Reading

John 1:1-18 (ESV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'”) 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Meditation

I have only recently begun wearing reading glasses when I read.  Obviously.  I have also grown accustom to looking for my glasses only to find them resting on my head.  Does that happen to you?  You have something you are looking for and can’t seem to find it but then you realize it was on your person or right in front of you the whole time.  Car keys that you have in your hand, a cell phone you can’t find when you realize you are telling the person you are talking to on the cell phone that you can’t find your cell phone.

Or there are those times that you aren’t looking for something and then you find something you thought was gone for ever.  Maybe it was a special letter and it falls out of a book you haven’t read in 3 years.  Maybe it is a $20 in a pocket of pants you haven’t worn in a while.  It’s a bonus!

Maybe you are at a place where you have lost something, misplaced and know that you won’t see it again. I did that in the seat back on a flight to Disney with a bunch of DVD’s.  Right now at our house we can’t seem to find some books, baking supplies and other memory things.  It is heart breaking.

When we find the lost thing it can bring great joy.  It is like Christmas day.  It is a huge bonus!  When Jesus appeared, the Messiah they had longed for, they do not recognize Him.  They still think they are to be searching.  The glory of God is present and they can’t see it.

Many of us have been in that place.  Looking for an answer to our lives; believing that something has to be better or answer our heart desperation.  Jesus appeared to us through others many times and we couldn’t see it.  We were blind and still searching.   Many of us have relations with people who are searching and can’t see Jesus yet.

We should take great joy in that He has appeared and that those who are to know Him will.  There is hope because the Glory of God has appeared.  We no longer need to search, we get to party and revel and reveal Christ to all those who watch around us.    The crazy thing is we become His appearing to the world now.  Some will not see it but others will and they will be born of God

Prayer

Father, we thank you for revealing your grace and truth through Jesus Christ and saving us through Him.  Let us be ambassadors for you in order that those who are searching will find you. Sprit call those who are part of the family to Jesus.  Amen.

Lenten Action

Continue to memorize John 1:1-14.  Through a party to celebrate finding Jesus (remember He really found you) and invite those who are still searching to come along to hang out with you.

Reading

John 12:9-11 (ESV)

When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Meditation

CS Lewis describes his conversion in Surprised by Joy, “You must picture me alone in that room at Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England”

Conversion stories can be great to listen to or read.  I love talking to people about their journey with God.  I love reading stories of change.  We hear those stories and think that perhaps our story is not enough.  But that is not true.

We are Lazarus. We were dead and now we live.  Our hope can be that many believe in Jesus because they see that difference.  It is the difference of someone who was dead but know is alive; something has changed in us.

We may desire a dramatic story.  We may think that our Christian upbringing negates our conversion.  It doesn’t.  You were dead and now you are alive.

Our lives can be so compelling to those around us because of our “Live-ness” that they would want to know more or never speak to us again.  Through Jesus Christ we are made new.

 

Prayer

Father, thank you for bringing us from death to life; we praise you for saving us.   Let our lives be one that attracts others to you and your glory.  Amen

Lenten Action

Praise God for His resurrection power in your life.  Write out your conversion story.  It may be a one-time event.  It may be an ongoing saga. It could be that you are still coming to grips with it. Write out your story.

Reading

John 12:1-7

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.

Meditation

It is about this time every year that I begin to think about Judas, U2, and an article I read many years ago about Judas being our patron saint.  This passage shows us the heart of Judas and perhaps a little of our own hearts.  If it we not for the explanation from John about why Judas makes his statement we would think that it is a perfectly legitimate thing to say.  Giving to the poor is a good thing, a righteous act, a wise use of the money.  His real intent was to keep the money for himself.  He was a thief.

We can hide our own selfish desires behind altruistic acts.  Some have argued that there is no such thing as a selfless act.  And that may be true but the real danger is when we begin to believe that our outward acts of goodness make us good even when our hearts are only turned toward ourselves.  At some point Judas may have decided that he knew best how to use the money that had been coming in (which may have even been true) but he takes his eyes off of the work of Christ and puts them on his own method for righteousness.  It could be that he was just a big con artist all along and never thought of anyone but himself, but even then Christ has him close to Himself.  Christ had him near.

He has us near as well.  We may hide behind our good deeds but Christ knows our heart.  He knows what we truly mean when we do good works.  He understands we are either pulling the wool over the eyes of those around us in order to gain something from them or we are pulling the wool over our own eyes believing our good doing can gain us something that we desire.

