Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15

Transcription

1 Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation Colossians 1:15

2 Long ago the word Lent was used to identify the time of year when the light of day began to lengthen. The season of Lent in our church year marks a time when we lengthen or increase our knowledge and understanding about God and the depth of His love through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Light of the World. During these forty days, we have an opportunity to reflect, meditate, and grow spiritually. It is a time to renew our relationship with God and nurture our spirituality. Jesus First - Chaos Peace The Lenten Devoonal for 2019 is focused on making Jesus #1 in our lives. As we study this task, it brings to mind the seven deadly sins. Although there was ancient precedent for them, our current list dates to AD 590 with Pope Gregory. Many Chrisan denominaons connue to retain this list. A+er Pope Gregory released his list of seven deadly sins, seven virtues were idenfied and noted to be "a habitual and #1 firm disposion to do the good. Praccing them is said to protect one against temptaon from the seven deadly sins. The virtues and the vices seem to mirror each other as posive and negave moral a/tudes. This year, each weekly theme is one of the deadly sin-virtue pairs. Prayerfully, during the forty days of Lent, we will be systemacally led from the chaos of sin to the peace of virtue as we strive to make Jesus First. (selecvely adapted from Wikipedia) As the church does not include Sundays in the forty days of Lent, the first day of each week is used to introduce the weekly subject. This also affords an opportunity for individuals and/or families to reflect on the many blessings for which we are thankful. Be sure to check out the activity pages found in the devotional. We pray that your personal Lenten Journey will be marked by the example and presence of Christ. 2

3 Jesus First: Chaos Peace [Jesus] Christ, the image of the invisible God; the firstborn of all crea on. Colossians 1:15 Lent

4 Ash Wednesday, March 6 March 9 4

5 5 Ash Wednesday, March 6 SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 2:22 22 Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. It seems rather old-fashioned now days to talk about the deadly sins and cardinal virtues. I studied them as a child in my religious school many years ago, and they seemed so foreign. The idea that people could give their lives over to glu(ony, or wrath seemed like the plot of a superhero comic book or a low-budget doomsday movie. When I was young, I didn t take such sin seriously. As an adult, I now see how those deadly sins have manifested themselves in our world. I have used the phrase all-consuming personal desire to describe lust, and I prefer it to some other definions that center on sexuality only. In our passage from Paul s Second Le(er to Timothy, we hear the phrase youthful passions ; that too serves us well in understanding this concept. In our contemporary Western world we are obsessed with youth, sexuality, and beauty, with our bodies and the fashions we wrap them in. Anything we put first in our lives and our hearts that isn t God can become a destrucve force in our world. We have somemes allowed self-focused passion and personal pleasure to obscure the opportunies we have to spread the Gospel with our hands and feet and voice. When that same youthful passion is focused on feeding the poor or fighng for the rights of the oppressed, then we indeed are pu4ng Jesus first with a vision of a world where all people are deserving of human rights and dignity. PRAYER: Almighty God, help your people keep Jesus first in their hearts so that the elements of chaos are forced into the back ground; and the arms of your loving embrace may be felt more readily by those seeking grace and renewal. Amen.

6 Thursday, March 7 SCRIPTURE: 1 John 2:16 16 for all that is in the world the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches comes not from the Father but from the world. Keeping Jesus first in my life is a real struggle, everyday, praccally all day long. From the moment I wake up thinking of my to do list. I am trying hard to pause right then and thank God for this day and rise up any concerns that I have. The outside world is SO loud with it s commercialism and peer pressures, well meaning or not. As this Bible verse says: desire of flesh, desire of the eyes and pride in riches, this could have been wri(en yesterday for all of us. (The Bible is meless.) How have we go2en so far away from God? Shut it off, shut it out. If you re le4ng the world rule over you, the feeling of chaos will catch up to you. Peace comes when we slow down start with prayer, turn our eyes on our loved ones right in front of us. Try and control all the wanng. Cover what is needed and then lets spend me doing some good in this world. I have decided to try and the my me, that means out of the 16 waking hours everyday I will spend 1 ½ hours with God, for God, in prayer or doing a deed as Gods hands. Also me can be bundled say 3hrs...serving a community dinner, vising a shut in, a(ending a Bible study. The list is endless when it comes to serving God. Just think Jesus First and I am sure some ideas will come to you. PRAYER: Almighty Father, thank you for this day. Help me bring peace to someone s chaos today. Help me focus my desires on you. Amen. 6

7 Friday, March 8 SCRIPTURE: Romans 13: the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licen ousness, not in quarrel ing and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gra fy its desires. I believe this passage is telling us that Christ is coming again to all humans on this earth. He is coming to judge us on that final day. So we are to be prepared to listen and follow His advice. Behave as if there was a spotlight on us for everyone to see us as we are. Don t do this out of fear but out of love for Jesus. He loved us that he gave His life for us that we might be saved. Let us be mindful that other people are always watching and observing everything that we do. We must be cognizant of our acons and responses because of this we would never want to turn someone away from knowing Jesus as their savior. When you are in doubt about how to act or respond to a given situaon always ask yourself W.W.J.D. (What would Jesus Do!) PRAYER: Dear Lord, I ask you today to guide and direct me and all believer s to ask ourselves, W.W.J.D. (What would Jesus Do!). By doing this we will not only save ourselves but others who see our acons and pa(ern themselves ager us. So please, Father, help me to be an example for you in thought, word and deed. Amen. 7

8 SCRIPTURE: Galaans 5:16 16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gra fy the desires of the flesh. Saturday, March 9 Novelist Edith Wharton There are two ways of spreading light, to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Jesus is the candle, the Word made flesh who came into the world, bringing light and truth. We are the mirror, reflecng that light by who we are, what we say and do, in all our acons. But those desires of the flesh. Those desires include almost everything. From clothing our bodies with the most fashionable (and expensive) clothing, to skin care products and makeup that promise a more youthful look, to the cars we drive, the restaurants we choose, our furniture, where we go on vacaon, what we do in our spare me, all that build us up. Or so we believe. It can be a fine line to walk between necessity and desire. Of course, we want to put our best foot forward and look our best. A comfortable home is balm ager a long day at work. Vacaons and spare me are vital to being healthy. But too ogen, we get caught up in what everyone else says we need, or what adversers want us to believe about any given product. Lent calls us to look at who we are and whose we are and to make choices that honor God while at the same me fulfilling some basic needs. As you reflect the light of Christ, be true to yourself and you will find that you make healthy choices that reflect the love of God. By following the Spirit, and living by the Spirit, you will find you have what you need, and that others will gravitate to you as one who lives a joy-filled life. And no amount of makeup or fashion or status can do that. PRAYER: Loving God, you have created us in your image and blessed us. Help us always to reflect Your love to all we meet, that others may see and come to know the Word made flesh and the light of the world, Your Son, Jesus. Amen. 8

9 March

10 Monday, March 11 SCRIPTURE: Mathew 25: Key Verses 26 &29 26 But his master replied, You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not sca2er? For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. Take what you ve been given by God and do something with it. We might consider the nature of the master s charge. He gives the servants talents to invest. A talent represented about 15 years of income for servants such as these. That is, whether you had received five, two, or a single talent, you would have just been entrusted with a huge amount of wealth. And while the first two servants seem to take that as a sign of their master s confidence and affirmaon and hence risk that wealth seeking to do well by his trust, it s only the third servant who is paralyzed by fear and buries it. The meaning of the parable extends far beyond financial investments. God has given each person a wide variety of gigs, and he expects us to employ those gigs in his service. It is not acceptable merely to put those gigs on a closet shelf and ignore them. Like the three servants, we do not have gigs of the same degree. The return God expects of us is commensurate with the gigs we have been given. The point of the parable is that we are to use whatever we have been given for God s purposes. Somemes Chrisans speak as if growth, producvity, and return on investment were unholy to God. But this parable overturns that noon. We should invest our skills and abilies, but also our wealth and the resources made available to us at work, all for the affairs of God s kingdom. This includes the producon of needed goods and services. The volunteer who teaches Sunday school is fulfilling this parable. So are the entrepreneur who starts a new business and gives jobs to others, the health service administrator who iniates an AIDS-awareness campaign, and the machine operator who develops a process innovaon. God does not endow people with idencal or necessarily equal gigs. If you do as well as you can with the gigs given to you by God, you will hear his Well done. The implicaon of the parable is that we are to use whatever talents we ve been given to the best of our ability for God s glory, and when we have done that, we are on an equal playing field with other faithful, trustworthy servants of God. 10

