Ephesians 4:16
The devotions this week come from the verses the JAM kids will be talking about. The theme this month is Cooperation. Cooperation is working together to do more than you can do alone.
How can you be a part of this? Take a deep breath and open your heart, how can we be Better Together!
Read Ephesians 4:16
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
Support and cooperation go hand in hand. Remember, cooperation was God’s idea from the beginning. He wants us to work together, to help each other. So how about a little cooperation challenge?
Cooperation Bowl
1. Grab some cotton balls or cotton swabs.
2. Dump all the items on one end of your kitchen table.
3. Place a bowl on the opposite side of the table.
4. Set a timer for one minute and see how many items you can move to the bowl. (NOTE: You may only move one item at a time.) Ready? Go!
How many items did you move alone? ____________
Now, let’s try cooperating!
1. Grab a family member or friend to stand on the opposite side of the table.
2. Set a timer for one minute to see how many items you can move to the bowl.
3. Same rules apply, only move one item at a time. Ready? Go!
How many items did you move together? _____________
Clearly, you can do more together than you can do alone! Let’s look for ways to help or support each other as we cooperate this week.
Let’s Pray, God, working together can be tough but it also can be fun. Help us have fun, cooperate with our friends, so we can do more together than by ourselves. Amen.
Colossians 3:14-15
The devotions this week come from the verses the JAM kids will be talking about. The theme this month is Cooperation. Cooperation is working together to do more than you can do alone.
How can you be a part of this? Take a deep breath and open your heart, how can we be Better Together!
Read Colossians 3:14-15
14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
Grab a piece of paper and trace around the fingers on your hand.
Think about all the parts of your body that had to work together just now to trace that hand. It required your brain, your fingers, your wrist, your eyes, so many “parts” of you had to work together!
In the same way the parts of your body work together, God wants us to cooperate with one another. Cooperation requires care and attention. We have to take other people’s ideas into account and show them that what they have to say is important.
Grab your handprint drawing from earlier. Write the words of today’s verse in a long curling line up and over the fingers of your hand. As you write, thank God for your friends and ask for help to show love and care for them as you cooperate to get more done.
Loving God, help us to work together. Thank you for my friends. Help me to show love and care for them. Amen.
Psalm 51:17
Stop.
Take a deep breath. Trace the sign of the cross on your forehead. Center yourself in God’s promises for reconciliation and renewal today, tomorrow, and always.
Listen.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. – Psalm 51:17
Reflect.
All week, we have been reading from Psalm 51. We usually read this psalm in worship on Ash Wednesday, which just happened three days ago. We now find ourselves in the season of Lent. In this time, we often lean heavily on the guilt, obligation, and brokenness that surround our lives and for which Jesus went to the cross.
In my experience, there have been those among us for whom this season is almost unbearable. Their lives feel too heavy with anxiety, depression, and grief already. The very suggestion that it is their fault that Jesus suffered and died breaks their hearts beyond repair. Rather than reminding them of their humanity, beloved by Jesus, they can only see their errors and sins causing the death of God’s own son.
For those who know this pain too well, a verse like Psalm 51:17 can be too much. It seems to tell us that the only way to come to God is to suffer. Only once we are completely broken down, destroyed by shame, can God fully receive us. It makes it sounds like God wants them to continue to punish themselves.
What if instead the psalm reminds us that not one of us is without shame? What if it is especially intended to call out those who think they can do it all on their own? What if it intends to comfort those who know the pain of life too deeply, and claim even that suffering as welcome in God’s presence? What if God knows that you don’t need to make yourself suffer, that life itself has enough suffering all on its own, and God will not fault you if all you can bring into God’s presence is a broken spirit?
The point of Lent is not to suffer like Jesus did. We are not Jesus. Rather, the point of Lent is to recognize the reality of suffering, whether we are its cause or whether suffering comes simply from the pain and chaos of life. If you are one who knows all too acutely the heaviness of life that seems exacerbated by Lent, I hope you can also hear the promise of the coming of Easter. Because the beauty of this season is that it names life for what it is: difficult, painful, and so beloved by God that God would go through death itself to give us hope.
Pray.
