1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

2015 LENTEN
DEVOTIONAL
For to me, to live
is Christ and to
die is gain.
Phil. 1:21
Lent
Knowing Jesus Better:
Lenten Devotional
Mark D. Roberts
with leaders and writers associated
with Foundations for Laity Renewal
This work was originally written for 2013 by the
authors listed on pages 52-53 for The High Calling
and Foundations for Laity Renewal.
www.TheHighCalling.org
Dates modified and Reprinted with permission.
Copyrighted material ©2013 Mark D.
Roberts
Introduction
Knowing Jesus Better
Introduction
What is Lent?
Growing up as a Protestant Christian, I experienced Lent as little more than a joke. “What
are you giving up for Lent?” my friends would ask. “Homework,” I’d say with a smirk, or
“Obeying my parents.” Lent was one of those things that my Catholic friends had to worry
about—another great reason to be Protestant, I figured. It never even occurred to me that
Lent was something I might actually be interested in or benefit from or decide to keep or
come to value as a way of getting to know God better.
In the last fifteen years, I’ve learned that Lent is in fact recognized by millions of Protestant
Christians, in addition to Catholic and Orthodox believers. Personally, I’ve discovered that
observing Lent helps me grow in my relationship with God. It prepares me for a deeper
experience of Christ’s death on Good Friday and also for a more joyful celebration of his
resurrection on Easter.
If you’re not very familiar with Lent, let me explain a few basics of what Lent is and what
Lent is not.
Lent is:
• A six-week season in the Christian year prior to Easter. Officially, Lent comprises the 40
days before Easter, not counting the Sundays, or 46 days in total. The word “Lent” comes
from the Middle English word for “spring” because of when it falls on the secular calendar.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter).
• A time for spiritual growth. In the ancient church, Lent was a season for new Christians to
be instructed for baptism and for believers caught in sin to focus on repentance. In time,
all Christians came to see Lent as a time to be reminded of their need for forgiveness and
to prepare spiritually for Easter.
• A time to give something up, to add something new, or both. During Lent, many Christians
choose to give up something they enjoy in order to focus more on God. This is called
the Lenten fast. Others add a spiritual discipline (like a special Bible study or feeding the
hungry at a food shelter). Of course, some folks choose to give something up and to add
something new.
• A time of preparation. In Lent, we prepare for a deeper experience of God’s grace through
the cross. We also ready our hearts for a more jubilant celebration of the resurrection and
its promise of new life.
Lent is not:
• A biblical requirement. Christians are free to observe it or not, as they feel led by the Spirit
and according to the practices of their particular family and church.
• A way to earn more of God’s love and grace. God already loves us more than we can
imagine. His grace is given freely without regard to what we do. That’s the definition of
grace. So, we must not think of Lent as a time to earn what has already been given to us
in abundance. Rather, it is an opportunity to open our hearts to receive more of God’s
grace, to grow in God’s love for us, and to share his grace and love with others. Beyond
being a time to give up something, Lent is a time to give more of ourselves to God in
response to his giving of himself to us in Christ.
2
Lenten Devotional
How to Use This Lenten Devotional
This Lenten devotional has been prepared by leaders and writers associated with
Foundations for Laity Renewal (including Laity Lodge, Laity Lodge Youth Camp, Laity
Lodge Family Camp, Foundation Free Camps, Outdoor Education, and The High Calling).
Our common purpose is to help you grow in your relationship with God during the season
of Lent.
For each day of Lent, we have written a daily devotional that is based on a passage of
Scripture. We have suggested questions for reflection and offered a model prayer. Of
course, you are free to follow the Spirit’s leading in your reflections and prayers.
This devotional is meant for individuals, families, and small groups. You might want to use
it for your personal devotions or for family worship or as a prayer guide in a small group.
No matter the context, we hope that you will encounter God through the power of his Word
and the presence of his Spirit.
The Theme of This Devotional
This devotional includes 46 reflections, one for each day in Lent, plus a special P.S. for
Easter. Though our writers and I have shared from our unique perspectives, we have all
sought to express a common theme: Knowing Jesus Better. Some of the daily entries focus
on the parables of Jesus. Others explore the events of his last week. Several reflections are
based on Old Testament prophecies or New Testament texts that reveal the meaning of
Jesus. Through the diverse voices of our writers and the diverse passages of Scripture, we
seek to lead you into a deeper, truer, and more vital relationship with Jesus Christ.
Seven hundred years ago, a man living in a small village in southern England offered
a simple, heartfelt prayer. This prayer has inspired millions of people throughout the
centuries, not to mention a popular Broadway musical (Godspell). As we seek to know
Jesus better in the season of Lent, I can think of no better prayer to inspire us than that of
St. Richard of Chichester:
Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits Thou hast given me, for all the
pains and insults which Thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and
Brother, may I know Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly,
day by day. Amen.
Mark Roberts
Senior Adviser Theologian-in-Residence
Foundations for Laity Renewal
3
Day 1
Knowing Jesus Better
February 18, 2015
Ash Wednesday and the Compassion of
God Read Psalm 103
The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him
For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Psalm 103:13-14
It was March 3, 1976. As I entered the freshman dining hall of my college, I noticed that the
women who served in the cafeteria line all had peculiar black smudges on their foreheads. I
thought to myself, “How bizarre!” Then it dawned on me that these women were observing
Ash Wednesday. Growing up in Protestant suburbia, I had never seen such a thing before.
Little did I imagine that in twenty years, not only would I be wearing a black smudge
on my forehead, but also I would be imposing ashes on the foreheads of my Protestant
congregation as we observed Ash Wednesday together. On the wrinkled foreheads of the
elderly and the tender foreheads of babies, I would place ashes in the form of a cross and
say, “From dust you have come, to dust you will return.”
You might recognize this line as a paraphrase of Genesis 3:19. When I said it to the folks
in my church, I was reminding them of their neediness and frailty as human beings, not to
mention their mortality. When someone tells you, “To dust you will return,” this literally
means, “You will die.” Not exactly a reason to rejoice, is it?
For this reason, Ash Wednesday services are sober in tone. But this sobriety must not
neglect the overarching grace of God. We were created from dust, indeed, by the loving
hand of God. Our eventual return to dust does not erase this love.
For now, we begin Lent with a solemn reminder of our “dustiness,” and therefore our great
need for the One who sees that we are dust and has compassion upon us. Remember, as
you journey through Lent, the God who knows you completely and loves you extravagantly
is always with you.
Questions for Reflection
• What have been your experiences (if any) of Ash Wednesday? Do you ever think of
your own mortality? How does this make you feel? How do you respond to the tender
compassion of God for you?
Prayer
Gracious God, on this Ash Wednesday, I remember that I have come from dust, and to
dust I will return. I am weak, Lord, so needy of your strength and salvation.
How thankful I am that, as you see my weakness and remember my dustiness, you
feel compassion toward me. You do not reject me, but rather reach out to me in love.
Ultimately, your care for me in my dusty sinfulness will lead you to bear my sin upon the
cross. Today, let me consider just how much I need you to be my Savior. Help me use this
season of the year to draw near to you, to recommit myself to you, and to ready my heart
to receive the Good News that is coming.
All praise be to you, compassionate, gracious, loving God. Amen.
Mark Roberts, Foundations for Laity Renewal
4
February 19, 2015 You
Will Not Abandon Me
Read Psalm 16
“You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your
right hand are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11
Day 2
Lenten Devotional
During a college choir rehearsal, I noticed a friend with a dark smudge on her forehead. I
puzzled over it, thinking that maybe she had been the victim of a dormitory prank. Then,
she remarked to one of our other friends that she had been to an Ash Wednesday service at
her church and would be giving up soft drinks until Easter Sunday.
That was my first introduction to Lent. I had been a Christian since the age of seven, but
I didn’t grow up in a church which observed Lent, Advent, or Epiphany. However, I was
encouraged by my friend’s devotion, strange though it seemed.
Years later, as a young mom, I suffered from depression and anxiety. During that time, a
church member invited me to participate in a weekend retreat. The weekend was filled with
music, testimonies, and several observances of Holy Communion. God used that time to
begin a deep healing in my life and to show me I am never alone. He also opened my eyes
to the beauty and mystery in both Eucharist and the fellowship of believers. Following that
retreat, I visited other Bible-centered denominations and types of services, and I discovered
the richness of liturgy and tradition.
Since then, I’ve settled back into the denomination of my youth. I’ve learned that just as
there is no perfect person, there is no perfect church. However, I haven’t forgotten the
lessons I learned by visiting other places.
As Psalm 16 says, He has faithfully shown me the path of life. By becoming more aware of
how other believers live out their faith, I’ve found a fullness of joy I never thought possible.
Learning about and adding in traditions from my fellow Christians has enriched my spiritual
life. And someday, in heaven, I look forward to worshipping Jesus, without any of us
worrying about which church we belong to. There, the Church, falling at his right hand in
praise and gratitude, will give him—and us—pleasure forevermore.
Questions for Reflection
• What is your favorite church tradition? Why? How has God used other believers to
encourage you in your faith? Think of your path to full belief in—and commitment to—
Jesus Christ. Has God led you in a straight line, a circle, or some other shape?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the fellowship of Christ-believers, all over the world, who worship you
in many different languages, denominations, and time zones. Never let us forget, Lord,
that while our methods may be different, we serve the same Jesus. Instead of us fighting
and debating, give us the courage and power to stand together and proclaim you as the
one true God, who loved us too much to leave us in our sin and who came to earth as a
baby so that we could become your children. Amen.
Dena Dyer, The High Calling
5
Day 3
Knowing Jesus Better
February 20, 2015
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Read Matthew 18:21-35
“Then Peter came and said to [Jesus], ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against
me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven
times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’” Matthew 18:21-35
Peter sounds like that eager student hoping—and expecting—to gain approval from the
teacher. Peter assumes that all of the other people would only be willing to forgive once
or twice. After all, we don’t want to be a doormat and let people take advantage of us. So
when Peter asks, “as many as seven times?”, he is expecting Jesus to pat him on the head
and compliment him on his generosity of spirit. Picture Peter’s face when Jesus tells him
that seven times isn’t anywhere near sufficient—it is more like seventy-seven times. He is
crestfallen. Seventy-seven?
It is easy to miss the depth of Jesus’ response if we focus on the numbers. Peter was
thinking that getting to seven would be hard, but eight would be too many. In response,
Jesus tells Peter he isn’t even close. But Jesus isn’t really saying that when you get to time
seventy-eight, you then have permission to be unforgiving. Rather, Jesus tells Peter that if
you understand the depth of God’s forgiving love, and respond with forgiveness, you will
no longer be counting how many times you need to forgive. Forgiveness for a Christian is
a way of life rather than merely an occasional event. It reshapes our thoughts, our actions,
and our emotions.
After answering Peter, Jesus then proceeds to tell a parable about an unforgiving servant—
someone who receives forgiveness for an extraordinary debt only to then go out and hold
someone else accountable for a much smaller debt. The parable is straightforward to
understand, yet hard to embody. Given what God has done for us through the life, death,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ, forgiving us of all of our sin, it would be inconceivable
for us not to forgive our brother or our sister from our heart for much smaller sins. Yet
in practice, it happens all of the time—perhaps because we haven’t really absorbed the
extravagance of God’s forgiving love, and because people do habitually continue to sin
against us (and we against them). Yet, even when it is challenging in specific circumstances,
we are called as Christians to make forgiveness our way of life, for all of our life.
Questions for Reflection
• What obstacles do you experience in accepting the fullness of God’s forgiving love
in Jesus Christ? How are thoughts, actions, and feelings interrelated in receiving or
offering forgiveness?
• Describe a situation where someone forgave you quite unexpectedly. How does that
description help us learn what it means to forgive others?
Prayer
Dear God, we thank you for the extravagance of your forgiving love revealed in Jesus
Christ. We ask your forgiveness for those times and relationships where we have failed to
be forgiving people. Empower us through your Holy Spirit to make forgiveness our way of
life, beginning today. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
L. Gregory Jones, Laity Lodge Leadership Initiative
6
February 21, 2015
Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
Read Matthew 20:1-16
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious
because I am generous? Matthew 20:15
The people who lived and traveled with Jesus must have been in a state of constant
confusion. That guy was so unpredictable. He was a respected religious leader, but he was
born in a barn. He held himself and his followers to strict codes of moral conduct, but he
was infamous for eating with prostitutes and drunkards. He said that rich people would
have a harder time entering the Kingdom of Heaven than a camel passing through the eye
of a needle, but he once let a rich woman bathe his feet in $20,000 worth of fancy perfume.
Day 4
Lenten Devotional
I mean, you never knew what Jesus was going to do or say next. And that’s why today’s
Lenten passage is perfect. Only Jesus would tell a story about an employer who pays
everyone the same wage at the end of the day, regardless of how long or hard they worked.
You get how ridiculous that is, right? You can’t pay everyone the same wage. Workers
would riot. There would be no incentives for people to get up early and work hard. The
economy would fall apart. It just won’t work. Economically speaking, practically speaking,
it’s just not realistic.
Be careful now. We may tend toward quickly dismissing the economics of this parable in
favor of symbolic, spiritual meanings. Sometimes that’s the right move to make, but tread
lightly here. Before you run away from the economy of this parable, I want you to consider
something profound.
A denarius was the minimum daily wage that a worker in Jesus’ day needed to survive. So
in the story, the employer simply couldn’t bear the idea of paying his workers less than a
living wage.
Consider that for a moment. What would it be like to work for someone who valued your
good work, but also cared about how you and your family were living?
The ironic moment of truth is when those who complain at the end of the day are sent away
from the employer’s presence. Their penalty is that they don’t get to work for him anymore.
And isn’t this employer the guy EVERYONE wants to work for?
Questions for Reflection
• If—as seems likely—Jesus is using the employer as a metaphor for God, how does this
story teach grace?
