LentenDevotions2020

ByDr.RichardE.Rusbuldt

LentenDevotions2020 ByDr.RichardE.Rusbuldt

Lenten Devotions 2020 Copyright © 2020 by Dr. Richard E. Rusbuldt. All rights reserved.

This e-book file and its devotions may be reproduced for noncommercial use by individuals, churches and other religious organizations. Otherwise, no part of this e-book may be reproduced in any form, except by a newspaper or magazine reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review. For further information, contact Dr. Rusbuldt at 364 Pughtown Road, Spring City, PA 19475, or email him at rrusbuld@comcast.net. All opinions expressed are his own. Front Cover Photograph entitled “2019-10-26 AZ Sedona 110 Hole in Cliff and Blue Sky (Wall Art Detail).” Copyright © 2019 by Dr. Lee B. Spitzer. The human heart, sensing it is continually on a journey throughout this life, seeks pathways laced with wisdom in order to ascend skyward, towards the Divine and into eternity. Dedicated to Flossie, the wife of Richard Rusbuldt, who went to be with the Lord as this devotional was being written. The photograph may be viewed on Flickr.com at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbsimages/49328702761. Back Cover Photograph entitled “2019-10-25 AZ Camp Verde 13 Bible with Cross.” Copyright © 2019 by Dr. Lee B. Spitzer. Dedicated to Richard Rusbuldt, whose commitment and fidelity to the Gospel message, the Messianic journey of Jesus, and the study of the Scriptures has been amply demonstrated each year through the devotions he has shared with thousands of people around the world. The photograph may be viewed on Flickr.com at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbsimages/49328650816. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. This is a Spiritual Journey Press E-Book (Adobe Acrobat Reader Format).

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February 26 – April 12, 2020 AN INVITATION TO A LENTEN JOURNEY Welcome aboard the 2020 Lenten Journey. If this is your first “walk to the cross get ready for the challenges to walk on sandy, dusty roads, to leap two thousand years back in history to another era in time, and to seek new insights and answers to what really happened in Palestine about 33 AD. Lent falls between Ash Wednesday and Easter. For most of the Christian “world” the focus is on the climax, Resurrection Sunday, which we call Easter. Not many around the world will pause and reflect for forty-five days before celebrating Easter Sunday. Some faiths encourage you to give up something for Lent. If you read these devotionals, you will “give up” some time…but perhaps the “lost time” will help you in your walk with Jesus. Each day there is a verse or two of Scripture, and a one-page “thought” on which to ponder or react. There is a short prayer if you choose to use it…or pray on your own. At the end of the readings you will find the Scripture verses for each day, taken from The Message by E. Peterson. I continue to be indebted to Dr. Lee Spitzer and his wife, Lois, for their assistance in this writing project. Lee just recently retired and is now entering a new world of research and writing which he will enjoy. My wife of sixty-six years, Flossie, has helped with many of the Lenten Journeys over the years…reading, suggesting, correcting some of my hard-to-figure-out pages…and late last year, she gave up her reading to, instead, walk hand in hand with Jesus. It was a most difficult journey last year, but in the midst of her health crisis, she lovingly “insisted” I had to finish the 2020 Lenten project! World events increasingly cause fear and consternation among world populations that there ever was, or now is a living, caring, loving God, One who would come under any guise to walk our dusty roads, or travel our busy highways. It is my hope that you will find strength and confidence for your daily journey as you ponder Scripture, stories, history and people. You probably won’t agree with everything that’s written herein – that’s not a problem at all. We are friends of Jesus, traveling together! If you don’t like some of the suggestions, conclusions or questions, then skip them! Perhaps you’ll miss a day or two, here and there – and that’s OK, too. Each day’s journey stands pretty much by itself and can be missed or picked up at a later date. We will meet good and evil people, consider wisdom from “above,” ponder the humanity and divinity of Jesus, shudder at the suffering and brutality he endured on his walk to the cross, confront the “why” questions again and again, pray daily, and even more. GOD LOVES US – AND GOD CAME!!!!!