11 PRAYER: Dear God, let us recognize you as the one who comes bearing forgiveness, love, mercy, and grace and allow this true vision of you to transform who we are and how we live. In Jesus name, Amen. Tuesday, March 12 SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 16:3 3 Commit your work to the LABC, and your plans will be established. How many mes have you made plans, only to have them changed or cancelled altogether? For my husband and I, out-of-town trips have been delayed or rescheduled because of unexpected snowstorms, illnesses, or plumbing catastrophes. We have been on the road and have had to turn around and go back home because of torrenal rains or an overheated car engine. Flights have been late or cancelled altogether. The list goes on and on. I can t help but think of the saying my father used to quote in such instances, The best laid plans of mice and men, gang ag agley. It means that no ma(er how well we plan, there is always the possibility that something will go wrong. In the broader context of what else is going on in the world, perhaps such plans are insignificant and self-centered. If, instead, we commit our work to the Lord, our plans will have be(er outcomes. If we have higher aspiraons and are diligent in the pracce of focusing our thoughts on Him, our plans will be concrete and sound. How many biblical verses stress that if we follow our own desires to make our plans, and not God s, that they will not bear fruit? This doesn t mean that things will always go smoothly, but whatever we encounter along the way will further our understanding of the path we are to take and His involvement in our lives. By commi4ng ourselves to the Lord, we allow him to guide us, even in the most trivial of decisions. This constant reliance on God strengthens our relaonship with Him and causes us to become more like Him. Isn t this desire to be more God-like the centerpiece of our beliefs as Chrisans? PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, please give us the courage and fortude to focus our thoughts and plans on you. Help us to trust in you fully and follow your guidance in all the small and great things we plan. In your name, we pray. Amen. 11

12 Wednesday, March 13 SCRIPTURE: Ma?hew 25:1-2 1 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise The term slothfulness is commonly thought of as laziness. God s plan is much more comprehensive for implemenng diligence in our lives. The challenge we face is to avoid falling into periods of slothfulness. Sloth is more about spiritual and emoonal apathy, while declining to live out God s plan for each of us. The diligence God expects includes not only our physical efforts, but also applying our God given talents for the common good and be(erment of those around us. A common approach that misinterprets God s expectaons for diligence is that of the workaholic. This narrow a(empt to avoid slothfulness immerses our diligence enrely on our physical and career labors. God requires we balance all aspects of diligence including the emoonal and spiritual needs of our loved ones and families. It is also very important that we do not judge others on their diligence. There are so many factors as to how diligence is carried out for each of one of us. God knows our limitaons, whether it is physical handicaps or life challenges that we all will experience at some point in our days on this earth. Another common misstep on our path to diligence is falling prey to the multude of sins lurking over our shoulder every precious minute of our lives. Mathew points out the human aspect of our free will...five of the bridesmaids who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom were wise; the other five were foolish and fell to temptaon. Yes, the encompassing plan to remain diligent according to God s will is to live to the glory of God balancing our labors, and emoonal and spiritual souls; staying true to the Word. So, we can see that sloth is much more than laziness; it is straying down a path that God did not plan for us. We must always be aware of the common traps in our broken world. PRAYER: God grant us the strength to carry out the wonderful plans you have for our lives. Help us to remain true to spending me in the Bible, in prayer and in service to others. Grant me the courage to change inwardly to fully understand the fragile balance between our physical, emoonal, and spiritual beliefs. Bestow upon us the peace to understand that you are with us in every step as we carry out Your Plan. Amen. 12

13 13 Thursday, March 14 SCRIPTURE: Luke 15: A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. Ah the parable of the prodigal son. I believe that many can relate to this story in some form or another. If you read on you find that great suffering had befallen this man. Has this happened to you? Maybe not in this magnitude but more likely or not in some shape or form it might have. Well, looking back it did happen to me. Some thirty years ago I had lost an Aunt who was very dear to me. She had no family to leave her estate to so it went to my brother and myself. We were able to share an equal amount in money and in properes. We sll own one of the properes the other went to my mom and dad. To this day I cannot tell you exactly what happened to the money. Oh I have a few material things and some of it went to my wife to carry on while I was overseas (I went to Desert Storm and leg behind a wife, a seven year old and an infant). But for the most part the money was gone. If I only I would have been more paent and diligent in my decisions things would have turned out much be(er. If you connue to read the parable you find that the other brother did not squander his fortune and his life prospered. My brother did have the paence and the diligence to manage his assets and control the money so it didn t control him. I m very proud of my brother. Someme we don t make the right decisions but at this stage of my life I find myself taking things to a higher authority for answers. I believe the power of prayer will help keep your focus on all things and give you peace when it comes to making decisions. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, keep my loved ones safe and help me to make the right decisions. Help me be paent and diligent, and keep my focus in my walk in faith. In the name of your son Jesus Christ. Amen.

14 Friday, March 15 SCRIPTURE: Romans 12: love one another with mutual affec on; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. The word zeal means to work diligently, to be a self-starter. In terms of our faith, it means to serve God to the best of our ability. We shouldn t stop doing God s work, regardless of our age or ability. Although I have always wanted to have a career and have worked hard at it for many years, I never thought of my vocaon as a tribute to God. Several years ago, ager compleng my graduate educaon, I considered leaving my employer and looking for a different posion. I thought there had to be more out there. My cousin quesoned why I would want to move on, stang that my parcular job is my mission or service to God. Unl I listened to her comments, I never thought of my career in those terms. I began to seriously think about the work I do as it relates to serving God. This changed my thinking. That was 20 years ago and I am happy to say I m sll at the same job. I m about to face another crossroad: rerement. I plan to rere within the next 5 years. I used to think that rerement was the end of meaningful work; a me for fun and relaxaon. But, how does that relate to the zeal of loving one another and serving the Lord? I look around and realize that the people I ve always respected or admired the most are the ones who don t live just for themselves. They look outwards first. I had a great-aunt who volunteered at a nursing home unl she was in her mid-80s. She always said the work kept her young. I have several friends who are in their 70s. They are more acve than many of us who work full-me. They call on shut-ins, serve meals on wheels, make prayer shawls, volunteer in food pantries...the list goes on and on. And, guess what? My friends are some of the most happy and content people I know. Romans 12:6 reminds us that we each have gigs to use to help one another. Somemes, it s taking the me to smile at someone and ask them how their day is going. My sister is a great cook and ogen bakes or makes dishes to share at church or give to people in need. Someone else I know is great at wring notes to people; le4ng them know that someone is thinking of them. As I wind down in my chosen career, I will connue to think of ways and make plans to serve God and others. By doing so, connue to reap God s many blessings. 14

15 PRAYER: Dear God, please help and guide me in ways to serve others and to do Your will. Please allow me to stay acve and to act in a manner that brings glory to You. Amen. Saturday, March 16 SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 24: Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruc on. 33 A li2le sleep, a li2le slumber, a li2le folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior. Procrasnaon can be the greatest parasite of peace, rivaled closely by ignorance and apathy. When we receive instrucon in our lives, generally we acknowledge it and know how to follow it. However, whether or not we actually fulfill the task (especially in a mely manner) is where the opportunity to stray from the Lord presents itself. We know to ignore the word of the Lord is foolish and selfish yet we do it constantly; because doing what is right and doing what is easy is rarely one in the same. Every week we confess what we have done and leg undone, but seldom do we halt ourselves in the moment of slothfulness, and adhere to the instrucon of the lord. Diligence is a difficult characterisc to grasp, for in mastering it we run the risk of spreading ourselves too thin. Everyone knows a lifestyle of all work, no play, is detrimental but on the contrary it can be more challenging to balance indulgence with temperance. God is the guiding force in this struggle we face. Through God s close watch and helping hand he will help us follow the path by which we can best serve him. For despite us all being unique and living different lifestyles, he knows our limits and will never work us too harshly; but similarly will keep us from falling into an apathec slump. To achieve order and peace in life, all we must do is listen to the instrucons of the Lord, and obey. PRAYER: Thank you Lord for protecng us from our own urges, and guiding us along the path intended for us, so as to keep our acts in accordance with your will. With your help we can remain diligent to your service and hence achieve peace in life. Amen. 15

