Lent Devotional Guide

Thanks again for being a part of the Advent Devotional Guide 2007 at Resurrection. You are invited to join us again for a season of prayer and study of scripture during the season of Lent in preparation for Easter at:

http://lentdevotionalguide.wordpress.com/

The Lenten season begins February 6 – Ash Wednesday. The Resurrection pastors and members of the adult discipleship staff teamed up to create a Lenten Devotional Guide that will help you spend time reading scripture, praying and reflecting on the meaning of Lent as you prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This guide is designed around the Revised Common Lectionary, which is used by, and connects us to, denominations around the world.

Check http://lentdevotionalguide.wordpress.com/ often as you will find updates throughout Lent. You can subscribe via e-mail to the Lent Devotional Guide by using this link. This gives you the opportunity to receive each update directly in your e-mail inbox.

Also, feel free to comment and respond to this post and any of the daily devotionals. We want to hear from you!

Advent Devotional Guide – Feedback

We hope that this Advent Devotional Guide has equipped you to be able to pray and study the scriptures daily during the season leading up to Christmas. As we look to publish a guide for prayer and reading scripture for the season of Lent in 2008 we want your feedback.

Please email Amanda Smith at amanda.smith@cor.org with responses to some of these questions. Make sure and put “Advent Devotional Guide” in the Subject line.

• What was good about the Advent Devotional Guide?
• What was good but could be improved in the Advent Devotional Guide?
• What was not as helpful and may need to be changed or removed from the Advent Devotional Guide?
• What could be possible in the future that was not a part of the Advent Devotional Guide?

Advent Devotional Guide – Conclusion

We hope that this Advent Devotional Guide has equipped you to be able to pray and study the scriptures daily during the season leading up to Christmas. We hope to publish a guide for prayer and reading scripture for the season of Lent in 2008. Look for more information in the future here and at www.cor.org.

The best gift of all

1 John 4:9 (TNIV)

⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

—

Happy Christmas morning to you! May God’s abundant blessings be yours this morning as you wake to the celebration of the gift that changed humankind forever… God’s gift of God’s self to a dark and fearful world.

The word that strikes me most in the scripture passage above is the word “among.” According to the writer, God’s love was not revealed to us or by us, but was revealed among us. This reminds us that God’s intention from the beginning of time was to be part of our daily lives. Genesis 3:8 tells us that Adam and Eve, “… heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze.” God’s proper place is HERE, among us, a daily, hourly, moment-by-moment part of our lives. Through God’s amazing gift of Jesus, God reminds us of his divine present-ness.

As we celebrate everything that this day has come to mean… the family traditions it embraces, the time of rest, the craziness and excess too… let us resolve to imitate God’s act of giving through the giving of ourselves in sacrificial service. Who will receive YOUR gift today?

— Rev. Russell Brown

Merciful and abundantly present God, thank you for giving us the awesome gift of yourself. Thank you for the ways you remind us of your love through our friends, our family, our church and through strangers. Today, let us bless the life of one other person by giving, not by a gift of goods or earthly treasures, but by a gift of ourselves. In Jesus’ holy name, AMEN.

A long line of believers

Matthew 1: 1-17 (TNIV)¹ This is the genealogy ^[a] of Jesus the Messiah ^[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

³ Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,

⁴ Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,

⁵ Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,

⁶ and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

⁷ Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,

⁸ Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

⁹ Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

¹⁰ Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,

¹¹ and Josiah the father of Jeconiah ^[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

¹² After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

¹³ Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,

¹⁴ Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Eliud,

¹⁵ Eliud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,

¹⁶ and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

¹⁷ Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

—

I remember when I was at my first church appointment as associate pastor and stood to read the scripture lesson on the Sunday this text was assigned. I stumbled through the names assuming that if I mispronounced some, it would probably go unnoticed!

If a Christian today were asked to tell someone who knows nothing about Christianity the basic story of Jesus Christ, I doubt he or she would begin where Matthew does with “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” And in this lineage we see as many sinners as saints. David himself was a stunning contradiction of saint and sinner. Matthew includes five women in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This was quite unusual for the patriarchal society of the day. It is refreshing, nevertheless, that Matthew took care to remind us explicitly that women as well as men were human components in Jesus’ origins: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. The first four had a marital history that contained elements of scandal or scorn and, you have to admit, Mary’s was a bit peculiar as well. They were enterprising instruments, however, of God’s spirit in continuing the sacred line of the Messiah.