God, I know you invite me just as I am, even in my pain and despair. I bring my suffering before you today. Although my heart breaks, I know you will fill it with your love. I praise you for this gift. Amen.
Carry On.
What breaks your heart today? How can you bring it before God? What’s one thing you can do this week that bears God’s love into that place of sadness for you?
Psalm 51:10-11
Stop.
Take a deep breath. Trace the sign of the cross on your forehead. Center yourself in God’s promise to guide and support you through the gift of the Spirit.
Listen.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. – Psalm 51:10-11
Reflect.
We’re reading Psalm 51 for our devotions this week. We usually hear Psalm 51 during Ash Wednesday services. Ash Wednesday was yesterday, so we’re now officially in the forty days of Lent. Lent gives us space and time to repent, to redirect ourselves, and to be renewed in the work of faith. All this points us towards Holy Week, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, that powerful story of Jesus going to the cross for our sake and God’s power over death and sin through Jesus’ resurrection.
For many people, a hallmark of Lent is giving something up. This tradition means to lift up the penitence of the season. Some people will actively fast during this time of year, whether from certain kinds of foods or on entire days or parts of days. In this act of sacrifice, believers mean to appreciate what Christ gave up for them.
In Psalm 51, the psalmist asks God to have a newly-created clean heart. Rather than God’s love being removed from his life, the psalmist asks that something new might be created within him. Which makes me wonder: what if we don’t give something up during Lent, but rather, take something up?
If the act of sacrifice and self-denial seems meaningful to you, absolutely, go for it. But it can be just as meaningful to add something to Lent that would help you more meaningfully recognize the ways God is doing something new in your life. How might your faith grow if you gave yourself ten minutes of meditation every day in Lent? Or kept a prayer journal and daily prayed for any requests you heard? Or chose a book of the Bible to read every night? How might these small faith acts put a new and right spirit within you?
It can be meaningful to give something up, especially if that something keeps you from truly knowing God’s love in your life. But just the same, adding something can build a whole new sense of hope and joy in you. Whatever it is you need this Lent, may God reveal it to you.
Pray.
God, you can renew my very self. Let your Spirit guide and surround me. Don’t let me lose my way, but rather, make your Spirit known more powerfully in my life. Amen.
Carry On.
What faith practice will you take on for Lent? Start today! Tell someone about it so you can stay accountable to this commitment.
Psalm 51:1-2
Stop.
Take a deep breath. Trace the sign of the cross on your forehead. Center yourself in God’s promise to love and forgive you.
Listen.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. – Psalm 51:1-2
Reflect.
Lent begins this week. Lent encompasses the forty days leading up to Easter, not counting the Sundays. (This is why the church calendar describes Sundays during Lent as Sundays in Lent, not Sundays of Lent.) The number forty carries great significance in scripture. In Genesis, rain fell for forty days and nights in the great flood. In Numbers, God’s people wandered in the wilderness for forty years. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days before his great temptation. The number forty points us to times of waiting, watching, and wondering throughout the Bible.
The forty days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday, which is tomorrow. Because we historically spend Lent preparing to hear the news of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on Good Friday (and yes, the promise of new life on Easter Sunday), Ash Wednesday intentionally centers us in our mortality. We receive a cross of ashes on our foreheads as we hear the words: remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Typically, we will also hear words from Psalm 51 on Ash Wednesday. We’ll reflect on that psalm through our devotions this whole week. The psalm opens with an invitation for God’s mercy to wash us from our sins. It’s a stark reminder of the ways that our selfishness, anger, fear, and jealousy can ruin not only our relationships with others, but even with God.
Tomorrow, when you bear that black cross on your forehead, you might also feel the weight of judgement. It’s hard to avoid the reminder that our sins could only be remedied by Jesus’ death and resurrection. With a cross of ashes on our foreheads, we carry both a reminder of death and a promise of hope. At the end of that day, you’ll wash that mark off your head. When you do, think of the words of this psalm. May they invite you into repentance and self-awareness in the days to come.
Pray.
Have mercy on me, God. I know you love me. Your mercy removes the pain of all I’ve done wrong. May your love wash over me and cover me in hope to your glory and for the sake of my neighbor. Amen.
Carry On.