• Where do you see yourself in the story? Are you one of the workers who put in a long day
and felt unappreciated? Or are you one of the latecomers who didn’t work a whole day
but has received a full day’s wage?
• What lessons can we learn from the mindset of this employer?
Prayer
Lord, your generosity is really too much for me to comprehend. Your ideas of “fairness”
aren’t the same as mine. Help me to slow down and pay attention to the way you do
things. Thank you for always extending compassion. Amen.
Gordon Atkinson, The High Calling
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First Sunday
Knowing Jesus Better
February 22, 2015
Parable of the Ten Virgins
Read Matthew 25:1-13
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who
were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.”
Matthew 25:10
When I go to the bank around the corner, the service is consistently terrible. It doesn’t
matter if I park my car and go into the lobby, drive my car to the drive-up window, or use
the ATM. “Slow” is the name of the game at this establishment. It is never a surprise to me.
The other day, however, I decided to “swing by” that very same bank to quickly deposit a
check. Learning the ATM was out of order, I pulled in line behind the other drivers waiting for
their turn at the drive-up window. After waiting fifteen minutes, with one minute left before
I’d be late for an appointment across the street, my eye caught sight of my car’s fuel gauge.
One bar.
On a good day, one bar would take me twenty miles down the road, but I had no idea how
long I could sit in line at the bank on one bar of gas. By now, the lines beside me and the
line behind me had grown to a point where I had no choice but to wait.
Regardless of the service at this bank, the failure to plan was all mine.
For years I’ve wondered at the meaning of those ten virgins and their oil lamps. But as I
turned the key in the ignition to silence the engine, sent a text that I’d be late, and settled in
for the wait, it was this parable that came to mind.
Lent is an invitation to a season of preparation. After the stretch of Ordinary Time following
Epiphany, I sense a shift with the late winter thaw and the song of the cardinal above my
head. All of the signs are there, and when Easter arrives, it won’t be a surprise to me.
But, if left to my own devices, I’ll miss the opportunity for filling, and for marking time, and I
will arrive at the resurrection disheveled and breathless, an empty fuel can in my hand.
Questions for Reflection
• What hints does nature give you that Easter is not far away? How do these hints remind
you of the resurrection of Christ? What can you do today to prepare for the new life Jesus
offers?
Prayer
God, sometimes I miss the hints you give, and I show up with an empty fuel can in my
hand. Sometimes that empty can is my one and only offering. Forgive me when I miss the
invitation to prepare. Thank you for filling me with your love, covering me with your grace,
and guiding me with your hope. Amen.
Deidra Riggs, The High Calling
8
February 23, 2015
Parable of the Talents
Read Matthew 25:14-30
“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have
an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken
away.” Matthew 25:29
Day 5
Lenten Devotional
The first few times I read Jesus’ Parable of the Three Servants, I missed the point entirely.
“So the third servant buried his silver in the ground for safekeeping. What’s so terrible
about that?” I reasoned. I concluded that he was unfairly punished simply for proceeding
more cautiously than the other two servants, who had invested their money to earn the
master even more.
More recently, though, I’ve come to understand this parable not simply as a story about
money, but more broadly as a lesson about how God expects us to use our gifts to grow his
kingdom on Earth.
It’s often easy to look at others—the musician, teacher, artist, doctor, minister, missionary—
and clearly see their gifts. We assume they have something to offer God; we assume their
skills are useful for growing his kingdom on Earth. But what about the rest of us? What
about office managers and stay-at-home moms, accountants, waiters, and engineers? What
do we ordinary people have to offer?
The truth is, God gives each one of us gifts, though some might not be as obvious as
others. Ask yourself this: what fuels my passion? What is it that I love to do and do well?
The answer to that question may very well point to your God-given gifts.
The key, of course, is to recognize your gifts and use them for the good of others. Don’t play
it safe, Jesus tells us in this parable. Don’t hide your gifts; don’t bury them, like the fearful
third servant did, where they can’t impact anyone else. And don’t squander them either, but
instead, invest them in growing the kingdom of God.
Questions for Reflection
• What gifts has God given you? Do you ever hide these gifts out of fear or an
unwillingness to share? What might it look like for you to share your gifts with abandon?
Prayer
Lord, sometimes I am selfish and afraid, unwilling to share the gifts you have so
generously bestowed on me. I list excuses for why I can’t or won’t use what I have been
given. I know this grieves you. I know you want me to lavish my gifts on others, yet still, I
often refuse.
Lord, I am grateful for the gifts you have personally chosen for me. Please give me the
courage and strength to invest my gifts to grow your kingdom as you so desire. I yearn
to be like the first and second servants in this story—eager to use well what I have been
given. Amen.
Michelle DeRusha, Contributor
9
Day 6
Knowing Jesus Better
February 24, 2015
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Read Luke 10:25-37
But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt
compassion... Luke 10:33
I often read the story of the Good Samaritan imagining that one day I will display the kind of
heroic behavior the Samaritan displays. Surely when the time arrives, I will willingly extend
a hand and condescend myself to scoop someone out of a ditch. Yet, the actual story of the
Good Samaritan does not contain any clear heroes or dramatic rewards for good deeds.
Even the villains, the Levite and the priest, do not commit acts of profane violence. They
make split-second decisions: to walk on the other side of the street, to avert their eyes. This
act of overlooking, ignoring, or passing those who lie before us in need is an act we have all
committed. The Samaritan, in contrast, simply chooses to look, to notice, to draw near, and
to respond.
One drawing by Rembrandt depicts the moment when the Samaritan approaches the door
of the inn to exchange money with the innkeeper. Yet, this moment is somewhat obscured
rather than featured in the drawing. Instead, the eye is drawn to a dog taking care of his
“business” in the middle of the road. In this image, there is the sense that neighborly acts
of mercy occur in the muck and mire of life, where things are dirty and devoid of glory.
To Jesus’ audience, the Samaritan is heretical and corrupt, about as unclean as the bleeding
man in the ditch. Yet, it is the unclean Samaritan who cleans and restores the wounded
man. How do we admit the depth of our need so that we allow those we would prefer
remain at arm’s length to come and rescue us? What if our rescuers arrive in the form
of our enemies? Or as someone we distrust, hate, stereotype, or toward whom we feel
prejudiced? Someone who doesn’t speak the same language or worship the same God?
Will we let these strangers bind our wounds?
Perhaps this parable teaches that the most neighborly thing we can do is submit ourselves
to one another.
Questions for Reflection
• From whom do you find it most difficult to accept help? When is it most difficult for you
to admit weakness or vulnerability or to ask for help?
Prayer
In the words of St. Francis: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where
there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine
Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood,
as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning
that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.
Laura Sorrell, Contributor
10
February 25, 2015
Parable of the Rich Fool
Read Luke 12:13-21
“But God said to him ‘you fool,’ This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then
who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with whoever
stores up things for themselves, but is not rich towards God.” Luke 12:20, 21
Day 7
Lenten Devotional
You may recall waking up the morning of December 26, 2004, and learning about the
earthquakes triggering the powerful tsunami that swept the coastal areas of Indonesia and
Sri Lanka. Many were stunned by the widespread devastation and desperate people. Many
Americans were overwhelmed, feeling for a distant people yet unsure how to respond.
Others acted quickly. Our daughter, Alexandra, was one of those. Her empathy for others
took control, and she acted.
Realizing she and her friends had just received an abundance of Christmas gifts, Alexandra
asked if we could have a garage sale and give all the money to the orphaned children in Sri
Lanka. Soon, flyers covered the neighborhood; people began bringing used toys, clothes
and appliances to our house.
On the day of the sale, a neighbor brought a huge bottle, partially full of coins and
challenged shoppers to fill the bottle to bolster profits. With enthusiasm, Alexandra
suggested I add my gallon jug of change tucked away safely in my closet. When I hesitated,
Alexandra looked up at me and said, “Dad, I think those little kids that can’t find their
parents need that money more than you!”
Here I was storing up coins for no real purpose, needing my daughter to lead me to a
greater cause. I emptied my jug into the large community bottle. I recall the community
bottle added $1,800 to the total of over $9,000 raised that day for the children of Sri Lanka.
I learned from Alexandra what Jesus was sharing in the parable of the rich fool… storing
surplus for ourselves, whether big or small, is not what God intends for us to do with
our treasures.
Questions for Reflection
• How do you respond when you hear of tragedy or disaster? What are the treasures in your
life that you are storing for personal gain that could be used better for God’s purposes?
What might you do with your gallon jug of coins?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, why is it that I can be so selfish when there is so much pain and
opportunity all around me to do for others? Help me to let go of the treasures you have
given me—whether my time, money, or talents—to seek first your purposes. Thank you,
too, that I can learn your will, not only through scripture but through the wisdom of my
own children. All blessings flow from you. Amen.
David Rogers, Foundations for Laity Renewal
11
Day 8
Knowing Jesus Better
February 26, 2015
Parable of the Great Banquet
Read Luke 14:15-24
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At
the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for
everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses…
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house
became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the
town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” Luke 14:16-18, 21
For whatever reason, I always thought about this parable as it related to the generous
master and those ungrateful invited guests. I have recently discovered, however, the rich
imagery of Jesus’ message by looking at the story through the eyes of “the poor, the
crippled, the blind, and the lame.” The big surprise of the story is not that the invited guests
bailed, but that the people most unlikely to be invited got to come.
Put yourself in the story for a minute. Imagine you are a poor beggar on a cold night,
outside the gates of a lavish mansion. With warm light in the windows and delicious smells
occasionally in the wind, the party inside is a world apart. Now, imagine your disbelief and
shock when a servant of the host comes to you and says, “Stand up, come inside.” Staring,
jaw dropped, you stammer “Me?” “Yes, he wants you.” You are brought inside, tenderly
cared for, cleaned, and fitted with new clothes. Led to the front table, you are seated next
to the master and presented with the best offerings of the feast. A little later, the master
announces to the guests that he is adopting you into his very own family.
When seen from this perspective, the story becomes a beautiful metaphor of our
relationship with God. In a spiritual sense, we are the poor and needy astonishingly invited
to a lavish banquet. God brings us from a place of deep need into his house, even into his
very own family. This is the core of the gospel message.
Questions for Reflection
• Who would be more grateful to the master? The original invited guests or the ones pulled
from the alleys and streets? Why? What are some things you could do to make this
season a reminder of the blessing of God’s remarkable invitation?
Prayer
Lord, we are grateful for our salvation today. Don’t let complacency or comfort dull our
gratitude for the amazing love you demonstrated through the death and resurrection of
Jesus. Help us avoid ingratitude. Help us understand that we are the poor and needy that
you have chosen for the life-giving banquet. Amen.
Trey Tull, Laity Lodge Youth Camp
12
February 27, 2015
Parable of the Prodigal
Read Luke 15:11-32
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion
for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20b
At 2:45 a.m. on September 4, 2012, my wife and I arranged for my seventeen-year-old son
to be transported to a therapeutic wilderness program in the desert of southern Utah. It
seemed to us as parents that he was already squandering his life. This was our last chance
to help him reach his potential as a member of our family.
Day 9
Lenten Devotional
One month later, Judi and I went to the remote mountains of Utah for our first parent visit.
Our therapist pulled something out of the back of his truck. A bullroarer. The therapist said,
“This is how we are going to find your son.” As I spun the bullroarer above my head, it
produced an eerie low frequency sound that could be heard for miles. After a few minutes,
I stopped and we listened. Out of the wilderness came a similar sound directed to us. It
was my son using his bullroarer in an effort to find us. For 43 days, my son had been in
the wilderness. We had prayed for him to come to his senses so that he could become the
person God created him to be. The moment of truth was about to arrive.
As the sounds of our bullroarers drew us closer to a reunion, the anticipation grew.
When we had visual contact, but while he was still a long way off, my wife was filled with
compassion and she ran to him, threw her arms around him, and kissed him. I did the same.
It was the best day of our lives.
Over the years in youth and family ministry, I have witnessed sons and daughters reject
their fathers and mothers. Even in that immense pain of rejection, God still calls us to
forgive. Furthermore, in this passage, God calls us to take the first steps to reconciliation
with open arms.
Questions for Reflection
• Is there a member of your family who has been lost and needs to be found? Who do you
need to embrace with unconditional love and forgiveness? What steps can you take today
to become more like the Father?
Prayer
Loving God, we only have to look at the cross to remember the sacrifice you made for us.
Jesus opened his arms fully for us that we might experience forgiveness and eternal life.
Thank you for the gift of forgiveness that allows us to reconcile with you and all those
around us. As we consider our own relationships today, help us to be like the Father and
approach our family and friends with open arms of love and reconciliation. Amen.
Kevin Mayne, Foundations for Laity Renewal
13
Day 10
Knowing Jesus Better
February 28, 2015
Parable of the Shrewd Manager
Read Luke 16:1-15
“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the
people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people
of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is
gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:8-9
This parable is frustratingly mystifying, and I sometimes wonder if a key sentence or two
was accidentally dropped on its journey from story to scroll. Here is Jesus telling a story
that rewards dishonesty—except he calls it, “being shrewd,” which I suppose sounds more
virtuous. But still.
In the parable, a rich boss-man is firing his manager for being lazy and inept. The manager
knows he’ll never find another job like this, but instead of storming out of the office in a
huff, he decides to negotiate significant discounts on customers’ invoices—without the
boss’s knowledge or permission. He’s thinking, “I’ll build some goodwill with these key
business players, and maybe they’ll want to hire me later.”
He hustles through the accounts payable list, cutting surprise deals with each customer.
The customers, of course, are thrilled. The boss gets wind of it, but instead of punishing
him, commends the scoundrel on his survival skills.
Huh?
Jesus is not condoning dishonesty so much as the diligence and cleverness of the
manager upon facing a crisis. I’d like to think Jesus is all too familiar with our messes and
mistakes and is encouraging us not to give up or give in—even when we are the cause of
our own suffering.
