquent psalm, He sustains us when we thirst;He breathes life into our dry, desiccated spirit. Let us rejoice with the psalmist; letus celebrate Gods great love. I will sing to the Lord as long as I love. I will praisemy God to my last breath!(:)

Lord God, You are so, so good to me. You replenish my dry, weary spirit. You

comfort me, filling me with hope and joy, quenching my thirst and satisfying

my soul. Let all that I am praise You, Lord. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12Read: Genesis 2:10-14

A river flowed from the land of Eden, wateringthe garden and then dividing into four branches.(. )

All the work being done in this vastcountry is but a drop in the ocean, wroteIndian activist and missionary PanditaRamabai about the seemingly hopeless stateof the many thousands of suffering people inher native country. But, she added, everyparticle added will increase the drop, so itwill be multiplied and permeate the ocean

until it becomes a stream of the living waterthat flows from under the throne of God, togive life and joy to this nation. What a vision!A stream of living water, flowing out from theland of Eden, from heaven, and then dividinginto multiple tributaries that wend their wayaround every part of Earthquenching,sustaining, replenishing. We are the dropletsin Gods living stream. ogether with theBody of Christ, we help to quench spiritualthirst by offering hope, we sustain by offeringcomfort and compassion, and we replenish by offering love.

Lord, I am but one tiny droplet of water in Your living stream. Help my one

droplet contribute in the way You see fit to further Your kingdom here on

Earth. Amen.

THURSDAY, MARCH 13Read: Matthew 6:28-34

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into thefire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (. )

Why do we have so little faith? Because we dont always trust God. We doubtHim. We worry Hell let us down. But think back for a moment to a difficult timein your pasta time of hardship, fear, sorrow or suffering. Circumstances maynot have turned out as you had wished or even as you had prayed they would, butthrough it all, did God abandon you? Did He leave you alone to flounder hopelessand lost? Te truth is that God is always with you, even when you cant see him,hear him or feel his presence. Tis is a lesson we learn time and time again: nomatter how dire our circumstances, God always provides everything we need.

God, thank You for always being with me, even in the darkest, most hopeless

places, even when I doubt Your presence. Amen.

Streams of Mercy


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FRIDAY, MARCH 14Read: Isaiah 55:1-13

Te rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water theearth. Tey cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for thehungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It willaccomplish all I want to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. (. -)

Have you ever felt spiritually dry and realized it was because you hadnt spentmuch time with Gods Word? Scripture sustains us in a way everyday life cannot.Without Gods Word, we wither like drought-plagued plants; we lose directionand begin to depend on our own selves, rather than on God. If you are feeling lost,weary, burdened, hopeless, directionless or confused, return to Gods Word today.It will renew and replenish you, strengthen and guide you. Just as the rain andsnow stay on the ground and seep into the soil, Gods Word will seep deep into

you. Te Word will produce good fruit in younot sometimes, not occasionally,but always.Tats not an empty, feel-good saying; thats Gods promise to us.

Lord, thank You for speaking to me so personally through Your Word. Tank

You for guiding, comforting and strengthening me. Amen.

SATURDAY, MARCH 15Read: Isaiah 40:12-31

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weakand tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord willfind new strength. Tey will soar high on wings like eagles. Tey will run and not growweary. Tey will walk and not faint. (. -)

Have you ever known someone who remained full of confidence, hope and joy, nomatter what hardships befell them? I have, and I can say with absolute convictionthat her hope and joy wasnt based on earthly pursuits or accomplishments, buton faith aloneon the knowledge that God was always loving and always good, nomatter what. Despite her terminal cancer diagnosis, she soared high on wings like

eagles, exuding grace and gratitude every step of the way, confident and trusting inher God. Te truth is, we cannot do this life well all on our own. As Isaiah warnsin these verses, even the most youthful and vigorous of us will crumble to pieces ifwe insist on going it alone. Ive witnessed what happens when a person relies noton herself for strength, but on God. I know Isaiahs claim is true: those who trustin the Lord will find new strength.

Help me relinquish control and surrender to You, Lord. I yearn for You to be

my strength and hope. Amen.

SUNDAY, MARCH 16Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on meandnot without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet itwas not I but God who was working through me by his grace. So it makes no differencewhether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have alreadybelieved. (. -)

I dont know about you, but when things are going well for me, I often creditmyself and my own efforts and forget all about God. I love this verse because itreminds me that Gods abundant and ever-flowing grace is behind everythinggood and positive thing we do and receive. All of our accomplishments, successesand even good deeds are the result of Gods blessings and His gracewe canttake credit for any of it. Its not simply my good work; its the power of Godworking throughme.

I appreciate this verse, too, because it seems like Paul might struggle with thisconcept of grace a bit. I see him wrestling here, wanting to take credit, remindingus that he has worked harder than any of the other apostles, yet in the nextbreath, acknowledging to both himself and us that he cannot, in fact , pat himselfon the back. All the praise goes to God alone. Te next time we feel smuglysatisfied about a job well-done, lets stop for a moment of thanksgiving to givecredit where credit is due: to God.

Lord, You know my prideful tendency to want to pat myself on the back. Give

me a humble spirit, Lord, so that I will praise only You. Amen.

MONDAY, MARCH 17Read: Genesis 2:15

Te Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. (. )

Its easy to read this verse and assume it applies to Adam only, isnt it? Sometimes

we let ourselves off the hook , dont we? We tell ourselves that God intendedAdam as caretaker of the Earth, and since Adam clearly failed, we live in a broken,fallen world as a result. But take a look at the thirty-one verses in chapter one ofGenesis, and ask yourself this: do you think God dedicated that much effort andartistry to the creation of the world in order to have it fall into chaos and neglect?Adam may have failed, but we have a choice: We can pick up the torch wherehe dropped it and tend to the abundance of earthly delights. After all, Earth wascreated not just for Adam and Eve, but for each one of us.

God, I too am guilty of neglecting Your creation. I take so many of Your gifts

for granted, and I waste so many of Your precious resources. Breathe a new

spirit of appreciation into me, Lord, and help me honor the Earth in a way

that will honor You. Amen.

Tree of Life


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TUESDAY, MARCH 18Read: Genesis 2:16-17

But the Lord God warned him, You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in thegardenexcept the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you aresure to die. (. -)

Despite our best intentions, we disobey God on a regular basis. Like Adam andEve, we sin; we separate ourselves from God again and again, even when we dontwant to. As Paul acknowledged, we want to do what is right, but we dont. Insteadwe do what we hate and what is wrong (R :). I love Gods law with allmy heart,said Paul. But there is another power within me that is at war withmy mindWho will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?R :-. Te answer, of course, is God. Gods warning to Adam and Evesounds dire, doesnt it? But remember, God didnt abandon Adam and Eve in the

midst of their sin. Instead, He sought them when they were afraid and ashamed inthe Garden, and he clothed them. Remember this when you stray from God: Hewill never abandon you.