Write the words of these two verses on a post-it note and put it near your shower or sink, so you can see it any time you wash your face. Through Lent, let it remind you of that Ash Wednesday cross and the love of God that redeems you.
Melvin Carter, Jr
I’m going to do something a bit different for this week’s devotions. Some of this is based on my own personal need for a sense of peace during a continuously churning world. This also coincides with the John Noltner exhibit currently displayed at Easter’s Hill location. It is here through the month of February so I encourage you to check it out before it’s gone. PBN
Stop. Take a deep breath. How have you experienced peace this week?
Listen. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.
Reflect. With Melvin Carter, Jr.’s portrait he defines peace as “people living harmoniously with one another” and he likens this to a symphony. Each instrument has a different part to play. Not all instruments are the same, but these different instruments come together and make a harmonious sound.
A barrier to peace is perhaps that we get so caught up in our differences that we forget. We forget that God made us different on purpose and for a purpose— “for the common good” (verse 7). We can’t all be accountants, we can’t all be builders, we can’t all be pastors. The world needs you to be who you are—to use the gifts God has given you in service to others.
What strength do you have that makes you different from others? How is God asking you to use that for the common good today?
I echo Carter’s sentiment: “I thank God that we’re all different.”
Pray. Gracious God, thank you for making each of us different yet with a shared purpose—for the common good. Bless us as we use our gifts to serve others and bless us as we see and appreciate the different gifts others bring into this world. Amen.
Carry On. May the Lord bless you as you continue to be a blessing to others.
Jennifer McNally
I’m going to do something a bit different for this week’s devotions. Some of this is based on my own personal need for a sense of peace during a continuously churning world. This also coincides with the John Noltner exhibit currently displayed at Easter’s Hill location. It is here through the month of February so I encourage you to check it out before it’s gone. PBN
Stop. Take a deep breath. Now think of the most peaceful place you’ve ever been. Imagine you’re there—what do you see, smell, and hear? Dwell there for a time.
Listen. Once you have returned from your peaceful place, we travel to a story and image that gives many people peace. Psalm 23:1-4 says “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.”
Reflect. The story that Jennifer McNally shares with her portrait might sound too familiar. She traveled to Florida to visit a close friend with lung cancer. While visiting in the hospital, her friend asked for a pen to write down her “patient goals”. The goals were to “Get well. Go Home. Spread joy.” Jennifer recounts that “when something’s happening to me that seems terrible, if I can’t be thinking of my friend saying she wanted to spread joy when she’s in her hospital bed hardly able to breathe… if I can’t keep that in mind, then there’s something wrong with me.”
We remember that even during difficult times it is Jesus who shepherds us, Jesus who goes with us, Jesus who provides for us. For sheep a GREEN pasture is likely a vision of heaven itself (especially in desert areas) and still water is much easier/safer to drink from than a river. Our shepherd desires the same signs of abundant life for us, too. I hope this brings you some comfort today.
Pray. Gracious God, no matter the circumstance, we know that you are with us and we thank you for giving us comfort. Be with all who are living with illness today. Amen.
Carry On. Going back to the “patient goals”: what’s one thing you can do to spread joy today?
David A. DeLampert, Jr.
I’m going to do something a bit different for this week’s devotions. Some of this is based on my own personal need for a sense of peace during a continuously churning world. This also coincides with the John Noltner exhibit currently displayed at Easter’s Hill location. It is here through the month of February so I encourage you to check it out before it’s gone. PBN
Stop. John Noltner travels the country and asks people “what does peace mean to you.” Take a deep breath. So… what does peace mean to you?
Listen. Matthew 18:21-22 says “21 Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’”
Reflect. The quote shared by David A. DeLampert, Jr. for his portrait with Noltner says “people are so hard on each other, nitpicking and always looking for something wrong and wanting to put someone down. People don’t know how to forgive. That’s the one thing the world ain’t caught onto yet, forgiveness. We have a problem with forgiving each other so we gonna have a problem with being at peace with each other.”