16 March

17 17 Monday, March 18 SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 23:21 21 for the drunkard and the glu2on will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them with rags. You will be punished for addicons. Wow, what a validang piece of wisdom for all of us good, morally-upright, sober, self-controlled, clean-living types, huh? How fortunate we are not to be like those weak, lesser people, those drunks and glu(ons who choose paths of self-destrucon! Goodness, if only would listen to this simple maxim and turn their lives around! Oh, but clearly that s beyond them. It s up to us good, fine, superior people to help those poor slobs by showing them the error of their ways. We should vigilantly remind them of their faults. We should drug test welfare recipients. We should make those gold-brickers on food stamps join Weight Watchers. RIGHT? NO! This is the twenty-first century, and we know be(er. Dependency is a medical challenge, not a moral failure. Mental health, brain chemistry, financial insecurity and a host of other social and physical stresses contribute to pa(erns of abuse. And honestly, if we really look at our own upright lives, we see that we all lean on or overuse all sorts of things in ways that hurt us. Along with glu(ony and drunkenness, this Proverb could easily add the workaholic and perfeconist come to hypertension, and their stubbornness will condemn them to loneliness. So how will we respond to this ancient and plain wisdom when we recognize our shared struggles? PRAYER: Abba, You are always with us. When we feel empty, afraid, ashamed, trying to fill ourselves with things that never sasfy, remind us of your unshakable presence. Open our eyes to our neighbors empness and fear, and open our hearts and hands to lig them up as you lig us up. In Jesus name, Amen.

18 18 Tuesday, March 19 SCRIPTURE: Titus 2: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salva on to all, 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, The grace of God, menoned in verse 11, brings salvaon as well as changed acons. Two main areas are presented here in verse 12. First, God's grace is involved in teaching us to turn away from worldly, unrestrained, godless behaviors. The Greek of this verse uses two words with similar meanings. One is translated as "ungodliness," or "godlessness," the other as "worldly passions," or "worldly lusts." Ungodliness merely is anything which contradicts God's will or His nature. God's grace helps believers in Christ to reject ungodly living. Also, it helps us reject sinful desires. God's grace trains us, or teaches us, to avoid behaviors that are sinful. The second major point made in verse 12 involves living with self-control, morality, and godliness. "Self-control" is an idea frequently menoned in Paul's le(er to Titus (Titus 1:8; Titus 2:2 6; Titus 2:12). It emphasizes the importance of a disciplined life. This a4tude was in sharp contrast to the lazy, self-focused lifestyle of many people in Crete (Titus 1:12 13). The Greek dikaios is translated as "righteously," or "upright," and means "proper," or "right." "Godly" is the polar opposite of "ungodliness," menoned earlier in verse. This is from the Greek eusebōs, meaning "virtuously," or "piously." PRAYER: God, thank you for all that you do for us. You teach us how to do good for ourselves and others in me of need and how to reject sinful desires. Thank you for teaching us how to control ourselves in me of anger, frustraon, sadness, and confusion and not to send us down the right path without a lesson. Thank you for all that you do and loving us no ma(er what. Amen.

19 Wednesday, March 20 SCRIPTURE: 2 Peter 1:5-7 5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutualaffec on, and mutual affec on with love. I think one of the things about being human that I struggle with the most is the persistent believe that people can t change. Somemes this a4tude is about others. Oh, she s just stubborn and set in her ways! Oh, you can t trust him, he s never done anything right! Those people are hopeless! Most of the me this a4tude is self-directed. I ll never be able to do that! I ll never be able to stop doing that! I am hopeless! God does not see us this way. In God s eyes our potenal to change, to be be(er, to live be(er, is limitless. The reality is that our capacity to change is made possible by the death and resurrecon of Jesus Christ. From that moment on, we are set free to make every effort to support our faith with pracces grounded in love. PRAYER: God, teach us how to grow our faith. Remind us that you have set us free by your death on the cross. Transform us into the people you know we can be. Amen. 19

20 20 Thursday, March 21 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 78: They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. 19 They spoke against God, saying, Can God spread a table in the wilderness? 20 Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed out and torrents overflowed, can he also give bread, or provide meat for his people? Most of us know that glu(ony is the greedy or excessive indulgence of food or drink, but did you know that many diconary meanings also include excessive indulgence of wealth or wealth items? When we become incapable of making healthy choices about the amounts of the food we eat, what we drink, or what we spend; we are not living as we should. It is not healthy for our bodies, nor is it healthy for our minds, or our spirit. Our bodies show the results of over indulgence, we can cause horrific harm when we overindulge in drinking and then make poor choices as a result, and can cause stress, and discord when we squander our wealth on unnecessary things. Worst of all though is the spiritual harm we do when we are so obsessed with the necessity of always eang, drinking or squandering what has been provided. When we are so focused this way, we lose sight of WHOSE we are. We put these things ahead of the good choices and good gigs God has offered us. We lose track of Him when we are so worried about ourselves. Many self-help and 12 step type programs begin by the admi(ance of self will, and the need for spiritual guidance. It is when we put Jesus first, and allow Him to lead us, instead of trying to do it ourselves, that we can make progress in ge4ng away from the harm this lifestyle can cause. In the wilderness we wander, In the wilderness we weep In the wasteland of our wanng where the darkness seems so deep We search for the beginning, for an exodus to home We find that those who follow Him, must o+en walk alone In the wilderness, In the wilderness He calls his sons and daughters to the wilderness But he gives grace sufficient to survive any test

21 Michael Card sings this about the wilderness, and how even though it can be lonely and ogen painful, we are given God s grace to survive anything if we only put our trust in Him. PRAYER: Dearest Jesus, We offer our failings, our trials, and our struggles to you. Walk with us and give us Your grace to survive in the wilderness of our lives. Amen. Friday, March 22 SCRIPTURE: Galaans 5:16 16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not grafy the desires of the flesh. I would think that all of us who a(end church have heard this passage read any number of mes. I note that it does not say the needs of the flesh which God provides for us...water, food, air, shelter, clothing. I also think our needs include family and community...human caring and contact. But, because of glu(ony many are without the basic needs of life. Because we live in a physical world the desires of the flesh are many. As I look back on my younger years, before I met Jesus, I only knew the physical world and it formed my ideas of what I should have. I was raised in a modest household so there were not a lot of extras to be had. Sll my youthful desires were focused on stuff. I become capve to the desires of the flesh when I develop a habit of returning again and again to those desires. Freedom comes when I am able to give up those desires one by one. The Holy Spirit sets me free. As a senior person now, I can sll see glu(ony in my life. I have many books I will never read and yet am sll tempted to buy more. Somemes I share them with others, but am upset when they are not returned. I cling to them instead of giving them away. So, my thinking is, that each of us has a piece that wants more than it needs. There is a bumper scker that says Live simply that others may simply live. To me...a reminder that I have more than enough and need to share with others out of my bounty. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, in your mercy, forgive my foolish ness in seeking anything or anyone else but you. Grant that your Spirit may give me the strength to put away the things that draw me away from you. I pray this through your Son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. 21