Dear God, I am so grateful for the fact that You seek me again and again when

I stray. Tank You for new mercies and never-ending grace. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19Read: Genesis 3:1-8

Te woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit lookeddelicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took the fruit and ateit. Ten she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At thatmoment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. Sothey sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. (. -)

It didnt take much convincing by the serpent for Adam and Eve to succumb to sin,did it? I think most of us can relate. Its frightfully easy to say yes to temptation, tosay yes to sin. We talk ourselves into it, we justify our wrongdoing, and before we

know it, just like Adam and Eve, we are in deep, without the slightest idea of howto extricate ourselves. And then, like Adam and Eve, we often try to hide fromour sins, pin the blame on someone else and deny responsibility. oday, lets learnfrom Adam and Eves mistakes and take the first step toward a renewed mind andspirit. Lets not hide from sin but admit it and own it. Lets confess our sins to Godand ask Him for forgiveness and grace. God is always ready to redeem, but thefirst step begins with us.

Lord, I confess to You these sins today. Forgive me for doing what I know is

wrong. Shine Your mercy onto my brokenness and create in me a clean, new,

pure heart. Amen.

THURSDAY, MARCH 20Read: 2 Corinthians 11:1-4

But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted,

just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. (. )

Dont be fooled by this verseour devotion to Christ is not corrupted by chance;its not an unfortunate fluke. Instead, we allowour devotion to be corrupted whenour gaze turns inward, away from God and toward ourselves. Pride goes beforethe fall, as Proverbs says. We saw it with Adam and Eve, and we see it in ourselves.Te moment we turn our attention away from God and inward in pride, to ourown wants and needs, we crack the door open to sin. Te key is to keep our eyeshumbly and gratefully focused on God in thanks and praise:In everything givethanks; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. : ()

Lord, You know how easily I shift my gaze away from You and toward myself.

Give me the strength to keep focused on You alone. Amen.


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FRIDAY, MARCH 21Read: Genesis 3:8

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord Godwalking in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. (. )

Tis passage always frightened me as a kid. I pictured God spying on Adam andEve as they disobeyed Him. I imagined their fear and shame and their panickedurge to hide from Him, hoping somehow to escape His wrath. What I didnt see,though, was that God was with Adam and Eve, even in their worst moment. WhileHe didnt prevent them from committing their sin (and allowed them the freewill to do so), He didnt abandon them either. He stayed with them, calling outfor them as they wandered hopeless and distraught in the Garden and providingclothes to comfort and protect them from their own shame. Its true, we cant hidefrom God. He sees our every flaw, our every mistake. But we neednt run from

Him either, because God desires to be with us always, even in our messiest, mostbroken state.

God, I am so grateful that You dont leave me, even in the midst of my

brokenness and sin. You are Emmanuel, God with us, God with me. Amen.

SATURDAY, MARCH 22Read: Romans 3:21-31

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true foreveryone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall shortof Gods glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we arerighteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for oursins. (. -)

Its tempting to craft a hierarchy of sins, isnt it? o deem some sins worse thanothers, to decide in our own minds who is sinning more egregiously than we are,to look for relief in the fact that at least we arent as bad as that person. But theseverses lay the truth on the line, once and for all: no sin is worse than another; no

sinner is worse than another. Brokenness is a level playing field. We all sin, and weall fall short of Gods glorious standard. And none of us, not a single human beingon Earth, is right with God until we place our faith in Him. We all begin behinda looming, formidable wall, a wall of sin that separates us from God. Nothing butHis great grace has the ability to reduce that wall to a pile of rubble and dust. Oncewe say yes to that undeserved gift, the wall shall stand no more.

Lord, remind me of these verses the next time Im tempted to point out the

sins of another. Remind me that You dont classify sins, but instead, focus on

lavishing Your grace on us all. Amen.

SUNDAY, MARCH 23Read: Romans 5:12-21

Yes, Adams one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christs one act ofrighteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Becauseone person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyedGod, many will be made righteous. (. -)

I suspect sometimes we look at Adam and Eve and think, Tanks a lot. Im payingfor your foolish mistake with my life. If it werent for you, I wouldnt be in thismess. While that may be true, I think we tend to focus too much on sinbothoriginal sin and our ownand not enough on the power of Gods redeeminggrace. While sin is bad, true, grace more than compensates.

I love how Te Messageversion paraphrases these verses: Just as one person didit wrong and got us into all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it

right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us intolife!Adams wrong versus Jesus right is not simply a black-and-white equation ofone good deed cancelling one bad deedits so much more than that. With Jesusone act of righteousness also comes grace, and grace is a gift that gives and givesand gives. As Te Messageexplains, When its sin versus grace, grace wins handsdown. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and thats the end of it. Grace,because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites usinto lifea life that goes on and on and on, world without end.(. -)

Lord, I am in awe of Your magnanimous grace, which is so much bigger, and

so much more powerful than my sins. Tank You for giving us Your son Jesus,

who set everything right through His loving sacrifice. Amen.


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MONDAY, MARCH 24Read: Isaiah 44:1-5

But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. Te Lord who made youand helps you says: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one.For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. AndI will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. Teywill thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank. (. -)

Its interesting that these words, words so full of hope and promise, comeimmediately on the heels of Gods angry, disappointed words in the precedingverses. Tats often how the Book of Isaiah works: God expresses His anger anddisappointment with His wandering, wayward children, chastising them for theiridolatry and neglect, and then in the next breath offers forgiveness, hope and love.Sound familiar? Such is often the case in parenting: we point out our childrensmistakes, redirect them toward the right path and then offer forgiveness and love.God does not withhold His blessing or His love from us. He may redirect us , Hemay teach us some difficult lessons about obedience, but like a loving parent, Healways has our best interests in mind.

Lord, I am so much like the Israelites sometimesstiff-necked, stubborn,

prone to idolatry and wandering. I am so grateful for Your persistence and

patience and for lovingly parenting me as Your beloved child again and again.

Amen.

TUESDAY, MARCH 25Read: Psalm 92

But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.For they are transplanted to the Lords own house. Tey flourish in the courts of ourGod. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Teywill declare, Te Lord is just! He i s my rock! Tere is no evil in him! (. -)

Do you know an elderly friend or relative who simply shines, vital and exuberant,

with a love for Jesus? Im not talking about physical vitalityhe or she may evenbe immobile or confined to a nursing homeI mean a spiritual vitality that shineslike a light from within. Te secret, Id argue, is the word transplanted in theseverses. A person who glows with spiritual vitality has removed him or herself fromthe lure and entanglement of earthly concerns and put down roots in God alone.He or she focuses not on earthly treasures (material wealth, ambition, success andeven physical well-being), but on the treasures that are found in Gods own house:joy, peace, love, contentment, faith and gratitude. oday, ask yourself where youare living right now, and consider whether you need to put down new roots inGods own home.

Dear God, help me clearly see where I am living these days. Am I firmly

rooted in Your house or am I struggling to grow in a parched and arid land?