At the end of the parable, Jesus changes gears and makes that famous statement, “You
cannot serve both God and money.” The money-loving Pharisees had apparently been
listening and sneered at Jesus when he said this. Jesus simply turns to them and says,
“What people value is highly detestable to God.”
Maybe the story was directed at the Pharisees all along: if we were only as shrewd in
our dealings with the Kingdom of God as we are with making ends meet, imagine the
spiritual possibilities.
Questions for Reflection
• How are you being proactive in taking the initiative to improve your situation? How do
you recognize God’s forgiveness of your shortcomings and his support of your creative
energy in caring for yourself and your family? What would it look like if you channeled
your survival instincts into your spiritual life?
Prayer
Dear Father, you see and understand the bad situations we get ourselves into, and you
always have a solution for us—better than what we could ever dream up for ourselves.
Instead of wallowing, help us to reach up, to reach out, and then to apply the grateful
energy towards furthering your kingdom of light in this world. Amen.
J.B. Wood, The High Calling
14
March 1, 2015
Parable of the Persistent Widow
Read Luke 18:1-8
“And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice
against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I
neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give
her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” Luke 18:3-5
One afternoon, my children and I sat together playing a card game on the floor in my son’s
bedroom. I wish I could say my purpose that day was to create a warm memory for my
children. In truth, I was in hiding. Earlier in the day I had confronted a contractor about
damage he had done while installing a new floor in my kitchen. I cowered inside my home,
hiding behind a hand of playing cards while he stood on my front lawn shouting obscenities
into his cell phone.
I am not a terribly assertive person and have a difficult time standing up for myself, even
when I am certain I am in the right. Even though she knew the judge’s reputation, the
widow depicted in Luke’s parable had no choice but to persist in pressing her case. Socially
and economically destitute, she knew there was nothing she could do to ease her misery.
She had nowhere else to turn.
Second Sunday
Lenten Devotional
Sometimes the messages of Christ’s parables aren’t immediately obvious, but in this case
he makes his meaning plain. He tells his followers he wants them to persist in prayer and
not lose heart.
During Lent, we consider our utter inability to alleviate the misery of our brokenness and
sin. Christ invites us to cry out to him in our need, but not in order to gain his favor or
persuade him to help. In this season we remember that Christ has already begun the work
of redeeming and restoring all things. Coming to Christ without fear and crying out in the
poverty of our helplessness become affirmations of faith.
Questions for Reflection
s Is there an area in your life in which you have been tempted to give up on prayer? Will you
accept Christ’s invitation to persevere?
Prayer
Forgive me, Lord, for those times when I rest in my own abilities and forget I am as
destitute as this widow. Forgive me when my faith grows thin and my persistence in
prayer grows weak.
Remind me to persist in coming to you without fear, offering to you the deepest cries of
my heart. Help me to remember you are always powerful and good and are already at
work redeeming and restoring all things. Amen.
Nancy Franson, Contributor
15
Day 11
Knowing Jesus Better
March 2, 2015
Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
Read Luke 18:9-14
Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you
walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re
content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” Luke 18:14
Two men, saying their prayers in a public space, but only one goes home “made right
with God.” A Pharisee and a tax collector, opposite ends of the social spectrum in ancient
Palestine—one of them full of himself, the other, hungry for God.
Reading this small but powerful story is a bit like looking in the mirror or looking at two
sides of the same very tarnished coin. Because I can easily get my nose up there in the air,
making comparisons with others, patting myself on the back for my spiritual maturity and
practices. And in the very next breath, I can be overwhelmed by my own brokenness and
deep need for mercy, mercy, mercy. I carry around an inner Pharisee and tax collector every
single day.
Lent provides some dedicated space in which to look at that bifurcation within and to
deliberately allow that tax collector more space to breathe. Repentance, fasting, and
alms-giving are the three center poles of the Lenten season. I can choose to repent of my
arrogance and pride, to fast from comparisons, and to give grace to anyone who rouses the
hackles of that inner Pharisee.
You see, that Pharisee—the one in the story and the one in me—is so busy looking at the
other guy that he is unable to see himself. He completely loses sight of his need for mercy
and grace, glossing over his own character flaws, all while using his “prayer” time to focus
on the flaws of others. The tax collector, on the other hand, looks only at his own wretched
heart, begs God for mercy, and calls himself exactly what he is: a sinner, longing for
forgiveness.
Dropping the Pharisee persona and looking honestly at that inner tax collector—this is what
opens the door to real, heart-level change. For “being made right with God” is exactly how
we become our truest self, more real and more like Jesus.
Questions for Reflection
• Do you do battle with an inner Pharisee? How do you keep that attitude from running
amok? How much space do you give to honest self-reflection? Have you found it to be
helpful? Why or why not?
Prayer
Lord, you know me so well—far better than I know myself. Help me during these Lenten
days to take time to look within, to admit my need for you, to ask forgiveness. And help
me to kick that Pharisee to the curb, releasing my need to compare myself to anyone other
than your son, Jesus, the one who came to show us the way to becoming more than
ourselves and in whose name we pray. Amen.
Diana Trautwein, Contributor
16
March 3, 2015
Take Up Your Cross
Read Matthew 16:13-28
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem
and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the
law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside
and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ Jesus
turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do
not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’” Matthew 16:21-23
Day 12
Lenten Devotional
For centuries, the people of Israel watched for a superhero to rebuild their kingdom beyond
what the great King David had achieved in his glory days. When Jesus arrived on the
scene, he knew the situation—the Roman occupation, the wavering faith, and every historic
promise given to his kin. It wasn’t by coincidence, then, that Satan’s tempting in the desert
as well as Peter’s refusal to accept Jesus’ predictions about the future both contained a real
stumbling block: This young man could indeed become the superhero.
Enviable talents, respect by friends and enemies alike, prophecies and supernatural stories
attached to his birth and family, paternal and maternal ancestry in the marveled kings of
old—these gems elevated Jesus as the prime candidate for restoring the nation. He knew
the sacred law. He possessed a gifted tongue. In time, his dynamism and ability to draw
masses would prove his potential. All of this makes the content of Satan’s and Peter’s words
a logical set-up for him to get it all wrong.
Too often, I read those words and hear them like my first invitation to join Amway. I was 22
and I said no.
I imagine Jesus in a similar way, rebuking his tempters casually as though they were
uninspired salesmen with irrelevant wares. This, of course, denies the humanity of the
divine Christ. It denies that “he suffered when he was tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).
Peter’s words, for example, would have mixed with Jesus’ compassion for the broken.
So Jesus spoke to Peter, I think, with quickness and desperation, like you do when you’re
pleading for mercy: “Stop it, Peter. Help me! Don’t do this to me, friend.” It was not Peter he
silenced but the very real temptation to do what I would have done—lay down that cross.
Questions for Reflection
• When have you been afraid because you knew what was going to happen and couldn’t
avoid it? What friend do you call when you’re about to make the wrong decision? Has God
ever provided in a way you never saw coming?
Prayer
Jesus, I don’t know exactly how it felt when Peter spoke to you that way. But you said
something pretty mean to him. What were you feeling in that moment? Regardless, you
did what was right, even as you knew how difficult the road ahead would be. Please share
that kind of strength with me. Amen.
Sam Van Eman, The High Calling
17
Day 13
Knowing Jesus Better
March 4, 2015
Baptism and Temptation of Jesus
Read Matthew 3:13-4:11
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to
deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied,
‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John
consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment
heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting
on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well
pleased.’” Matthew 3: 13-17
I find the Baptism of Jesus confounding. Why does Jesus insist on being baptized by
John when the clearly stated purpose for it is repentance? John the Baptist, the prophet
whose singular mission in life was to prepare the way for the Messiah, was apparently also
confounded. When approached by Jesus, he tried to dodge the request, countering that
Jesus should baptize him instead.
People in Scripture who encounter great mysteries often ask memorable questions. John’s
is my favorite: “Do you come to me?” I understand that question. Aren’t we all asking a
version of that question? I thought John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, the last prophet of
the Old Testament, would be more prepared to recognize (and respond to) the Messiah. But
even John isn’t prepared for a Messiah who humbles himself like this.
After John consents and baptizes Jesus, the Holy Trinity appears—Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. The heavens open, revealing new access to the presence of God. The Spirit-dove
descends, alighting on the Son. A voice from heaven speaks, “This is my beloved Son, with
whom I am well pleased.” And John, the scruffy Baptiser, is drawn into the drama, playing
a small but important part.
Jesus receives the affirmation and affection of his father at his baptism and then gives it
away, ultimately giving himself away on the cross. Likewise, the favor of God that is spoken
over Jesus is extended to us as we are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. The expectation is that in turn we will do the same. Give away the love we’ve been
given. Give ourselves away.
There are countless ways of giving away the love of God. Nearly all of them will cost us
dearly. But such is the confounding nature of love.
Questions for Reflection
• Where in your life are you being asked to say “yes” to Jesus? What difference would it
make if God spoke the following words to you: “This is my beloved son/daughter, with
whom I am well pleased?”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for coming to us in the person of your son, Jesus Christ. We
humbly say “yes” to your invitation to us and ask for grace and courage to serve others as
we have been served. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Steven Purcell, Laity Lodge
18
March 5, 2015
The Triumphal Entry: Promised Peace
Read Luke 19:28-44
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:38
When I was young and my father stormed through the house shouting and swearing, I
would tiptoe upstairs to my bedroom and sink to the floor, still and quiet, as far from the
commotion as possible. Alone in that space, I longed for peace. One day I opened my Bible
to John 16:33, where Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” The
peace I craved was already mine… in Christ. I boldly underlined the verse in dark blue ink.
In him I had peace.
Day 14
Lenten Devotional
That’s what the people longed for when Jesus headed toward the city of Jerusalem riding
a donkey’s colt: peace. As Jesus worked his way toward the city, the people waved palm
branches and threw down their cloaks in celebration, boldly quoting Psalm 118, “Blessed
is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” adding, “Peace in heaven and glory in the
highest!” (Luke 19:38). Jesus would usher in a glorious reign of peace.
Similar words had been proclaimed years earlier to shepherds, when a heavenly host
praised God, saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom
his favor rests (Luke 2:14). At his birth: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to
men.” Days before his death: “…glory in the highest” and “Peace in heaven.” On earth, as
in heaven, Jesus brings peace.
But Jesus knew the cost. Yes, he would usher in deep, true, promised peace. Yes, he would
overcome the world, but not the way the palm-waving, cloak-spreading people imagined.
Just days later, he would accomplish it all… on the cross. That is how in Christ, we have
peace. That is why we can shout—or boldly underline in blue ink—glory in the highest!
Questions for Reflection
• What troubles leave you longing for peace? In what ways have you sought to satisfy that
longing? During this season of Lent, how can you embrace and rejoice in the source of
true peace—in Christ and his work on the cross?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for preserving this jubilant Triumphal Entry leading up to the cross and
Resurrection. The people celebrated in ignorance, not realizing until later how
you were fulfilling the plan of salvation, but we can celebrate, already knowing how it
unfolded. In this world we will have trouble, but in you we have peace. Through the cross,
you have overcome the world. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you. Amen.
Ann Kroeker, The High Calling
19
Day 15
Knowing Jesus Better
March 6, 2015
Jesus Clears the Temple
Read Mark 11:12-19
On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those
who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and
the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise
through the temple courts. Matthew 11:15, 16
I struggle with anger. I do not need professional counseling or incarceration. I am not
actively destroying property or abusing people. I simply struggle. I grew up with a father
who conditioned me over time to believe that the “appropriate” response in tedious or
trying situations is to blow your top, if only for a few seconds. It rarely ends well, and it
usually costs me time, money, and humiliation.
I’ve always been mildly troubled by Jesus’ anger in the temple courts. He blew his top! This
was not the meek, mild Sunday School Jesus whose portrait hung on the wall. Reconciling
an angry Jesus is difficult for me. The anger I observed in my father was what my mother
termed inappropriate and immature. So, I struggle with anger.
How do I reconcile Jesus’ anger and actions in my mind and heart? I have a cerebral
understanding that there is an appropriate righteous anger as spoken of in Scripture and
displayed by Christ in this passage. I wrestle with this. How can I harness my anger and yet
express it “righteously?”
I look to Jesus for clarity. In this passage, Jesus is making a stand for all things holy. He was
trying to impress upon people the holiness of God and his temple. His anger was just and
flawlessly righteous. The temple encounter gives us a small insight into the mind of God.
God is jealous for righteousness and is incensed when sinful men trample on his holiness.
How do I follow Christ’s lead? I desire to be the one who stands “white hot” for God in the
face of the unrighteous. As Christ-followers, we’re totally appropriate getting upset over our
own sin. Evils should incense us. This side of heaven, I suppose I will continue to struggle
with righteous anger as well as fear and doubt. I will continue to thank God for his grace
and mercy, even as I defile his temple and use him for personal worldly gain.
For this, Christ was born. For this, Christ was crucified. For this, Christ rose from the grave.
Questions for Reflection
• What did you learn about anger when you were a child? How have your views of anger
changed over time? How do you reconcile Jesus’ anger and actions in your mind and
heart?
Prayer
Jesus, help me know what you deem holy. Help me to take a bold stand for those things.
Help me to be slow to anger. Continue to reveal yourself to me in ways that grow me.
Forgive me when I defile your temple in my daily actions. Bless those who make a stand
for righteousness. Amen.
Chandler Pruitt, Laity Lodge Youth Camp
20
March 7, 2015
The Blood of Christ
Read Hebrews 9:11-15
“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy
Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:12
This winter, it snowed for ten consecutive days. We woke to freshly fallen snow every
morning, and it seemed as if the night hours birthed the world new again. The grime and
gray slush that accumulated throughout the day lay beneath a covering of pure white by
sunrise. I anticipated this blanket of beauty each morning, and its renewing effect on a
world streaked with grease and muck. But, I also knew this cleansing wouldn’t last as we
went about our business and left our mark on the land.
