Lent is a season for love. Yes, we focus on self-denial, prayer, sacrifice, and penance. But we do that out of love — love of others and love of God. If we attempt to dive into the devotions and practices of Lent without a focus or defined purpose, then we risk bearing no fruit when the season is over. Love is the purpose and love will be the fruit. Why retell the story of Christ’s death and resurrection each year if not to illustrate his love for us. May we continually seek to grow in that love and offer that love in turn.
Take some time today for personal reflection as you ponder this question:
Do I truly seek to love others as Jesus Christ loves me?
“Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
We all like to belong. God created us to be relational. We join clubs, groups, and teams looking for a place to belong.
Sometimes we are put into a club we never wanted to join. Last August I joined the club of women with breast cancer. I heard a lot of information from doctors and other breast cancer survivors. It was tempting to get caught up in the situation and focus only on the cancer. Through the grace of God, though, there were other voices speaking to me that took my eyes off my situation. The love and support of this church spoke God’s words of comfort and healing. I received cards of encouragement with God’s promises to be with me and never leave me. He used the members of this church to speak His Truth to me. I heard His Truth because I belong to Him. And that is the best place to belong.
To God be the glory!
Prayer:
Gracious Father, thank You for sending your Son to be the Way that allows us to belong to You. May we live each day listening to Your voice and sharing Your Words with others.Amen.
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
As a young Army officer many years ago I was training in the desert near El Paso, Texas. The training was rigorous, and everyone in my group became very tired one night while on patrol. We had been awake and
moving for several days, and with the fatigue and the featureless terrain of the desert, we found ourselves completely lost. Luckily we saw a very faint light many, many miles away and we began to walk toward it. If nothing else it provided us a direction of some kind to follow. In the morning we found the source of the light on the map and got our bearings.
As Christians we all have found ourselves tired, lost, and confused just like my patrol was in the desert that night. Fortunately, Jesus is the light on the horizon for us. If we follow that light we will eventually find where we are and know where we need to go.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father…we give thanks for the light that you provide. We pray that we will remember to follow that light so that we will never truly be lost again.Amen.
“Jesus said to her, “‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believer this?’”
John 11:25-26
In only a handful of hours, we will finally gather together to shout, “He is Risen!” The church will claim death defeated as Jesus rose from the grave. Resurrection will win the day as it has for over 2,000 years.
In the 1960s, archeologists worked an excavation site at Masada in Israel. One of the finds included a jar of seeds from an extinct Judean Date Palm. Biblical scholars believe this was a palm mentioned at several points in the Old Testament (see Psalm 92:12).
The jar of seeds had remained on an old dusty shelf as it was unclear what to do with them. In 2005, an inquisitive botanical researcher gave the seeds a shot and planted one. To his surprise, it grew! A Judean Date Palm had not been seen growing since 500 A.D.! Today, this tree, nicknamed “Methuselah” from the oldest person named in the Bible, has flowered and produces dates. What was long lost is now back and alive!
For me, Easter is a time to remember the power of resurrection in our own lives. As people of faith, Resurrection claims any hope remains available. We declare that what looks dead CAN actually come back to life. Broken relationships can be healed. The struggle isn’t over because God never gives up.
This year, I wonder if we have the courage to investigate the old dusty shelves of our lives. What hopes or dreams have we set aside long ago, thinking they were extinct? Could this be the year that the power of resurrection surrounds your hopes and dreams and creates a place for growth and new life?
Tomorrow will be my first Sunday to join FUMC in a resurrection celebration. I can’t wait to stand with you as we continue the tradition of celebrating new life through Christ!
Prayer:
God of life, as I rise in the morning, may my life sing of resurrection. Help me claim hope as the overwhelming power in my life. Though struggles persist, may I never forget the gift of new life through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh… sometimes it causes me to tremble… Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”
Of all the songs we sang at Glen Lake Camp, I was always taken aback by this song. After walking the silent reflection trail and seeing the cross up on the hill, singing the words, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord,” was only made palatable by the last verse, “Were you there when he rose up from the grave?”
We often like to skip over the brutal reality of the crucifixion and rush right to the empty tomb. We don’t want to linger in grief or fear. In response to the song’s question, I’ve often asked myself if I could I have stood at the cross and witnessed such cruelty, hatred, apathy and even excitement for those who died in such a horrible way. Would I have been hiding in fear as many of Christ’s followers did or denied even knowing Jesus when my own life might have been at stake? Would I have been among the stoic women at the foot of the cross offering the only support they still could? I don’t know.
What I do know is that we still get the opportunity to stand at the cross today. We do this when we no longer disappear into the hateful crowds and allow injustices to happen without speaking up… or worse, join in their jeering. We do this when we recognize the humanity in every person and show empathy for those who face crosses of their own. We do this when we sit with someone in the midst of their worst days and offer prayers, or just be there.
I still flinch at the cinematic interpretations of the crucifixion, knowing the reality of what Christ faced was so much worse. However, in the darkest of days, when we see those Jesus loves in pain, fear, grief, and suffering injustices, let us ask ourselves, “Are we there when those that Christ loves face crosses of their own?”
“Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”
Prayer:
Holy and loving God, help us to be there as Your people face their own darkest days. Give us the strength, courage, and faith to stand up against injustices, and the love of Christ to pour into those that need comfort and care. And as we carry crosses of our own, remind us that You are always with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
14 If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do.16 I assure you, servants aren’t greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them.17 Since you know these things, you will be happy if you do them. (John 13:14-17)
34 “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other.35 This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” (John 13:34-35)
16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
I have only been coming to the Methodist church for a few years, and only this year as I sat down to write this devotional did I learn what Maundy Thursday means. In Latin, the word “maunday” originates from “mandatum,” or commandment. The night Jesus sat down to the Last Supper with his disciples He gave them a “New Commandment.” He told them that they should love each other like He loved us, and this would be the way other people knew we were His disciples. He also showed the disciples that no one man was greater than another: He served them in love by washing their feet.
I know Jesus calls us to serve one another in love. I try to let people see Jesus’ light in me by letting them hear me, see me helping other people, and showing Jesus’ love to everyone. We don’t always pay attention to the things we say or the places we frequent, but we can be sure other people do. Unbelievers will judge us by the things we say and the places we go, as well as how we carry ourselves and how well we treat others. By treating others the way we want to be treated and helping those in need (even if it is something we perceive as small like saying a prayer or being there when you said you would), you are showing others Jesus’ love, and you are glorifying God through your good works. Let people see us and know that we are children of God by our actions. Try to treat other people the way Jesus would.
Let us be the salt of the Earth and the light of the world as we follow the new commandment to love one another.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, Please help me to be Your light in this world. Put me where You want me and let me be Your hand and feet as I go about my day. Let others see You through my actions, and let my actions be pleasing to You. Amen.
“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
John 19:10-11
The desire to be validated is a powerful motivator. So much of the world today is about being recognized and validated. On social media in particular, every like, share, or re-tweet gives that sense of being accepted and acknowledged by others. Success is often defined by the number of followers. As a Roman governor, Pontius Pilate was used to being recognized and validated. His words might not have been liked by everyone, but they were shared and followed. Then he stood face to face with Jesus. When Jesus refused to answer his questions, Pilate was frustrated. He wanted to be recognized and have his authority validated.
Little did Pilate know his true legacy. The name recognition he sought as governor doesn’t compare to his name recognition for his participation in the crucifixion of Christ. He stood before Jesus. He could have accepted and shared the Truth of Christ’s identity. Instead he asked, “What is truth” (John 18:38)? When he didn’t get enough “likes” for his decision to release Jesus, he walked away from the situation (Matthew 27:24). His desire for earthly validation cost him eternal recognition from the true King of Kings.
Where are you seeking validation?
Prayer:
Holy Father, remind me of the Source of my true validation. My identity in Christ means more that any “likes” on this earth. Use me to share this Truth for Your glory. Amen.
“What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.”
John 1:4-5
I am 83 years old this year. I was born in the old King’s Daughters Hospital in Temple. Annie Roe Buckley shares a birthday with me as well as Sunday school and Vacation Bible School. As a preschooler, I would sit on her kitchen cabinet watching her prepare meals. In reflecting on my work, I thank God for the guidance God has shown.
I graduated from Southwestern University in Georgetown and applied to go as a missionary for three years. I was a lay preacher and teacher. During that three years, I met and married a missionary nurse from the Philippines, Nina Cepeda. What started out as three years became 25 years. I was not shown more than I needed to know, one step at a time. This covenant relationship was for financial support and prayer support. For 19 years I was assigned to work in Sarawak, and for six years with the ecumenical seminary in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia, serving where needed.
I took the “responsibility” seriously.
Prayer:
We serve an awesome God who calls us and sends us. God prepares us to be witnesses to God’s steadfast love. Amen.
12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”14 The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15 The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant. 16 They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”“Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’” 17 Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight.
Matthew 21:12-17
I was struggling to find the “perfect” devotion for this year. My life is finally in a place that I never thought it would be, settled. So I looked at what happened on the first day of Holy Week, which is the day I had chosen. On that day, Jesus cleared the Temple again of all that shouldn’t have been there. For many years, my husband and I have moved with the military, and, while moving, we searched for a church home. Having little luck, we admittedly bounced around a lot. Only after living in Texas for a bit and my girls getting invited to First Killeen by a friend did we find that Church home. We were hesitant at first, but our girls were so comfortable here, we finally jumped in.
We feel First Killeen is a place where Jesus wouldn’t turn over the tables!
Well, just over six years later, here I am with an amazing church family and our family, has planted roots right here in Killeen.
Prayer:
Loving Father, thank You for giving us a Home. Thank You for clearing out all the negative things and showing us how to stand up for what is good and Holy. Amen.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
God, the great story weaver. How things come to be, how things happen, whom you meet, and who fixes your car. Have you ever wondered how all these things happen? In Matthew 28:19-20 God tells us our mission, to make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the holy trinity, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded.
A few years ago, I met this woman, and we started to date. She started to tell me about church, God, and blah blah blah. I so wanted her to be quiet. One thing led to another, and I married this awesome and wonderful woman. I started to go to church, and before you know it, I was teaching Sunday school and raising two wonderful and very different boys. I have met people in the oddest places, and they are now very active people in our church. I have mentored many young men for confirmation.
I look back now, and I can see how all this started. It was not Daphne’s right hook. It was not the fact I did not believe in the church. It was a very good friend of mine. He planted the seed many, many years ago. It started with Him. It grew and grew into something I can see now. How awesome is He who weaves the things in our lives!
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for what You have done, are doing, and going to do. Thank You for all You have done for my family, my church family, my friends, and me. Amen.