Mary on the other hand came to worship. She came empty of self with a need to honor Jesus.  Doing something she didn’t even know she was doing.

Prayer

Father, teach us to worship.  Teach us to love you like Mary loved you.  Help us to move from gaining our own righteousness to giving you all glory because of the righteousness you give us.  Keep us near to you even as we have the heart of Judas that we may hear of your love for us. Amen

Lenten Action

I know I have linked to this song in the past meditations but it is so great.  Take a listen sometime today to hear the Gospel.  God loves you.  U2 “Until the End of The World.”

Reading

John 11:38-57 (ESV)

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. 55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56 They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

Meditation

When I was a boy I would often daydream.  Let me confess, I was (a may still be) a habitual daydreamer.  One of my favourites was about an underground hide out that I would build in my back yard.  Within this hideout were a large tv (we didn’t have flat screens then), an Atari 2600 with all the games, a small kitchen (I liked to cook even back then) and a super couch to rest on while I played games.   The best thing about the hide out was the robot that looked exactly like me that I could control from a computer (probably Tandy brand) the eyes had cameras so I could see what it saw and could control all the movements.  My dream was to send it to school in my place so I could stay in the hideout. The crazy thing is I would have to be engaged the whole time on the control computer while it was at school.  So I would be doing all the work, all the interaction, all the learning but from behind the robots eyes.  I guess I really liked staying in my pyjamas or perhaps something deeper going on there.  I swear I really do like people and being with them.

We all have a version of an alternative universe that sounds more acceptable to us than the one we are living in.  We can live in the “If” world.  “If this happened”  “If I had” “If she would have” “If I could just” “If they were still” It springs from our hearts because we long for comfort, security, control or surety.  Our ideal life looks just a little off or completely different than the life we are living.  This desire for the alternative universe can be a great motivator for us to pursue growth and accomplish great things.  But when it is not tempered by God it can lead to destruction.  It is ok for us to dream, there is something that God has placed in our hearts that provides it. It is when these dreams push us to distrust of God and His plan that sin enters in and begins to destroy.  It is when we begin to believe that God has messed up somehow in our lives and we need to find a way around His screw up that our hearts move from worship, rest and trust toward passive antagonism, doubt and struggle.

Our current lives are not easy even though some of us do have it pretty nice.  We are in the “in-between” when the fallen-ness of this world comes crashing down on us.  “He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”  The alternative universe for the Jewish leaders was one without Jesus and they begin to plan it but even in that plan God is present.  Caiaphas cast a vision of what is to come, the death of one man, this Jesus, to save the nation and all the while God is writing the Truth; the death of one man, Jesus Christ, to save the Children of God. Caiaphas believed he need to save his nation and God was moving in reality to create a People of His Own.

Prayer

Father God, open our eyes to see your reality; the work you are doing and have accomplished in our lives and in the world.  Help us to submit all of our desires to you.  Let us bring our dreams to your throne and lay them down.  Take our alternative universes and purify them, extract what is your Truth and burn away what is not. Please give us comfort through your Spirit because our pain is real and our hurt is exhausting. We need your mercy and gentle touch to assure us that you have us in your hands.  We are broken and being restored.  We are complete in Christ right now but see through the glass dimly.  Please pour your assurance over us. Amen

Lenten Action

Over the next week when an “if” statement moves into your hear ask the Spirit to help you quickly take it to the feet of God.  Find someone you know is on the journey with God to pray with you about your “if” statement.  Ask them to look at it with you seeking to know how God is working in the current place you are that has invited the “if” statement.  Ask them to help you trust the Father.

Reading

John 11:1-37 (ESV)

The Death of Lazarus

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

 

Meditation

There are times in our lives when darkness seems to engulf us; times when hope seems to be the last possible thing that we could imagine feeling.  Often it sneaks up on us when we are not looking.  It can take our breath away with how quickly the intrusion into our ordinary lives creates a new normal for us to live in.  We end up marking time the rest of our lives with the arrival of this uninvited quest; Before (fill in the blank) and After (fill in the blank).

For some of you there does not seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Some of you have a nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach that you maybe weathered the first part of the storm but something larger is approaching.  And still some feel confident that you were able to overcome this “minor interruption” but in the back of your mind as you drift to sleep doubts begin to creep in.