Day One Wednesday, February 26, 2020 John 14:8-11 Thought: “I tried to tell him he was only going to get himself killed if he didn’t change his ways…,” so said James to Andrew in the early morning darkness in a Jerusalem alley the day after the crucifixion. “I think we all tried to tell him…more than once…but he wouldn’t listen,” responded Andrew. As we join this band of thirteen who’ve now been together for almost three years, listen carefully for two very different mindsets. The disciples were almost convinced that if Jesus kept doing and saying the same, he was going to get himself killed. Jesus, on the other hand, had a distinct plan for getting himself “killed." The Jews were better known in Rome than any others in the Roman Empire because they constantly thumbed their noses at Rome’s rules and power. Rome’s leadership in Palestine was – every day – on a much higher level of “alert” to the smallest hint of rebellion than in any other of the conquered territories. Even small gatherings of villagers were noted by soldiers whenever they occurred. And rarely was Jesus ever involved with small gatherings. Instead, Jesus dealt with groups numbering in the thousands. How could Rome not notice what he was doing? Rome did not dare but keep an eye on everything he said and did. So, after over two and a half years of huge public gatherings, the disciples were trying to figure out how to keep Jesus from getting either imprisoned or killed. This was becoming an even more difficult task because Jesus was doing things that no other human being had ever done. The disciple’s perceptions were clear that Jesus was bent on getting himself killed! And more than once, in different ways Jesus told the disciples what was going to happen to him. However, they either couldn’t believe what they were hearing, or they just plain refused to believe. After all, no one had ever challenged Rome without a semblance of an army of some type. For the past several years, they had been waiting for him to get organized…to gather some type of fighting group that could stand up to the Roman garrisons. As well, military leadership needed to be recruited, and financial resources were needed for the fight that lay ahead of them. As we join them, they hadn’t seen a single step taken in those directions. As we begin to walk with Jesus during Lent, are we going to try to keep him from getting killed? Or will we help him get killed…and on a cross? It was a most difficult walk, at a difficult time in history. Should the disciples be blamed for worrying? Prayer: Jesus, help me understand again why you really needed to die. Amen. Questions: 1. What would you have done if you had been one of the disciples?

2. How difficult is it for you to walk with Jesus today?

Day Two Thursday, February 27, 2020 Luke 24:4-8 Thought: Two thousand years later, you and I have no argument about Jesus dying. After all, it’s already happened. We know the story, why it was needed, and Jesus’ willingness to be the “Lamb” to be slaughtered. But in fairness to the disciples, there was no way in the world they wanted Jesus to die; and in fact, not one of them was ready to die at that moment, either. A year or so ago, a monthly magazine The Christian Century was delivered to our home, and I laid it on a table near where I sit to read. I glanced at the cover and got quite a shock. Had I just read what I thought I had? On the cover was a picture of a smartphone, and on the face of the phone was this message: “Don’t forget, you’re going to die.” Now that’s about the last thing I want to read on the cover of any magazine – or anything else! – I receive. The disciples wouldn’t have liked it either because they were just getting started…and Jesus kept telling them they had a job to do, both for God and with God. So why on earth was Jesus bent on getting himself killed? The app is called WeCroak. Five times a day, WeCroak sends an alert to its users. They arrive at different times, but always say the same thing. Don’t forget you’re going to die. Research says WeCroak is based on a Bhutanese aphorism: “To find happiness, contemplate death five times a day.” You and I who are followers of the risen Christ often think of the joy we will know when we see Jesus and spend forever with him. But WeCroak would tell us first… “Don’t forget you’re going to die…” before you’ll ever see Jesus in person. Ouch! Most of us are bent on staying alive as long as we possibly can. Why should anyone think otherwise? Most of us want the longest earthly journey we can get…and few of us are ready right now to say goodbye to those we live with and love. The app’s inventor is a fellow named Hansa Bergwell. He works in public relations and practices Sikh meditation. When he learned that some Buddhists meditate on death, he decided to do the same himself. But what he learned about himself was that he could go through a whole day and not even once think about death! He decided he had to be reminded; thus, the birth of WeCroak. So the disciples didn’t want to think about death, either. But Jesus wouldn’t stop talking about what he knew was going to happen…in fact, the very reason Jesus came to walk with the disciples was so he could die – and then they could live – forever. Were the disciples right – or wrong? So, how often do you think about death? … and why? Is Jesus in your picture somewhere? Prayer: Jesus, thank you for coming and dying so we can live forever. Amen! Questions: 1. What are your thoughts about the disciple’s thoughts about dying?