We should look on this mish-mash of sinners and saints not as a discouragement but as an encouragement. God’s grace works even with people like us. If we continue the story of the origin of Jesus Christ— Abraham fathered Isaac… Jesse fathered David the King… Achim fathered Eliud — Jesus called Peter and Paul…Paul called Timothy…someone called you…and you must call someone else.

— Rev. Prudy Bertolino

Lord, we come from an amazing family of faith. Help us to realize that our family can expand. Give us the courage and opportunities to reach out to others and share the Good News. Amen.

How the birth of Jesus the Messiah comes about

Matthew 1: 18-25 (TNIV)

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about ^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, ^[b] because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” ^[c] (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

—

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about” starts today’s passage from Matthew 1. Matthew writes this gospel to a Jewish audience to show that all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said” through the prophets in the Old Testament. He proclaims that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah.

The long-awaited Messiah is coming, though in the form of a baby. This dependent, small child is the way that God chooses to enter the world.

This is not the way that I think Joseph, a righteous man, would picture God entering into the world. The Messiah that was foretold for centuries was coming in the form of a baby. Then, God chose Mary, the girl that Joseph was engaged to, to carry Jesus into the world.

Joseph wanted to do what was right for his soon-to-be bride and not expose her to public disgrace. Then, he had this life-altering dream. Through the dream, he learns a different plan: 1) To not be afraid to take Mary home as his wife, 2) That Mary has conceived by the Holy Spirit, 3) Joseph’s responsibility is to give the baby the name of Jesus, meaning “He who saves,” because He will save His people from their sins.

Joseph enters into a larger story, God’s story of salvation. Joseph thought he knew what was right and then God told him of this God-sized plan that Joseph needed to be a part of. How is your life story entering into God’s story? This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah comes about.

— Rev. Nicole Conard

O God, who shows us how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about, tell us the story of how we may fit into your dreams so that we may be a part of your God-size plan. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Meeting and Greeting Christ

Matthew 25: 31 – 46 (TNIV)

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

—

Worship is the primary means by which the body of Christian believers gathers together in community and connects with Christ each week. I anticipate worship every Sunday of the year like a child anticipates Christmas Day. But getting to church on a Sunday morning wasn’t always so easy for me. Years ago, getting my three small children ready to go to church with me each Sunday morning brought unique challenges. Waking up early, making breakfast, feeding the kids, cleaning up breakfast, cleaning up their faces, getting them dressed in “church clothes,” packing snacks, buckling car seats, navigating parking lots and getting there on time could be complicated and frustrating. Often I would raise my voice and arrive to worship frazzled. One day I realized that the means of getting to worship actually defeated the experience of worshipping God. So I relaxed and made patience and kindness my priority on Sunday mornings. I mean what did it really matter if the kids’ hands were dirty or if their socks matched or if I got to church a little late?

As I began to focus on the relationships rather than the tasks, we all began to experience Christ in fresh and new ways. This is what today’s passage teaches us, that ultimately we are judged not on our outward appearances or pieties, but on how we treat people. It is through relating with people that we experience the incarnate Christ. Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, harboring the stranger, visiting the sick and ministering to prisoners are works of mercy through which we meet Christ and are blessed with gratitude. How much more essential is it that we treat our family members and those closest to us like a guest? As you wrap up your final preparations for Christmas this weekend, remember to pause and discover the blessing in the ones closest to you.

— Rev. Nancy Pauls

Dear God, we are busy and want to get things done and get them done right. Sometimes we take for granted and we forget that Christ is manifest in all who we encounter each day. Remind us God to greet each individual as we would greet you. Amen

Promised incarnation: God with us

Zechariah 7:8 – 8:8 (TNIV)

⁸ And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: ⁹ “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. ¹⁰ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

¹¹ “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. ¹² They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry.

¹³ ” ‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the LORD Almighty. ¹⁴ ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’ “

¹ The word of the LORD Almighty came to me.

² This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”

³ This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”

⁴ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. ⁵ The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”

⁶ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the LORD Almighty.

