DIVIDED

Lenten Meditation

Read John 9:1-16.

TEXT: "Some of the Pharisees said,
'This man is not from God, for He
does not keep the Sabbath.' But
others said, 'How can a man who is
a sinner do such things?' And there
was a division among them" (John 9:16).

Leaving the temple grounds Jesus
passes through Jerusalem. Along the
way His disciples point out a man born
blind. They ask if his blindness is a
result of his parents' sin or his own.
Jesus rejects both claims, and says
this man was born blind so the works
of God may be displayed in him. Then
Jesus gave the man sight.

When word reaches the Pharisees
there is a sharp division among them.
Some immediately reject Jesus
because He healed on the Sabbath day.
Blinded by their tradition they are unable
to see God's great purpose for the
Sabbath-to let people rest from their
labors and let God work in their lives.
Others realize the magnitude of the work
Jesus has done. Like Nicodemus before
(see John 3), they know no sinful man
could perform such a mighty miracle.
So a division arises among the Pharisees.

Jesus continues to divide people today.
Some listen to His words, consider His
miracles and are led by the Holy Spirit to
the certain faith that He is God's Son, the
Savior of the world. Others ignore the plain
truth and take issue with the way Jesus
taught and the demands they think
He makes on their lives. They doubt His
relevance and prefer to live their lives their
own way.

God grant us His Holy Spirit to know Jesus
as God's Son, our only Savior and Lord,
and to follow Him through all.

PRAYER: Spirit of God, strengthen my
faith in Jesus Christ my Lord, and give me
firm confidence when others are divided over
Him. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Lutheran Hour Ministries

LET'S DO SOMETHING!

Scripture:

Proverbs 22:9

9 The generous will themselves
be blessed,for they share their
food with the poor. (NIV)

Matthew 19:21

21 Jesus answered, “If you want
to be perfect, go, sell your
possessions and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”

Luke 6:20

20 Looking at his disciples,
he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
(NIV)

Reflection:

We keep hearing the same mantra
from congressional leaders:

“The government is out of money.”

But our country’s problem isn’t just
spending -- it’s misplaced priorities.

Congress keeps stalling on passing
last year’s budget. And now, some
members are moving from neglect of
the poor to targeting of the poor. For
people of faith like you and me, this
is an assault against those whom
God specifically instructs us to protect
and whose well-being is the biblical
test of a nation’s righteousness.

Did you know that $11.2 billion is at
stake for early childhood education
programs, but recent tax breaks for
the estates of millionaires cost
$11.5 billion? Or that $4.1 billion for
job training programs for the unemployed
and new workers could be cut while tax
breaks for offshore operations of U.S.
financial firms (worth $4.1 billion)
are safe?1

This is why we can’t allow this issue to
be ignored, glossed over, or forgotten.

Be a part of "What Would Jesus Cut?"
campaign. REACH OUT TO YOUR
NEIGHBORS, REACH OUT TO
CHRISTIANS ACROSS THE NATION.
RAISE YOUR VOICE, AS LOUD AS
POSSIBLE TO TRY AND STOP THIS
MORALLY UNACCEPTABLE BUDGET!
Obviously we have a case of upside-down
priorities. Telling our nation that we are
broke and that we should cut safety net
programs for the poor is a joke -- really
an insult. Defend the poor, ask the tough
questions, and CALL PEOPLE TO
PRAYER, FASTING AND ACTION!

Our federal budget priorities must uplift
people who are left most vulnerable and
undefended against those with many
resources and lobbyists. So call on people
of faith to consider a month of prayer,
fasting, and action.

GOD BLESS US ALL!

(for more information go to Sojourners@sojo.net)

DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND

Lenten Meditation

Die in Your Sins

Read John 8:12-30.

TEXT: "Again Jesus spoke to
them saying, 'I am the Light of
the world.' ..." (John 8:12a).

Jesus' enemies want Him dead.
Has He pressed too hard? Is it
time to lighten up or compromise
to find common ground? No!
Jesus knows there is only one
way for them to be saved. So
He presses even harder. He
declares, "I am the Light of
the world."