2. What are your own thoughts about dying?

Day Three Friday, February 28, 2020 John 8:17-18 Thought: What word would you choose to describe the feelings of all people on the scene as Jesus and his disciples walked towards Jerusalem? ________________ Having pondered for some time what would be the best descriptor of how people felt, I settled on restlessness. No matter where people went, or what they heard, people were uneasy – seemingly about everything. And many of the things Jesus said made things even worse. “This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again…I received the authority personally from my Father.” This kind of talk received this kind of a response: “He’s crazy, a maniac – out of his head completely. Why bother listening to him?” But some others said: “These aren’t the words of a crazy man. Can a ‘maniac’ open blind eyes?” Both sides of the Jesus question were restless. Neither side was sure of anything. Who was right … and what if I’m wrong? No one had answers. The disciples, at this point, were as mystified as everybody else, perhaps even more so. Not only were people restless about Jesus and his teachings, Jews would be forever restless because their God had allowed them to become part of the Roman Empire. As Rome grew and expanded its territory, new leadership was needed. How would Rome manage and control the conquered cities and territories? They moved into a type of democratic regime with the appointment of magistrates, named by the Emperor. At the top of the field of magistrates was the class of knights. It was from this group of knights that the Emperor recruited officials for the imperial provinces. Yes, Pilate was a knight, appointed to rule Palestine! Throughout the expanding Roman Empire, over many decades those who were appointed to rule brought about compliance with the demands of Rome, which included new and heavy taxation, the expansion of slavery, and crucifixion as a way of keeping people in line. Would you not be restless if you lived in one of the provinces or cities and learned that there was one slave for every two free men in Rome? In 5 B.C., just before Jesus arrived, among a population of 560,000 in Rome, there were 280,000 slaves! In Alexandria, out of a population of nearly 1,000,000, there were 700,000 slaves! And in Athens, three of every four residents were slaves! Restlessness? Yes. Plenty of reasons everywhere. But the most rebellious, obstinate, thumb-the-nose-in-your-face people were the Jews in Palestine. They would not bow their knee to Caesar. The Temple was where God resided, and the Jews were the people of God. Taxes to Rome? Over our dead bodies, which happened often. Then there came this guy, Jesus of Nazareth. Who was/is he? Skip ahead 2,000 years. Is there restlessness in our world today? If so, why? Prayer: Jesus, we’re restless, too, when prayers aren’t answered as we want. Amen. Questions: 1. What were the disciple’s greatest concerns?