22 Saturday, March 23 SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, Do everything for the glory of God. One of the most amazing examples of glu(ony is to watch people on a cruise loading their plates at the buffet line. You would think that God had proclaimed that this was the very last me food would be offered. They come back with their plates so full that they lose food along the way. Why? People see all that food, and even if they are not hungry, they have to take it! AGer all, it is included in the price. But glu(ony doesn t necessarily just pertain to food. How many of us have gone somewhere offering free items and take them knowing full well we will never use them but they are FREE! Many of us are collectors, and there ARE all kinds of things to collect! But even when the curio cabinet, shelves, library, etc., etc. are full, we see another we like and convince ourselves we need just one more! It s an impulsive overindulgence. Whether it s taking too much food or accumulang material items, it s a sin. Psalm 16:5 tells us, You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all. So is it a lack of faith in God that leads us to glu(ony? Christ successfully fought Satan s temptaon in the desert and He prayed to God in the Garden of Gethsemane, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it. In other words, we need to pray and have faith in God to help us through these temptaons. But remember God is always in control! We need to make Jesus #1 in our lives and use His life as an example for ours! Lent is the perfect me to take stock of our lives and decide what we really need HIM! Just look around your home and you can see how good God has been to you! Before you ask God for anything, first remember to THANK Him for everything He has already given you. PRAYER: Savior & Protector, thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, the forgiveness of my sins, and for providing every thing I need to get through my day. Today s world is full of constant temptaons, Lord. Give me the paence to deal with people who do not follow your path and the strength to combat the temptaons and sins presented in our world. In Christ Jesus, Amen. 22

23 March

24 24 Monday, March 25 SCRIPTURE: Acts 20:35 35 In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. As we reflect upon this verse, we are called to take a hard look at ourselves and our life choices. Living by Christ s example in this verse can be difficult. It is, by human nature, easier to take care of our own and think less of those around us. This greed, of sorts, is something that I find myself struggling with at mes. The world around us tends to sensaonalize the things in life that draw us away from God s purpose. In this verse we are called to be more Blessed to Give than to Receive. In this season of lent, if we concentrate on Giving of ourselves, even if only an extra hour or two a week, we will be Blessed. The feeling of giving up something for Lent takes on a whole new purpose if you are giving of yourself to those less fortunate. Let us strive to Give Up our me to those who need it as it is one of the most valuable things that you have. As you give of yourself you will see that the smiles on faces, comfort of the heart, and kindness understood is worth more than any dollar you have. Christ calls us to help the less fortunate in whatever way we can. Let us come together in His name to make a difference in the world around us. That simple task gets easier the more you pracce it and you will find yourself seeking ways throughout the year to do the same. PRAYER: Dear God, please allow me to search for the ways that I can give of myself to provide help in the world of chaos around me. Let me give of myself and my me to bring joy and helpfulness to those who are in need. You call us and tell us that it is be(er to Give than to Receive, please help me to follow that calling. Amen.

25 Tuesday, March 26 SCRIPTURE: Ecclesiastes 5:10 10 The lover of money will not be sa sfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. At this me of year, the end of a calendar year, the recent hustle and bustle of the Christmas birthday season and the bringing of a new year, offers a me for reflecon. In Ecclesiastes 5:10, King Solomon was speaking, possibly with some self reflecon. He noced that one is not ogen sasfied with the thing he wants the most. Weather it is money more and more money, if he receives it - it does not truly bring happiness or peace. If a man seeks wealth, then achieves it, he is not sasfied he wants more. The greed of men is not easily sasfied. Solomon reminds us that greed, the constant desire for more is a source of vanity. But how does one get through the holidays with the social and commercial pressures to purchase, give, volunteer, donate, both me and money, eat, entertain, be present with co-workers, friends, family, children, elders? It is a me for greed however, a(empng to achieve all these things rarely results in sasfacon. Is it vanity that keeps us going to be a part of the social expectaons of the season? The new year brings about the symbolic and realisc opportunity for change. In this new year, take me to get a grip on the budget, be sasfied with your earnings. Find peace in one s self and with God. PRAYER: Dear Lord, please walk with us each day as we struggle with the greed and vanity on Earth. Help us to be sasfied with our earnings, to be at peace with our lives and resist the temptaon to want more than is necessary. Lord, help us to look to you for guidance. Help us to read and learn from the scriptures daily as we go out into the world. In your name, we pray, Amen. 25

26 26 Wednesday, March 27 SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 6: But those who want to be rich fall into tempta on and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruc on. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. As I ve aged, it seems greed keeps ge4ng worse every year. I noce it when I read the paper, watch TV or see it in real life. It really has been there all along, just magnified by the amount of mes we see it; by the chaos it creates. When I realize how many people in the world live in poverty, I know I ve been truly blessed. I believe a great deal of the misery in today s world is a result of greed. We need not look far to see the destrucon greed has visited upon some well known people. The vast amounts of wealth spent on foolish endeavors is mind boggling. The word enough seems to have lost its place in regards to wealth. But, if you look for the good in our world, it is also easy to find. The charitable acons of many, many people are all around us. This is our Lord s goodness being shared. Really, when you think about it, can you imagine what the world would be like if no one had the goodness in them to be charitable, to give their money, me or talents, or to do good works in the world? That is the power of our Lord...to plant the seeds of peace in places where it is so badly. When we put Jesus first in our lives, it helps us recognize the love, grace and mercy He has shown us so we can then share it with others. I sll remember how the chaos would melt away, replaced with God s peace, when I spent me picking up around the church grounds. PRAYER: Lord, please strengthen our desire to share your grace, mercy and love with others. Help us to resist being greedy and selfish. Help us to be thankful for the blessings you have given us and enable us to share those with others. Amen.

27 27 Thursday, March 28 SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 34: The word of the LABC came to me: Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to them to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord GAC: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! 3 Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. Who are today s shepherds? On the rare occasion that I ve seen a flock of sheep I don't remember seeing anyone watching over it. They were like any other farm animal - grazing in a field surrounded by a fence. Nobody was leaning on a staff watching for predators. Just the sheep hanging out doing what sheep do. Baaaaaaa. The shepherd is in all of us. At least he can be if we let him. There are many among us that need help. Some are obvious. They come to a food or clothing pantry. They stay overnight in shelters or under bridges. They ask for spare change as we make our way into KeyBank Center to see a hockey or lacrosse game. Some of us have an abundance of resources. It may be a li(le or a lot. We may think we have it because we ve worked hard or are smarter than the next guy. That s only part of it. Many of us have a God given talent that allows us to do well in life. With that gig comes a responsibility to use it to help others, not keep it to ourselves. We can give to the food or clothing pantry, or toss a few bucks into the Salvaon Army bucket when we see one. A dedicated group has started giving respite to caregivers of demena sufferers. There are so many ways for us to shepherd the less fortunate among us....there but for the Grace of God, go I. PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for the gigs that you have bestowed on me. Help me to see the need in the world around me and to share the many blessings that you have given to me. Amen.

28 JESUS FIRST Y G E C N A R E P M E T C S T U F O R G I V E N E S S C I I R E S P E C T J E S U S L D D S G C A R E Y V N E P I A I E R T E U T R I V R Y M N L D E Y S U S E J I A L U C I U E T C U R E D R H P H E G T D I O H L E P C S A S R E I O T P T A F I R S T L E N T D S L E W R A T H I O C C A P A O E A W I N O E T A E R R H S A N C I T L N H R F G A C B H H T E N Y C B G I E Y T P E C C A T E E ACCEPT GRACE PEACE ASH GRATITUDE PRAY (2) BREAD GREED PRIDE CARE GUIDANCE RESPECT CHAOS HOLY SHARE CHASTITY HUMILITY SIN CHARITY JESUS (2) SLOTH DILIGENCE LENT TEMPERANCE ENVY LUST VIRTUE FIRST PATIENCE WINE FORGIVENESS WRATH Which word from the list of deadly sin-virtue pairs was not used? 28

29 1 YELLOW 4 PURPLE 2 GREEN 5 RED 3 BLUE 29

30 30 Friday, March 29 SCRIPTURE: 1 John 3:17 17 How does God s love abide in anyone who has the world s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? The first story from the Bible that comes to my mind is the story of the Good Samaritan. A man walking along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was a(acked by robbers who beat him, stripped him and leg him for dead. A priest going down this same road saw the man and passed by on the other side. A Levite also saw the man but he, too, passed by on the other side. Finally, a Samaritan came upon the man and he had compassion. Tending to his wounds with oil and wine, the Samaritan put the man on his animal and brought him to an inn where he took care of him. Then he gave the innkeeper money to take care of the wounded man promising to repay whatever extra he spent when he returned. Jesus has instructed us to go and do as the Samaritan did. Where we see a need, we should lend a hand, money or goods from our abundance. I see this first hand at our church. Every month, we sponsor a Community Dinner for all to enjoy. Some cook, some serve and others join in fellowship with our community neighbors. A free will offering from those who can afford to give helps to sustain this outreach. The angel tree at Christmas gives us another chance to bring happiness to a child who might not be able to enjoy the season. It can be such a joy to imagine the look on a child s face as they receive their gigs. Also, our emergency help to Seneca Babcock helped provide a great Thanksgiving to several families when the need arose. I m proud of our congregaon for the many ways they show that they care for their sisters and brothers. This is God s work through our hands. PRAYER: Dear God, Thank you for the blessings you have bestowed on so many of us. Help us remember that those who don t have an abundance of goods or money are also your children and our brothers and sisters. May we show others your love as we care for them in your name. Amen.