DeLampert says the barrier to peace is forgiveness. Nitpicking. Keeping score. In Matthew 18 Peter offers the gift of forgiveness seven times. That’s already a lot, but if you’ve ever forgiven someone perhaps you know it takes more than once. Jesus offers even more—forgive someone seventy-seven times. Forgive them so many times you lose count. Perhaps forgiveness is a process that takes time and peace in relationships doesn’t come to us overnight.
We know in our relationship with God, God’s forgiveness given through Jesus Christ doesn’t just take time—it takes our whole lifetime. I give thanks that God doesn’t count or keep track.
Pray. Gracious God, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Restore peace to our relationships with others and you through this gift of forgiveness. Amen.
Carry On. Are you experiencing peace today? If not, is forgiveness a barrier? Perhaps someone in your life needs your forgiveness. Perhaps you need to ask forgiveness. I pray that you can reach out to that person or those people and I pray that you get a glimpse of peace.
God’s Love Letter
My Dearest Child,
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. (Psalm 139:1) I know when you sit down and when you rise. (Psalm 139:2) Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:29-31) For you were made in my image. (Genesis 1:27) I knew you even before you were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:4-5) You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. (Psalm 139:15-16) I knit you together in your mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13) I am not distant and angry but am the complete expression of love. (1 John 4:16) And it is my desire to lavish my love upon you. (1 John 3:1) Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. (James 1:17) For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. (Matthew 6:31-33) My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I love you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. (Psalm 139:17-18) And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
I will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40) I can do more for you than you could imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) For I am your greatest encourager. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. (Psalm 34:18) One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. (Revelation 21:3-4) And I will take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. (Revelation 21:3-4) I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. (John 17:23) For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. (John 17:26)He is the exact representation of my being. (Hebrews 1:3) He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. (Romans 8:31) And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) And nothing will ever separate you from my love. (Romans 8:38-39)
Your Gracious God
Jesus Knows Me, This I Love
“In Jesus, God becomes human and so understands our ups and downs, our hopes and disappointments, our achievements, and failures. Because God understands us so fully, we can be confident of God’s great love for us.” David J. Lose author of Making Sense of the Christian Faith
The lyrics, “Jesus loves me, this I know, “to the ever-popular children's song, give me comfort. But the reversal of the verbs in these lyrics “Jesus knows me, this I love” comforts me even more. Especially as I encounter the hardships that life brings.
Jesus knows me. Most importantly, He really knows what it is like to be a human being. He fully empathizes with our pain and suffering. John 11:35 tells us that “Jesus wept.” The fact that Jesus – who is God incarnate – experienced human sorrow is utterly amazing to me.
In 2018, we tragically lost our son at the age of 21. The overwhelming love we receive, to this day from our family and friends, is incredibly healing. However, the most meaningful support is from parents who unfortunately lost a child as well. Those are your people, who look you in the eyes and simply say, “I know.” Perhaps this is why support groups are effective when struggling. We do not feel alone in our pain.
Even though support groups are a blessing, I find a deeper comfort in the truth that Jesus knows the pain of our human suffering and that God knows the pain of losing His son too. I am not alone.
Here is a podcast for those who are dealing with tough “stuff.” It helps me. https://www.ttfa.org/
What’s Love Got to Do with It?
“What’s Love Got to Do with It?”
The Legend of St. Valentine
by Jami Day (Director of Adult Ministry)
I can almost hear the Grammy Award winning artist Tina Turner’s song, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” in my head, as I ponder the origin of the long-celebrated, romantic holiday of St. Valentine’s Day. This week, Americans will spend over 20 billion dollars (about $62 per person in the US) on Valentine’s Day, mostly on cards, candy, and jewelry. But why?
The history of Valentine’s Day—and the story of its patron saint—is shrouded in mystery. History books reveal many legends to help us answer the question, who was Saint Valentine?
One legend maintains Saint Valentine was a third century priest, who secretly married young lovers against the decree of the Roman Emperor, who believed single men made better soldiers. Once his sympathetic and romantic actions were revealed, Valentine was beheaded. Others believe he was executed for helping Christians escape from torturous Roman prisons. Awaiting his death, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of a jailer and wrote a love letter, signing it, “From, Your Valentine”
1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all that you DO be done in love.” I believe Saint Valentine lived this aloud by putting his feet to his faith and loved with his ACTIONS. He carried on the work of Jesus, like Easter Lutheran strives to do every day. I am honored to serve in a church that makes loving our neighbors with our actions a top priority.