Day 16
Lenten Devotional
We sing a hymn about the blood of Jesus in church. We say it washes us “white as snow,”
and each time I hear this line, I think of the purity of a new snowfall. I think, too, of the
sludgy mess that accompanies it, how we leave footprints and tire treads and corrosive salt
in our wake. Our activity makes a wreck of its beauty, staining the snow until we wish for a
fresh white coating to hide our tracks.
Today’s scripture reminds us that we don’t need to wait expectantly each morning for a
fresh covering of the blood of Jesus. It is given but once, for the benefit of all. It covers all
of us who believe, all of the sin and grime we accumulate, for all of eternity. The blood is a
constant, ever-present flow, and it leaves no trace of the mess we create as we walk through
life with our imperfect and fallen feet. Jesus’ blood leaves behind a trail of grace, a covering
so thick, God sees nothing else but the Son and His sacrifice. As we take part in this season
of Lent, let us remember that our acts of sacrifice are a symbol, not a substitution for
Christ’s, and let us celebrate the cleansing power of his blood.
Questions for Reflection
• Do you try to earn your way to Heaven by attempting to add to Christ’s work on the cross?
How do you view yourself and your sin under the new covenant Christ established? How
do you respond to his gift of grace?
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me remember what the blood of your Son accomplished on the cross.
Forgive me for trying to add to the finished work of Christ by thinking I can earn my way
into relationship with you. I thank you that Jesus came once for all, and I accept his blood
as the final sacrifice. Help me to remember its purity and cleansing power. Thank you for
this good and perfect gift, and help me receive as freely as you give. Amen.
Kimberly Coyle, Contributor
21
Third Sunday
Knowing Jesus Better
March 8, 2015
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
Read John 13:1-17
“During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s
son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and
that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.” John 13:2-4a
Every time I turn around, it seems I’m facing some new obstacle or looming uncertainty.
Resistance smacks me in the face whenever I try to take on something worthwhile. Worse
than the obstacle or the resistance, however, is the way it sometimes leaves me shaking my
head while walking away dumbfounded and discouraged.
After being let go from my job of 13 years, I decided to start my own business and pursue
the work about which I’m most passionate. There have been a lot of really good days
since then, but every now and then, there are those days that creep up on me and spoil
the positive things that are happening. When a potential client turns down my proposal,
it stirs up the hurt feelings of not feeling good enough from the old job. Then comes the
downward spiral of wondering if I’m going to be able to put food on the table for my family
next week.
The truth is, no matter how great things may be going, there will always be obstacles,
uncertainty, and even tribulation. Some will be easy to overcome, and others will feel
insurmountable and devastating.
I imagine these are some of the same kinds of challenges Jesus faced during the Last
Supper. His public ministry was moving right along. He had a dedicated following, and had
successfully trained his team to go out and do the work of the Lord. Then it happened. He
was about to be betrayed and put to death. And he knew it! While dining face-to-face with
his betrayer, what was his response? He knew the end of the story. He knew that he’d come
out victorious in the end. It’s with that confidence that in the face of certain death, he got up
from the table, and proceeded to serve by washing the disciples’ feet.
Questions for Reflection
• What challenges and difficulties are you facing in your life right now? Looking past those
challenges, what are the truths in the greater story beyond the current situation? What
will your response be to those challenges?
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for your example of what it means to look past the trials and tribulations
that we’ll inevitably face. Help me to see past the challenges in my life today, and help me
to keep the end result that you’ve already planned for me in mind. Give me the strength
and wisdom to continue the mission and serve you and others well today, no matter what
I’m faced with. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Dan King, The High Calling
22
March 9, 2015
The Last Supper
Read Luke 22:7-34
And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do
this. A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the
greatest. Luke 22:23-24
They entered the city and found the man carrying a jar of water. Peter and John exchanged
knowing glances and followed him home. Despite the number of miracles they had
witnessed during their time with Jesus, their hearts still trembled as they inquired about the
guest room. But sure enough, the upper room was there, furnished and opened to them just
as he had said it would be.
Day 17
Lenten Devotional
When the hour came, the disciples reclined at the table, ready to celebrate the Passover
together. Murmurs seeped through the room when Jesus began washing their feet. What
was he doing? He spoke in riddles and veiled prophecies. They looked at each other. What
was this about his body and his blood? And wait, did he just say betrayal? By one of our
own? The chatter intensified as they sized each other up, questioning who the traitor would
be. Then, in the midst of the sideways glances and hypothesizing, Luke tells us that a
dispute arose among them. The conversation shifted from who among them was the worst
to who was regarded as the greatest. As they argued, they overlooked the Greatest who
was indeed among them.
I find myself there in that upper room. I’m in the presence of Jesus, and yet I’m still focused
on myself. The greater story is unfolding before my eyes, being whispered into my ear, but
I’m clinging to this smaller story where I play the hero. This time of Lent is no exception.
I micro-manage my fasting, worry if I have prayed enough, and question if I should go
through the Resurrection Eggs one more time to make sure my kids really got it. My gaze
remains fixed on the details, and I fail to connect them together to see that they all add up
to more. Much more.
I look again into the upper room, and I try to empty myself of all other stories. This time,
he begins to fill in the pages with words and images that turn my world upside down.
Servanthood. Sacrifice. Love. The Greatest sat in that room waiting for me. I just needed to
look up to find him.
Questions for Reflection
• Do you ever get distracted by your own story and miss the Greater Story? Reread the
passage and seek only him. What do you observe? How can you remain focused on him
this season?
Prayer
Father, you have written the greatest love story ever told, and yet, I admit that I keep
flipping through the pages just trying to find myself in it. Help me to let those smaller
stories go and cling only to yours. All glory and praise belong to you alone. Amen.
Tina Howard, Laity Lodge Family Camp
23
Day 18
Knowing Jesus Better
March 10, 2015
The Agony in the Garden
Read Mark 14:32-42
“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not
what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:34
Last spring, we undertook a major renovation of our garden. A garden expert designed the
plan and worked with us to select plants and bushes. Soil was tilled, fertilized, and tilled
some more. The result was wonderful—flowers and fragrances all over, with songbirds,
hummingbirds, and four kinds of bees descending upon our yard.
Then came the great drought of 2012—soaring temperatures and no rain for months. I spent
an enormous and agonizing amount of time watering. I learned that gardening can be both
an ecstasy and an agony.
I think of another garden, another time, and another kind of agony. This garden was more
an orchard; its name means “oil press.” It was familiar to Jesus and his disciples, the place
they came to rest, to talk, and to pray.
But not this night.
Now eleven in number, the disciples accompany Jesus to the garden. They had eaten, and
it was late. They were likely still trying to grasp all of what Jesus had told them. And they
were sleepy.
Jesus asks three of the eleven to come a little farther in. “My soul is overwhelmed to the
point of death,” he says. “Stay here, and keep watch.” But they, too, fall asleep.
He falls to the ground and prays. “Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you
will.” He prays this prayer twice.
We have the benefit of knowing the story. And so we’re surprised by this prayer. It’s as if
Jesus wants to go off-script. It’s not the arrest, the mockery of a trial, the scourging, or
even the physical torture he knows he’ll experience on the cross. It was the other reality he
faced—the reality of taking on the burden of humanity’s sin. The sinless one would accept a
burden so awful that God would turn his face away.
“Not what I will, but what you will,” Jesus prays.
That is the meaning of this garden, this orchard with its olive trees. Jesus will be squeezed
and pressed until the sins of humanity are poured out and accounted for. He accepts an
agony we cannot comprehend.
Questions for Reflection
• When have you experienced an agony of the soul? Have you ever asked God to take “this
cup” from you? And what happened if he didn’t?
Prayer
Father God, we often shrink before the tasks you set before us, even knowing that what
you ask is small. You asked everything of your Son, even to death, and his response was
“what you will.” Give us that heart, Father, give us the understanding that you will ask
nothing of us that we cannot do, because the hard work has been done for us. Amen.
Glynn Young, The High Calling
24
March 11, 2015
Jesus is Arrested
Read Matthew 26:47-56
Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Then the men stepped forward, seized
Jesus and arrested him. Matthew 26:50
They came for Jesus with swords and clubs. You can imagine how it was when the chief
priests and elders organized them. Some might have been paid. Others were told that Jesus
was a bad man who needed to be stopped. The names of those involved have been lost to
history, but the dynamics of mob violence remain the same. The individuals participated
for complex personal reasons, ranging from rage that seeks any release, to ideological
zealotry. Some were just there to see the show.
Day 19
Lenten Devotional
Jesus wasn’t anyone special to them. As far as they knew, he was just another criminal that
needed to be dealt with. Criminals are nothing special. The world is lousy with them. You
catch them; you deal with them; you go home for dinner.
And that is just how close God is to us. God was there when a mob came for a criminal.
God incarnate, the most personal manifestation of the Divine. Jesus, whom history waited
patiently for and then parted gently around. For those of us dedicated to his memory,
teaching, and salvation, his very name brings tears to our eyes. God so close that evil can
lay hands on him. God so close you stumble over him in the night and drop your club.
They encountered God when they least expected God. God was at their side in a moment
they never counted as special. It seems likely those involved died, never knowing God had
been with them that night.
This is why we go into the desert with Jesus each year during Lent. We dare not think that
God is only present in the joy of our worship, the high moments of our service, and the
times when our lives reflect God’s light. God is also in our hunger and our sorrow. God is
with us when we are at our worst.
Questions for Reflection
• When have you been most surprised to discover that God was with you? What will be the
most ordinary thing you will do during Lent this year? How might God meet you in that
moment?
Prayer
God, you are with me. Even now. Forgive me when I pass right by or worse—raise my club
in your direction. Thank you for being close enough for me to touch, right in the moments
where I am at my worst. Amen.
Gordon Atkinson, The High Calling
25
Day 20
Knowing Jesus Better
March 12, 2015
Peter Disowns Jesus
Read Luke 22: 54-62
Then the servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said,
“This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”
Luke 22:56-57
In early 2012, I was sitting in an east African hotel with my new friend, “E.” E was born into
an unreached people group, but along the way had discovered the Good News of Jesus. He
immediately converted, the first of his particular clan. It was unheard of, he said, a clanmember turning from the prophet to follow Jesus. “After all,” he said “to be a clan member
is to be Muslim.”
E told of the excitement of his conversion, how he boldly shared his faith with his people
and was threatened with death. He would not recant, he said, and as a result, he was
bound, hands to feet, and dunked in the river over and again. Holding fast to his faith, E was
held under the water until his fellow clansmen believed him to be dead, and he was left for
dead on the banks of the river.
By some miracle, E survived the experience. If you ask him how he held firm, E will tell
you that the power of the Holy Spirit filled him, allowed him to stand firm even under the
penalty of death. E will tell you that he’s never been closer to Christ than that moment.
Peter, the rock upon whom the church was built, was not quite so strong the first time
around. But perhaps things were different before the resurrection; maybe he held his
confession more loosely before he was filled with the Holy Spirit, the helper promised by
Jesus in John 14:16-17. Whatever the case, we know the rest of the story. Ultimately, Jesus
forgave Peter and charged him with shepherding the fledgling church. (See John 21:15-17.)
What grand grace and restoration from the Savior whom Peter had denied!
But ask yourself this question, if the day should come when you would be tempted to deny
the Lordship of Christ, would you stand under torment like E? Or instead, would you cower
before a lowly servant girl; would you buckle under the pressure?
Questions for Reflection
• Have you found yourself in a situation where it’s convenient to deny Christ for the sake of
culture? If so, what was your response?
• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you times when you’ve denied Christ, whether in word or in
deed. Confess those times and ask for forgiveness and restoration. Do you believe God
can forgive you like Christ did Peter?
• Ask God whether there is someone to whom you need to specifically confess the lordship
of Christ. What part of your faith story would resonate with this person?
Prayer
Lord, give me the courage of martyrs, the strength of those who have owned your name.
And in my sin, when I have failed to acknowledge you, grant me the grace of your eternal
forgiveness and the peace that you have cast my sin as far as east is from west. Amen.
Seth Haines, Contributor
26
March 13, 2015
Jesus Before Pilate
Read Mark 15:1-15
“But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.” Mark 15:5
The head honchos of the Jews—that would be the Sanhedrin—didn’t have the authority
to actually carry out a death sentence once they had condemned someone to death. So
this second trial of Jesus takes place before Pilate. The Roman Government could issue
and carry out a death sentence, but only for reasons of treason... not religious reasons
like blasphemy. Yet, despite the fact that his life is on the line, Jesus utters just one
sentence during the time his life is held in the hands of this Roman Governor acting as
judge. Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” and Jesus replies, “Yes, it is as
you say.” One sentence.
Day 21
Lenten Devotional
When the chief priests accuse Jesus of many other things, Pilate tries to bring out an
answer from the one who stands accused. Pilate wants Jesus to defend himself, because if
Jesus makes no defense, according to Roman law, Pilate will have to pronounce him guilty.
You heard right: If Jesus says nothing in his defense, Pilate the Judge must, by law, find
Jesus guilty. So when Jesus makes no attempt to say anything to deny his guilt or bring out
his innocence, Mark’s gospel tells us Pilate is amazed.
The truth is God’s passion to save us runs through what seems like a hopeless and
contrived situation before a human judge named Pilate. What Pilate doesn’t realize is this:
In the eyes of God, the Truth needs no defense because for our sake, this perfectly innocent
King makes us perfectly innocent, too.
Questions for Reflection
• What goes through your mind when you realize Jesus willingly chose not to defend
himself? Describe the difference between using a word like “resignation” when Jesus
is brought before Pilate, and “quiet passion.” How does this scene affect your devotion
towards Jesus?