⁷ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. ⁸ I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

—

This passage brings both warning and promise. God spoke through the prophets to tell the people to stop oppressing and taking advantage of others—but verses 11 and 12 tell us how well that turned out. The people ignored God and pretended not to hear, hoping to not be accountable to God’s instructions. So God’s anger is incited, and then the people cry out to God. Read verse 13 again. What does this say to you today? It reminds me that I should not take advantage of God by seeking only God’s love and not accepting God’s expectations.

In Zechariah 8, the tone shifts a bit. We hear how God longs for the restoration of Zion, God’s dwelling place amongst the people. I imagine that our separation from God causes God great sadness and angst — probably more so than it does for us on any given day. In this passage, God’s feelings are “great jealousy” and God is going to do what seems impossible and be reunited with the people. Does the idea of God coming to the people, becoming incarnate, and being born as a baby in the city of David seem impossible to you?

These verses remind me of how incredible Christmas really is. God loves us so much and is willing to come to us, even though we are rebellious and ignore God’s voice. God wants to be with you — will you let God do what seems impossible for you?

— Rev. Molly Simpson

God in Heaven, do you really love me this much? Even though I am like those people who stopped up their ears so that they could not hear you? With your love give me courage to hear your voice and act on behalf of widows, orphans and anyone who is in need. Help me to demonstrate your love and jealousy for your people by acting for justice for your people. Thanks for loving me. Amen.

Are you ready for the coming?

Psalm 33:20-22 (TNIV)

²⁰ We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.

²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

²² May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.

Matthew 25:1-13 (TNIV)

¹ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹ ” ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

—

The holidays can bring for many of us extra stress instead of extra joy. Much of this is no doubt in response to not being ready for the holidays. We seem to fill our hours with every THING that comes along and find our hearts anxious. We delay the preparation for what truly matters. The gifts under the tree can accumulate, yet we stumble in the dark as the true light approaches.

The lectionary reading in Matthew is the parable about the ten bridesmaids: five wise and five foolish. The five wise bridesmaids are ready. They will not be distraught if the bridegroom is delayed. They will have peace knowing that their lamps have enough oil. The foolish bridesmaids’ lamps will not last the night because they were not ready for the unexpected.

As we prepare our lists of “to do’s,” is there preparation for what will truly make a difference in the world? Will we radiate the light when it seems most unlikely?

Christ comes to us much unexpected. Those who are wise will be waiting on the Lord (Psalm 33:20). Their lamps will be ready and will last the night if needed. They will offer peace on earth and glad tidings as the unexpected happens. We must not allow the foolishness of the world to distract us from our true purpose of being light bearers.

Remember that truly being ready is about the heart. Are you prepared for the unexpected Christ? Surprise is good.

— Rev. Karen Lampe

Oh God, thank you for the gift of the unexpected. Allow us to remember your purposes in coming and help us be prepared for what truly matters. Allow our lights to shine for you in a world filled with darkness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Stooping low for high service

Matthew 24: 45 – 51 (TNIV)

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

—

“The Parable of the Unfaithful Slave” is the sub-title often given to this passage in the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew. This lesson, in the form of a short story, speaks of leadership responsibility and timing. How are we to understand household, master, slave as they are used in this parable? Imagine yourself in a position of responsibility for those who look to you for security and direction. How do you regard them? Are there times when you are more attentive to your care for them than others?

Is the relational expression of your faith one of integrity? Are you the same always, everywhere?

I am reminded of the contemporary story of Jim Sinegal, CEO of Costco. Sinegal maintains a deep commitment to the care of his employees. Although he could choose to remain detached and aloof from the ground-level workings of the individual stores that make up his multi-billion dollar corporation, Sinegal chooses instead to work anonymously alongside his employees. Instead of receiving a multi-million dollar personal salary, Sinegal has decided that receiving $350,000.00 (twelve times the pay of an average employee) is enough. Instead of being concerned for short-term goals and quick profits, Sinegal focuses on the long-term impact of caring deeply for customers and employees.

I am also reminded of a very different master. The thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John tells of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. In this radical act of humility and service, Jesus cries out for egalitarianism and against elitism. In this profound expression of love, Jesus transcends the false power of human hierarchy and falls to his knees to care for others.

— Rev. Judy Long O’Neal

O God of gentle service and radical action, wash me clean from my need to feel superior to others. Reinforce my confidence in your love, that I may not seek affirmation in personal titles and high salaries. Keep me whole and healthy, that I may always be attentive and ready to respond to the needs of others. Amen.