31 31 Saturday, March 30 SCRIPTURE: Galaans 2:10 10 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do. We all have been told as followers of Jesus to give to others. And we do, but how many of us do this as eagerly as Paul? I think not many of us do. Do you think Saul of Tarsus, someone who supported the murder of Stephen, would have eagerly given to the poor? Or even thought about them? How did Paul go from terrorizing a group of Jews straying from the Law to enduring great hardships for the sake of Jesus s people? We know the story of Paul s extraordinary transformaon from a person desperately trying to control his inner turmoil by controlling the chaos of the world to one who found the inner peace that only serving God can bring, regardless of the chaos of the world. Most of us do not receive such an indisputable invitaon from Jesus. For most of us the transformaon is slow and seemingly errac. Paul s choice was very clear and dramac, he choose God. On the other hand most of our choices are everyday choices, micro-choices that move us toward God or toward that shiny vortex that is our self. Habits are formed this way. A behavior repeated becomes automac, a habit. New habits are hard to form and old ones hard to break. Do you take the last three bags of potato chips or take one and leave two for others? And yes, they are for the 4 th of July picnic. And they are on sale! Or do you share with a person you will never meet? When you have more than enough for your needs, what do you do with your abundance? Choose your habits wisely. PRAYER: Loving God, help us use the example of Paul s deeds to pracce habits that choose Jesus s Way over our selfcenterness. Jesus, help us disnguish between need and want, know when enough is enough, and fill the holes in our lives with God, not stuff. Amen.

32 March 31-April 6 32

33 33 Monday, April 1 SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 17:9 One who forgives an affront fosters friendship, but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend. Today I need help. Someone dear and trusted has hurt me, has kicked me out of the life we had together. If I keep and treasure the hurt I feel, my anger, for that is truly what it is, will damage, not only my own life and my soul, but all creaon. God made us to live in peace with one another. If I think or speak or act in anger, I disturb the peace for which God made us. It is not for me to damage what God made good. And yet, I am a person in pain. What shall I do? The Lord Jesus shows me what to do: LOVE! Today is a day for me to remember what the Lord Jesus Christ suffered because he loved beyond our imaginaon of loving. Today is the day for me to forgive the one who hurt me, and to see the face of Christ in that person. Today is the day to think about what will build and strengthen relaonships in my community. Community thrives on forgiveness. Today is the day for me to express my concern and affecon for someone who is sad, or lonely, or kicked out, or has hurt someone. Today is the day for me to get out of myself, and think of how to help us all to be at peace with one another. Today is the day for me to love. PRAYER: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affecons of sinners. Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that among the swig and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

34 Tuesday, April 2 SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 15:1 1 A soq answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word s rs up anger. Forgiveness. A concept not unknown to us, but likely more ogen than not, a pracce easier said than done. People and acons hurt us on a daily basis. Somemes it s something as simple as saying a word someone doesn t like or doing an acon that may make someone s life harder. And these are very easy to forgive, as usually, no malice was meant by it. Other mes though, it is much more severe, such as doing acts that cause someone severe emoonal or physical pain. These are much harder to forgive. People even use the word unforgiveable in these cases. As Chrisans, we are called to forgive all the me. Not just when we feel it s ok. Not just when it s something minor, but all the me. When we do forgive, whether it actually be something expressed to someone, or internally to ourselves, it makes things easier for everyone. This is what the Proverb writer means by a sog answer...expressing that forgiveness. However, a lot of mes those acons are so huryul, it s hard to feel anything but wrath, and we lash out or punish others because of it. People ogen think that life should be fair and if we re not treated fairly, why should we treat others fairly? This is the wrong thought. This is not what we are called to do nor what we should do in any case. More anger and spitefulness just leads to more anger and wrath. It causes fricon between people that wasn t there and can tear down relaonships amidst the chaos. When we put Jesus first, and use him as an example, this chaos can turn to peace; when we remember to forgive others instead of showing anger or hatred to them. When we experience this peace, others will see it and experience it too. Forgiveness leads to peace which leads to love. And, who doesn t want to be loved? 34 (Prayer on top of page 35)

35 PRAYER: Lord, Amidst all the chaos in our lives, we need to put you first. Wrath is an ugly sin. We need to show forgiveness to others to prevent it from srring up in our lives. Show us how to forgive and lead us in doing so amidst this me of chaos. Amen. Wednesday, April 3 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 37:8 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret it leads only to evil. My ears burned the words were so hateful and vile. They were spoken about me and against me and to people who were supposed to be my friends and yet no one defended me. It hurt. I was angry. I was well within my rights to fight back or at the very least to report the gossip to those in authority, but I needed this job so I turned and walked out steamed as hell. Later that night as I slammed around the kitchen le4ng my anger rage I realized, that woman was home enjoying a peaceful evening while, not even the dog would come near me and my dark mood. She never gave my pain another thought. I was le4ng her connue to hurt me and she was just fine and dandy. And there was the aha moments. I was the one allowing this. I was blocking Jesus with hoslity. Okay, I get the message. I m giving you the problem and I m going to walk the dog, I thought. And I did. Did the problem magically go away. Nope. Did the weight of doom and gloom lig from my heart, miraculously, yes. Almost immediately I began to smile. Jesus was in control not me. I got over it. We never became fast friends. Years later the woman came to me in tears needing prayers for a loved one. It was easy to help. It was probably harder for her to ask. We both learned and grew from the experience. Jesus is truly in control if you put the problem in his hands and go do something else. PRAYER: Father in heaven thank you for giving us Your Son Jesus who even on the cross showed us how to forgive those who hurt us. Remind us always there is nothing so terrible it cannot be forgiven with Your help. Amen. 35

36 36 Thursday, April 4 SCRIPTURE: Acts 10: He commanded us to preach to the people and to tes fy that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living 43 and the dead. All the prophets tes fy about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. I chose this verse as I felt it spoke to me personally. Last year I had a challenging year in many ways, but through my faith and our pastors and my own family, and by the grace of God I am sll here. We are taught to Honour thy father and thy mother it is one of the commandments. I have lived by that my whole life, unl I just could not except their acons regarding my daughter s wedding. I tried for 6 weeks to understand and forgive some of their decisions. Every Sunday, I would pray at the alter and every night and day for guidance and forgiveness that I know I needed to lighten my heart. I know I needed to be strong, for my family to try and understand them and why would they do something like this. Then the underlying queson : What would Jesus do? I was ge4ng close to forgiving, unl one week before the wedding, when I received the phone call, stang that they were not coming to their granddaughters wedding over a lie. I snapped, game over so to say!!! Everything I have held in for 61 years came out in a flurry, that I didn t know I could do. I have never even talked back to my parents unl Oct. 20 th. Did I feel be(er, yes but it only lasted a couple weeks. Because I let my anger get the best of me, and broke one of Gods laws. As, I cannot take back what I said and personally really don t want to, for many reasons, I am at the point where I can forgive them, for being who they are. But, I sll struggle with the way I acted and I know that God has forgiven me, as I have to learn to forgive myself. This year I pray for inner peace and that we all can forgive one another for something we have done, whether we meant to do it or not. (Prayer on top of page 37)

37 PRAYER: Father, as we struggle through decisions that we make, either in anger or thought give us the strength through your grace to forgive ourselves or others for the words that are said in harm or anger. Amen. 37 Friday, April 5 SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:8-9 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we s ll were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been jus fied by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. Do you ever feel that you need to prove your love to someone? Maybe you did something wrong and hurt them. Maybe if you prove your love, they will want to love you back. God does not need to prove his love for us, but did by Jesus dying on the cross. Everyone sins and needs forgiveness and for that forgiveness, Jesus gave his life. We do not need to be perfect to be loved or forgiven by God. God s grace is given to us freely. We should be like God and show forgiveness even to those who are not perfect in our eyes. Once we show that love, we can only hope that person will also show love and forgiveness. We need to remember that Jesus wants us to be like him. God s grace and forgiveness is not earned. The Holy Spirit pours out to us this grace. Always think about that grace which is given to you and no ma(er what your sins may be, we are so thankful that Jesus perished so we can connually be forgiven. When you do sin, pray for forgiveness and thank God for loving us so much that he gave his only Son. What a price less gig we are given. PRAYER: Dear God, Thank you for allowing Jesus to die so all our sins are forgiven. Help us to pray to you when we sin and ask for forgiveness. Amen.