Do not get me wrong, I like getting cards and candy from my loved ones on Valentine’s Day. But this year, I challenge you to join me in thinking outside the chocolate “box” and sign up to serve.
Here is our link to local outreach opportunities where we can DO something loving this Valentine’s Day. Like St. Valentine did and like Jesus calls us to do.
John 6:66-69
Stop
Have you ever found it difficult to claim to be a disciple of Jesus in our world? So many people have so many different ideas about who Jesus was/is, what it means, and why it matters.
Listen
“Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, 'Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’ (John 6:66-69)”
Reflect
This week we have been reflecting on the stories in John 6. They all took place during the Passover Feast. It was during this feast that Jews remembered the story of the Exodus when God delivered their ancestors from slavery and provided them with bread in the wilderness. The manna of Exodus was the bread of life.
The stories of John 6 have to do with bread, creation, and new life. Jesus made a bold claim in John 6:35-53. He claimed that he is the bread of life. He said, “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.”
At face value, those are some strange words. Is he suggesting cannibalism? Of course not, but the implication of the deep commitment he was calling people to make was too much. He knew that he was about to give his body to the bloodthirsty systemic powers of evil and that the same would be required of his disciples. Jesus was saying, “you need to be all in if you want to change the world.”
Many left Jesus at this point. He was too bold; maybe a little crazy. It must have been painful to watch a huge portion of his flock abandon him.
He turned to those who remained and asked, “Will you leave me, too?” Peter answered, “To whom can we go? You're it.”
Pray
Giver of Life, give us the strength to eat this bread today. Help us trust that you—who calm the storm and provide bread and water—can sustain us through all adversity. Amen.
Carry On
Jesus’ invitation might seem scary, but it is exhilarating and freeing. Jesus invites us to trust so deeply in the love of God that not even death itself can frighten us. God’s love is so deep that it is the only source of life that we need. Can you eat that bread today?
John 6:18-20
Stop
Take a few deep breaths and try to imagine yourself on a small boat in the middle of a large lake while a huge storm tosses you back and forth. How do you feel? What seems like wind and waves crashing around you right now?
Listen
“The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ (John 6:18-20)”
Reflect
All four Gospels include a story where Jesus has power over the raging sea. He walks on the water. He speaks to the wind and waves and they listen to him and obey.
The sea represented chaos in the ancient world. It was a living force of raw power. That makes sense. The sea is constantly changing; shifting here and there as the wind and tides twist and turn. Only the bravest of souls dared to traverse its face, constantly wary of its turbulent surface and terrified of the creatures that lurked below.
These stories of Jesus on the sea are designed to take us back to the opening lines of Genesis. The Spirit of the LORD hovered over the surface of the deep and brought order out of chaos. God took that which seemed formless and void and transformed it into something beautiful and good.
That’s what God does. Jesus was shaking up the disciples’ world in the Gospel of John. He was making bold claims about himself and challenging the authority of the religious establishment. They knew that if they continued to follow him their lives would certainly be in danger.
The sea in this story mirrored the condition of their hearts: chaos and confusion.
Jesus simply spoke into the chaos, “I AM. Don’t be afraid.” and they got to the other side.
Pray
Spirit of God, hover over the chaos of our hearts and lives today. Speak those words of peace for us. Carry us through to the other side of this storm. Amen.
Carry On
It is not hard to imagine our world as a chaotic sea today, is it? Close your eyes and go back to the boat you were on when we began this devo. Imagine Jesus walking through the wind and waves. He looks at you and says, “I AM. Don't be afraid.” Can you trust that today?
John 6:8-9
Stop
Have you ever felt like you had almost nothing to offer? Take a moment to think about a time when you felt overwhelmed by the needs around you. What did you do, think, and feel?
Listen
“One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people? (John 6:8-9)’”
Reflect
A little boy showed up to a big event with a small lunch. When he left home that morning his meager lunch probably felt like just enough to keep his nagging hunger at bay for the day.