2. What could the disciples have done differently?

Day Four Saturday, February 29, 2020 Matthew 5:6 Thought: Your answer to yesterday’s question would surely have to be a great big YES…there is restlessness seemingly everywhere. Little has changed since Jesus’ day, has it? Actually, Jesus came to address the issue of “Don’t forget you’re going to die". It’s been that way since the beginning. But over the last century, with rather amazing medical issues being addressed with success, and with people beginning to live many years beyond what the norms had been, humanity began to assume that such progress would continue…until the time came when people didn’t have to die. What a dream! But the dream was shattered a year or so ago when medical experts announced to the world that there is no way our bodies can, or will live forever. Nothing yet to be discovered can keep our human bodies running smoothly beyond a hundred or so years! Now the whole world is restless again. WeCroak is right. No matter what, we’re going to die! There are many who are restless, and in some cases hopeless, because they face hunger every day. One in every six Americans lives with hunger on a daily basis. Of our current USA population, that means 54,801,807 people live with daily hunger…and every one of them is restless. It’s great to bring those “wee little ones” into the world; but once we become parents, the world is guaranteeing we will be restless for a myriad of reasons…and all the way to the grave, for many of us. We can look to Silicon Valley, Ca. for our new visions for the world, as well as ourselves. We now live as if the connections provided by digital technologies are vital…as important as the blood flow in our bodies! The latest studies indicate the average adult spends 10 hours each day “on the phone”; for teens and younger, the figure is 8 hours per day! Much, if not most of phone time is a basis for unrest, worries, devious input, limited thinking…leaving little or no time to consider the God of the universe, or to "have a talk with Jesus." Some don’t know about it, but many are aware of the fact that the globe on which we live and walk is in absolutely serious trouble. At least one group of global theorists feel there is little time left for us to change our ways, and salvage the planet known as Earth. Other groups are suggesting that – with major life changes – we can turn things around. But, what if we don’t? There is now global restlessness over the very ground on which we walk – the very air we breathe! Then there is the unequal distribution of wealth and resources. It’s been around since Adam and Eve walked out of that Garden. Today many of those with great wealth are as restless as the multitudes who don’t have much of anything. Is anyone restless today because Jesus hasn’t come back? He said He would! Remember – WeCroak! Prayer: Jesus, help me carry my load – I’m burdened with it, and restless. Amen. Questions: 1. What would you add to the summary of restlessness above? 2. What’s at the top of your “restlessness list”?

Day Five Sunday, March 1, 2020 Matthew 11:28-30 Thought: There’s a good Old Testament verse you can remember, turn to, recite, shout out when life is bumpy. A later version of the verse might just be John 3: 16! But the original verse is found in Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Don’t mistake God’s patience for God’s absence. God’s timing is perfect, and God’s presence is constant…God is always with you!” Anxious eyes looked at Jesus as they pondered why God hadn’t kept the promises made thousands of years before. Do you know anyone today who’s not anxious while traveling life’s bumpy road? Does God travel with us on bumpy roads? Or is God much too busy with the demands of a universe to be with us when life is difficult? In Jesus’ earlier years of ministry, he traveled from city to city and town to town. At the beginning, he taught in the local synagogue. But the crowds were so large he had to move to the out-of-doors, and they were willing to listen to him while sitting on the ground, or just standing around. But he didn’t get the same reception each place he went. Some groups sort of thumbed their noses at him. One day, it finally got to him, and he let them have it! (I’m sure you’ve never heard a sermon preached on these verses!) “Woe to you Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes” (Matt. 11:20-22). What did Jesus mean? Everywhere Jesus went, he healed the sick, cast out demons, performed other miracles. He didn’t do one thing in one place, and then do something else in another. But in these cities, they thought he was a fake, rejected his message…and no one “repented” or were open to Jesus’ teaching about a new kingdom, a loving and caring God. “…and you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hell. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” Pretty tough language, wouldn’t you say? Yet within minutes of the above, the loving, caring Jesus looked at those gathered, and said some of the most caring thoughts ever spoken: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how we take a real rest – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matt. 11:28-29). Jesus never promised heaven on earth. But he did promise that God will walk side by side with us, wherever the road takes us. Is that good enough for your anxiety? Prayer: Jesus, where are you today…and yes, I’m anxious. Amen. Questions: 1. How did their anxieties then compare with our anxieties today? 2. What are the two most serious anxieties you grapple with today?