Instead of backing down
Jesus draws a line in the sand
and says, "Whoever follows Me
will not walk in darkness, but
will have the light of life." But
to those who reject Him, He
says, "I am going away, and
you will seek Me, and you
will die in your sin."

Their hearts should be stirred,
but instead they stubbornly
refuse to listen. In idle curiosity
they ask each other if Jesus'
talk of "going away" means He
will kill Himself. Jesus answers,
"When you have lifted up the
Son of Man, you will know that
I am He."

When they lift Him up and nail
Him to the cross, they will know
who He is. The miraculous signs
at His death: the darkness, the
earthquake, the torn curtain in the
temple and His glorious resurrection
will make it clear to them that
Jesus is the mighty Son of God,
the promised Messiah.

Which side of the line are you
walking on? Are you truly walking
in the light of Christ or the darkness
of this unbelieving world? Jesus
warns all of us that our time is short.
Don't wait for tomorrow. Today is
the day to live in Christ through faith,
rather than die in your sins.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, bring me
out of the darkness of my sin to the
light of Your Son Jesus Christ. I pray
in His Name. Amen.

Lutheran Ministries

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

A Lenten Meditation

Scripture:

Read John 8:1-11.

TEXT: "... 'Teacher, this woman
has been caught in the act of adultery.
Now in the Law Moses commanded us
to stone such women. So what do You
say?'" (John 8:4b-5)

Unable to arrest Jesus in front of the
crowds, His enemies look for a chance
to turn those crowds against Him. They
bring a woman caught in adultery and
set their trap, "Moses commanded us
to stone such women. So what do You
say?" Certainly the crowd is ready for
a stoning. Jesus will lose popularity if
He stands in the way.

Jesus answers them. "Let him who is
without sin among you be the first to
throw a stone at her." He was the only
one qualified to be her Judge, the only
one who has the right to throw that first
stone. One by one they drop their
stones and walk away.

Jesus tells her, "Go and from now on
sin no more." She can walk away
unpunished because He has taken her
guilt and sin upon Himself, along with
the punishment she deserves from
God for that sin. She goes away free
while He prepares to suffer in her place
on the cross.

We don't like to admit it, but each of
us is a sinner like that woman. God
catches us in every single one of our
sins, and we deserve something far
worse than being stoned to death.
We deserve the fires of hell under the
wrath of God.

But Jesus Christ steps forward to
take our condemnation on Himself and
pay the full price for our sins as He
suffers and dies on the cross. On
Judgment Day we will walk away free.
He will not condemn us either.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, You set me free by
being condemned in my place.
Help me show true gratitude by
forgiving others and sharing Your
salvation with them. Amen.

Lutheran Ministries

CAN'T TAKE A HINT

Lenten Meditation

Scripture:

Read John 7:32, 45-52.

TEXT: "They (the Pharisees) replied,
'Are You from Galilee too? Search
and see that no prophet arises from

Galilee'" (John 7:52).

The Jewish leaders hear the crowds
wondering if Jesus might be the Messiah.
They decide it's time to act. So they send
the temple guards to arrest Him. But it isn't
Jesus' time yet. Impressed by the authority
of Jesus' words the guards return empty
handed. The Light will keep shining a
little while longer in the darkness.

Jesus is trying to break through the
darkness of the Jewish authorities through
their temple guard. If these men are willing
to listen to Jesus, perhaps the chief priests
and Pharisees will follow their example.
But the leaders harden their hearts and
accuse the guard of being deceived like
the crowds who must be under a curse.

If they won't listen to the guards, perhaps
they will listen to one of their own.
Nicodemus speaks up. He suggests they
give Jesus a fair hearing rather than blindly
condemning Him. Instead, they turn on him
with two exaggerations. First, they claim
none of the authorities believe in Him-
though at least Nicodemus does. Second,
they claim no prophet ever came from
Galilee, but they overlook Jonah who was
from Galilee. They attempt to close ranks
against Jesus through intimidation and lies.

We often plant our heels in the sand and
refuse to budge no matter what anyone
might say, no matter what the church might
say, no matter what God's Word might say.
But Jesus suffered and died for our
stubbornness just as He did for all our other
sins.

God continues to work through His Word and
Sacrament to break through our persistent
unbelief and move us to understand and
accept the truth.