Prayer
Jesus, when we say we’re speechless, we truly cannot find words. You were speechless
intentionally before Pilate, choosing to trust God for justice instead of humans. Thank you
for displaying faith in the face of injustice.
Great God, thank you for this foretelling scene of Kingdom of God justice, where
a prisoner—although guilty—was set free, and a Savior—although innocent—was
condemned. Holy Spirit, may we bow low with gratitude before the One who is passionate
towards us. With humble but profound thanks, we ask and pray these things, Jesus, in
your holy, saving name. Amen.
Dave Vander Laan, Contributor
27
Day 22
Knowing Jesus Better
March 14, 2015
Patience in Suffering
Read James 5:7-11
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits
for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.”
James 5:7
When I think of suffering, I often think of Job. After all his earthly wealth—including his
entire family—is taken away, he shaves his head, tears his clothes, blesses the name of the
Lord, and waits. He waits and waits and waits. Night after miserable night. It must have
seemed to him like forever.
Waiting is hard.
In the black nights of suffering, when ominous clouds come in from the west, it’s hard to
know whether those clouds bring nourishing rain or devastating hail that destroys a year’s
work. We have no way of knowing how long we’ll be sitting in ashes and how long our
heart will ache. When will our new story emerge?
The Bible doesn’t instruct us to muzzle our thoughts or to pretend we are happy about our
situation. The Gospel never orders us to love misery. Even Job pled to the Lord for mercy
and was open about his fear and dread. The Bible tells us to have confidence in those who
have suffered before us and trust that the lessons in Job are relevant for our modern day
pain. It tells us to cast our burdens to the Lord.
Perseverance is a gift; a block of character. Perseverance grows in time, and often in the
dark. Trusting that God’s lesson in Job is relevant to our own personal stories is key. The
Lord is indeed full of compassion and mercy, even if we are currently sighing and groaning,
resting only in our turmoil.
Questions for Reflection
• What have you been grumbling about lately? How can you focus your inner thoughts on
God instead of yourself and ask for God’s sweet relief in his perfect time?
Prayer
Faithful God, we are hurting. As we sit in our sinful lives and face trials we never expected,
give us the patience to be still. To survive in a deep dark place with hope that it won’t last
forever. Please let us believe in your promises: redemption will occur, and restoration is
not only possible, but true. Your mercy is beyond understanding. Help us know that the
seed underneath the soil will be nourished by rains we cannot see today, but in time will
come. It is so hard, Lord, to wait. To believe in things unseen and hope that isn’t readily
self-evident. And yet we trust in your word and your promises. Help us persevere in our
suffering. Amen.
Amanda Hill, Contributor
28
March 15, 2015
Living as Children of Light
Read Ephesians 4:21-5:2
You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded
by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with
the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24
Each year, I give up something for Lent. When I was a young girl, mom and I would give up
chocolate, and every year, at midnight, the moment it became Easter, my mom and I would
have a stash ready to devour. No matter how fun it was, I have learned that on some level,
we were missing the point.
Lent is a season of preparation. The discipline of giving something up for Lent was intended
for sacrifice, yes, but also to make more room for God in our lives. Therefore, it is a good
practice to not just give something up, but replace it with something of the Lord.
For example, Paul warns against certain behaviors and follows each warning with an
instruction on how we ought to act. He writes, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your
mouths,” and then he instructs, “but only such as is good for building others up” (Eph.
4:29).
Fourth Sunday
Lenten Devotional
I fear however, that this could easily be turned into a list of do’s and don’ts, which is why it
is important to remember what Paul said in the beginning of this passage. He began with
the reminder “to put on your new self” in Christ. This is not about ridding ourselves of
bad habits and sinful behaviors, although that will in fact happen. Paul is teaching about
becoming a new creation, and he is painting a picture of how we, as a new creation, should
look.
Later, in Ephesians 5, Paul says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (v.1).
To imitate someone means to be like them. Lent is a great opportunity to set some extra
time aside to let God work in me; to let him make me more like him.
This is why I still give up something every year for Lent. These days, it’s not usually
chocolate, and I don’t dive right in once Easter arrives. I use Lent as a time to prepare
and to make space for Jesus.
Questions for Reflection
• What has been your experience with giving up something for Lent? Is it a new idea? Is it
something you’ve always done? If it’s something you’ve always done, make a list of the
things you’ve given up over the years. How do these items tell your personal story of
faith? If giving up something for Lent is a new idea for you, what do you think of the idea?
Prayer
God, I want to be more like you. Show me how to make room for you. Thank you for this
season of preparation and for your sacrifice. I pray I don’t miss the point. Amen.
Angela Aadahl, Laity Lodge Youth Camp
29
Day 23
Knowing Jesus Better
March 16, 2015
Parable of the Sower
Read Matthew 13:1-23
And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he
sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other
seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they
sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched.
And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the
thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some
a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:1-23
Lent is the season of dirt, a dusty and ashen interlude between Epiphany and Easter. So it’s
appropriate to consider The Parable of the Sower… a story that, whatever else it may be, is
about dirt. It’s no surprise that Jesus is once again dealing with dirt. God seems to have an
agrarian bent evidenced from the time he “planted a garden in Eden, in the east.”
Jesus tells the story of seeds sown on four different types of dirt, leading to four different
outcomes (three of which seem undesirable, to say the least). In each case, the ultimate
outcome can be traced back to the condition of the soil onto which the seed fell.
At Laity Lodge, and throughout the Texas Hill Country, the soil leaves something to be
desired. At most it’s a couple of inches deep. Around the Lodge there are even places
where there is no soil to speak of at all.
What type of soil do you have?
Or, what kind of heart do you have? Are gospel seeds able to take root? And if so, are
they able to endure? When the sun scorches (and it certainly does around here), do they
survive? And having survived, is grain produced?
Lent is the season for questions such as these. And if our soil and our hearts are rocky or
weedy or compacted with birds overhead, we are not to despair.
In John we read that Mary, upon arriving at the empty tomb, mistakes the risen Jesus for
“the gardener.” Maybe it was no accident. Norman Wirzba, a recent Laity Lodge retreat
speaker, has suggested that Jesus is “the gardener who came to clean up his garden and
lead it into abundant and fruitful life.” And a good gardener such as this knows to start with
the soil.
Questions for Reflection
• What kind of soil do you find where you live?
• Using the types from the parable, how would you describe the soil of your heart?
Prayer
God, give us ears to hear. And nurture our hearts’ soil, that we might produce grain for
you. Amen.
Gate Davis, Laity Lodge
30
March 17, 2015
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
Read Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from
the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night,
but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers
trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you
they trusted and were not put to shame. Psalm 22:1-5
Day 24
Lenten Devotional
As a graduate student, one of my responsibilities is leading discussion sections for the
University’s required literature class. Usually I’m working with students who are much
smarter than I, or at least much better at math, and very few of them are English majors.
As such, a lot of them wonder (some out loud) why they have to take the course, and what
value it actually has for them. Sidestepping the more practical administrative reasons for
this, I try to focus on the fact that great literature tells us the truth about our lives in a way
we rarely manage to tell ourselves. It survives because, for better or worse, it is honest. I
love this Psalm for the same reason.
It speaks to a very real fear in our hearts. What if God has forsaken us or isn’t there at all?
What if we are truly alone, impossible to love? The doubts that open this song are genuine,
and ones that most of us have felt at least sometime in our lives.
But the song isn’t over. It goes on to remember God’s faithfulness in the past, citing
evidence of his grace and presence. Sometimes we have to do this, too, because when we
get scared we tend to forget. Faith isn’t always comfortable, and deep down we find it hard
to accept that our assurance is not that the things we fear will not come to pass, but that we
serve a God who can make all things right.
The opening words of the Psalm are the same words spoken on the Cross. As we go
through the Lenten season, let us remember them—but let us also remember that they are
not the last words spoken. The song isn’t over yet.
Questions for Reflection
• When have you been reminded of God’s presence in the midst of doubt? What have the
hard times in your life taught you about faith?
Prayer
Holy God, remind us of who you are. Remind us of your presence, even as we feel your
absence. Remind us of your faithfulness, And the evidence of your grace in our lives. You
know our doubts, and our fears. Make them holy. Let us not run from them, But follow
them through our darkness and into your light. You know what we do not yet know, And
see what we do not yet see. Let us rest in that, and in the promises you have made. We
love you, Lord, and trust you. Amen.
Reid Echols, The High Calling
31
Day 25
Knowing Jesus Better
March 18, 2015
Be Merciful to Me, Lord
Read Psalm 31
“Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, yes, my
soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing.” Psalm 31:
9-10
For most of us, Lent conjures up thoughts of abstention from meats, sweets, and drink.
Chocolate tops my annual list because my resistance to this delicacy is so low. Throughout
the season, I offer up supplications for loved ones whenever chocolate calls my name. Then
I break the fast early on Resurrection Sunday by raiding my amply-stocked Easter basket.
In 2008, however, I felt led by God to abstain from meat. I thought this made no sense
because meat is no temptation for me. Still, the urge was strong, so I went ahead with the
fast. On my blog, I wrote that I was “abstaining from the stuff of life rather than the fluff
of life.”
Then, five days after Easter that year, my first-born son died by suicide. The Lenten season
has been fraught with awful triggers and new significance ever since. As it and the first
anniversary of his death approached in 2009, I knew no ordinary fast would do.
After my son’s death, I’d come to view the previous year’s fast from the “stuff of life” as
Holy Spirit inspired preparation for a future without one of my two children. After all, aren’t
children the stuff of life?
“So what this year?” I asked. Was I excused from abstention because I do without already?
The stuff of life, reduced by half. Every day. Every hour. Every heartbeat and break.
No. I think not, because life does in fact go on in this interminable Eternal Now. The flesh
still needs its training in abstention. Abstention from excessive grief. Abstention from
wallowing in the bitter cup. Abstention from fear and morosity.
My grief was overwhelming, and so I settled on a fast from bitter foods as a way to
symbolically break its crippling bonds. It was a highly unusual, but necessary, Lenten journey.
Questions for Reflection
• Perhaps grief isn’t your fundamental reality this year. Perhaps it’s something else. Do
you have a sour disposition? Why not consider a fast from sour foods? Is your tongue
destructively salty? Say goodbye to potato chips. When you’re tempted by these treats,
pray for deliverance and offer up a song of praise instead. “Be of good courage, and He
shall strengthen your heart” (v. 24).
Prayer
“Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! For I
said in my haste, ‘I am cut off from before Your eyes’; nevertheless You heard the voice of
my supplications when I cried out to You.” Psalm 31: 21-22
Lord, during this season of reflection, let these words penetrate my mind and pierce my
heart. Let them do their work in me. Amen.
Christine A. Scheller, The High Calling
32
March 19, 2015
The Sign of Immanuel
Read Isaiah 7:10-14
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest
depths or in the highest heights.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to
the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the
patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself
will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him
Immanuel. Isaiah 7:10-14
Day 26
Lenten Devotional
We sit in the coffee house and talk about her marriage. I suggest that she pray about the
slow demise that is now becoming undeniable. I look across the small table, and she shakes
her head.
“I couldn’t ask God about this. There are so many other terrible things in the world God
should be more concerned about than me. Children starving in Africa and people who can’t
go outside because of wars being fought in the streets. I don’t think it’s right that I push to
the front of the line to talk about my marital troubles!”
She laughs it off.
“Well, that’s assuming there is a line,” I say. “That’s assuming God is a busy man behind a
desk and we’re taking numbers, waiting for our turn to talk to an overwhelmed worker with
too much on his plate. I don’t think that’s who God is.”
So many times our minds confine God into a box and we, like Ahaz, believe we can put him
out, trouble him beyond what we really need to. So often we make God into nothing more
than a reflection of ourselves. We decide he is able to take on only so much, even when
God Himself is the one asking us what we need.
“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
We would be wise to instead know that God waits to prove himself able. That God is not
a man, but God, able to hear my prayer request and yours and ten thousand besides and
still not be exhausted. We would be wise to stop trying the patience of God and receive the
miracles that we assume he is too busy to accomplish. It is his ability to answer every
prayer that makes him God. That is who has called us to be his own.
Questions for Reflection
• Where in your own life have you limited God’s ability or willingness to answer your
prayers? How in the past has God superseded your unbelief and answered you with
Christ himself? Do you believe he can do it again?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for seeing past our pious reluctance and giving us yourself. Help us today
to take you at your word. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, to believe that you long to prove
that you are able. Help us to ask for our heart’s desire. Amen.
Zena Neds-Fox, Contributor
33
Day 27
Knowing Jesus Better
March 20, 2015
To Us a Child Is Born
Read Isaiah 9:2-7
“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
It sure seems easy to find bad news. All we have to do is turn on the TV or pick up a
newspaper to learn of someone’s bad decision, hear about the negative state of our
economy, or be reminded of the very fragile health of our planet earth. While it is important
to stay informed about the current events around us, these reminders can become
overwhelming. This streaming negative news can be quite depressing and leave us feeling
a bit helpless.
But wait! No matter how dark it sometimes feels, there is light. God sends this light and
when we open ourselves up to it, the light is obvious. God’s love shines in the darkness
through people doing what God calls us to do, love. Darkness does and will continue to
exist in our lives. We will experience sorrow and hurt for which we can find no answers, but
God’s light will always shine. This light comes through people showing love to one another
in amazing ways, especially during the most challenging of circumstances. We see people
acting in godly ways during times of tragedy, letting his light shine. Sadly, it seems that
our news stories do not often highlight these examples, but we must remember they exist.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who live in a land of
deep darkness—on them light has shined.”
God’s light is never so obvious as within the hearts of children. Our children represent hope and
promise for the future. Through children God calls us to our best love, a love that is complete
and unfaltering. “For a child has been born for us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is
named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Questions for Reflection
• When have you felt you were walking in darkness? What are some examples of God’s
light in your personal life?