Day Six Monday, March 2, 2020 Matthew 11:29 Thought: Those in the crowds looked at Jesus and shook their heads as they pondered the question: What will God look like and do for Israel when redemption comes, since God promised such? “I never dared to think God would look like me!” “I never thought I’d be sitting on a hillside listening to strange teachings when God came back.” “I thought God would redeem Israel from Roman rule with bands of angels wiping out Roman soldiers and garrisons.” Have you ever seen God? Have you ever seen God at work? Do we have to ask God to be present or respond when we are in need? Does God do things in today’s world that no one asks to be done? I remember when I was a kid preacher at my first church. It was a very old building, and things such as plumbing and wiring, etc., were very much out-of-date. Baptisms were big events in the life of the church, since there were many children and teens. The baptismal pool was old, and more than one joke was made about whether there would be water in it the day of the baptism, having been filled the day before. We tried to decorate it a bit with some background items. Then the idea came to have a nice lighting arrangement along the wall near the back of the pool. Electric outlets were few and some distance from the pool, so I had to string several long cords for it to work. But it looked great when completed. We were ready to go. Then came the day of the baptism. The church was packed. Everything was “go,” as the first candidate stepped into the water. I took the extended hand of the candidate and began to lead him into the water. But as that was happening, I noticed on the far back side one of the electric cords had fallen into the water, and there were sparks sizzling at that end. Without hesitation I dropped the hand of the candidate, stepped over, grabbed the cord near the sparks, and tried to lift it out of the pool. At that moment, I heard loud steps, and two guys leaned over and grabbed the cord out of my hand, telling me to “let go!”. So I did. One of them sort of shouted at me “Don’t you know you could have been killed? And the kid, too?” I just looked at him and shook my head “no.” I didn’t know anything about electricity and water – that they didn’t mix well!!! But God did. God was right there in that pool with us and allowed no harm to come to either of us. No, I didn’t see God. Neither had I asked God for that kind of help before the service started. God didn’t need to be asked…God loves us, and more times than we know, answers un-asked prayers. Those listening to Jesus that day hadn’t asked for God to come and talk to them on a hillside. But God came! God cared. God answered un-asked prayers. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for the many times when you answer prayers I’ve not yet asked. Amen. Questions: 1. Can you think of a time when God answered before you asked? 2. As Jesus was with the disciples, how is God with you today?

Day Seven Tuesday, March 3, 2020 II Corinthians 4:8-10 Thought: In all the books of the Bible, you can find plenty of evidence for God penetrating time – and the lives of human beings! If you study human history, you’ll learn plenty about God’s involvement on planet Earth!!!! In the early 1500’s, John Foxe was a 16 year old at Oxford who was already honored for his poetry and writing. But he tired of human knowledge and relationships, and began reading the works of a monk in Germany named Martin Luther, and John’s martyred friend, William Tyndale. The question that surfaced was: “Is it necessary for priests to act as mediators between God and man?” In a sense, why can’t each person read, pray, and deal with God on his/her own? He studied everything he could find from the Greek and Latin Fathers, all the decrees from all the churches, then learned Hebrew to study the Old Testament for himself. While doing this, he began going to a grove near the college that was quite isolated. On these solitary walks, he poured out his prayers and questions to God with heavy sobs and tears. After a time, he was heard by other students, and they reported to college leaders that he was in opposition to the dictates of the state church. He refused to deny his convictions. He was sentenced by the college, convicted, condemned, and expelled as a heretic. He was able to get a job as a tutor, during which time he married, but soon had to leave in fear of the local church authorities. Henry VIII, England’s king, had broken with the Church of Rome, it is true. But persecution for “heresy” was still common, and it helped keep political opponents on all sides on their “toes.” Anyone thought to be tied to the reformers was marked as dangerous. He learned that his name was already being discussed by the church as needing to be dealt with. So John and his wife fled for a short time to his in-laws, but were in trouble again, and headed back to England. No one would be-friend them; neither could he find any kind of employment. They went weeks with little to eat, and finally resigned themselves to the fact they were going to starve to death. One day he was sitting in St. Paul’s Church, exhausted from hunger, and a total stranger took a seat beside him. He courteously greeted John. John did not recognize the man, and thought he had come to take him to court. Before John could say a word to the man in response, the stranger thrust a sum of money into his hand. “Cheer up,” he said. “In a few days new prospects will present themselves to see you through.” Then the man got up and walked away. John never saw him again. John Foxe was sure that God had come in person to help him at this most critical time in his life. Three days later, he had a job. More trouble lay ahead, but later he penned Foxes Book of Martyrs, and lived out his belief in God, who comes to us personally! Yes, God answers prayers, sometimes when we’ve already given up! Prayer: Jesus, thank you for touching my life even when I haven’t asked. Amen. Questions: 1. Which Bible story that tells of a caring God is your favorite? 2. Think of a time God touched your life without you asking.