38 Saturday, April 6 SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4: Put away from you all bi2erness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, 32 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Recently, lies were told about me at work by a very jealous co-worker. I was on medical leave and couldn't defend myself. When I returned, I was faced with this and couldn't believe that anyone would do that to another human being. Her words were vicious and unwarranted. I loved my job and my job was on the line. I was angry and hurt and felt like I was all alone. I fought every accusaon but she was very good at posturing her case. For weeks I was tormented by this. It spilled over into my personal life and my family was terribly affected by all of this. My surgeon only allowed me to return at 75% which along with the accusaons resulted in my terminaon. I became a bi(er, angry, miserable person and totally forgot my Chrisan upbringing. A couple weeks later it hit me. I did not put Jesus first during my problem. All I could think about was the chaos, the hurt, the anger and me! If I had come to Jesus with this problem, He would have helped me with it. If I had asked Him for guidance and assistance, I know the anger that I felt would have been minimal and I would have had a clearer head to resolve my feelings. I am not like the person who wronged me. I needed to forgive her for what she had done and move on with my life. Only then would I be able to find peace in my heart and in my soul. I forgave her as God in Christ has forgiven me! PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, As we travel through life each day, please remind us when we are faced with situaons that lead to chaos and anger, to remember that you forgave us our sins and we must in turn be kind to one another and for give those who have caused our pain. In Jesus' name, Amen. 38

39 April

40 SCRIPTURE: Ecclesiastes 4:4 4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing aqer wind. 40 Monday, April 8 When thinking about the problem of Envy vs. Gratude in relaon to this bible verse, I had to do quite a bit of thinking and reflecng on myself. Recently, I have noced that I ve been dwelling on myself and being very self centered. I ve found myself exaggerang things that go wrong and everything that I m feeling is the biggest priority. I keep saying If I had her life or If I were like her, etc. and being envious of those around me. A few days ago, I had an epiphany; maybe if I busied myself and focused on be(ering myself and my life and being gracious for the life I was given instead of envying that of others. I d be much more happy. I have had an especially hard transion back into college and being away from my friends and I dwelled on my sadness when I could have been focused on the good; it s a new year, a fresh start, a clean slate. It s an excuse to start over. It s a way to become a be(er me, less envious and full of gratude for the life God has blessed me with. I can focus on how great my family and friends are, how lucky I am to go to a good school, and how blessed I am to be healthy. Changing your a4tude and adding in gratude helps put you into a mindset to be(er serve the Lord and show him how grateful you are for the life he gave you. PRAYER: Dear Lord, Give me the resources and strength to remain gracious and thankful for the life I am blessed with and to remain in the mindset of growing my faith surrounded by family and friends. Strengthen me to reject envy and rather pursue gratude and kindness to others. Thank you for the wonderful opportunies I am given and for the ability to serve you. I pray that we as a congregaon can serve and love you graciously forever. I pray that you give us strength to remain grateful even in the toughest of mes. Amen.

41 SCRIPTURE: Acts 24:3 We welcome this in every way and everywhere with utmost gratude. 41 Tuesday, April 9 The neighbor s car; your friend s job; your sibling s house we ve all had moments when we desired one or more of these, or lamented the fact that what we have, pales in comparison to what others possess. Why do lines form for lo(ery ckets? Usually in the hope of acquiring something that others have and we do not. Envy can quickly envelope us and prove to be selfdestrucve, as we pursue an ogen una(ainable goal, and at the same me lose our vision of what is directly in front of us that which we have, and more importantly, those that love and care about us. The me and energy we spend on being envious would be much be(er spent focusing on being grateful for that which we have. Yes, maybe our job is not the most excing, but tell that to the person who has been unemployed for 6 months. The house may be cramped and dragy, but don t tell that to someone who is being foreclosed on. Perhaps what we lack is exposure to those less fortunate. There is no television show highlighng The Lives of the Poor and Unfortunate. Maybe a construcve acvity such as volunteering at a food pantry or homeless shelter will not only serve to help those in need, but provide us with some sense of gratude that we do not face the dire straits that so many do. We would all be be(er served to live by the anonymous quote, Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want but the realizaon of how much you already have. PRAYER: Dear Lord, help us to count our blessings many mes during every day. Let us not be distracted by what is not within reach, but to embrace what is close and dear to us your never ending love and the love of others around us. Amen.

42 Wednesday, April 10 SCRIPTURE: James 3: For where there is envy and selfish ambi on, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of par ality or hypocrisy. Peace to you as you connue your Lenten Journey. James writes in his le(er to the twelve tribes, dispersed abroad (believers everywhere), how faith works in everyday life. As I parse this verse, it seems pre(y straight forward, selfish ambion and envy will cause chaos. The ruthless pursuit of more will destroy what we worked to a(ain as we lose our soul to the world. The wisdom of God seeks peace, it walks away from strife, eases conflict, is not ready to fight, but to serve. It is willing to yield without bias. There is a quote by Hunter S. Thompson that I love. It is as follows: Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intenon of arriving safely in a pre!y and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming Wow! What a Ride! This ideal seems at odds with James advice for Godly wisdom. In the movie Dead Poets Society the Lan phrase Carpe Diem is used by Robin Williams to inspire his students. Can we as Chrisans Seize the day and arrive at God s feet to proclaim what a ride while yielding to His wisdom? Let us wear ourselves out in mercy, exhaust ourselves spreading kindness, strive each day to give of ourselves and yield to God s will. Let us passionately pursue peace and seize each day with gratude. That will be an amazing challenge and provide us an incredible ride! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, guide me from envy to gratude, from strife to mercy, from chaos to peace. Help me surrender to your will and fervently yield to Your wisdom in my life. Amen. 42

43 43 Thursday, April 11 SCRIPTURE: Luke 22:19 19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you.. Do this in remembrance of me. Gratude is the quality of being grateful and showing appreciaon in return for kindness. For us, we can show gratude in many different ways, which will show Jesus how appreciave we are for the greatest gig ever given, life. Kindness can be shown by simply praying for those in need, shoveling someone s driveway in the cold winter months, or merely paying for the coffee of the person behind you in line at Tim Hortons. It s the small things that can make the biggest difference in a person s life. I vaguely remember, not long ago, feeling extremely lonely and felt that I had no one to talk to. That same week, in a sermon, the Pastor at my church was sharing his struggles, and how he overcame them. He was talking about how no ma(er what, there will always be people around you who want to help you through whatever challenges arise. People will always be willing to lend a helping hand, which will hopefully get you back onto your feet. Most importantly, however, there is God, waing for you to confide in him, and ask for help. He is only a prayer away, and he can help you through anything and everything. What I took away from that sermon was that I will not burden anyone by asking for help, and that I should never lose hope because even if it feels like my whole world is falling apart, my family, friends, and God will be there to help me pick up the pieces. Jesus died for our sins, and by being kind to others, we are returning the gig, and expressing our gratude. PRAYER: Dear God, Thank you for giving your son for us. I pray that I connue to live with gratude for you, and am kind to everyone. I also pray that one day, everyone will learn to be caring, and project peace. Amen.

