Devotions leading up to Sunday April 5 th

Transcription

1 Journey to the Wondrous Cross I AM the Resurrection and the Life John 11:17-26New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Jesus the Resurrection and the Life 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him. 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. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? Christian in what do you believe? Devotions leading up to Sunday April 5 th As I read the scripture for this devotional, I could not help but read the rest of the familiar story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. I then wondered why the scripture didn t include the entire story. The curriculum s tag line is Knowing God s Possibilities and if you want to know what s possible then the raising of Lazarus is a great story of possibility. But then it hit me. Maybe the possibilities we need to realize in our lives are not as dramatic as raising someone from the dead, yet just as life changing or life giving. What areas in our lives need to be transformed from death to life? From bondage to freedom? From brokenness to healing? Does the scripture stop short to allow us to reflect upon our own stuff that needs God s intervention? God offers us possibility or hope in the midst of our despair. What areas of your life need to be touched by God s possibilities of new life? Do we believe in the life God offers us in the possibility of resurrection in these areas? Martha s brother had been dead for four days yet Martha believed. Martha went to meet Jesus as he arrived. Verse 21: Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn t have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you. We have to wonder at how this exchange took place. Was Martha s tone accusatory? Was her tone pleading? Was there frustration that evolved into a challenging

2 demand? Regardless of her tone, she believed that whatever Jesus asked God, God would give Him. The passage ends with verse 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? How do we live out that belief our lives, in our thoughts, in our words, in our listening and in our actions? How do we express that belief in our relationships, in our parenting, in our allocation of resources, in our business decisions, and in our service to others? Maybe our belief does not yet stretch to all the areas of our lives, maybe that s where we need to begin this Lenten season as we prepare for the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Creator God, Open our hearts, minds and souls to the possibilities You would offer us. Bring life and light to the areas of our lives You would resurrect. Stretch our faith that we may believe. Enable us to be bold witnesses to your saving work in us. Encourage us to be open vessels of the work you would do through us. We ask all of this with great thanksgiving to Your glory in the name of Your Son, Jesus the Christ. Amen. Dana Caldwell

3 I Am The Resurrection And The Life When my father passed away a few years ago, the family was as prepared as you can be for such an event. It had been about 4 years since his first stroke and we knew we were lucky to have him after that despite his having to be in a nursing home. But because we could see what was ahead we pre-planned his funeral so that we didn t have to agonize over the details when the time came. But, the time came and we realized that despite all of our careful planning we still had a problem. Somehow all the ministers from his church were out of town or ill at the same time so we had no one to officiate. As we set around the conference table my Mom and my sisters and I we wondered who we could get at the last minute and it suddenly hit me his grandson (my late younger brother s youngest) who had just begun pastoring a small country church in Georgia. The concern was that it would be too difficult for him to do his grandfather s funeral but, since it was my idea, I got picked to make the call. He was so honored that we asked him that he was nearly in tears on the phone. He loved his grandfather so much and said he d been praying that somehow he d be asked to do the service. Needless to say, he did an incredible job and, I m sure, made his grandfather very proud and made his father proud as well. He spoke eloquently like a seasoned pastor of the resurrection and the incredible promise of Jesus that if we believe in him we will never die. This was the scripture he chose. Be blessed as I was by this incredible song on YouTube. You will, I m sure, feel the presence of the Holy Spirit comforting you as it did me. Greg Bennett