Imagine how he felt when Andrew approached him and asked if he was willing to share his lunch. There were thousands of people there. He heard Andrew ask the teacher, “how is his lunch enough for so many people?”
He felt smaller than usual.
Then something amazing happened. The teacher from Nazareth prayed to God, whom he called “Daddy,” and suddenly everyone in the crowd was eating, sharing, and laughing. At the end of the feast there were twelve baskets of leftovers.
Pray
Gracious God, you are the one who provides for us. Give us eyes to see what you have given us and the abundance that it can become. Amen.
Carry On
What is in your lunch box today? You have something to offer the world; your smile, your interests, your time, talents and treasure. How can you open the box to see what God can do with it in the world?
John 5:16-17
Stop.
Our devotions this week provide a different opportunity to reflect on God’s word and action in our lives. You’ll need a timer, a quiet spot, and about ten minutes for devotions each day this week. Have everything ready, take a deep breath, and hear a passage from tomorrow’s worship text.
Listen.
Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” – John 5:16-17
Reflect.
In the faith practice known as Examen, we are invited to reflect on God’s word and our lives to better listen to God’s action in our lives and discern where God may be leading us. We’ve been using a version of this practice all week to experience something new and engage with the upcoming Biblical reading in a new way. Set your timer for two minutes to reflect and pray about each of the following questions:
God gave the gift of sabbath as a way for us to know rest. How has God invited you into sabbath this week?
Our lives are meant to be meaningful cycles of work and relaxation. Consider the good work God has given you as well as the opportunities to relax and recreate. Spend time thanking God for these gifts.
Sometimes taking a break, even when it’s deserved or expected, can bring up feelings of anxiety or worthlessness. We think we should be doing something else or more. How does it feel to simply be at rest in God’s presence? How might it be a gift to you today?
No matter how busy or unstructured your day has been, there was a time when you knew peace in God’s presence. Think back through your day. Consider that moment and bring it before God.
Jesus assures others that God never stops working, and neither will Jesus. We have God’s promise that, in Jesus, we are always cared for. How can you approach the next day with confidence in this word? How does it invite you into a place of peace and trust?
Pray.
God, you are always working, but even you rested on the seventh day. Call me to follow your example. Bring me to a place of sabbath recreation. Grant me the gift of trust in your action, now and always. Amen.
Carry On.
Was this brief time of Examen meaningful for you? If so, how might you use it moving forward? If not, how can you incorporate reflection and discernment into your days and weeks in a way that feels authentic and centering?
John 5:7-9
Stop.
This week, our devotions will be based on a practice known as Examen. You’ll need a timer, a quiet spot, and about ten minutes for devotions each day this week. Get what you need, take a deep breath, and prepare to hear from our upcoming preaching text.
Listen.
The sick man answered [Jesus], “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. – John 5:7-9
Reflect.
In the practice known as Examen, we are invited to reflect on God’s word and our lives to better listen to God’s action in our lives and discern where God may be leading us. For many Christians, this daily practice invites reflection, devotion, and connection to God’s will. We will try it for our devotions this week as a way to learn about another style of faith practice that can be very meaningful. Set a timer for two minutes to reflect and pray about each of the following questions, one at a time:
Jesus calls a man to participate in his own healing, showing great faith. Where have you seen or heard God calling you to stand up and walk this week?
Sometimes we’re able to look back and realize we were only capable of something because of God’s love and mercy. Think back on one such event from this week. How can you express your thanks to God for this care?
For many, it has been a long season of hurt, fear, and struggle. Where might God be calling you to get up and keep moving forward? How does it feel to bring those times and places to God right now?
Consider one thing from this day where you recognized your bravery or God’s gift of courage. Reflect on it and bring it to God in prayer now.
In God, we have the promise of new life each day. How will you listen for God’s call to get up and walk tomorrow? How does this strengthen you in your faith?
Pray.
God, you grant us healing and wholeness through many means – doctors, teachers, community leaders, the love of friends and family, nature, and so much more. Open my eyes to the many ways you constantly bring healing and strength. Tune my ears to your voice so I may always get up and follow your call. Amen.
Carry On.
Many websites have information on the Examen and ways you can use it in your life. Spend a few minutes reading a little about it. How might you use it as one of your regular faith practices?