PRAYER:

Lord, forgive my stubborn pride,
and move me to true, sincere faith. Amen.

Lutheran Ministries

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

Lenten Meditation

Scripture:

Read John 7:33-44.

TEXT: "Jesus said, 'I will be with
you a little longer. ...'" (John 7:33a).

People are divided over Jesus. Some
believe in Him. Others don't. Many are
undecided. Jesus warns them to make
up their mind: "I will be with you a little
longer."

I learned that lesson the hard way
when I was 19. One Friday afternoon
my boss handed me my paycheck
on the way home. A couple hours
later he collapsed at his bowling alley
and died. My chance to talk to him,
learn from him, and reach out to him
was gone forever.

Soon Jesus will be gone. He will
die on a cross and be buried. After
three days He will rise again, but the
vast majority will never see Him again-
only a few select believers God
will choose to be witnesses of His
resurrection to the world.

The clock is ticking for us too. Each
of us has only a limited amount of
time before we die and our chance to
find salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ ends forever. But often we are
content with the way life is going. Or
we think it doesn't matter what you
believe, God will be satisfied if you
just try to live a good life.

But that is a false hope and a false
comfort. God has provided only one
way to save us, and that is through His
Son Jesus Christ. Jesus satisfied God's
holiness and justice by taking our sins
on Himself and suffering and dying in
our place on the cross. No one else
could do it. Now is the time to come
to Him and walk in His light.

PRAYER:

Lord, draw me to You while there is
still time. Shine in my life that others
may turn to the Light of the world, while
they still have time. Amen.

Lutheran Ministries

JUDGING BY APPEARANCE

(Lenten Meditation)

Scripture:

Read John 7:14-24.

TEXT: (Jesus said) "... 'Why do
you seek to kill Me?'" (John 7:19b)

The darkness of unbelief hangs like
a thick blanket over the temple grounds.
For the first half of the festival it looks
as though the darkness has driven away
the Light-Jesus is nowhere to be seen.
But midway through the festival He
steps into the temple courts and begins
shining His light for all to see. Jesus
immediately addresses the reason He
stayed away for the first half of the
festival. He asks the religious leaders
why they want to kill Him for doing a
good deed.

Unaware that Jesus is talking to the
Jewish leaders, the crowd thinks He
is talking to them. Since they aren't
seeking His death and are unaware
of their leaders' thoughts, they reach a
false conclusion: they accuse Him of
being demon possessed!

When He hangs from the cross they
will reach another false conclusion:
Jesus was a fake and God is using
the cross to show the world Jesus of
Nazareth is not His Son. They will
have no idea God is giving His
only-begotten Son to die for the sins
of the whole world.

Judging by appearances and jumping
to conclusions is something we often
do too. We are offended by our
neighbor, so we condemn him before
we even learn his reasons. Jesus
warns, "Do not judge by appearances,
but judge with right judgment."

Stop a moment and reconsider Jesus
Christ. Did you start this Lenten season
thinking of Jesus as only being meek
and humble? Have you begun to see His
strength, commitment and courage?
Stick around, because as Jesus once
told Nathanael, "... You will see greater
things than these" (John 1:50b).

THE PRAYER:

Father, forgive me for judging by
appearances. Open my eyes to see
Your Son as He is-my powerful Lord
and Savior. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Lutheran Ministries

HIDDEN DARKNESS

(Lenten Season)

Scripture:

Read John 6:66-71.

TEXT: "Jesus answered them, 'Did I not
choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of
you is a devil'" (John 6:70).



In sadness Jesus watched the crowds
turn and walk away. Now He turns to His
twelve chosen disciples and asks if they
want to leave too. The Lord won't force them
to stay at His side; He won't force you and
me to stay either.

Peter answers, "Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life, and we
have believed, and have come to know, that
You are the Holy One of God." The Holy
Spirit led Peter to this great confession.

But Jesus knew Peter wasn't speaking for
every one of the disciples. He knew all too
well that one of them had turned away, even
though he was still standing by Jesus' side.
None of the other disciples was aware, but
Judas had secretly rejected Jesus' Kingdom
of light and allied himself with the prince of
darkness. The darkness had so deceived
Judas he thought Jesus would never know
what was in his heart.