Day Eight Wednesday, March 4, 2020 Matthew 22:37 Thought: Stand by Jesus today, and gaze into the eyes of all the people sitting and standing on the hillside. What are they thinking? What are they hoping? What are they wishing? What are they worrying about? What do they need? To all the Jews Jesus faced on a daily basis, what was first and foremost in their theological thinking? The Law….the Ten Commandments. After all, didn’t God give their early leader, Moses, the Ten Commandments? They were the Law! Even Jewish children could rattle them off with little effort. How about you who read today? Quickly jot them down off to the side. (How’d you do?) Jesus brought a radically different idea to the hillside that day. He said he was giving them an even more important task than keeping the Ten Commandments. So he gave them an 11th commandment: “You should love God with everything that is within you…mind, heart, soul, passion.” The whispering began like a quiet wind blowing, but the wind increased, as did their amazement. Look around you today at the church, individual members of churches, your closest Christian friends, neighbors, and family. What’s first with Christians today? Loving God above everything else? Or is it church attendance? Or is it being baptized? Or is it S. S. attendance? Or is it giving thanks before each meal? Or is it reading the Bible every day? Or is it memorizing passages of Scripture? Consider the list above:

• You can attend church every Sunday of the year – and not love God. • You can give more than a tithe to your church – and not love God. • You can build or maintain a church building – and not love God. • You can have perfect attendance in Sunday School – and not love God. • You can give thanks every day – for each meal – and not love God. • You can read the Bible every day – and not love God. • You can memorize the whole New Testament – and not love God. • You can be baptized, sprinkled or ‘dunked’ – and not love God.

How well did the Jews of Jesus’ day know God? Perhaps you’ve heard about the layout of the Temple. There were “outer courts”; there were “inner courts”; there was an “inner-most court”; there was a “Holy Place”; then there was a “Most Holy Place”. Ordinary Jews were lucky to get in the first two…but no further. Jesus said the time had come to end such “religion”. He looked them straight in the eye and said: “Here’s what I want you to do. Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will be able to sense God’s grace.” What did his Jewish audience think? What do you think today? Prayer: Jesus, show us how to love as you loved them then, and us today. Amen. Questions: 1. What meaning do the 10 Commandments have in your life today? 2. How do you tell the God of the Universe you’re in love with God?

Day Nine Thursday, March 5, 2020 Mark 12:29-30 Thought: They looked at Jesus as if he must be kidding. A quiet, secluded spot? Love God with my mind, heart, soul, and passion? Note he didn’t tell them to go to church! Neither did he tell them to go to a prayer meeting, do a Bible study, give a tithe of their plenty, or stop having wrong thoughts! He also could have added: “It you don’t want to talk with God now, or spend time alone feeling God’s presence, then why do you want to go to heaven?” God is a listening God – now, not later. God is a loving God – now, not later. God is a lonesome God – now, not later. God wants more than anything else to be in close contact with the People of God – now, not later. God’s love seeks out every person on the planet – now, not later! Loving God as Jesus suggested is best done when alone with God. But for most of us, what a problem that is! It has been down through the centuries, too. Here’s what John Donne (1600’s) said about the 11th commandment: “ I throw myself down in my Chamber, and I call in, and invite God, and even his Angels, and when they are there, I neglect God and his Angels, too. It’s the noise of a fly I hear; the rattling of a coach going by; somebody opened a door…then I remember a pleasure from yesterday; and I think of my worries about tomorrow’s dangers; a straw under my knee; a light in mine eye; an anything, a nothing, a fancy Chimera in my brain, troubles me when I try to spend time with God alone.” Martin Luther said: “When I would speak with, and pray with God all alone, a hundred thousand hindrances at once intervene before I even get started…!” A British theologian, Herbert McCabe said: “People are always talking about distractions when trying to pray. This is almost always due to praying for something you do not really much want; you just think it would be proper and respectable and religious to want it. So you pray high-mindedly for big but distant things like peace in N. Ireland, or you pray that your aunt will get better from the flu – when in fact you don’t much care about any of these things.” Jesus knew when he said it that it was easier to keep the 10 commandments than the 11th! Loving God – honestly, not role-playing – is not easily done. Mother Teresa loved the people lying in the streets. She knew she loved God, too – but could never understand why God didn’t really love her. In fact, at times, she thought God hated her…and she spent great amounts of time with God – trying! How well are you keeping the 11th Commandment these days? If we love someone, we usually tell them. I dare you to lay this paper down, go off by yourself, and say out loud to God “I love you, God.” Then expand on what you mean, if you dare. Prayer: Jesus, help me live out your 11th Commandment. Amen. Questions: 1. What do you think the hillside listeners thought that day? 2. What’s the first thing you will – some day – say to God?