John 5:5-6
Stop.
We will try something a little different for devotions this week. You’ll need a timer, a quiet spot, and about ten minutes for devotions each day this week. Get what you need, take a deep breath, and prepare to hear from our upcoming preaching text.
Listen.
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” – John 5:5-6
Reflect.
Often times we use this devotional space to learn more about a text and find a way to connect it to our faith lives this week. Instead, let’s use this text in a different way. We’ll reflect on the text loosely using a process called Examen. In this ancient technique, used most often by Jesuits, you prayerfully reflect on the day and discern God’s leading through the events. For each devotion this week, you will get five questions to reflect on based on the verses you’ve read. Set your timer for two minutes to reflect on and pray about each question. Allow yourself to hear what God might be saying, even if sometimes what you need to hear is some time to be quiet and still:
Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be made well. Where have you experienced God offering you healing this week?
What moments of wholeness and wellness did you experience this week? Spend time thanking God for them.
Consider this man’s long illness. What’s one thing that’s caused you suffering for a long time? How does it feel to bring that to God today?
Thinking about your day, what’s one need, event, or question that you want to bring to God in prayer?
How will God’s gift of healing in Jesus Christ carry you into the rest of your week?
Pray.
God, thank you for the many ways that your gift of healing is made know in my life. Bring that same gift to others in my home, my city, and this world. I give thanks for our time together and look forward to continuing to hear you speak. Amen.
Carry On.
How might this process change the way you consider your day? How will it affect your awareness?
John 3:6-8
Stop.
If it’s windy, get out in the wind for just a bit. Or, watch out your window to see the way any breeze affects the trees, buildings, and objects outside. If it’s not blowing at all, try to find a video of the wind. Think about the force of something you can’t see. Take some time to breathe and thank God for the air that blows through your lungs.
Listen.
[Jesus said,] “What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – John 3:6-8
Reflect.
In this passage from John 3, it helps to know that whether Jesus says Spirit, spirit, or wind, it’s all the same word: pneuma. It’s the root of where we get a word like pneumatic. It means air or wind, but it also means spirit, like a life force, whether human or divine; or it can mean breath, a combination of moving air and active life.
So which one does Jesus mean, here? And why does our Bible translate one word as three different things?
Translation is interpretation. Any time you read a Bible, you read one translator’s (or translation group’s) perspective on what that particular word might mean in context. Here, the translator chose to make it sound like Jesus meant to refer to the Holy Spirit moving through human spirituality as being like a wind that blows. It’s a reasonable assumption. But it’s not the only way this passage could be read.
Perhaps more than trying to figure out what Jesus meant, we can identify that we don’t always know exactly what Jesus means. In other words, Jesus intentionally chose an example with multiple meanings. That means we might not always really understand what Jesus said or did. Sometimes, we have to recognize that our faith life has some element of confusion, mystery, and surrender.
When we see the wind blow, we don’t actually see the wind. We see the effect of the wind on the world around it. Sometimes, we need to understand God’s action in the same way. We might not always see what God is doing, but we can see its effect. We might not always understand exactly how being born from above words, but we see its effect on our lives.
We want to understand everything, but today, make some space for the mystery of faith.
Pray.
God, I want answers to all my questions. I want to know exactly how and why you do what you do. Help me to learn what I can, but also, to accept that you are God and I am not. Guide me in the way you would have me go, even if I can’t understand that it’s you guiding me. Let your Spirit blow around me like wind. Amen.
Carry On.
How do you think about the Spirit? About your spirit? What do you think is the difference? Spend some time reflecting on these questions this week.
John 3:3-4
Stop.
Get a good look at the sky. Whether it’s sunny, cloudy, snowy, or windy, spend some time admiring the expanse of the sky above you. Take some time to breathe deeply.
Listen.
Jesus answered [Nicodemus], “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” – John 3:3-4
Reflect.
Born from above. Born again. Born anew. All these words are very reasonable translations for the word Jesus uses in his response to the teacher Nicodemus, here translated as born from above. These words have become a hot topic in contemporary Christianity. The idea of being born again means different things to different people, and too often, it’s used as a dividing line between accurate and inaccurate belief.