Prayer
Dear God, we pray that you guide us through the times of darkness and always remind us
that your love is our light. Give us the strength to love, even when the world feels loveless.
Help us to see the incredible hope that children bring to our lives. Amen.
Erik Silvius, Foundation Free Camps
34
March 21, 2015
The Suffering Glory of the Servant Isaiah
Read Isaiah 52:13-53:3
He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem
Him. Isaiah 53:3
When our teenage daughter left home one night without our knowing it, it began one of
the most difficult times of my life. She slipped out quietly after a disagreement. It had
been a rough year for her—the entire family, really. Our daughter was going through an
extremely insecure time. We found it hard to provide the guidance and security she needed
to get through all the turbulence. Emotional escalations, hurtful exchanges, and countless
worrisome nights were becoming the norm. Now she was gone. And whether it was
rational or not, I felt like we might never see her again.
Day 28
Lenten Devotional
The stress and agonizing tick-tock of the clock as the hours passed were brutal. I remember
lying prostrate before God in the dark of my closet. As I bared my soul, I felt so small in
relation to his omniscience. Within ten minutes of that honest prayer, we received a call
from her friend relaying that our daughter was in a safe place. Jesus had heard my prayer.
His loving compassion touched my soul.
Jesus understands what it means to be separated from his Father. A man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. That prophetic description of Christ reminds us of the rejection and
torment he was destined to experience. Yet, it also gives us great comfort. Jesus, on the
night he was betrayed, asked the Father to remove the cup. And then we read, “And being
in agony he was praying very fervently; and his sweat became like drops of blood, falling
down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44).
My story has a happy ending. Our daughter returned home the next day. As the months
passed, we healed and now she flourishes. In this season of Lent, we reflect on the Suffering
Servant. Having been like us, Jesus understands our pains and sorrows like no other.
Questions for Reflection
• When have you experienced agony and sorrow that seemed unquenchable? Do you think
of Jesus as the Suffering Servant... someone who deeply understands your pain?
Prayer
Gracious Lord, it doesn’t seem right that anyone could despise or forsake you... hide their
face from you. Yet, when we consider where to go with our deepest pain and suffering,
we are comforted that your suffering gives us courage in our weakest moments. What
you bore on our behalf is hard to take in. Thank you for your great empathy that reassures
us we have an intercessor and advocate who understands, firsthand, what we are going
through. Amen.
Perri Rosheger, Foundations for Laity Renewal
35
Fifth Sunday
Knowing Jesus Better
March 22, 2015
The suffering glory of the servant, Part One
Read Isaiah 53:4-9
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is
led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His
mouth. Isaiah 53:7
My workplace is full of chatty, witty, well-informed people who sometimes think we know
more than we do. We can be quick to criticize, to joke, to find flaws, in the guise of displaying
that knowledge. This is why, a few years ago, I gave up dissing for Lent. I wanted to hit the
pause button on some of the unnecessary utterances I was tempted to make, and examine
my motives, and see whether there was something to be learned, even gained, by silence.
More than 700 years before Jesus stood silent before his accusers, refusing to give the
defense they expected and his followers must have been rooting for, Isaiah described the
scene. We, like sheep, have gone astray, and his emotional suffering has begun, and his
physical suffering is about to get horrific, and those closest to him will desert him. Yet he
did not open His mouth.
Silence can be eloquent. It can convict. It can be maddening. It can be mystifying. It can be
the only thing left to say.
That Lent when I tried to open my mouth less, I learned that often my impulse was out of a
desire to entertain or to lift myself above someone or to step in and offer a solution where
I wasn’t being asked for one or simply to join others in reindeer games. And I learned that
strength and calm and clarity can grow when nurtured by silence.
In this era of 24-hour news cycles and Twitter feeds and endless noise, it can be instructive
to imagine that deafening silence of the Lamb as he went knowingly, willingly, obediently to
the wounds that would heal us, through the disgrace that would give him glory.
Questions for Reflection
• What strikes you most about Isaiah’s description of Jesus’ silence? In what places or
situations might you test your own silence? Is it difficult or unnerving for you to be quiet
or to be with people who are, and if so, why?
Prayer
Father, let me not ever underestimate what Jesus lived on the cross. Thank you for his
example of obedience and of the stewardship of words. May your love similarly constrain
me not to speak when I should be listening. Amen.
Laura Lynn Brown, Contributor
36
March 23, 2015
The Suffering Glory of the Servant, Part Two
Read Isaiah 53:10-12
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes
his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the
Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my
righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
Day 29
Lenten Devotional
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with
the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the
transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:10-12
I hung up the phone, shaken and sad. A friend and I were working through a tough spot in
our relationship. It wasn’t a lovely conversation.
Small moments in community can overwhelm and make us feel like the whole endeavor of
loving the human race is highly overrated. But what if God is at work in the midst of these
small crushings?
Sometimes, I end up in the corner, licking my wounds and deciding that it’s not worth it. I
decide that pouring out my life is foolishness and that keeping a full glass of myself might
actually be what God meant. It hurts too much to see the water of my love spill out and
immediately disappear onto the dry, parched ground of those around me.
But Jesus knew better.
He knew that though he poured himself out on the altar for the sins of many, he would have
many brothers and sisters and sons and daughters. He knew that though he suffered, he
would see the light of life rise to dawn.
Questions for Reflection
• Have you decided that loving those around you is too hard and just not worth it? Have
you given yourself wiggle room that doesn’t reflect what Jesus has called you to? Reflect
on the rewards described from this passage in Isaiah. Can you see the joy? Spend some
time letting God show you a picture of the joy set before you, helping you to endure the
particular cross you’ve been called to carry.
Prayer
Lord, you suffered for the great joy set before you. Send us your Holy Spirit today to take
our eyes off of the crosses we carry and give us a picture of the goodness that you will
bring about through our obedience. Amen.
Zena Neds-Fox, Contributor
37
Day 30
Knowing Jesus Better
March 24, 2015
The Day of Atonement, Part One
Read Leviticus 16:11-19
He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people. Leviticus 16:15a
I try to avoid blood at all costs. Yours. Mine. It doesn’t matter. It’s not necessarily about
the blood. It’s about what the presence of blood means. It rarely appears easily or
without trauma.
When my children were young and my husband and I heard a cry from one of them in the
other room, I always sent my husband in first. I’d stand frozen in place, holding my breath,
with my hands over my eyes. When enough time had passed, I’d call out to my husband, “Is
there blood?”
Blood is messy. But then again, so is sin.
Right from the beginning, when Adam and Eve stepped away from being at one with God
and, instead, hid from him in the garden, God chose sacrifice to cover them. One life, in
exchange for theirs. And it was like that from then on. In order to receive forgiveness of sin,
a sacrifice was needed. Over and over and over again, because that’s how often we need it.
Years later, the Old Testament priests would continue this practice by making sacrifices in
the Temple. First, for themselves, and then for the people. Blood spilled, sacrifice made,
sins forgiven. Atonement. A foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice which would be once, and
for all.
Years ago, I heard someone describe atonement this way: “You can break down the word to
understand its meaning. At. One. Atonement is the act of becoming, once again, at one with
God.” In the Old Testament, the priests made atonement on behalf of the people, wiping
the slate clean until the next time they sinned. God knows that we are prone to wander. He
knows our hearts and minds—when left unchecked—bend toward the things that take us
far from him.
So, because of his great love for us, God sent Jesus. The Bible calls Jesus God’s onlybegotten. And I imagine God stood breathless as Christ hung on that cross. Jesus made
the final, traumatic, bloody sacrifice. It was the sacrifice that—once, and for all—made it
possible for us to be, again, at one with God.
Questions for Reflection
s What does the word “sacrifice” mean to you? What is the significance of the temple
sacrifices in the Old Testament? Do you feel “at one” with God? Why or why not?
Prayer
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38
March 25, 2015
The Day of Atonement, Part Two
Read Leviticus 16:20-34
“He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness
and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall
send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat
will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the
desert.” Leviticus 16:21-22
Day 31
Lenten Devotional
The glass shattered, and somewhere on the other side of a broken garage window, my
cousin’s carelessly tossed rock landed with a discernible thud. My cousin and I sprinted like
mad for cover down an alleyway. A voice cried out after us: “You kids get back here!”
We ducked behind a shed, and my cousin begged me to take the blame when we got back to
Grandma’s house. He said Grandma would be far less harsh with me than with him, which
was probably true. So would I please confess to breaking the old man’s garage-door window?
But I flatly refused. What kind of reasonable person would risk punishment for the criminal
act of another? Pay the crime; do the time. That’s what I figured. I mean, I would never be
someone else’s fall guy. But my Savior would. And did.
He took the punishment for every rock thrown, every evil plan conceived, every rancid word
spoken, every temptation ever acted upon. He died for once and for all. And for me.
This sacrificial act was foreshadowed centuries earlier, when God instructed Aaron to
gather two goats on the Day of Atonement. The first goat was sacrificed. Then, Aaron
brought forward the live goat. Scripture tells us that Aaron placed both of his hands on the
live goat, heaping all of the peoples’ sins onto that animal, the scapegoat, or azazel. The
azazel was sent away into the desert, carrying all of their sins with him. In Hebrew, azazel
means “entire removal.” Franz Delitzsch, a German theologian, aptly called the Day of
Atonement “the Good Friday of the Old Testament.”
On Calvary’s Good Friday, Christ became my Scapegoat. He carried my sins away, an
“entire removal.” He willingly did the unthinkable thing that no one else would have dared
do: lay down his unstained life for the guilty.
Questions for Reflection
• When you think of Jesus as your Scapegoat, how does this impact you in your spirit
today? In what ways has Christ’s sacrifice become personal for you this Lenten season?
Prayer
Dear Lord, it astounds me how far you went to save me from my sin—all the way to the
cross. You were our “fall guy,” willingly taking the punishment we deserved. What kind of
reasonable person would do such a thing? The answer, thank God, is you. Thank you for
your amazing grace, which saved a wretch like me. Amen.
Jennifer Dukes Lee, The High Calling
39
Day 32
Knowing Jesus Better
March 26, 2015
The Fall of Man, Part One
Read Genesis 3:1-13
“The man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree,
and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ And the
woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’” Genesis 3:12-13
It’s always hard, returning to Eden. I cannot read these two primeval verses without being
simply undone. In all the beauty and beguilement that was going on in this moment still
fresh with dew, the man and the woman fessed up; they both said “I ate.” Was there a little
hem haw at first? Sure, but c’mon, let’s cut our parents a little slack. After a slight pause
they came clean, both of them. Now maybe the writer of Genesis was compressing time
and the whole scene actually lasted hours with God playing good cop/bad cop with those
two and they finally, finally broke. But taking the verses as they come, it appears they shot
straight in record time. As the father of three and the son of two, I find this behavior quite
noble. Does Genesis 3 tell of the great Fall? Yes, but that is not all.
Lent is often referred to as days of bright sadness. My experience with this season so far
is that it is much easier to be sad than bright. We, the people can give the pigs a run for
their money in the game of wallowing. Yes, it is a season for mourning, for taking a look at
the stains on our fingers, stains that never ever occur in a vacuum. But that is not all, for in
those moments lie the seeds of something else if we’re willing to take and plant.
Joan Didion once wrote, “The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life is the
source from which self-respect springs.” Our ancestors in Genesis accepted responsibility for
their lives; they said “I did it.” Lent provides us that same opportunity which, if taken, results
in the virtue known as self-respect. Verily, verily I say this is something much different than
self-esteem. Self-respect fashions a man or woman as noble. Not proud, but noble.
I believe there was a Lenten whisper in the margins of Genesis 3, an audible brightness
just after verses 12 and 13. It came from the sad Father’s lips: “Well done.” It is still
whispered today.
Questions for Reflection
• In addition to the good Father, what other people need to hear you say “I did it”? Start
close in, with those closest to you, those we so often hurt. What would it take to begin
seeing those confessions as the springs of self-respect? Consider writing them down in a
journal with a star beside them or sharing them with a trusted friend who can encourage
you with “Well done.”
Prayer
Our Father who is always near, give us the courage to come clean in this season, and each
time surround us with your mercy so that we might then rise to walk nobly as the sons
and daughters of God. Amen.
John D. Blase, Contributor
40
March 27, 2015
The Fall of Man, Part Two
Read Genesis 3:14-23
To Adam [the Lord] said, “Because you... ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded
you [against], cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food
from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat
the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return
to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Genesis 3:17-19
Day 33
Lenten Devotional
If you have children, you know that children are born very needy and self-focused. They
don’t have the ability to see limits placed upon them, and when the hunger pains begin,
they cry. But as children mature, they realize that it’s not healthy to be strictly autonomous,
responsible to no one but themselves. God shows us that to live in this world as his people
we must be cognizant of boundaries. And that’s hard. It’s in our very nature since birth to
be self-serving, struggling to find our own voice and make our own choices.
When Eve made the choice to disobey God’s command, there were consequences. God
cursed the ground under Adam and Eve’s very feet, showing that sin releases turmoil and
unrest into the world. It’s interesting to think of our sin as not being strictly personal, but
causing disarray in the world and affecting those we love the most.
Although God did forgive Adam and Eve, the Lord’s forgiveness did not alleviate the
natural consequences of their sin and disobedience. Being self-focused and ignoring God’s
boundaries caused Adam and Eve’s relationship to be affected and had long-lasting effects
for their lives. He alone is the creator, ruler, and Lord of our hearts, and such boundaries are
placed for our own benefit.
Questions for Reflection
• Have you been selfish in some aspect of your life, not appreciating the boundaries placed
on your life? Can you really trust in God’s compassion and mercy that he will allow you to
live fully in a forgiven state?
Prayer
Faithful God, please forgive our selfishness. We were born into this world very selffocused without recognizing that you have placed boundaries and limits in our lives.