So do we have hope?  Yes, Jesus walked this path with us.  His life wasn’t interrupted because He knows all things but when He, as a man, felt the magnitude of the loss of Lazarus, He wept.  And he weeps with us. He gives us permission to be undone.  And He holds us there.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for grieving before us, with us and for us.  You make a path through our lose to light.  Keep us in your hands because it is hard for us to believe that there is good during this part of the journey with you.  We need your strength.  We need your hope.  We need your faith.  We need your obedience.  Thank you for giving it to us. Amen

Lenten Action

Many of us have been taught to hide our sorrow or hurt.  Jesus does not want you to hide anything.  He gave us our emotions to draw us toward Himself.  Take time today to cry. Cry over your sin.  Cry over a relationship that has ended.  Cry over a loved one who has died.  Cry and know that Jesus is present and weeping with you.

Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Action

Psalm 66 (ESV)

1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; 2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. 4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah 5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, 7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations– let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah 8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, 9 who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. 10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. 11 You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; 12 you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance. 13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, 14 that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. 15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah 16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. 17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

Reading

John 10:22-40 (ESV)

22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came–and Scripture cannot be broken– 36 o you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

Meditation

I am fairly new at trusting Jesus.  Don’t get me wrong, I have known about Jesus since I was born and knew that He loved me and for the most part I loved Him.  I trusted that He loved me but I didn’t trust Him.  Why wouldn’t He love me, I am a pretty great guy.  No really I am and that is how I looked at it for many years.  Of course I never came out and said it that way but in my heart of hearts that is how I felt. But trusting someone requires that you know them and have an experience with them. Jesus knew me but I hadn’t taken the time to know Him.  I knew about Him.  I created things that I thought were like him.  But the reality is I was more than happy to have Him love me but not interfere.

The Jews wanted to know who Jesus was because they wanted to see if He really lined up with what their desire was.  Don’t keep us in suspense.  Let us know you are the one we want you to be exactly how we envision it to be.

Jesus lets them know that He has answered them and they haven’t heard because they can’t.  But we can.  For me I was loved by God through Jesus not because I was such a great guy, which is beside the point or icing on the cake for those who know me (not really).  God loved me through Jesus when I didn’t deserve it.  And He called me when I was His enemy.  He knew that I was really His.  My fleshy heart still wants to pick up a stone when He doesn’t meet my expectation.  And He still calls my name.

Prayer

Jesus, forgive me for putting expectations on you that are wrong.  Forgive me when I look to you to be what I want you to be instead of being who you are.  Forgive me for demanding of you to reveal yourself in a new way that meets my immediate desire instead of trusting that you know my true desire.  Forgive me trusting my own self for my hope instead of being silent and listening to your hope for me. Thank you teaching me to understand and believe.

Lenten Action

Find someone to share your story of being Jesus sheep with and share the whole mess.  Share about where you were and where you are and where Jesus is taking you; transforming you.  It can be anyone, even someone who has heard the story before but tell it out loud.  It will remind you of the greatness and graciousness of our loving God.

Reading

John 10:1-21 (ESV)

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” 19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Meditation

We called them the “Meatball Bandit.”  Our home was broken into three times in the matter of three months.  The first time they were able to get quite a few electronics and our trash bin (wheelie for my Australian readers).  We replaced the window they broke and replaced our electronics and the second month they took those replacements.  We replaced the window and did not replace the electronics so the third month they took a bag of meatballs from our freezer and returned  our trash bin they had taken from the first break-in.  We fixed the door and window they broke and they did not come back.  It caused some stress and fear so we needed to bring some levity to the situations and they became the “Meatball Bandit.”

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”  There are threats to all of us.  Our own sin and the sin of others work to bring destruction.  They begin to erode our ability to trust that God is good and true.  They become more powerful as we focus on them and worry about what they can do to us.  We begin to focus on them and take our eyes of the Good Shepherd.  The voice of the thief can become louder and louder in our ears.  We give it power and begin to think it is all powerful.

But listen, do you hear the call of the Good Shepherd.  We know His voice.  Listen closely.  A stranger might be trying to call you but listen.  You know the Shepherds voice.  He comes to give life abundantly.  Enter through Him and find life.