Please help me see if I need to be transplanted in order to flourish more fully

in You. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26Read: Psalm 1

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around withsinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating onit day and night. Tey are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit eachseason. Teir leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. (. -)

I suspect most of us wouldnt use the word delight to describe how we typicallyapproach the law of the Lord. I know when I hear law, my mind goes straightto the en Commandments, which remind me of everything I do wrong in myrelationship with God. But lets broaden the language here for a moment; letsthink of the law of the Lord as Gods Word in generalnot only the laws handeddown to Moses in the Old estament, but the teachings of Jesus and the epistles,too. What the psalmist is trying to encourage us to do here is to root ourselves

deeply in Gods Word. Not only on Sunday, when we hear Scripture read fromthe lectern, but every day, feeding and nurturing ourselves with it, immersingourselves in it. Ten, like trees planted close to a river, their roots reaching intothe life-sustaining water, we will grow and flourish, sustained by God through HisWord, finding peace, comfort and even delight.

Lord, forgive me for allowing busyness to get in the way of Your Word.

Forgive me for often placing everything else in my life ahead of taking time

with You. Tank you for prompting me through this psalm to return to Your

Word, which always sustains, nurtures and delights. Amen.

THURSDAY, MARCH 27Read: Jeremiah 17:5-10

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope andconfidence. Tey are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deepinto the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months ofdrought. Teir leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. (. -)

When I read these verses I am reminded of Mother eresa, who, though enduringlong periods of doubt and spiritual barrenness, still impacted thousands of thepoorest and most destitute people in India. How, in the midst of a personalspiritual wasteland, was she able to continue to act in such great faith? Te answer,I believe, is revealed in these verses: Mother eresa trusted in God and madeHim her hope and confidence. And she sustained that trust, hope and confidencethrough continual reliance on His Word, grounding herself in Scripture, diggingher roots deeper and deeper into its living water. Mother eresa wasnt perfectshe admitted that her doubt worried herbut she persevered. Her leaves stayedgreen, she never stopped producing fruit, and she ultimately found personal peaceas well.

Lord, I want to make You my hope and confidence; I want to trust in You.

Tank You for this reminder to plant myself in the rich soil of Your Word.

Amen.

Root of Wisdom


10/25


FRIDAY, MARCH 28Read: Proverbs 3:13-26

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. (. )Wisdomis a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold to her tightly. (. )

Tese verses are a subtle but important departure from the ones that precedethem, which remind us not to depend on our own understanding (:) and notto be impressed with our own wisdom (:). Te juxtaposition of these twovery different approaches to life is intentional, but both come down to a singlefactor: trust. We can either trust in ourselves or we can trust in God. One choiceleads to an aimless, wandering, unfulfilled life, the other leads to joy, satisfactionand peace. Te choice is ours: will we depend on our own understanding andbe impressed with our own wisdom? Or will we find true wisdom, gain trueunderstanding and experience true joy by trusting in God?

Lord, so often I try to control my circumstances myself. I assume myown knowledge is sufficient; I make decisions based on my own cloudy

understanding, rather than seeking Your supreme wisdom and Your will.

Please help me surrender to Your ways. Please help me trust You with all my

heart. Amen.

SATURDAY, MARCH 29Read: John 15:1-8

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it issevered from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am thevine; you are the branches. Tose who remain in me, and I in them, will produce muchfruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. (. -)

Tis metaphor of the vine and the branch in the Gospel of John goes on for eightverses, all of which basically reiterate the same main point: stay connected to God,for without Him, you are useless. Part of the reason for the repetition comes fromthe fact that the Bible originated as an oral traditionthese stories were repeated

and passed on over and over before they were actually written down. Repetitionhelped the storytellers memorize the message and the listeners remember it.Beyond that though, the repetition serves a deeper purpose. We need to read themessage repeated again and again so that it can sink in deep, because the fact is,we flawed and fallible people stray. Despite our best intentions, we wander fromthe Way. We need to hear it said six ways to Sunday: stay connected to God;without Him, we can do nothing.

Lord God, I am a straying wanderer. Graft me onto You, so that I may produce

good fruit in Your name. Amen.

SUNDAY, MARCH 30Read: James 3:13-18

But the wisdom from above is first of allpure. It is also peace-loving, gentle atall times and willing to yield to others.It is full of mercy and good deeds. Itshows no favoritism and is alwayssincere. And those who are peacemakerswill plant seeds of peace and reap aharvest of righteousness. (. -)

When we think of the typicalattributes of wisdom, we mightconsider words like knowledgeable,thoughtful, contemplative,experienced, discerning. But Jamesdefinition of wisdom goes so muchfurther, introducing descriptors wemight never have associated withwisdom: gentleness, peace-loving,merciful, sincere, fair, yielding toothers and a doer of good deeds.Te difference between Jamesdefinition and ours is that Jamesdescribes wisdomfrom aboveapure God-centered and Kingdom-centered wisdom, rather than a sullied earthly-or self-centered wisdom. A person blessed with wisdom from abovea wisdomthat comes from Godis not concerned with self-advancement or even self-preservation. A person blessed with wisdom from above is not focused on self buton the other. He plants seeds of peace. She plants seeds of mercy, kindness andgoodwill. Gods kind of wisdom is humble, unassuming and based entirely on lovefor the other.

So heres the most beautiful part about these verses: each and every one of us isblessed with wisdom from above. Tis isnt a special gift given only to certain, elitebelievers; this kind of wisdom, Gods kind of wisdom, is offered freely to each ofus. We have the choice: we can live by wisdom from abovegenerously, selflessly,lovingly, gentlyor not. We can choose the freedom of living a life guided byGod-inspired wisdom or the imprisonment that comes with a wisdom created byour own flawed and fallible selves. Which do you choose today?

Lord, so often I am swayed by the wisdom of the world. As a result, I succumb

to selfishness, envy, bitterness and deceit. Breathe a renewed understanding

of Your wisdom into me today, Lord, so that I may live peacefully, mercifully,

gently, humbly, sincerely and fairly. Amen.


11/25


MONDAY, MARCH 31Read: Jeremiah 23:1-8

For the time is coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous descendantfrom King Davids line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is justand right throughout the land. (. )

Jeremiah is a rather long book that depicts chaos and calamity, war, strife and griefand cites the myriad ways the Israelites have strayed from God. Yet in the midstof this brokenness and seeming hopelessness, God announces to His people thatall hope is not lost. He tells the Israelites that He will raise up a descendant fromDavids line, a wise King who will save His people and lead them back to safety.Tis isnt a message meant only for the ancient Israelites, you know; God intends itfor us in the here and now, too. We are a people burdened with grief and strife. Weare a people who feel lost and hopeless at times. But unlike the Israelites, we are

blessed with the Light of Jesus, right here, r ight nownot someday, not in a timedown the line, but today. Jesus is here. Emmanuel. God with us.

Lord, I am so grateful that I know the ruth. Jesus is here, with me, right now.

I dont need to wait. He has already arrived, thanks be to God. Amen.