Judas' darkness is in each of us too and can
deceive us as thoroughly as it deceived him.
On the outside we can be active in our
churches. Yet deep in our hearts we may
have grown cold to Jesus. It's so easy to go
through the motions of faith, while our hearts
turn away to the darkness like Judas.

Jesus calls us to stop and examine the depths
of our soul. Are we sincere in our faith, or are we
servants of darkness going through the motions?
It's a matter of life and death and heaven and hell
for us just as it was for Judas.

THE PRAYER:

Holy Spirit, remove all that is false and impure
from my heart, and fill me with the fire of faith in
Jesus Christ my Savior. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Lutheran Ministries

SHORT SIGHTED

Lenten Meditation

Scripture:

TEXT: "Jesus answered them, 'Truly,
truly, I say to you, you are seeking Me,
not because you saw signs, but
because you ate your fill of the loaves'"
(John 6:26).


After the festival Jesus returned north to
Galilee. He spent a whole day preaching
and then fed the huge crowd with five
loaves and two fish. That night after He
sent them away, He walked across the
Sea of Galilee. Gathering again the next
day, the crowds walked around the lake
to find Him.

At first those people sound like genuine
followers of Jesus. But our Lord knows
better. They aren't really there for Him;
they are there for themselves. They want
Jesus to be their king-but only on their
terms. They aren't concerned with their
deep eternal needs like He is; they only
want what Jesus can give them in the
present.

We can be just as near-sighted as they.
We are consumed with today's needs
and desires, but we don't see the more
significant eternal gifts Christ comes to
bring. So we ask Him to help us through
our needs and problems, but we don't give
a single thought to His Kingdom and the
part He would have us play in that Kingdom.

That is why coming to Christ in worship is
so vital. Each week in church He shows us
the bigger picture-the unending punishment
we deserve for our selfish, disobedient lives,
as well as the forgiveness and eternal future
He gives us through His life, death and
resurrection. Yes, He knows and cares about
all our earthly needs and will provide for each
of them just as He has provided for our eternal
needs.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, when I get too wrapped up in this
life and my daily needs, lift my eyes to see the
glorious future You have won for all of us by
Your life, death and resurrection. Amen.

Lutheran Hour Ministries

THE LATEST FASHION

Scripture:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and
dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12

Reflection:

I'm not what you would call, "a man of fashion".
Anyone that knows me would know that I'm
really not concerned about what clothes I
wear. When I get up in the morning and
check out my wardrobe for the day, I
discover 2 suits, a great many pocket
t shirts, sweat pants, and shorts.
But according to this verse in Colossians
I am to clothe myself in compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Now that's what I call a fashionable wardrobe.

There is one thing that stands out in this
verse. THERE IS NOT ONE AGGRESSIVE
WORD IN THE SENTENCE. We are not
to be hateful, cruel, egotistical, violent,
and intolerant. But to be compassionate,
kind, humble, gentle and patient.
Let me ask you this, WHAT WARDROBE
DO YOU PICK FOR YOURSELF?

FURY

The Light Blazes in Fury

March 12, 2011

Read John 2:13-22.

TEXT: "Making a whip of cords, He drove
them all out of the temple, with the sheep
and oxen ..." (John 2:15a).

If you picture Jesus as a meek, gentle
man you might be surprised at what He
does here in the temple. But you shouldn't
be-the thicker the darkness, the brighter
the Light must shine. Our Savior knows
animals must be sold for sacrifice, and
foreign currency needs to be exchanged
for temple currency. But His problem is
where this is all taking place.

This trading is being done in the Court
of the Gentiles, i.e. in the back of the
church. The Jewish worshipers aren't
bothered, they can move up front closer
to the temple. But what infuriates Jesus
is the way the Gentile believers are being
forced to worship and pray in all this noise
and commotion.

When Jesus shouts "Take these things
away; do not make My Father's house a
house of trade," the Jewish authorities are
filled with a dark rage of their own. The
darkness tries to overcome the Light as
they demand Jesus perform a miracle
proving His authority to cleanse the temple.