Note that Nicodemus takes things completely the wrong way, either on purpose or by accident. He takes Jesus’ idea of new birth very, very literally. Jesus corrects him later in verse 5 by specifying that you must be “born of water and Spirit.” So, not a literal birth, but still not a very clear definition. Still, plenty of room for people to insert their own interpretations and put each other down for being wrong in the meantime.
However, Jesus seems to have chosen his words intentionally. He could have chosen much more specific words to describe what he meant. Instead, he keeps things very metaphorical. He intends some level of newness, but also of spirituality and divine action. He means for Nicodemus – and, by extension, all of us – to hear that a full entry into an experience of God’s life and love means being new, being different, being above it all but still part of it all.
When we notice the expansiveness of the sky, we have a sense of the miracle of being “born from above”. We can envision just how wide God’s action is in the world, just how little we understand of it, and how small we are as one piece of it. We also recognize how much God must value us if we, one little speck under all that sky, are still chosen and beloved by God. And better yet, we realize that we are part of a greater mystery, one where our new life isn’t solely determined by our actions, but a gift of our loving God.
Pray.
God, I admit that I don’t always know what I’m supposed to do or how I’m supposed to be. Everyone seems to have a different opinion of what it really means to follow you. Please, just keep me focused on you. Help me to hear your call. Let me be born anew, again and again, always starting each day with renewed trust in your gift of life. Amen.
Carry On.
When you hear Jesus say you must be born from above (or born again, or born anew), what does that mean to you? How do you experience that in your life? Can you ask a friend or family member of a different faith tradition what they think it means?
John 3:1-2
Stop.
Get into the light. Stand in front of a sunny window, sit under a lamp, or light a candle. Take a few deep breaths and envision the light as God’s wisdom and truth surrounding you.
Listen.
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” – John 3:1-2
Reflect.
On Sunday, we heard the story of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, a religious leader. The two men fill the passage from John 3 with word play and allusion. It’s a deep and sometimes confusing section of scripture with so much to hear and learn – more than even one sermon can really address. Some of the details are worth just a little more time, and that’s what we’ll do in our devotions this week.
Two things stand out in these first two verses: first, that Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. We can debate why he does this all we want: because he believes Jesus but can’t face the condemnation of others who don’t, he’s too worried about appearances, or he wants to trick Jesus and catch him without a crowd. Any of those things could be true. But for John’s gospel, the play between being seen in the light of day and hiding in the shadows of night makes a difference. The point isn’t why Nicodemus comes at night. The point is for us to see that Nicodemus doesn’t see, can’t see, is shrouded in shadows. It’s much more about metaphor than intention.
Second, Nicodemus calls Jesus Rabbi. He refers to Jesus as a teacher. Does this mean he thinks of Jesus as his teacher? Is he being sarcastic? Is he trying to lull Jesus into security by letting Jesus think he respects him? Is this just the way that teachers greet each other – but if so, why doesn’t Jesus call Nicodemus Rabbi? This one is harder to crack. Perhaps what’s more important is seeing how Jesus responds to it, which we’ll talk about next time. For now, it’s enough to know that there is some element of recognition by Nicodemus about who Jesus is.
Maybe if Nicodemus was willing to come into the light – that is, approach Jesus with the real desire to see and be seen – we wouldn’t wonder if he meant it when he called Jesus Rabbi. As it is, the two things add up to John not wanting us to think Nicodemus really knows what’s going on.
The challenge to us is to always ask: am I standing boldly in the light or hiding back in the shadows? Am I okay with asking my questions, declaring my faith, being willing to be challenged when necessary, and good with being seen? And if not, why? Does it matter if I think of Jesus as my teacher and leader if I’m not willing to live as a public witness to his love in my life?
Pray.
Jesus, I confess that it’s sometimes easier to hide from you and my faith in you. Guide me into the light of your truth. Make me bold to claim you as my teacher and act accordingly. Help me to encourage others as they do the same. Amen.
Carry On.
What’s one thing about your faith that you try to keep hidden? Is it telling someone you pray for them? Taking time out of your week for worship or study? The way you use your money? Try being open and honest about the way your life is different because of what you believe this week.