TUESDAY, APRIL 1Read: Isaiah 61:1-3

Te Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is uponme, for the Lord has anointed me tobring good news to the poor. He has sentme to comfort the brokenhearted and toproclaim that captives will be releasedand prisoners will be freed. (. )

Does this passage intimidate you alittle bit? Well it should, because heresthe truth: the Spirit of the Sovereign

Lord isnt upon the prophet Isaiahalone. Isaiah isnt the only one called tobring good news to the poor, comfortthe brokenhearted and proclaimfreedom for the captives. Te rest of

us are, too. And while this doesnt necessarily require that we stand on a soapboxpreaching the gospel on the corner of 27thand O Streets, it does mean we need todo something to spread the word of the Good News. Like Francis of Assisi oncesaid, Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary use words.

Lord, sometimes I simply dont see the opportunities You give me to preach

the Gospel, and sometimes I am simply afraid. God, show me an opportunity

to demonstrate Your love and give me the courage to follow through. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2Read: Isaiah 11:1-9

Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so theearth will be filled with people who know the Lord. (. )

It seems crazy, outlandish and completely over-the-top, doesnt it? If youre a littlebit jaded, you might even roll your eyes and say, Yeah, right. Ill believe it when Isee it. Because to envision a world in which there is no pain and no destructionseems, well, impossible, especially when we look at the state of our world today.But this is Gods promise to us, His Kingdom comea world of peace andcompassion, understanding and love. A world in which long-time enemies forgiveand unite; a world free of harm, evil and grief. Its a hard someday to imagine,but this vision becomes even more challenging when we realize that God expectsus to work with Him to help bring this vision into reality right nowHis Kingdom

come, His will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.So lets ask ourselves this: howcan I bring this vision one teeny-tiny step closer to reality? Who do I need toforgive? o whom do I need to show compassion and mercy? His Kingdom comeon Earth begins today, with us.

Lord, show me how I can help bring Your Kingdom in one small way to my

own tiny sphere today. Amen.

THURSDAY, APRIL 3Read: Numbers 6:24-27

Te Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be graciousto you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. So they will put my nameon the Israelites, and I will bless them. (. - )

Tis ancient Hebrew blessing was uttered daily over the Jewish people by thepriest just after he completed the sacrifice at the temple, and even today manysynagogues and Christian denominations end their service with this benediction.Te fact that the the Lord is reiterated three times emphasizes that the blessing

comes not from the priest, rabbi or minister, but from God Himself. When Godgave His instructions to Moses, He specified that the blessing of the people wouldbe done in His name: Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel inmy name, I myself will bless them.(:) Tis is important. So often we forgetthat God, while omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, is also personallyinvested in each one of us. He is tuned in to each of us, He knows every one of ourconcerns and needs, and He personally turns His face toward each one of us toshine down His love and grace.

Lord, thank You, not only for being God, but for being my God. Amen.

Branch of Peace


12/25


FRIDAY, APRIL 4Read: John 14:15-31

I am leaving you with a g iftpeace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift theworld cannot give. So dont be troubled or afraid. (. )

Have you ever been in the midst of an extremely challenging situationperhaps asyou have faced a difficult diagnosis or walked with a loved one through a terminalillnessand felt a sense of joy or serenity wash over you in the middle of it all?Tat is the gift Jesus speaks of here: the gift of peace of mind and heart that hasthe power to overcome any circumstances, no matter how dire. Tat kind of peacecant be purchased, earned or even conjured through your own efforts. Tat kindof peacethe peace that transcends all understandingis a gift from God. If youare in a dark and hopeless place right now, pray for the gift of peace, and trust thatGod will answer.

Dear God, in our world so fraught with chaos and trouble, peace is the verybest gift of all. Tank You for this precious gift. Tank You for easing my fears

and worried heart. Amen.

SATURDAY, APRIL 5Read: Romans 12:9-21

Live in harmony with each other. Dont be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinarypeople. And dont think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things insuch a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peacewith everyone. (. -)

Lets be honest: when we feel weve been maligned our instinct is often to respondwith revenge. We want pay back. We want our enemy to hurt as much as we do.But God is wise. He knows revenge doesnt solve anything. We might feel justifiedfor a short while, but inevitably we will end up bitter and angry. Te better, albeitmore difficult, response is love and forgiveness. And notice what Jesus says here:Do all that you canto live in peace with everyone. Hes not expecting us to give a

little bit of effort or a half-hearted attempt; hes expecting us to give percentall that you canand not just with the people who are easy to forgive or easy tolive with, but with everyone.

Lord, You more than anyone know how difficult it is for me to respond with

love at times. Please give me the courage and strength to live in peace with

everyone, even my enemy. Amen.

SUNDAY, APRIL 6Read: Ephesians 2:11-18

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, butnow you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himselfhas brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his ownbody on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. (. -)

Some of you may remember the day the Berlin Wall was torn down in November. Constant news coverage depicted thousands of people with sledgehammersand axes as they crumbled the wall bit by bit, destroying a barrier that had stoodbetween East and West Germany for nearly 30 years. It was a monumentaloccasion and a cause for celebration, not only in Germany but around theentire world. In place of the wall, a symbol of hostility and war, stood a group ofdisparate people now united in freedom.

Te amazing, mind-boggling, awesome power of Christ has the capacity to dosomething similar among us, His people. Its true, Christs death on the crossbrought us closer to God as individuals, demolishing the barrier (sin) that kept usat arms length from Him. But even more important and powerful is the freedomHis love and life give us as a people united in the Body of Christ. Christ didntunite just the Jews and Gentiles, He unites all of us, every last person on Earth. Weare called by Him to love His people, and no one is excluded, regardless of race,lifestyle or faith. Tere are no barriers, no separationChrists love demolishes allhostilities and all walls.

So today, lets celebrate the power of Gods love to free us and unite us together inpeace. Lets celebrate the God who makes all things possible.

Lord, You know where and against whom my hostilities are aimed. Give me

the strength and humility to cross these barriers to unite with Your people in

peace. Amen.


13/25


MONDAY, APRIL 7Read: Deuteronomy 8:1-18

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and poolsof water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. It is a landof wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey.It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is ascommon as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill,be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. (. -)

It sounds a little bit like heaven, doesnt it? But the truth is, it doesnt always feellike God has our best interests in mind. Our lives dont always resemble thisidyllic, heavenly vision described by Moses. But know this: although Mosesprophecies were intended for the Israelites, we can read Gods promise for us inthese verses as well. Tis is Gods promise to us: He isproviding, even when wecant see the provision in the moment. Look at the verb tense in the first verse:the Lord your God isbringing you into a good landnot willbring, but isbringing. Tis is happening right here, right now, in the present moment. TeLord our God is leading us, guiding us, and providing for us. Our job through it allis to trust Him.

Oh Lord, I do wonder sometimes; I do doubt. I question where You are and

where You are leading me. Tank you for offering me this vision, this hope

today. Tank You for reminding me that You are always providing for me,

even when I cant quite see the progress myself. Amen.

TUESDAY, APRIL 8Read: Psalm 51

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish mefrom your presence, and dont take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy ofyour salvation, and make me willing to obey you. (. -)

Tis is sometimes how we think, isnt it? We are so disappointed in ourselves,

so fed up with our sinning, we fear God will be done with us for good. We cantimagine why Hed want to stick with us for the long haul. But heres the truth: Godwill never, ever banish you from His presence, no matter what. No sin is too bigfor God. And He wont ever take His Holy Spirit away from you either, no matterhow terrible your transgression, no matter how far youve fallen from His way. Teday you first accepted Gods love was the day you received the Holy Spirit fromHim, and that was a gift with no strings attached. So take comfort; experience Hisever-present love. urn your face back to God, and let Him create a clean heart inyou.