Day Ten Friday, March 6, 2020 Luke 2:49 Thought: According to the writers of the Gospels, Jesus practiced what he preached. They told of numerous occasions when Jesus went off by himself – to spend time with God – to listen – to tell his Father he loved him – and to listen to God tell him the same! Prayer is a two-way process. Obviously, it includes talking with God. Jesus promised that God hears every word we say. But it isn’t authentic until we’ve listened to what God has to say to us. Yes, prayer is a two-way street…and until it’s gone both ways, not much has really been said. We live in a world that offers fewer and fewer two-way conversations. TV, cell phones, etc., diminish authentic interaction between human beings. One of the most difficult things for Jesus’ Jewish audience to grasp was the deep, personal, intimate nearness of Father God that Jesus both experienced – in public – and taught. The disciples must have been stunned when they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, and Jesus said simply, “When you pray say: ‘Father . . .’.” Many faithful Jews hesitated to even use the name “God” in public. The child-like intimacy of Jesus’ words must have been utterly shocking! Abba and Imma – daddy and mommy – are the first words Jewish children learn to speak. And abba is so intensely personal that no one would have dared to use it in addressing the God of the universe – no one, that is, until Jesus did! Prof. Joachim Jeremias stated: “There is not a single example of the use of the word abba as an address to God in the whole of Jewish literature.” If you haven’t been thinking that Jesus was a radical, you’d better change your thinking now! Those thousands of people listening on hillsides found it extremely difficult to believe what they heard Jesus say. They also knew that no other religion in the world told their followers that their supreme deity was like a caring, loving parent. Neither did the Old Testament quite depict the God of the Universe that way, either. Neither did the fact there were what were called the Ten Commandments! Then Jesus voiced that 11th Commandment! Most of you who are walking have, at some point, been in love with, or are right now in love with someone. No doubt you act out such love in numerous ways along the journey. Isn’t it also true that you tell the other person such – perhaps often -- and in many ways? And when you hear those words come your way, no doubt they feel mighty warm and welcome. Why do you think Jesus told them to “find a secluded spot”? So you can talk out loud!!!! Have you ever, in your whole life, verbalized to God only about how much you love God, without asking for a hundred needs or problems to be solved? If you haven’t done it lately, now is the time to tell God – out loud! – how much you really love Jesus’ Father. Prayer: Jesus, help us make our prayers a two-way street. Amen. Questions: 1. Are your prayers “one-way” or “two-way”? 2. What must change for your prayers to be more “two-way”?