44 SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3: Friday, April And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gra tude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. As we reflect on the theme: JESUS FIRST: Chaos Peace [Jesus] Christ, the image of the invisible God; the firstborn of all creaon. Colossians 1:15, this verse is part of a type of hymn celebrang who Jesus is and what God has done through Jesus. Christ is called the image of the invisible God, one through whom God created everything, the one who holds the universe together, the one whose death brings peace throughout the universe. Envy is one of the Seven deadly sins. In the Book of Genesis envy is said to be the movaon behind Cain murdering his brother, Abel, as Cain envied Abel because God favored Abel s sacrifice over Cain s. St. Paul regarded Envy to be a sin of the flesh. In todays world, envy can expressed in various ways, such commercials on television and adds in the newspaper with emphasis on what one wants or thinks they need. Envy is also found in the Ten Commandments, Thou shall not Covet thy neighbors goods or Thy neighbors wife. Gratude is an emoon expressing appreciaon for what one has, as opposed to what one wants. We share gratude with our brothers and sisters for God s uncondional Love through the GiG of his Son Jesus our Lord. Deep gratude has come from within and in a meaningful way. Praccing gratude means paying a(en- on to what we are thankful for to the degree of feeling more kind and compassionate toward the world at large. It can movate people to make posive changes in their lives. Studies show that people can deliberately culvate gratude by literally counng their blessings and volunteering for charies that feed the homeless. (Prayer on top of page 45)

45 PRAYER: Thank you for the blessings you give to us of comfort, warmth and rest. Thank you for the beauty of nature, blue skies and smiles. Lord, thank you for the pleasure of conversaon, inmacy and love and for the sustenance of food, drink and water. Help me to noce and value these rich blessings in my life. May I feel full, whole and ready to give to those who have li(le. We pray through Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen. 45 Saturday, April 13 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 30:4 4 Sing praises to the LABC, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have liged me up. In my life I have encountered "Demons"...The demon of addicon. In my loneliness and despair the Lord was beside me, holding my hand. When I finally "Let go and let God", I was overcome with peace and serenity. I praise you Lord for liging me up and give thanks to your holy name. It was God who was present in my life as he held me close when my husband of 35 years was diagnosed with colon cancer. I put my trust in the lord for strength and support as my husband endured 2 surgeries, chemo and radiaon. It is with great joy that he is cancer free for five years. I give gratude to the Lord and sing his praises. Praising the Lord has always filled me with joy and peace. I have liged up my family's well being to the Lord so that his will be done. I thank him every day for the blessings he has bestowed upon me. It is with sincere gratude that I sing praises to the Lord and pray that all those who seek him may find the peace and love that might be missing in their lives. PRAYER: Dear Lord, hear our prayers as we lig them up to you. Be present with us in our daily lives. Grant us the strength to endure through the bad mes. Hear us and rejoice with us as we praise you and give thanks for your holy name. Amen.

46 April

47 Monday, April 15 SCRIPTURE: Luke 14:11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves exalted Jesus is higher than any human. Yet he was born in a stable, his bed, an animal feeding trough. His very beginning was about as humble as it gets! From the me he began his ministry, he essenally become homeless. Jesus told his followers, Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Ma(hew 8:20). He lived a humble life where his possessions were but the clothes on his back. Perhaps the greatest examples of his humility were in his last days on earth. From showing servitude by washing his disciple s feet, to dying a tortuous death on a cross, Jesus demonstrated tremendous love and humility. Because of Jesus humble and faithful service on earth, God exalted Jesus by giving him authority over all those in heaven and earth. We are not encouraged to be humble in today s world. We are measured by our family s posion, our educaonal and career success. Pride and self esteem is encouraged. The result of that focus, risks believing that we are be(er than others. Or feeling that some acvity is below us. These are thoughts that do not please God. God s life was about helping those who were on the fringes of society. And He wants us to use His life of humility as a guide for ours. Our abilies and possessions are gigs from God. Let us be thankful and give back to those less fortunate in the humble way Jesus taught us. PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help us to remember that we are all equal in your eyes. Guide us to be more humble in our daily lives and to go into the world serving others. Amen. 47

48 Tuesday, April 16 SCRIPTURE: 1 Peter 5:6-7 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due me. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Pride at its worst can be shown in a strong-aggressive my way or the highway a4tude. This type of pride seems to be more prevalent in our culture today. But, for most of us humans, pride is a sense of our own dignity or worth; pa4ng ourselves on the back for our accomplishments. Priding ourselves on the material possessions we have gathered. Preening under others admiraon. We are not much different than the scribes and priests of Jesus me; with their phylacteries and fringes. We forget, it is our creator God, who gave us the gigs to enable us to accomplish all the things we do in life. We forget to put Jesus first. We forget his life example of humility. It is in remembering this we are reminded we are INDEED children of God. Over many years when the chaos of pride threatened to swell my head with my own importance; a calming peace would remind me God was in control. Seven years ago, I knelt in front of our bishop for the laying on of hands for my ordinaon as deacon. My mind was in turmoil, four years of hard work, interviews, tests, internship, study, discernment all leading to this moment. A welling up of pride in my accomplishment. Worry about the future and whether I had made the right decision ager years of nagging from the Holy Spirit. Then the words of the Prayer of Consecraon reminding me, Jesus sent by God took on himself the form of a servant and humbled himself, becoming obedient even to death on the cross. He is Lord of all and through him, we know that whoever would be great must be servant to all. God is in control. Jesus First-Chaos into Peace. PRAYER: Lord, you lead us by ways we do not know, through joy and sorrow, through victory and defeat, beyond our under standing. Give us faith to see your guiding hand in all things; that being neither liged up by seeming success, nor cast down by seeming failure, we may press forward wherever you lead, to the glory of your name. Amen. (The Book of a Thousand Prayers a(ributed to Eric Milner-White and G.W. Briggs) 48

49 Wednesday, April 17 SCRIPTURE: Mark 7: And he said, It is what comes out of a person that defiles. 21 For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil inten ons come: fornica on, theq, murder, 22 adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licen ousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person. Jesus teaches that all sins of man come from their own hearts. It is up to all people to try and follow Christ s ways and live by his laws. People who allow Christ into their lives by worship and a(ending church and asking for forgiveness for their sins live much happier lives than those who bow down to sinful acts. Sins such as fornicaon, theg, murder, adultery, wickedness deceit, envy, slander, pride and so on are in many people s souls and it destroys who they could be. Too many people in today s world do not follow Christ and because of this crime seems to be running rampant in not only our country but throughout the world. With God s help, there are Chrisan organizaons run by people who are trying to combat this problem of crime and turning people s lives around. There is always hope that in me all people in our world will follow Christ and ask for help and forgiveness. Maybe acts of God such as global warming will cause this. PRAYER: Prayer I use at bedme: Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I Pray the Lord my soul to take. If I should live for other days, I pray the Lord to guide my ways. Amen. 49

50 SCRIPTURE: Proverbs Pride goes before destruc on, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 50 Maundy Thursday, April 18 When I went to youth group at my boyfriend s church as a teenager, we would sing a song in a round that would swell so beaufully as we sang it. The words were Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, (repeated), and He will lig you up, higher and higher, and He will lig you up. Many mes when talking with friends I have found that they, as well as I have found the deepest spiritual growth when we have hit bo(om when we have stopped looking inward and realized that I doesn t work. That HE needs to be front and center. That when I stop worrying about me and what I think, what I need, what I do, when I set them aside and put HIM as my first priority, that that is when growth and closeness occurs. I suffered a pre(y nasty injury last year that leg me bedridden for a number of weeks. Awake most nights, and alone, it was easy to focus on, and feel sorry for myself. It is a humbling experience to have to be in another person s total care. However one night as I lay there I came across another song by Natalie Grant called More Than Anything. It was at that point as I listened, and sang through my tears, night ager night I felt release as I gave my fears and worries to Jesus. The words that gave me that reassurance, that reminder, that knowledge of what was most important Help me want the Healer more than the healing Help me want the Savior more than the saving Help me want the Giver more than the giving Help me want you Jesus more than anything. Things are sll not perfect health wise, but it no longer ma(ers because I know what is important More Than Anything. PRAYER: Father, No ma(er what happens, no ma(er how tough it can get, help me to remember to let go, to give myself to You, to want You, more than anything. Amen.