Lord, thank You for the gifts of Your presence and Your Holy Spirit in me.

Tank you for Your forgiveness, for showering grace on me day after day after

day. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9Read: Ezekiel 36:25-30

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take outyour stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put mySpirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.(. -)

Te thing about living with and for God is that the process isnt always perfect.We still make mistakes. We still sin. A tender, responsive heart doesnt meana perfect, flawless heart. But it does mean that in the midst of our failings, werespond to God. We turn back to Him again and again, and He receives us inlove, again and again. Te key isnt the inevitability of our failure; the key, instead,is that Gods infinite grace gives us the opportunity to try again. In spite of ourshortcomings, our new and transformed hearts are open and willing, not distant

and removed, eager to connect with God and His people.Dear God, please continue to work Your transformative power in me. You

know when my heart turns stony again; You know when I am in need of

softening. Give me a tender heart so that I may turn back to You. Amen.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10Read: Ezekiel 47:1-12

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. Te leaves of these treeswill never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. Terewill be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from theemple. Te fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing. (. )

Te vision Ezekiel describes in these verses and in chapter as a whole is one ofhope, sustenance and provision. Te river is fresh and pure and teeming with fish.Te trees that line the banks never wither and always produce fruit. We mightread these lines and see a disparity between Ezekiels vision and our present,broken world, but the truth is, God offers this hope, sustenance and provision to

us, too, through His Word, through the Holy Spirit and through His Son, Jesus.Scripture refreshes and rejuvenates us, like the waters of this holy river. Te HolySpirit produces a never-ending supply of good fruit in usfruit that helps tosustain and nurture not only ourselves, but others. And Jesus heals us, breathinghope, solace and joy into our weary souls.

Lord, You have given me everything I need to survive and thrive, even in this

broken world. Your reserves are infinite. You sustain me with Your ever-

present love. Amen.

Fruit of Healing


14/25


FRIDAY, APRIL 11Read: Luke 6:17-26

Tey had come to hear him and be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evilspirits were healed. Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out fromhim, and he healed everyone. (. -)

Te people came to be healed of their physical ailments by Jesus touch thatday, but I suspect many of them were healed by His words as well. In the versesimmediately following these, Jesus turns toward the crowd and speaks what wenow know as the beatitudesa series of statements that turn the traditionalthinking of the day on its head. Blessed are the poor, the hungry, the grieving,the outcasts, he says, for the Kingdom of God is yours. What a healing balmthose words must have been to the suffering people who sat at His feet; what hopeJesus offered the wear y and downtrodden that day. Yes, Jesus performed miracles

of physical healing, but His words healed as well, and we hold those same words,those same promises, in our own hands today. Blessed areyouwho are poor,hungry, grieving, maligned. All hope is not lost. Read Jesus words and let themheal you.

Lord, I am weak; I am weary; I am hopeless and hurt. Breathe hope and solace

into me, Lord. Use Your Word to heal me. Amen.

SATURDAY, APRIL 12Read: John 9:1-41

While I am here in the world, I am the light of the world. Ten he spit on the ground,made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind mans eyes. He told him,Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam (Siloam means sent). So the man went andwashed and came back seeing! (. -)

Why the mud, we might wonder? Hes Jesus, after all. Couldnt he simply have laidHis clean hands over the mans eyes and healed him that way? Tis mud serves asan appropriate metaphor for our journey in faith. Sometimes our circumstances

look worse, at least on the surface of things, before they get better. Sometimeswe need to walk into an even deeper darkness, where our path is obscured andthe end-point is unclear, before we find our way again. Sometimes we even findourselves in the gritty, messy, muddy, underbelly of things before we are able towalk into the light. Jesus used mud on the blind mans eyes for a reason. Perhapsit was to tell us that cleansing, renewal and rebirth isnt always a neat, pretty andclean process. Sometimes cleansing, renewal and rebirth requires grit before weget to the glory.

Lord, Ill be honest: I dont love the gritty, muddy, messy part of rebirth and

renewal. But I trust You know which path is best for me, even when that path

includes some unsavory, mucky parts. Amen.

SUNDAY, APRIL 13Read: Psalm 30

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me upfrom the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord,all you godly ones! Praise his holy name! (. -)

Sometimes we take passages like these a little too literally. We read a verse like,I cried to you for help, and you restored my health, and we think, Myhealthisnt completely restored;Imnot completely curedwhy didnt God answer myprayer? We begin to doubt God, or feel like He has abandoned us because ourlives and circumstances dont seem to accurately reflect what we read in Scripture.

Te fact is, God might not cure all of our ills, even when we ask Him to. But whatHe will always do is give us hope, peace and even joy in the midst of the mostdifficult circumstances, ifwe let Him. Our faith in God keeps us from careening

into the pit of despair. Our faith in God keeps us steady, allowing us to walkforward in holy confidence knowing that no matter what the outcome, He willbewith us.

Tis is indeed reason for singing and holy praise because we know, as this psalmsays, that while weeping may last through the night, joy comes with the morning.(:) He will see us through.

Lord, sometimes my grief and suffering feel like more than I can bear.

Sometimes I doubt Your presence and wonder where You are amid the trials.

Tank you for this psalm today, Lorda reminder that You are always here,

working to restore me, lifting me up from the pit of despair and loving me.

Amen.


15/25


MONDAY, APRIL 14Read: John 15:1-26

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. Tis brings great gloryto my Father. I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.When you obey my commandments you remain in my love, just as I obey my Fatherscommandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will befilled with my joy. (. -)

Tese verses seem to imply that we earn Gods love by obeying Hiscommandments and doing good works, but a careful looks reveals a much moresophisticated interpretation. God loves us regardless of whether we obey His rulesor not. But, Jesus tell us, obeying God because we want to, out of love for Him,rather than because we feel obligated to, frees us from burden and allows us tolive truly and wholly in His love. Obedience does not lead to our love for God;love leads to a desire to obey. When we feel the pleasure of Gods love, the naturaloutcome is a desire to obey Him and please Him. Jesus reminds us that He tellsus these things so that we will be filled with His joynot the ephemeral joy thatcomes with worldlypursuits, but theunique, utterly filling,restful, satisfying joythat comes only fromloving Him.

Lord, so often I stray

from Your love and

go looking for joy

and contentment

elsewhere. Tank

You for reminding

me that only by

remaining in You

will I find the kindof joy that fills and

completes me.

Amen.