4 Good Friday Today we surrender ourselves and behold our God as we wait with hopeful expectation. Today, we give ourselves more fully to God, submitting to the events of Good Friday allowing God to do some deep work in us. Let us now consider the first word Jesus speaks on the cross: Father, forgive them. Jesus has invested the whole of his life in people helping people like us re-imagine life with God through his preaching, teaching, and healing. He invites and challenges people and systems that fail to save. Now, Jesus turns from us and speaks this first word to the Father. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Now, our human way of forgiveness often works like this: I ll forgive, but only if the offending party acknowledges and admits their wrong I ll never forgive; what they have done is unforgiveable Forgiveness is not for the other person; forgiveness is about us, to make ourselves feel better, to move on and forget about the other person Yet none of this gets at the heart of who God is. In fact, this way is far-removed from God. If God waits until we know and admit all the wrong that we do, or if God waits until we are deserving of forgiveness, then God will be waiting forever Saying that what the other person has done is simply unforgiveable places us in the position of judging God, as if our standards of fairness and sense of justice are greater than God s Forgiving others just to make ourselves feel better, to forget and be rid of the other person is highly self-referenced; this way is made popular by a human-centered approach to life and is not satisfying for the long-run because it does not get at the heart of who God is nor does it get at the life God intends for us On Good Friday we say, Thanks be to God that God does not forgive because we know and admit all that we have done wrong God does not forgive because we are deserving God does not forgive in order to make God s self feel better or be rid of us. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give and forgive in order to get even closer to all of us transgressors! It is the very character and nature of God to forgive, and we are to be like him. The first word is forgiveness; the word of forgiveness is one of grace. Martha McLean

5 File:'The Raising of Lazarus', tempera and gold on panel by Duccio di Buoninsegna, , Kimbell Art Museum.jpg I am the Resurrection and the Life Glorifying God through Lazarus death and his sisters Faith Jesus Reveals to Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life In the early springtime, but before Passover, Jesus and his disciples had traveled away from Jerusalem and were staying across the Jordan; many people came to Jesus there. A messenger came to Him to say that his beloved friend Lazarus was sick and his sisters Martha and Mary needed Jesus to heal him. Jesus stayed two more days, and then traveled to Bethany, where Lazarus and his sisters lived. But Jesus knew Lazarus was already dead. As we read in the passage John 11:17-26, Martha came to meet Jesus and the disciples, and during their conversation, Jesus revealed to Martha that He was the resurrection and the life, and so, even though Lazarus was dead four days and would have begun to decay, Jesus planned

6 to raise him from the dead. Martha told Jesus that she knew that He could just ask God for anything and God would do it. So when Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise again, she answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Martha had faith that Jesus was Messiah and would do what had been promised. Perhaps the fact that Martha was so faithful encouraged Jesus to reveal that He was the resurrection and the life. Certainly Jesus knew that many Jews would be present at the house for mourning and comforting the sisters. He realized that raising a body after the third day (the prescribed length of time that Jews believed the soul and body could be re-joined, and before decay set in) would be a great miracle. Jesus wanted to glorify God and His Son. Let us pray Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for your grace in the gift of Jesus, your one and only Son, the Resurrection and the Life, and the gift of the Holy Bible, proof you have loved us from the beginning. We praise You for your everlasting love and steadfast faithfulness. As Martha, sister of Lazarus, believed Jesus is Messiah, strengthen our faith so that we always choose to listen and trust you when you teach us wisdom and truth. Martha was the first to hear and believe when Jesus told her, I am the Resurrection and the Life Do you believe this? John 11:25-26 Father, we believe it! We pray the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with Your words of Love so that our mouths can share that love with all people, always for Your Glory. In Jesus name we pray, Amen Carrie Barnett

7 EASTER SUNDAY DEVOTIONAL: DO WE? How many times have you heard a memorial service begin with these words? I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. How many times have you heard those words read in worship? Heard a sermon based on them? Heard this story of Lazarus and Martha and Mary? How many times have you believed it? Easter Sunday dawns today and we prepare for the one day of the year when believing it seems so possible. The worship is more alive; the atmosphere more charged; the sanctuary decorated; the Paschal candle new; the hope and possibility of it all fills the air. I am the resurrection and the life. Yes! It is so. The Easter challenge will be to believe it tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. When the lilies begin to fade and life returns to normal. So, it may help to remember that when Jesus first spoke these words, it was a family story. An everyday occurrence that had happened hundreds of thousands of times before and millions of times since. A brother died. A family grieves. Friends arrive. Into that, Jesus speaks the promise. I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. And then asks, Do you believe this? Well.do we? Life depends on it. PRAYER: Life-giving God, whose Son Jesus is the resurrection and the life, grant us to believe this great mystery of our faith that today and always we may have life in him. Amen. Carl Frazier