It can be hard to hear His voice sometimes when the thief seems every present.  As we pulled up to our house even 4 or 5 months after the last visit from the “Meatball Bandit” we would all be looking at the back door to see if there had been any disturbance.  It really didn’t stop until we moved from that house.  Our old life of fear without the Good Shepherd hangs around us and seems to easily distract us from the Truth of His presence.  We believe that either there is no way we could be a good enough sheep to have Him as a shepherd or we, the sheep, need to build a better sheep gate to protect us.  We think that we have done too much to be forgiven or that we need to do more good things to be accepted.  And our joy is stolen.  But the Good Shepherd came to give us life abundant.  We hear His voice and know that we are His.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for being our protector and comfort by laying down your life for us.  Thank you Father for giving us to Jesus and charging Him with our life.  Spirit, teach us to hear our Good Shepherd’s voice above all the other voices that work for our destruction.  AMEN

Lenten Action

Read Romans 8, Galatians 3:23- 4:7, Ephesians 2, Colossians 3:1-17.

Reading

John 9 (ESV)

1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 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 signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Meditation

I am a sucker for the “clickbait” on Facebook of the people who have never heard before but are hearing someone they love for the first time.  I have seen one video probably close to 100 times.  I can’t help but click it. The joy that they express on their faces is amazing.  The miracle of modern medicine providing the opportunity for them to hear is great. It is so fun to watch.

Can you imagine being blind since birth and then you have an encounter with Jesus and you can see?  He had joy that must have run through his body and confusion of sun light and people and trees that he had never seen before.  His life was changed in an instant.  So much change that there were those who did not believe it was him. “It is I, I am the blind man.”  Then he heard the inquisitions and questions; they accusations of never being blind.  On top of that you did not know where the man who healed you had gone to.  A desire to believe but not knowing where to put that belief would almost be like being blind again.

There are a lot of things in this chapter but today the thing that struck me the most was the fact that an encounter with Jesus can change you so significantly that you are unrecognizable to those who may know you.  We are so entrench in our fleshy selves that when Jesus breaks us free and creates our Truth self, our child of God self, that we can be unrecognizable.  As much as we like who we are in our sin, those around us have adjusted to that person and have grown accustom to who we are.  When we encounter Jesus and He changes us it does not cause confusion for just us but for those around us.

“You can’t be Lee, he was a sort of  selfish, loud brute and you have a smile on your face and seem to love those around you.”  Sound familiar (without the Lee part of course).  You can’t be (put your name here) you are a (put your previous character here, you know the one you thought wasn’t that bad) but now you (put the fruit of the Spirit that God is producing in your life here.)

During Lent we remember our old self but we don’t stay there.  We are no longer blind. We walk with eyes that see the Saviour’s face and hear His love song for us.

Prayer

Father, we do not know why you chose to heal some miraculous and some you don’t.  It is hard for us to understand and live without your answer. Remind us that we were dead and you brought us to life.  Teach us to trust that you are revealing yourself as the Son of God in everything that is going on around us. Teach us God that you are in control and you are bringing glory to yourself and holding us at the same time.  Amen.

Lenten Action

Take time to praise God for how He has transformed your life and brought the Fruit of the Spirit to bear.  If you are still searching then ask God to open your eyes and see Him most fully.

Reading

Isaiah 54 (ESV)

1 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the LORD. 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. 3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. 4 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. 6 For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. 7 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer. 9 “This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. 10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. 11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. 12 I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. 13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children. 14 In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. 15 If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. 16 Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; 17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”

Meditation

I have been watching from the other side of the world (really not the other for me anymore, this is my side of the world) the political goings on in the States.  I know today some of you are happy that your candidate is in the lead, some are disappointed that things did not go the way you would like, and some of you are gobsmacked.  In Australia, we are having debates about next elections, seeing a downturn in the economy, etc.  There are a lot of things that could bring our minds to trouble.  And those are the external things.  Our internal things, our families, our health, our self-understanding can all lead us to a place of desperation.

We can live in a place that we are one more thing away from completely going under.  Go back up and re-read the words of your Loving God.  Read again His promise to you that are honoured and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  Hear vs 9 and 10, “This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you” and let them wash over you.  Even as we recognize how crazy and out of control the world can be, even as we remember how dark my own heart can be we hear out Loving God sing over us this love song.

Prayer

Father, Loving God, Holy One, We praise you and rest in the promise of your everlasting love.  amen

Lenten Action

Read this passage a few more times.  Work to memorize it.