TUESDAY, APRIL 15Read: John 18:1-14

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the KidronValley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there withhis disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and someofficials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. Tey were carrying torches, lanternsand weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and askedthem, Who is it you want? Jesus of Nazareth, they replied. I am he, Jesus said.(. - )

As we near the end of this Lenten season we find ourselves back where we began:in a garden. But this is no paradisiacal Garden of Eden. Tis garden represents thestate of the world after the fall of man: a place of betrayal and evil, brokenness anddespair. Its easy for us to point an accusing finger at Judas, isnt it? Hewas the onewho betrayed Jesus, not me, we tell ourselves. But the hard truth is that we, too,live in this broken world, in this garden of betrayal and sin. We, too, betray Jesusnot once but many times as we turn away from Him again and again in sin. WhenJesus answered the soldiers demands with the declaration, I am he, he took thefirst step toward restoring us to the Father and redeeming our broken world.

Lord God, You sent Your Son not to a place of beauty, but to a place of

brokenness and despair, not to the Garden of Eden, but to the Garden of

Gethsemane. My rescue and restoration is made possible only by Your

beloved Sons sacrifice. He said I am He, and in those words took my sins

upon Himself. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16Read: Mark 14:12-26

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Ten he broke it in piecesand gave it to the disciples, saying, ake it, for this is my body. And he took a cup ofwine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. Andhe said to them, Tis is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and hispeople. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. I tell you the truth, I will not drink wineagain until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God. (. -)

Have you ever truly contemplated Jesus words in this scene from the Last Supper?ake it, my body, He tells his disciples, and us as well. Tat is literally what Jesusdid for us. He gave us His literal body. He allowed it to be beaten and abused.He succumbed to hour after hour of physical torture and an agonizing death ona cross so that we can live in freedom from sin and death. He literally pouredout His blood from gaping wounds on his head and torso so that we can live infreedom from sin and death. He gave us His body, handed it over without a fightand said, ake it, take me. I am all yours.

Jesus Lord, the magnitude of Your sacrifice for me is beyond my capacity to

comprehend. I feel unworthy and humbled by Your astonishing love. Amen.

Resurrection


16/25


MAUNDY THURSDAY, APRIL 17Read: Mark 14:32-42

He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.He told them, My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keepwatch with me. He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if itwere possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass by. Abba, Father, he cried out,everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I wantyour will to be done, not mine. (. -)

We love the notion of the incarnational JesusJesus as both God and manuntilwe read passages like this one. Suddenly the all-too-human side of Jesus is frontand center, and we squirm with discomfort as we witness His pain and sufferingup close. We dont necessarily like to witness Jesuss frailty, fear and grief becauseit too closely mirrors our own. And perhaps we prefer to think of Him as God,mighty and glorious, rather than as a human capable of suffering real agony anddistress, because we would rather not face our own role in Jesus pain and deathas well. Its tempting to skirt past the gruesome parts of the Gospels, but the hardtruth is that our redemption is only made possible by Jesus suffering. Jesus storyencompasses the whole story, the ugly and the beautiful.

Lord Jesus, thank You for enduring so much on my behalf. I dont like to think

about this part, about Your pain and suffering, but yet I know it is a necessary

part of Your whole story, a story meant to bring me to wholeness. Amen.

GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 18Read: Psalm 137:1-4 and John 19:16-18

Ten Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. Carryingthe cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).Tere they nailed him to the cross. wo others were crucified with him, one on eitherside, with Jesus between them. (. -)

We began our Lenten journey in the lush, verdant Garden of Eden, a beautiful

place teeming with life and hope, and as we walk toward our final destination thisHoly Week, we find ourselves here, at Golgotha. Unlike Eden, Golgotha is a barrenplacehot, dusty and dry, a wasteland, a place you wouldnt want to stay for long.If you Google images of Golgotha, youll see the place scholars hypothesize is thespot Jesus died. Youll see images of jagged, rocky cliffs dotted with scrubby shrubsand a few scraggly treesan ugly, empty place. Jesus died here, at the Place of theSkull, on a cross, a wooden tree of sorts. You might be tempted to call this treethe ree of Death; it seems to stand in direct opposition to Edens ree of Life. Buteven on this Good Friday, a day of darkness, barren emptiness and dread, we knowbetter. Te cross, Jesus ree of Death, is our ree of Life.

Lord Jesus, part of me wonders whywhy wasnt there a different way? Why

couldnt I have been given life without Your pain, without Your death? It

seems ugly and unfair and wrong. I dont have the answer to those questions.

And so I sit here quietly, on this grave day, trusting in the Fathers way. Amen.

SATURDAY, APRIL 19Read: John 19:28-42

aking Jesus body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. Tiswas in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified,there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laidJesus there. (. - )

When Jesus was born he was wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a mangerunder the watchful and loving eyes of his parents. Visitors traveled great distancesto celebrate and worship this new Savior and to present lavish gifts of spices,

gold and silver at His feet. Now, thirty-three years later, the description of Hisburial is eerily similar to that of His birth. Tis same Savior is wrapped in strips ofcloth once again and anointed with myrrh and aloe. But everything has changed.Te worshippers and revelers are gone. Te crowds of admirers have vanished.Jesus has been abandoned by all but a few. We tend to criticize the disciplesfor abandoning Jesus and their faith so readily. Yet so often, we do the same.When darkness descends, our faith falters, our hope wavers. Like so many of thedisciples, we run away from Jesus, deeper and deeper into darkness, instead oftoward Him, the source of all hope and light.

Lord, I shudder to think where I would have been the day of Your Sons

crucifixion. As much as I hate to admit it, I suspect I would have run away

in fear and hopelessness, too. Lord, strengthen my faith. Give me the hope

and courage required to stand in the darkness, and the faith to know that the

Light will always return again. Amen.


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EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 20Read: Revelation 22:1-5 and John 20:11-16

Ten the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing fromthe throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. Oneach side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh cropeach month. Te leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will therebe a curse on anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and hisservants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written ontheir foreheads. And there will be no night thereno need for lamps and sunfor theLord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (. :-)

As Christians we tend to focus on heaven. We like to think about what eternallife with God in a heavenly realm might be like, who we might meet there,how we might spend our time. Sometimes we even find ourselves yearning forthat heavenly peace and rest. We look to heaven as an escape from our presentdifficultiesa place and time when we will be free from pain, grief, lonelinessand suffering. No longer will there be a curse on anything, John prophecies inRevelation, and we admit that it all sounds rather lovely.

In focusing our sights on heaven, though, we miss an important part of Jesuscommand for us while we are here on Earth. Remember how Jesus instructed usto pray the Lords Prayer: Ty kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth,as it is inheaven. Jesus intended that His kingdom begin on this Earth, not only in heavenalone.

Te truth is, Jesus came down to Earth in human form and sacrificed Himself sothat we could live free from sin and death. Trough His love we are resurrectedwith Him, and we will spend eternal life with Him. As these verses fromRevelation predict, someday we will see God face-to-face; someday we will livefree of evil, despair and darkness. Nevertheless, this does not diminish the factthat each of us has an important role to play in bringing Gods kingdom to Earthwhile we are here. We cannot overlook the fact that we can and will see Godsface here on Earthperhaps not as clearly as we will in heaven, but here and nownonetheless, in the faces of our loved ones, our neighbors, the man on the street .