51 Good Friday, April 19 SCRIPTURE: James 4:6-8a, 10 6 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, God opposes the proud, But gives grace to the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he Will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. The struggle between pride and humility is real. It is a daily struggle for many people. I see it, somemes I struggle with it myself. I try to live my life from a humble perspecve. That which I have been blessed to receive I am eternally grateful for...my family, my health, my home and my career. Most days I feel blessed beyond measure. But there are days that I know the devil is working overme and I am short tempered and ungrateful for my many blessings. Idenfying this pride as quickly as possible is the key. I do not want to live in a world where I have expectaons and disappointments. I chose to live in a world where I have learning experiences and grace. My perspecve is my life s journey. I want to be the person who is able to appreciate the snow, because I know right behind that is the sweet smell of spring. I do not want to detest my city because it is snowy and cold...i want to appreciate how the snow makes everything look new. I think we all have people in our lives who see things in a more negave light. Some call that human nature...others may refer to it as the devil renng space in a person s head. Whatever your opinion, blessing or curse, it exists. I see it as a choice. I can choose to see things from a prideful perspecve and never be sasfied, or I can choose to see things through a humble perspecve when I am grateful for everything that comes my way expected or not. How does a prideful person change their viewpoint on the world? It takes work. It takes a willingness to look through the dark and find the light. I have been working to train my brain on this for years. Do not fret if you are struggling with this different way of thinking. It takes me! It takes persistence, but is well worth it. Quite a few years ago we received bracelets at church with WWJD wri(en on them. What would Jesus Do? That is a nice li(le pause to take. Before you say those words or do that thing...is it something that Jesus would do or say? If not, then maybe rethink your plan. If you feel strongly that this is something Jesus would approve of, then proceed. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you that is the pay off!! PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help me make Jesus first and do what He would have me do. Help me to be humble and grateful for life s blessings. 51 Amen.

52 SCRIPTURE: Micah 6:8 8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LABC require of you but to do jus ce, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? 52 Saturday, April 20 In the Eighth Century BC, Micah prophecies the dissoluon of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. In Chapter 6, he declares that because of the Israelites lack of faith, the Lord will punish them by calling upon the Assyrians to invade the Northern Kingdom. Here is the chaos in the sequence presented in this year s Lenten Theme: Jesus First, followed by Chaos, and finally Peace. In the passages preceding today s verse, Micah notes that the Israelites seem to have forgo(en God s undeserved grace as exemplified by His deliverance from their bondage in Egypt, and have instead developed a shallow religion that is woefully lacking in faith. However, Micah s prophecies include another undeserved blessing! Restoraon will follow the punishment of the Assyrian invasion, and in turn will prepare the way for a new future. Happenings in ancient mes, such as those cited in the Old Testament Books wri(en by the prophets, can teach us lessons useful to us in the 21 st Century as well. In today s Biblical passage for example, we see pride and arrogance manifested by a lack of faith, leading to the chaos of the Assyrian Invasion, and finally the peace of God s forgiveness. Finally, in today s verse, Micah presents three very reasonable acons the Lord asks of us. The third one, to walk with our God, implies that we must be faithful to him. In turn, our faithfulness should encourage us to do jusce and to love kindness, among other acons on our part. With faithfulness, we know that instead of walking alone in this world, we walk with God, and develop the humility to listen to Him and to obey Him. PRAYER: Lord, be with us throughout our life s journey, and grant us the courage and faithfulness to walk humbly with You. Strengthen our faith so we know that through You, we can handle any crisis we meet. Amen.

53 Easter Sunday, April [Jesus] Christ, the image of the invisible God, Colossians 1:15 As typical, the Sunday School teacher walked around the room observing what the children were drawing, nocing one child working intently. The teacher asked about the drawing. The child replied, I m drawing God. The teacher paused and said, But no one knows what God looks like. Without a second lost, the child replied, They will in a minute. And we know what God looks like when we look at Jesus Christ. In the original Star Wars movie from 1977, Luke Skywalker was watching a sunset. In science ficon fashion, there are two suns. The special effect was created by filming a sunset then overlaying the film to create an offset, double exposure. The result, two suns se4ng. In technical Greek terms, the one sun in the film is the \]^_ of the other sun. To us, an icon is an image of another thing, but to the Greeks, an \]^_ had the exact same form as another thing. This Greek concept may be difficult to understand, but an \]^_ is the same in essence, in spirit, not the same in identy. Jesus Christ has the same divine essence and a(ributes as God the Father. They are not idencal as persons: One is the Father, the other is the Son. One has taken on human flesh, the other has not. But just as the Father is God, so also the Son is God. There are not two gods, but only one. Jesus is not simply the image of God as we picture him in his state of morficaon, suffering and dying. He is the image of God at all mes. He is the image of God now, si4ng at God s right hand, judging the living and the dead. He is God in eternity before the creaon of the world, knowing that you would come to faith in him and trust him with your soul. He is the image of God in the manger, having taken on human flesh and undertaking the trauma of childbirth as all babies do. And he is the image of God, firstborn over all creaon. Paul is advising the Colossians that there is nothing higher, nothing greater, nothing fuller, and nothing closer to God. Christ is not merely great, he is not merely supreme among men, he is the icon of God. He is God. Like a double exposure of the same sunset, there is no difference between the essence of one, and the essence of the other. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, when I consider the enormity of who the Lord Jesus is, and what he has done to save my soul, I stand in awe, knowing that he was wounded for my sins, bruised for my vices; died on the cross so that I might be forgiven, and rose again to give me his resurrected life. I humbly kneel before you in praise and grateful thanks. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray. Amen. 53

54 IMPORTANT VALUES that all Alaska Nave Cultures share SHOW RESPECT TO OTHERS each person has a special gig. SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE giving makes you richer. KNOW WHO YOU ARE you are a reflecon on your family. ACCEPT WHAT LIFE BRINGS you cannot control many things. HAVE PATIENCE some things cannot be rushed. LIVE CAREFULLY what you do will come back to you. TAKE CARE OF OTHERS you cannot live without them. HONOR YOUR ELDERS they show you the way in life. PRAY FOR GUIDANCE many things are not known. SEE CONNECTIONS all things are related. Alaska Nave Knowledge Network 54

55 The Lenten Devoonal for 2019 has been a cooperave effort among St. David s Episcopal Church, Grace Lutheran Church and St. John s Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is wonderful to share this penitenal me of the Church year with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Personal experiences of the contributors have made this Lenten Devoonal possible. Appreciaon and recognion are extended to the following persons who have shared their spirituality by wring a meditaon. Rick and Nancy Blanch Ava Brown Grace Brown Nadine Brown Ellen Carl Pastor Valerie decathelineau Debra Fridman Kevin Fridman Thomas Gardner, Sr. Pastor Roger Griffiths, Jr. Pa/ Hartz Bethann Hintzman John Hyden Pastor Marlene Hyden Al Kerner Debbie Kerner Ken Klopfer Brian Lew Susan Brandel Lew Richard Lipka Linda Mehnert Esther O Hara Ron O Hara Susan Owens Caroline Rackl Lori Ricupito Deacon Cathy Ritz Karen Rothenberger Lowell Rothenberger Renee Then Timothy Then The Rev. Claudia Scheda Edie Sims Lynne Smith The Rev. Frieda Van Baalen Webb Linda Wetzler Victoria Wienke Ronald Wirth Taylor Wolf Adam Wolff Nancy Zilker An addional thank you is extended to members of the coordinang commi(ee: Pastor Valerie de Cathelineau, Pastor Roger Griffiths, Jr., Bethann Hintzman, Pastor Marlene Hyden, Nancy Kessler, Richard Lipka and Lynne Smith; and also to Amy McDonald and Marilyn Ma(eson for their administrave skills. May these forty days bring a new sense of purpose and increased joy at what God is doing. 55

56 Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Happy Easter! 56