Jesus will provide that sign in His coming
death and resurrection. On the cross His
enemies will destroy His body-the true
temple and dwelling place of God. But on
the third day Jesus will raise it to life again.

Today the darkness still challenges Jesus.
When we gather at the Lord's house to
worship, pray and receive Christ's gifts in
Word and Sacrament, the darkness fills
our minds with all sorts of trade and
business concerns, as well as other
worries, fears and distractions. But the
light shines in the darkness and draws
our thoughts back to our Savior.

Lutheran Hour Ministries

GOD PROTECTS US

God protects His people

How has God protected us in the past?

Before the mountains were created, before
you made the earth and the world, you are
God, without beginning or end.

You turn people back to dust, saying,
"Return to dust!"
Psalm 90:3-4 NLT

Our help in ages past

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
O God, Our Help in Ages Past
ISAAC WATTS (1674-1748)

In 1714, the people of England were anxious.
Queen Anne lay dying, and she had no son
or daughter to succeed her. Who would be
the new monarch, and what changes would
that make? Isaac Watts had reason to worry.
His father had been imprisoned under the
previous regime because his views did not
please the ruling family. As a young child,
Isaac has been carried by his mother to visit
his father in jail. But Queen Anne had brought
a new tolerance, and freedom for the elder
Watts. Now that she was dying, what would
happen?

Isaac Watts turned to Psalm 90 on this
occasion and penned what may be the greatest
of his more than six hundred hymns. In essence,
it is a poem about time. God stands above human
time, and in Him all our anxieties can be laid to
rest. The greatness of our eternal God was a
favorite theme of Watts. When the events of the
day bring worry, the God of all ages remains our
eternal home.

adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by
Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House
Publishers (1995), entry for January 29
A person can respond to suffering like an egg,
or like a potato. A potato goes into the boiling
water hard, but comes out pliable. An egg goes
into the boiling water soft and comes out hard.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

ASH WEDNESDAY

Read John 1:1-18. TEXT: "The light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it"
(John 1:5).

All of us struggle with the power of darkness in
our lives, the darkness of fear, doubt, dread
and anxiety. We see it in our health problems,
financial struggles and our strained relationships.
We see it in the darkness of our own struggles
within.

On this Ash Wednesday the Holy Spirit calls
you to gather with His people in church where
He will shine His glorious light into the darkest
corners of our sin-filled hearts and minds. The
ashes of Ash Wednesday remind us of the death
that darkness has brought to all. But it also
reminds us our Savior took our death upon
Himself, giving us His life and forgiveness.

THE PRAYER:
Light of the world, shine in my heart and bring
me peace. Amen.

(In part from
"Shining in the Darkness Ash Wednesday "
By Rev. Wayne Palmer )

Lutheran Hour Ministries

DEFINE FAITH

Scripture:

"If you can?".....Everything is possible for him who
believes. (Mark 9: 23)

Reflection:

The other day I heard a great definition of faith.
" You just have to believe that He's done it and
it's done." This is a big problem with most of us.
After asking God to do it, we do not believe that
it's done. Instead we keep trying to help Him,
get others to help Him, and anxiously wait to
see how He is going to work.

Real faith adds "Amen" to God's "Yes" then takes
it's hands off, leaving God to finish His work. The
language of faith is, "Commit your ways to the Lord,
trust in Him and He will do this." (Psalm 37: 5)

TRUST IN THE LORD AND HE WILL DO IT

MORE FAITH

Scripture:

"God Who does not lie, promised." (Titus 1:2)

Reflection:

When I pray, I often find myself praying for more
faith. But when I really listen to myself, I get to
the essence of my prayer. I realize it's not more
faith that I desire but I want my faith to be changed
to sight.
Faith does not say, "I see this is good for me therefore
God must have sent it". Instead faith declares, "God
sent it, therefore it must be good for me."
"FAITH, WHEN WALKING THROUGH THE DARK
WITH GOD, ONLY ASKS HIM TO HOLD MY HAND
MORE TIGHTLY!"

Phillip Brooks states:

"The Shepherd does not ask of thee
Faith in Your faith, but only faith in Him.
And this He meant in saying, "Come to Me,"
In light or darkness seek to do His will, and
leave the work of faith to Jesus still."