Saturday

The Seventy Return and Jesus Rejoices

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" ¹⁸ He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. ¹⁹ See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. ²⁰ Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." ²¹ At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²² All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." ²³ Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
            –Luke 10:17-24 (NRSV)

The seventy disciples that Jesus sent out to do “Jesusworks” return with the rewards of taking the risk of trusting him.  They seem a bit surprised that when they trust Jesus and follow his word...it works!

Jesus joins them in a moment of rejoicing, noting that the adversary of God’s love and grace fell from power.  In graphic images Jesus assures all his laborers that they need not fear harm.  God will take care of them.

But Jesus warns them not to get cocky or proud or misplace their focus.  The point is not to get caught up with power...but to rejoice in the fact that they belong to God’s family.

All of Jesus’ followers (then and now) get to see and experience things that others long for, but have missed.

It begs the question:  Am I taking for granted what Jesus has given me?  Am I fully appreciating the message, the power, and the presence that are God’s gifts of grace to me? --P/T

Lord Jesus, open my eyes...my mind...and my heart to the fullness of what you have given me.  Help me to fully appreciate your grace...and your calling for me to join you in your continuing mission.  Help me to keep a humble perspective, knowing that what I do in your name is not with my power...but yours. 

Friday

Luke 10:13-16 (NLT) – The Pain of Missing the Promise

“What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. ¹⁴ Yes, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.

¹⁵ And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.” ¹⁶ Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”

I’m guessing that very, very few of us are energized by conflict...  Most of us (self included) prefer to avoid it.

But Jesus’ work—divinely ordained—is not always accepted...or followed.  (Why do we keep publishing studies stating that better health is obtained when we exercise regularly and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables?!)

As we go about the work of Jesus in our family, congregation, workplace, school, and community, we’ll encounter those who will receive God’s message and God’s help with gratitude.  There will also be those who are suspicious or downright angry.  Some will have genuine reason...because they’ve been burned by Christians.  We haven’t fully purged selfish or fearful motives from our almsgiving...or our prayer...or our fasting (see Matthew 6 again).

But imperfect as we may be, Jesus urges us not to back away or be discouraged.  When our heart is in the right place (kept closely connected to God in prayer), then it’s not “personal.”  People are not rejecting us so much as they are rejecting God.

The tricky part is to make sure that our attitudes and behaviors are not getting in the way of the good news of God’s gracious love in Jesus. --P/T

Pray & meditate:

Lord Jesus, keep my heart set on you.  Holy Spirit, give me the strength and the discipline to keep connected in prayer and focused through fasting.  Father of all, grant me insight to see my family, friends, and neighbors as your beloved...those whom Jesus came to heal...and raise up to new life.

Thursday

Luke 10:1-12 – Mission of the Seventy

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. ² He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³ Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. ⁴ Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. ⁵ Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' ⁶ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. ⁸ Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹ cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' ¹⁰ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' ¹² I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

It has always been Jesus’ plan to share the work he was given.  So it was then...so it is now.  We are given the opportunity to share in Jesus’ ministry...the opportunity to share God’s abundant and fruitful love.  What better thing to contemplate on Valentine’s Day!

Sharing Jesus’ ministry can be exciting...or scary.  Which one do you gravitate towards?

There are three Lenten disciplines which come from the traditional Ash Wednesday gospel (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21):  almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.  These are “Jesusworks” that will be key to our Lenten journey.

Alms are money or food given to the poor, coming from a Greek word for compassion.  Giving is at the very heart of the nature of God.

Prayer is an indispensible practice...for Jesus...and for any who wish to follow him.

Fasting helps us focus.  There are so many distractions...so much ‘candy’ (think of the five senses...) out in the world that give us a quick “high” then leave us dissatisfied and wanting more...

How will you practice each of these disciplines so that you can be a compassionate, connected, and focused laborer in God’s harvest? --P/T

(Ash) Wednesday

Purpose...Priorities...Practice

Why am I here?  What is my purpose?  What significance does my life have?

These are questions we will ask a number of times throughout our lives.  At one point we think we’ve got it figured out...then something unexpected...unwanted...unfair happens ...and we have to “recalculate” the direction of our life. 

There are also ‘seasons’ of life that entail different tasks:  infancy, toddler, childhood, adolescence, high school, young adult, gainful employment (a major ­motivator of parental prayer “mmopp”), (maybe) marriage and children of our own, raising children (mmopp!), empty nest (periodically), retirement, telling our story (a gift to younger generations!), and knowing dependence once again.

And once we have accomplished a major, meaningful task in our life, we encounter the question: Now what?  It’s time to enjoy (for a while) what has been done then recalculate for the next leg of the journey...

Today we begin another Lenten journey, a time set aside to focus on Jesus’ journey, to focus on his purpose, priorities, and practice so that we might better discover and develop our own.

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; ⁵³ but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" ⁵⁵ But he turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then they went on to another village.

⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." ⁵⁹ To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." ⁶⁰ But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." ⁶¹ Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." ⁶² Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
             –Luke 9:51-62 (NRSV)

We can debate the details and question the quotes of the passage above, but Jesus’ clear message is:  “Put me first...period.”  This season of Lent gives us ample opportunity to do just that.  It is never easy...but Jesus knows (and deep down I think we all know too) that the more we put Jesus first...in deciding direction and forming habits...the more we will know the deep joy of finding and following our purpose.  Jesus works!  Amen. --P/T

Introduction

The other day Andrea found 4-year-old Eliana carefully adding a lint roller to the bag she was packing for an overnight visit to Mimi and Papa’s.  Asked why, Eliana patiently explained to her mother that she was going to church with Mimi and Papa the next day.  Since it was getting close to lint she wanted to be helpful, and she thus felt the lint roller might come in handy.

While we as adults may have ironed (rolled?) out the distinction between “lint” and “Lent,” sometimes we’re less aware of the spiritual importance of setting aside time to focus on the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and service.  Christians have observed Lent as a time of preparation before the Easter season since at least the fourth century.  The forty days of Lent remind us of Jesus’ forty days in the desert and of Moses’ forty days on Mount Sinai.  This is a time of simplicity, of renewal and of preparation.  We hope this devotional can serve as a tool for your own Lenten journey.

These devotions are based upon the gospel readings assigned for each Sunday in the narrative lectionary.  Readings for Monday through Wednesday reflect on the previous week’s passage; readings for Thursday through Saturday anticipate next Sunday.  (We take a break on Sundays to focus on church.)  

Here's the complete list of readings we'll be using:

•  Ash Wednesday (February 13): Luke 9:51-62
• First Sunday in Lent (February 17): Luke 10:25-42
• Second Sunday in Lent (February 24): Luke 13:1-9, 31-35
•  Third Sunday in Lent (March 3): Luke 15:1-32
• Fourth Sunday in Lent (March 10): Luke 16:19-31
• Fifth Sunday in Lent (March 17): Luke 18:31-19:10
• Palm Sunday (March 24): Luke 19: 29-44
•  Maundy Thursday (March 28): Luke 22:1-27
•   Good Friday (March 29): Luke 23:32-47
• Easter (March 31): Luke 24:1-16