Our job is to seek Gods face right where we are and help bring His kingdom toEarth. Heaven begins right here, right now, with us.

oday I celebrate Your glory, Lord Jesus. oday I celebrate that You and You

alone have the power to free me from sin and death. oday I celebrate Your

love for me, a love so broad and so deep that nothing can ever diminish it.

And today I also thank You, Lord, for trusting me as Your servant. May I do

Your will in Your kingdom come on Earth. Amen.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER:

Curt Brinkmann lives, with his wife Renee, in a log home nearFirth. He is grateful for the blessings of family, friends andSouthwood Lutheran Church. He is a freelance photographerwho enjoys taking pictures of kids, bugs and sunsets.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Michelle DeRusha, author of this Lenten devotional booklet, hasbeen a member of Southwood Lutheran since . A transplantto Nebraska from Massachusetts, Michelle is married to BradJohnson and is mom to two energetic boys, Noah and Rowan.She writes a monthly column for theLincoln Journal Star, as wellas her blog, Graceful (.).

Bible verses (except where noted) come from the New Living Translation by Tyndale House Publishers Inc.


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Southwood Lutheran ChurchLincoln, Nebraska34 35Appendix #1: Lenten Family Devotions

Appendix #1: Lenten Family DevotionsLent is a good time to set aside time once a weekfor family devotions. As a way of remembering theseason and to make it a little more interesting, wesuggest you make a Lenten Devotional ree withyour family. In each weeks devotion, there will bean activity that asks you to add something to yourtree.

So to begin your devotional time, go outsidetogether and find a bare branch and use it just asit is or spray paint it a favorite color. Anchor it insomething (vase, can, ice cream bucket ) and fillit with dirt or gravel. Find a place in your home

where you can gather to do your weekly devotions,and put the tree there for the season.

WEEK ONE: CREATIONIn Genesis we learn that we were all created inGods image, yet when we look around, we all lookvery different. Which one of us looks like God?Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, your best friend orthe lady at the bank ?

Te Ldoesnt see things the way you see them. People judge by outwardappearance, but the Llooks at the heart. S :

Hmmm perhaps the image of God doesnt mean Gods outward appearance;perhaps the image of God is whether we look like God in our heart . Now whatdo you think God looks like? Lets each name one thing that we think God is like.

Examples:

God is like a chair because God will always support me.

God is like our dog , because he will always forgive me.

Each person should name at least one thing that reminds them of what God is like.You may have to help younger children, but once they understand the conceptthey may have several ideas!

After everyone has named at least one thing, each person should choose one ofthe images (or a different image that they come up with) and draw it on cardstock.Color the image and write why it reminds you of God on the back. Poke a hole inthe top, string a piece of thread through it and hang your images on the tree.

Pray this prayer or one of your own:Tank you God for making us in your image. Help us to know you better

each day so that we can become more and more like you. Amen.

WEEK TWO: STREAMS OF MERCY What are some things we need to stay alive?

What are some of your favorite foods?

Do you think God has a favorite food?

What would God like for breakfast?

Do you have a lunch box? Or perhaps you take your lunch in a paper bag?

If God had a lunch box, what do you think he would take in it?

I wonder if God really does eat dinner?

Get an apple or another piece of natural food (fruit, celery, carrot, peanuts ) andtake a bite of it. Say something like Tis juicy apple is one of the things God hasprovided. Its sweet and crunchya wonderful gift from God. We can eat it as it is,or we can use it to make other foods. What else can we make with apples?

Do you think God likes to eat apples? We dont really know, do we? God doesntneed food, water, or shelter because he is Spirit. But God knows that we needthings like food, shelter, water, and love. God not only provided all these things forus, but he has made us a promise.

God will meet all your needs according to the r iches of his glory in Christ Jesus.P : ()

Next time you eat an apple (grape, orange, celery, banana, nut ) remember tothank God for all hes given you.

Find a picture of your favorite food in a magazine or draw it on cardstock. Writethe Bible verse from Philippians on the back and hang it on your tree.

Pray this prayer or one of your own:God, we thank you today for all the wonderful gifts youve given us, such

as food, shelter, and each other. Most of all, we thank you for you. Help us

to remember to thank you each day for the many blessings youve given

us. In Jesus name, Amen.

WEEK THREE: TREE OF LIFEBring a cover such as a blanket or sheet.

Lets see if we can hide from God. Ive brought something I think might help us dothat. (Get underneath the cover with the kids.)

Have we hidden from God? Can God see us under here? Why or why not?

We cant hide from God; he can see us anywhere we go or anywhere we hide.

Remove the cover and read Genesis :-.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they tried to hide themselves from God.Have you ever done anything bad and then tried to hide? Do you think God wants


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us to hide from him when we do something wrong? What does God want us to dowhen we do something wrong?

God knows when we do something wrong, but he wants us to talk to him about itand not hide. God doesnt want to punish us. God wants to forgive us and help uschange. When we talk to God in prayer and dont hide, God can help us grow tobe stronger Christians.

Hang a symbol for forgiveness on your tree (key, dove, peace sign, cross ).

Pray this prayer or one of your own:Tank you, God, for knowing everything about us. Help us talk to you

when we do something wrong so you can forgive us. Amen.

WEEK FOUR: ROOT OF WISDOMLets look at our Lenten ree.

Whats underneath the ground that supports trees? (roots) What role do rootsplay in helping the tree grow? (Tey help bring water and nutrients to the tree;they also help support the tree so it wont fall over.)

What does your body need to support it; to help it grow? (healthy food, exercise,rest)

What does your mind need to help it grow? (learning new things, practicing themso you develop skills and get experience)

It takes commitment and discipline to eat a good diet , get the exercise we needand continue to learn and develop new skills. But when we do these things, ourbody and our mind are much healthier!

A healthy tree produces good fruit. What fruit do we produce when our body andmind are healthy? (We are stronger, can be more active, feel better physically, feelbetter mentally )

Just like it takes commitment and discipline to eat right, exercise and develop ourmind, it takes commitment and discipline to grow in our relationship with God.What are some ways to grow in your relationship with God? (Going to church andSunday School; talking to God, reading the Bible, talking to others about Jesus . . .)

A healthy spiritual life also produces good fruit. What kind of fruit will weproduce if we love God? Read:

But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. G : ()

Draw some fruit on cardstock and write some of the words in the above scriptureon the back of them and hang them on your tree.

Pray this prayer or one of your own:Tank you God for our amazing bodies and minds. Tank you for wanting

to be in relationship with us. Help us grow a healthy relationship with

you by putting you first when we make choices about how to use our time.

Amen.

WEEK FIVE: BRANCH OF PEACEAsk your kids to use facial expressions and hand gestures to show you whatstressed out looks like. Have them take turns acting out a few other emotionsas others guess what is being acted out. Ten ask them to show you what perfectpeace looks like.

Tere are many things that can cause us to worry, but God doesnt want us to beanxious about anything! Isaiah 26:3 says that when we keep our minds focused onGod, we can have perfect peace no matter what else may be going on. What eventsare going on in your life that would be less stressful if you put them in Gods handsand stopped worrying about them?

Cut out a circle and draw a happy face on one side and a worried face on the otherside. Ten put an X across the worried face and write the scripture reference onthe happy face side.