Please help us to respect those limits you’ve placed on our hearts and in our world. Allow
us to live freely within the permissible space without always trying to eat the forbidden
fruit. And allow us to get on our knees and ask for true redemption as we groan out in
pain at the consequences of sin so many years ago. We are like Eve and Adam who could
not resist the fruit, and we seek your face. Please allow us new life, even in this dusty,
broken world, to try and please you in all things. We thank you for your abundant love and
forgiveness. Amen.
Amanda Hill, Contributor
41
Day 34
Knowing Jesus Better
March 28, 2015
Jacob Blesses Judah
Read Genesis 49:8-12
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until
tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Genesis 49:10
Judah was the fourth and final son born of Jacob by Leah, his lesser wife, the one who knew
she was unloved. Her father Laban had tricked Jacob into marrying her, presenting her on
his wedding night, rather than her sister Rachel whom he loved. So Jacob, the deceiver, was
himself deceived and Leah grieved the knowledge that she was not his favorite.
Yet when she gave birth to this son, Leah praised God and named him Judah which means
praise. And when Jacob pronounced blessing upon each of his sons, he proclaimed that all
would one day bow down and praise Leah’s son.
Jacob declared also that this Judah would be a lion, powerful and strong to destroy his
enemies. He would appear, however, not in strength but as a cub sent in weakness. This lion
would descend and lie down, appearing for a time to have been conquered by his enemies.
This blessing which Jacob pronounced promised an eternal kingdom to his son and his
descendants. Though the reigns of Judah and his sons would wax and wane, troubled by
both their enemies and their brothers, its coming would not be stopped. This blessing, once
declared, would become a reality, and the coming king would be clothed in robes stained
by blood and wine.
Scripture mentions another lion, a powerful enemy who prowls and deceives, who seeks to
kill and destroy this coming kingdom. During Lent, we are mindful of the darkness of battle
waged by this enemy and the magnitude of his evil intent. But his powers are limited, and
all his attempts to thwart the coming kingdom will fail. Although for a short while the Lion
of Judah relinquished his power, and submitted to the slumber of death, he awoke and
emerged triumphant from his three-day den.
The mighty Lion of Judah arose, having conquered the power of sin. The King has claimed
his eternal throne but, rather than destroying all his enemies, in mercy he has extended his
eternal scepter to all who will believe. The coming of his kingdom will not be stopped, but
will bring restoration to all who have been deceived, compassion to all who are unloved,
and comfort to all who grieve.
Fitting tribute will be brought to the king, this Lion of Judah. The obedience and praise of all
people will be offered to the one whose name means praise.
Questions for Reflection
• Have you ever heard the roar of a lion or seen one shake his mane? Which of the two lions
in Scripture comes to your mind more often? Does the image of Christ as a powerful lion
offer you comfort? How?
Prayer
All praise to you, whose name means praise! May your unstoppable kingdom come, with
power and might, until you reign on earth as you do in heaven. Gather people of every
nation, tribe, language, and tongue to offer fitting tribute of obedience and praise! Amen.
Nancy Franson, Contributor
42
March 29, 2015
The Prophet
Read Deuteronomy 18:14-22
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your
fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” Deut. 18:15
I often equate listening to God with silence. But that’s not an easy task. At my home, the
quiet is routinely pierced by the dog next door, the ever-present highway noise that rumbles
a half-mile away, or neighbors who seem to speak a few decibels higher than necessary.
A walk in the woods offers moments of quietness, but still my own feet crush the ground
and my jacket crumples in the crisp air. A tranquil moment on the ocean shore is replete
with the frothy tide and gulls in the air. Even an escape to the mountains doesn’t bring the
requisite quiet. Trees crack and sway with the wind and rivers tumble pebbles down the
waterway.
Sixth Sunday
Lenten Devotional
When I do find an escape, I can never really run from the noise of my mind. Internally, my
spirit shouts with selfish desire and my flesh moans in complaint. At times, there is no clear
escape from that spiritual noise pollution. The distractions of life seem to edge out the
voice of God.
But maybe I’m listening for God in all the wrong places. When he told Moses that he would
raise up a line of prophets to speak his word, it’s because they weren’t listening. They had
seen his wonders first-hand—the Red Sea parting, the morning manna, and the fingerchiseled commandments. Yet, they seemed to miss the obvious.
For generations after Moses, a prophet would rise and proclaim, “Thus says the Lord.” The
final prophet in this plan was Jesus. And his word—once we allow it room in our hearts—is
loud and clear. I really don’t need a quiet place. I don’t need a monastic retreat. I don’t need
a cone of silence to protect me from the world. I can carve out just a moment, seek him out,
and he will speak the prophetic voice.
This Lenten season, may you purposefully carve time with him just to listen—to hear his
voice. It may be in a noisy stadium, in the breakroom at work, on the rumbling commuter
train. But, stand for just a moment and ask for him to speak—and then listen.
Questions for Reflection
• When have you heard God speak in a noisy place? Are you missing out on his voice
because you don’t think the circumstances are right? How can you take time out this
Lenten season to listen?
Prayer
Thank you, God, for still speaking to us. It may not be in the sign of a burning bush or
a whirlwind, but still you speak. Teach me how to listen. Open my ears that I may hear
your wonderous truth. During these next few days, teach me to be still and to wait upon
you. Amen.
David Rupert, The High Calling
43
Day 35
Knowing Jesus Better
March 30, 2015
The Word Became Flesh
Read John 1:1-14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
I don’t typically think of this passage when I think about Easter. Instead, when I read John’s
words, I imagine the two-inch Fontanini baby Jesus swaddled in white cloth, lying in a
straw-stuffed manger in our nativity scene. “God in a bod,” as a speaker once said. But the
implications for the Incarnation of Christ must carry us from Christmas through Lent, to
Easter and beyond, or carry us not at all.
The Word became flesh. The Greek word is logos, and refers to something said, spoken,
or declared. Additional meanings include: doctrine, teaching, and story. The same God
who spoke the world into existence in Genesis, spoke himself into the world in Christ.
Sometimes, however, a voice is not enough.
Bailey, our old gray cat, illustrates this point well. When he’s hungry, he meows.
Incessantly. If that doesn’t get our attention, he paws at furniture. Lately, when we pour his
food and water, he doesn’t touch his food. He just keeps on meowing.
I can tell him in my most exasperated voice, “You have food and water,” but for some
strange reason, this does no good. Quite by accident one day, I realized that if I stood
beside his food dish, Bailey would eat. I tried it again the next day with similar results. Since
then, every time I stand by his food, the cat devours whatever is in his dish.
Perhaps God knew we would need more than a voice to receive the food that would sustain
us. With the Incarnation, we have the reassuring presence that says, “It’s OK. I’m here. Take
and eat.”
Just in case we missed this point, John says it in a different way in the last part of the
sentence. God made his dwelling among us. People in Jesus’ day would have been very
familiar with skenoo, the word for dwelling. It’s the same word used to describe tabernacle,
the place of God’s protection and communion.
Protection and communion help us journey through the challenges of our Lenten sacrifice.
Protection and communion give us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus.
God’s protection and communion prepare us to see his glory. Then we are able to offer his
grace and truth to those around us.
Questions for Reflection
• When have you needed reassurance from God in the past? Are you currently facing any
situations where God’s presence could make a difference? If so, how might the outcome
change with the knowledge that God is dwelling among you?
Prayer
Father, we can’t always verbalize why we’re unable to partake of communion with you.
We’ve read your word and heard your voice, yet sometimes we just can’t take that first bite.
Would you remind us that your Word became flesh and dwells among us? Give us this day
a glimpse of your glory. Give us courage to extend your grace and truth to others. Amen.
Cheryl Smith, The High Calling
44
March 31, 2015
Imitating Christ’s Humility
Read Philippians 2:5-11
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who,
being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his
own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted
him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
Day 36
Lenten Devotional
The days gradually take on more light and the birds begin their slow return. Just this
morning I saw a flock of hundreds silhouetted against the burning sky—flying over the
freeway. I craned my neck in wonder and let myself get lost in their soar. Where have you
been? What have you seen? I wanted to call upward as they inked out the sky. But they did
not hear my heart-cry. They did not look down.
Sometimes I find it easier to see God in these creatures of his rather than in the faces of his
sons and daughters. And yet, Jesus became one of us. The Scripture says he was found in
appearance as man. This text in Philippians, in the NIV version, says that he made himself
nothing. Being in very nature God…he made himself nothing. The NRSV says he emptied
himself. It’s the Greek verb form kenó—“to empty”.
In Christian theology, we call it kén sis—the voluntary emptying of the own will and
surrendering to God’s. We try to do this during Lent, do we not? Through fasting and
sacrificing little pleasures, we shed the excess trappings and make room for God. Lent is
about the open hand—a holding loosely to the things of earth. He cannot fill that which is
not emptied, after all. Yet, we forget that in his self-emptying, Jesus embodied love. In the
incarnation, God who is love steps into flesh, and this very emptying himself of the divine
nature becomes a way of giving. A way of loving. The old saying is found true—love is the
only thing that increases the more it is given away.
As I journey to the cross, is it possible for me to see emptying myself as a way of giving?
Is it possible for me to see God in the faces of the people I encounter each day—to let his
presence there empty me into the serving of others?
For this is where I encounter the living Christ: while washing the feet of those he loves.
Questions for Reflection
• What is one way you can serve others this Lenten season?
• What are the ways you have seen God move this season? Do you make it a practice to
look for God in the faces of his children? What does it look like to you to empty yourself?
Prayer
Jesus, we thank you. We thank you for giving us a model of how to empty ourselves of our
own desires and lose ourselves in the service of others. What a gift it is to join you in your
work in this world. Fill us with the love you freely give away. In your name we pray. Amen.
Laura Boggess, The High Calling
45
Day 37
Knowing Jesus Better
April 1, 2015
Living Sacrifices
Read Romans 12:1-8
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and
perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
The 21st century seems a long way from the world of sacrifice. For example, I don’t hesitate
to spend two dollars on a cup of coffee that I could make myself with a few affordable tools.
I rarely fast, but when I do, I’m usually thinking about my health rather than my devotion
to God. I certainly don’t have any experience sacrificing animals. My bacon has as much in
common with a pig as it does with a Pop-Tart.
Much of what I know about sacrifice I learned in a dark theater watching movies like
The Avengers.
That mega-blockbuster of 2012 ends with sacrifice. Iron Man flies a nuclear bomb into
another dimension, sacrificing himself to save the world. Except he quickly falls back to
earth and miraculously revives before the credits. As sacrifices go, it is standard action
movie fare, and its cheapness doesn’t teach us much about real sacrifice. Sure, Ironman
risked himself, but Jesus did more than that. The Son of God suffered. The Son of God died.
Sacrifice means death.
But Paul calls us to be living sacrifices.
How is this possible? Jesus himself became the perfect sacrifice, so the world does not
need deaths on any more altars. Instead, we bring sacrifices of praise (Heb. 13:15-16). Our
sacrifices will be the opposite of the Old Testament legal sacrifices. Legal sacrifices can be
performed with impure motives, but a living sacrifice depends upon the right motives. This
is why Jesus reminds the people that God requires mercy, not sacrifice (Matt. 9:13).
What does a living sacrifice look like: Mercy.
Questions for Reflection
• Where do you need to show mercy and kindness and compassion to others this week—
in your work or your family or your community? Is there any place where you desire
others to show you mercy? Are you offering God cheap sacrifices or sacrifices that are
deep and meaningful?
Prayer
Lord, it can be hard to think about sacrifice in a culture where we have so much material
comfort. Sometimes, God, I try so hard to do all the right things in just the right ways, and
I miss the main point of your desire for me. Like the church leaders in the first century, I
sometimes offer sacrifices to justify myself rather than glorify you.
Help me today to be a living sacrifice to you. Help me be kind and compassionate to the
people I encounter. Help me be merciful to others, but help me also to be merciful to
myself. Amen.
Marcus Goodyear, The High Calling
46
Maundy Thursday April 2, 2015
The Lonely Cross
Read John 19:16-27
Then [Pilate] handed [Jesus] over to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the
cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is
called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side,
with Jesus between them. John 19:16-18
Day 38
Lenten Devotional
Jesus’ dark hours remind us there are some roads you must walk alone.
The Cross, with its violence and repulsive evil, grieves us. We revolt at the injustice of the
entire sham, an innocent man with such a pure heart subjected to torture and humiliation
while powerful men schemed and plotted. However, as much as the gore and the
malfeasance disturb me, Jesus’ utter aloneness disturbs me even more.
As Jesus stumbled along that cobblestone road, his bloodied back bore the weight of this
wooden cross—a cross he carried all by himself. The Cross, Jesus understood, was where
he would face the vilest horrors: abandonment and isolation.
Hours previous, Jesus prayed alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, pleading with the Father
while his companions snoozed. In the hours to come, one of his dearest friends would
vehemently insist that he didn’t even know Jesus’ name. Even as Jesus hung between two
thieves, neither could appreciate what Jesus endured. Of course, grieving souls will tell you
that loneliness arrives even when surrounded by people. At the end, Jesus’ mournful words
give voice to his heartache. Jesus cried out for a Father who seemed to have disappeared.
Lent is a time when we enter our lonely places, into the questions that isolate us, into the
shames and addictions that are hidden to others’ eyes. In Lent, we take up the cross that
only we can bear and, with Jesus, we step into the narrow corner where we fear we may be
finally undone.
When we arrive in that lonely place, we make a startling discovery: Jesus is there. Jesus
carried his cross alone and Jesus died alone so that we will never have to suffer such heavy
solitude. Jesus experienced a kind of aloneness that we never will. We need not fear the
dark, solitary spaces; God is there.
Questions for Reflection
• Where do you feel loneliness most acutely? Have you allowed yourself to sit there rather
than running from it? Have you invited God into that lonely place?
Prayer
God, there are times when I’m afraid of what I’ll find if I step into my lonely places. Will I
be undone? Why must we walk some roads and carry some crosses by ourselves? God,
you say that you will never leave me and never forsake me. Please help me believe that.