You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you.I : ()

Hang it on your tree.

Pray this prayer or one of your own:Tank you God for the peace you provide even in the most difficult times.

Help us trust in you so that we can know true peace. Amen.

WEEK SIX: FRUIT OF HEALINGUse books or pieces of cardboard to create a stepping-stone path from one sideof your living room to the other. Add small challenges along the way, perhaps achair to climb over or a narrow balance beam made of masking tape. As you

work, talk about the things in life that can hurt us either physically or emotionally.Some examples are: when you are sick or someone you care about is sick, whensomeone makes fun of you, when you get in a fight with a fr iend, when someoneyou love dies (including pets!), having your parents divorce think of what mightapply to your child.

Now place a blindfold over your childs eyes. Explain that often we cant see how toget through the obstacles in our lives. Sometimes our difficulties arent somethingwe can solve by ourselves. Where do we look for help and healing?

ake your childs hand and guide them along the path. Explain that we can face thechallenges of life because we know that God is with us. God helps us by listeningto us and helping our hearts to heal through friends and family members whocomfort us and help us feel better, and through others in our community who aretrained to help us heal (teachers, doctors , pastors).


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Southwood Lutheran ChurchLincoln, Nebraska38 39Appendix #2: Small Group Questions

God can work through us too when we help others. When we try to understandhow people feel, we can help them. Tats what Jesus did. He helped others byhealing the sick, feeding the hungry and loving those that were sad or needed afriend. We can do the same thing.

Draw a heart on cardstock and write heal on one side and help on the other. Hangit on your Lenten ree.

Pray this prayer or one of your own:Tank you God for sending Jesus to show us that you will provide what we

need to heal us; to help us when we have problems. We pray that we will

trust you to heal us when we are hurting and show us how to help others

when they are hurting. Amen.

WEEK SEVEN: RESURRECTIONRemember, this week there is worship on Maundy Tursday (April ) andGood Friday (April ) at : .. On Good Friday, remember to strip yourtreetake everything off of it as you remember the death of Jesus. Tenon Easter Sunday, April , decorate your tree with flowers and leaves andremember the hope of new life we have in Jesus.

Pass around a closed pine cone. Ask everyone to describe if it feels dead or aliveand why. Set the pine cone on a table and discuss what would happen to it if itwere left there and never planted.

Ask everyone to guess how many seeds are in a pine cone. Pine cones can produce seeds! When someone puts one pine cone seed in the ground, it canproduce a new tree. Tis tree makes many seeds that are like the one that wasplanted.

In a similar way, Jesus was buried, then God created new life through Him.Because of Jesus resurrection, we know that anyone in the world can have new lifethrough Jesus and can become more like Him.

Look around the room and outside. What do you see that came from a seed thatwas planted?

Can other people see the life of Christ in you? How?

If Jesus is the tree of life and you are a seed from that tree that has been planted, inwhat ways are you like Jesus?

Hang a pine cone on your tree to remind you of how many lives can be changedfrom one seed.

Pray this prayer or one of your own:Living God, help us grow into trees that will produce many seeds of faith.

Amen.

Appendix #2: Small Group Questions

WEEK ONE: CREATION

Get Started:

alk about one trait (a physical feature, personality attribute, hobby or careerpath, etc.) that you have inherited from one of your parents.

Tink about a moment when youve felt most alive, most joyful, or when youfeel like you are doing that thing you were born to dowhat are you doing?

Catching up:

Tis weeks theme was creation. God created each one of us and breathedlife into us. What new thought or question did you have during this weeksdevotion?

What did Ash Wednesday mean to you this year? God created us and yet ourbodies will return to the earth once again one day. Does this give you renewedhope in a God whose light shines even in our human darkness?

In Saturdays devotion (page ) Michelle says this: Sometimes, as we wrestle

for control in our lives, we forget the God-established order; we forget that weare the created, the clay, while God is the Creator, the potter. While its hard to

surrender, to relinquish control, theres also great freedom in thisWhat needssurrendering in your life? How does this offer freedom?

Bible Study:

Read Corinthians :- together.

What does it mean to regard someone from a worldly point of view? How isthis connected to Genesis :-? (see Tursdays devotion on page )

Paul says you are a new creation in Christ. What does this mean to you?How have you been made new?

As the new creation of Christ we are given a ministry of reconciliation.What does this look like? Share a story from your life of reconciliation, a timewhen you experienced healing, peace, forgiveness, or new life in Christ.


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Southwood Lutheran ChurchLincoln, Nebraska40 41Appendix #2: Small Group Questions

Refect:

What evidence is there in your life that you were created in the image of God?

What characteristics or traits do you hope to pass on to your children orgrandchildren or nieces or nephews or anyone in your circle of influence?

Where is reconciliation needed?

Pray:

Offer a prayer in thanksgiving for the work of God in creating the earth andcreating human life.

Ask for group members to lift up their own prayer concerns for self, family,friends or the world.

Pray that God would use the members of your group as His ambassadors forreconciliation and new life.

WEEK TWO: STREAMS OF MERCY

Get Started:

Tink of a time when you sat in awe of Gods creation. Where were you? Whowere you with? What were you doing?

Which situation would cause you the most worry: Overdrawn at the bank?Gained pounds? Son doesnt make the team? Nobody called all weekend?Mother-in-law stays two weeks? Business goes belly up?

Catching up:

In uesdays devotion (page ) we read:He offers spiritual sustenance whenour reserves run dry He sustains us when we thirst; He breathes life into ourdry, desiccated spirit.When have you experienced such sustenance?

Read the quote in Wednesdays devotion by Pandita Ramabai. How is Godusing you or your small group to add hope, comfort or compassion to ourworld?

Go back to Tursdays devotion (page ) where it said: Tink back for amoment to a difficult time in your pasta time of hardship, fear, sorrow or

suffering. Circumstances may not have turned out as you had wished or evenas you had prayed they would, but through it all, did God abandon you? Did

He leave you alone to flounder hopeless and lost?How did you answer thosequestions?

Bible Study:

Read Luke :- together.

How do these verses about worr y relate to our theme for the week of Godsabundance of nourishment and mercy? What does Jesus tell his disciples notto do? (verses , , ) Why?

In contrast, what does Jesus tell his disciples to do? (verses , , ) Why?What will result?

What does Jesus mean when he says it is your Fathers good pleasure to giveyou the kingdom?

What other passages have you found that offer you the hope that God doesprovide, sustain and nurture his children?

Refect:

One a scale from to ( = no sweat and = panic), what is the worryquotient in your life right now? Why?

Where are you finding nourishment? How could you ask your group membersto support you?

Pray:

Offer a prayer in thanksgiving of a God who so generously provides for us.

Ask for group members to lift up their own prayer concerns for self, family,

friends or the world. Make a list of people who are in need. Lift them up in prayer, asking for God

to sustain them through the difficulty. Ask God how He might use you or yourgroup members to offer Godly nourishment.

WEEK THREE: TREE OF LIFE

Get Started:

Who laid down the law in your home when you were growing up

2014 lent devo booklet

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