Help me to trust this is true. Help me to walk forward in courage, even into the lonely
abyss. Amen.
Winn Collier, Contributor
47
Day 39
Knowing Jesus Better
Good Friday, April 3, 2015
The Death of Jesus
Read Luke 23:44-49
“And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a
distance watching these things.” Luke 23:49
If you are reading this, you are not dead. You have not experienced firsthand the process of
dying. If you have witnessed death, you have seen it—no matter how close to it you were—
as Jesus’ friends did: “at a distance.”
Until we go through it ourselves, we don’t really understand death.
Yet, death is all around us. Death is too much, too much with us.
I see it in the carcass of a deer in the creek. I see it dancing with my 98-year old
grandmother, some days taking the lead, other days sitting out for a song or two. I see it in
my best girl—my old dog—in the increased struggles to get up and down the stairs. I see
it siphoning away, before our very eyes, the life of our beloved church pianist, yet young. I
see it in the mirror in the deepening lines around my mouth.
I wonder at death. I tremble before death. I dread death. I fear death. I hate death.
As if the world were not filled with enough hints that something here is amiss, terribly
amiss—greedy kings, hungry children, wayward hearts, fallen birds—death yowls and
roars all around us until I want to stop my ears.
But Jesus. Oh, Jesus.
I stand at a distance and marvel at his willing submission to death’s horrible hands, his
willing humiliation between its ravaging teeth.
Jesus takes death—the sign that points to all that is wrong in this world—and through
death makes it all right again.
If we watch, we will see.
Questions for Reflection
How have you experienced death in your life? How close or distant has this experience felt
to you? Have you been able to see in death a pointing toward life? What does it mean that
Jesus, the son of God, experienced—and overcame—physical death?
Prayer
God of Life, thank you for my life. Thank you for the life all around me. Open my eyes to
that life, but also, Lord, I pray you will open my eyes to the death that is all around me,
too—deaths small as well as large, spiritual as well as physical. Help me to see the fallen
aspects of this world that these deaths signify. But help me, too, to remember and live out
every moment of every day the victory that your death has brought to this fallen world and
to this fallen person. Thank you, Lord, for conquering death so that I may live. Amen.
Karen Swallow Prior, Contributor
48
Holy Saturday, April 4, 2015
For God So Loved...
Read John 3:1-21
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
As I write this reflection, I’m sitting by my Christmas tree, with instrumental carols playing
softly in the background. Ordinarily, I don’t write my Daily Reflections several months
in advance. And I’m not usually thinking about Holy Saturday a couple of days before
Christmas. But the deadline for our Lenten Devotional, combined with my upcoming
holiday vacation, has put me in this rather unusual place.
Day 40
Lenten Devotional
At first I thought, “This is truly bizarre.” But as I sat quietly, I began to appreciate the chance
to connect Christmas with Holy Saturday, as well as with its framing holy days, Good Friday
and Easter. At Christmas, we celebrate the coming of Jesus as the one who will “save his
people from their sins,” including us (Matt. 1:21). Yet, this salvation does not come only
from the Incarnation of the Word of God. Rather, the Word becomes flesh in order to reveal
God to us and, crucially, so that he might bear our sin upon the cross. Without Christmas,
Good Friday is not possible. Without Good Friday, Christmas is incomplete. (And, of course,
neither of these days receive their full meaning apart from Easter.)
One of the most famous verses of Scripture reveals to us the reason behind both Christmas
and the cross. According to John 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his
one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal
life.” God the Father sent his Son at Christmas so that one day he would die on the cross
because of his immense love for the world.
Yet, God does not just love the world as a whole. God also loves each and every one of us,
each individual human being, including you. Ephesians 1:4 makes it clear that God loved you
and chose you to belong to him even before the creation of the world. He sent his Son to earth
and then to the Cross because he loves you. It’s easy to write these words, but not so easy to
internalize them. I must confess that I struggle sometimes to believe that God loves me. But as
I survey the wondrous cross, the Holy Spirit fills my heart with God’s love (Rom. 5:5).
On this final day of Lent, may you be embraced by God’s love as you remember that he sent
his Son out of love for the world, including you.
Questions for Reflection
• What helps you to believe that God loves you? When has God’s love for you been
especially real to you?
Prayer
When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I
count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice
them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled
down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the
whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all. Amen.
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” by Isaac Watts, 1707. Public domain.
Mark Roberts, Foundations for Laity Renewal
49
Easter Sunday
Knowing Jesus Better
April 5, 2015
An Easter Postscript: From Dust to Dust, From Death to Life
Read 1 Corinthians 15:45-57
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He
gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56-57
A month and a half ago, the season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday. Then, we were
reminded, in the words of Genesis 3:19 that we were made from dust, and to dust we will
return. Ash Wednesday confronted us with the bad news we try to avoid: Because of our
sin, we will die. In the words of 1 Corinthians 15:56, “For sin is the sting that results in
death.” We have all been stung by this fatal venom.
But that’s not the end of the story, thanks be to God! The law came along, but could not save
us. In fact, it accentuated the power of sin by making even clearer how much we were under
its power. But God had a plan, a plan he had formulated before the dawn of time. One day, he
would receive the sting of death himself, thus stripping sin of its lethal power. In that day, God
would defeat sin and death, offering victory to all who trust him through Jesus Christ.
In the death of Jesus on the cross, God was stung to death by sin. Yet, in the resurrection,
God broke the stinger. Moreover, the resurrection demonstrates the good news of God’s
victory in which we are blessed to share through Christ.
On Ash Wednesday, we remembered the fact that we came from dust and, because of sin,
to dust we will return. On Easter, we celebrate the fact that Jesus came from life and, even
though he died, returned to life in all its fullness. His resurrection not only shows us who
Jesus really was and what he really accomplished. It also shows us what we will experience
one day when we, too, are raised to the fullness of life.
In the meanwhile, we live as people of confident hope, knowing that God has been
victorious over sin and death. We begin to experience in this world the victory that is ours
through Christ as we put our faith in him and receive the Holy Spirit, the very power that
raised Jesus from the dead. Thus, even now, we live as people of the resurrection, people
of hope, victory, and power.
May the reality of the resurrection fill your life today, empowering you to live as victorious
disciples of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior!
Questions for Reflection
• How have you experienced the resurrection power of God in your life? In what parts of
your life do you need God’s power today?
Prayer
Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! All creation joins to say, Alleluia! Raise your joys
and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, O heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia! Lives again our
glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now your sting? Alleluia! Dying once, He all
doth save, Alleluia! Where your victory, O grave? Alleluia! Love’s redeeming work is done,
Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia! Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the
cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! Amen.
“Christ, the Lord, is Risen Today,” by Charles Wesley, 1739. Public domain.
Mark Roberts, Foundations for Laity Renewal
50
Lenten Devotional
About the Authors
Angela Aadahl arrived in Texas by way of Minnesota,
South Dakota and Boston. She enjoys reading,
running, laughing, and fro-yo. When not at camp
or with students, she is traveling about the world,
visiting friends and family.
Gordon Atkinson is the founding editor of the High
Calling Network and our former faith editor. He lives
and works in San Antonio. You can read more of his
writing at TertiumSquid.com.
magazines. She currently serves as a Contributing
Editor with The High Calling
Reid Echols works as a Video Editor for The High
Calling and lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and
wirehair dachshund. He is working on getting his
Ph.D. in English literature at The University of Texas,
and loves long walks, too much coffee, and the
smoky smell of Texas winters.
John Blase is a poet and writer living with his family
along Colorado’s Front Range. He writes regularly at
www.thebeautifuldue.wordpress.com.
Nancy Franson is a freelance writer who blogs at
OutofMyAllegedMind.com. She lives in Mansfield,
Connecticut, and is an occasional contributor at The
High Calling.
Laura Boggess is the Book Editor at The High Calling.
She lives in a little valley in West Virginia with her
husband and two sons and blogs at The Wellspring
(lauraboggess.com).
Marcus Goodyear is Senior Editor for
The High Calling. He likes to listen to his
daughter play violin, watch his wife act, and build
Lego robots with his son.
Laura Lynn Brown blogs at lauralynnbrown.com.
Her gift book for mothers Everything That Makes
You Mom: A Bouquet of Memories is forthcoming
from Abingdon Press in April.
Seth Haines a working stiff who makes his home in
the Ozarks. He is the husband of Amber Haines and
the father of four boys. Seth enjoys good sentences,
good music, good food, and good fly fishing. He
blogs at SethHaines.wordpress.com.
Winn Collier is the author of three books and he
writes online at winncollier.com. With his wife
and two sons, Winn lives in the old Ridge St.
Neighborhood of Charlottesville, Virginia. The kind
folks at All Souls Charlottesville allow Winn to marry,
bury and play with words in the pulpit on Sundays.
Kimberly Coyle is a contributor to the community
at The High Calling and writes at www.
kimberlyanncoyle.com where she explores faith,
motherhood, and life as an American living overseas.
Gate Davis is the Programs Operations Manager
at Laity Lodge, responsible for managing and
coordinating all of the logistics and operational and
promotional activities for the Lodge.
Michelle DeRusha is a frequent contributor to
The High Calling. Her first book, 50 Women Every
Christian Should Know, will be released by Baker
Books in 2014.
Dena Dyer is a wife, mom, author and speaker
who lives with her husband, Carey, and their two
boys in Texas. Dena’s publishing credits include
the upcoming 2013 release, Wounded Women of
the Bible. She has also written for Writer’s Digest,
Woman’s World, HomeLife, and many other
Amanda Hill is an attorney, mother, and writer and
can be found at www.hillpen.com.
Tina Howard is Content Editor for Laity Lodge
Family Camp.
L. Gregory Jones is the Strategic Director for the
Laity Lodge Leadership Initiative of the Foundations
for Laity Renewal.
Dan King is the Social Media Editor for
The High Calling where he writes and facilitates
conversations about work, life, and God on
Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Ann Kroeker, Family Content Editor for The High
Calling, has authored two books, including Not So
Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families,
and blogs at annkroeker.com. Ann and her husband
have four kids, ages 11 to 18.
Jennifer Dukes Lee is a former news reporter who
left the metropolitan new scene in 2002 to move
to the Lee family farm in northwest Iowa. She is a
content editor for The High Calling, and she writes
regularly at GettingDownWithJesus.com. Jennifer is
working on her first book, with Tyndale Momentum,
an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers.
51
Knowing Jesus Better
About the Authors
Kevin Mayne is the Director of Outreach and
Advancement. Before taking this position, Kevin
served for fifteen years as the Executive Director of
Laity Lodge Youth Camp.
Zena Neds-Fox writes at her dining room table. She
and her family live in the beautiful city of Detroit
where they are attempting to start a church that
pleases the Lord.
Karen Swallow Prior is Professor of English at
Liberty University and an award-winning teacher.
Her book, Booked, was a recent selection for the
online book club at The High Calling. Karen
contributes to Christianity Today, Her.meneutics,
and The Atlantic.
Chandler Pruitt serves as Director of Laity Lodge
Youth Camp. A graduate of Angelo State University
and Texas Tech University, he traded drawing pretty
pictures in architecture for shaving cream fights and
campouts. The rest, as they say, is history.
Steven Purcell is Executive Director of Laity Lodge.
He is married to Amy, has a 2-year old daughter, a
small garden, and a bird feeder.
Deidra Riggs is managing editor at The High Calling.
She lives in Nebraska with her husband and
listens to disco music on Pandora.
David Rogers, as Executive Vice President and
COO, directs the planning, staffing, and vision
of all Foundations for Laity Renewal programs.
He joined the Foundation in 1991 after earning
his MBA from UT Austin. Outside of work, he
enjoys traveling, skiing, and cycling. David and
his wife, Deborah, have three children, Katherine,
Alexandra, and Jackson.
Perri Rosheger is a member of the Executive Team
and Director of Development for Foundations for
Laity Renewal. She views her work as relational
ministry, and those relationships have added
profoundly to her life and work.
David Rupert is a contributor to The High Calling
and the editor of the Weekly Calling newsletter. He’s
a professional communicator who also writes at
RedLetterBelievers.com.
Christine A. Scheller is editor of the leadership
channel at The High Calling.
52
Erik Silvius is the Outdoor Education Coordinator
for Foundations for Laity Renewal. He works with
school groups from around Texas to plan and
implement an educationally-focused camping
experience for their students on our retreat property
in the Frio Canyon.
Laura Sorrell serves in a leadership role with
Foundations for Laity Renewal and with its leadership
program, Laity Lodge Leadership Initiative.
Cheryl Smith writes regularly about family and faith
at The High Calling, and extends hospitality
on The High Calling Facebook Page. She
also writes about abiding at OikosLiving.com.
Diana Trautwein is a retired pastor, spiritual
director, wonderer, laugh-out-loud-er (often at the
most inopportune moments), still wrestling with
God about all kinds of things and grateful for the
invitation to do so in this space.
Trey Tull has been on staff with Foundations for
Laity Renewal for eight years as a Director for Laity
Lodge Youth Camp. This spring and summer, he will
be serving in the Family Camp program helping to
lead the opening of the new Headwaters facility.
Sam Van Eman is culture editor at The High Calling.
He joined in 2008 after a hospitable welcome,
and has been a fan of the Foundations for Laity
Renewal ever since.
Dave Vander Laan lives in a small town in Northwest
Iowa. After spending fifteen years in broadcasting,
he has been an ordained minister in the Reformed
Church in America for almost twenty years.
J.B. Wood is Content Editor for The High Calling,
focusing on the integration of faith and work. He is
a full-time executive and author of the e-book, At
Work As �It Is in Heaven: 25 Ways to Re-imagine the
Spiritual Purpose of Your Work.
Glynn Young, author of two novels, is the Twitter
editor for The High Calling.
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