Day Eleven Saturday, March 7, 2020 Matthew 6:6 Thought: Let’s drop back three days and listen again to the shocking 11th Commandment Jesus announced to his audience that day: “You should love God with everything that is within you…mind, heart, soul, passion.” Jesus didn’t provide any definitions for these four terms. Each listener had to provide his/her own. Neither has it changed today. What does it mean to love God with our mind? ______________________________ The human mind includes our abilities to think (right or wrong), reason, remember, look ahead, decide, contemplate, and once in awhile, forget! Minds tend to be the “steering wheel” of who the person really is. The human mind can avoid God totally, if that is the human’s choice. At the opposite, the human mind can ponder God, and decide there is, or is not a God of the Universe. As well, it is with the mind that one can address God, converse with God, and yes, tell God directly that you are in love with God. Most of us do not find it easy to love God with our mind. What does it mean to love God with our heart? ______________________________ By heart, Jesus was including all that is our physical body, from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet. Might it mean that your feet love God when you walk into a church to worship? Might it mean your knees love God if you kneel in prayer? Closing our eyes in order to shut out whatever part of the world we can when trying to communicate with God is an act of the heart. Extending a hand to someone who needs help in some way is an act of the heart. Our heart is considered the “center” of our physical being, and is as well, central to loving God. What does it mean to love God with our soul? _______________________________ Over the centuries, there have been a number of meanings for the word “soul”. One way of describing our soul is to designate it as the “breath” which is in every living person, and leaves a person when death comes…with its own future. Human beings became a “living soul” because God, who alone is the Living One, breathed into him/her the “breath of life”. WeCroak would remind us that our human/physical journey will, at some point, come to an end. But that isn’t the end of everything. “Life” goes on through our soul, in an entirely new way that we can only ponder… take Jesus’ many statements regarding our souls literally…and trust! What does it mean to love God with our passion? _____________________________ Our passion encompasses our total emotional being…it represents the sum of our feelings cultivated through mind, heart and soul. People are different when it comes to this term. There is no “guide” to study that tells one what his/her passion ought to be. Some folks exhibit what might appear to be an over-abundance of passion; yet others show signs of very little…”stone cold”, as some might say. Is there anything in your life to which you could point as “passion” for God? Prayer: Jesus, help me love you with my mind, heart, soul and passion. Amen. Questions: 1. How difficult do you find it to love God under the guidelines of the Eleventh Commandment?

2. Of the four words, which is the easiest for you to do? Which one is most difficult?

Day Twelve Sunday, March 8, 2020 Romans 8:38-39 Thought: Before we move to Jesus’ next “commandment,” ponder what Jesus just said. There is nothing ordinary about love. And indeed, there is nothing ordinary about God’s love for human beings. Jesus’ presence on the mountainside that day was one indicator. Neither should there be anything “ordinary” about our love for God. Not long before he was crucified, he said so. It was customary to anoint the heads of important guests in Jesus’ Palestine. While Jesus and the disciples were eating, a woman poured a full bottle of expensive perfume on his head. It was extravagant, to put it mildly! The oil was the equivalent of a year’s salary! Jot down here your last year’s salary __________. Rather extravagant, you say? Jesus was here on earth to tell anyone who would listen that God’s love for him/her was also extravagant. God loves the unlovely. God always goes the “extra mile” to love. God left heaven behind in order to love! God seeks out human beings to love. That’s what the Bible is all about. Is God’s love extravagant? Did you see the cover of Time Magazine twenty years ago on Dec. 6th? Novelist and biblical scholar Reynolds Price made a case for God’s extravagant love. “Since his resurrection, Jesus has become a transnational Messiah who continues to love and care for individual humans, and to save them from evil. I am one who has been a direct recipient of God’s love. Fifteen years ago, I was about to undergo five weeks of withering radiation for a 10 inch long cancer inside my spinal cord. Suddenly, I found myself … transported, thoroughly awake, to another entirely credible time and place. I was lying on the shore of Galilee with Jesus’ disciples asleep around me. Then Jesus came towards me and silently indicated I should follow him in to the lake. Waist deep in the water, I felt him pour handfuls of lake water on the long fresh scar on my back – the relic of unsuccessful surgery a month before. Jesus suddenly said to me “Your sins are forgiven.” Appalled by my dire physical outlook, I thought – ungratefully – “That’s the last thing I need”, so I asked him, “Am I also cured?” He said, “That, too." Since then, I’ve had more surgeries, endured some paralysis and extreme spinal pain…but I never returned to Galilee. And to the surprise of my doctors, I’ve survived without any return of the cancer, and life is more rewarding and far more productive than before that washing in Galilee. Jesus of Nazareth stood in a unique, loving and caring way with the Creator of the universe – for my benefit – for my healing.” The God of the universe loves, and loves extravagantly. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for your extravagant love for all who walk the globe. Amen. Questions: 1. What is the most extravagant “touching” of your life by God?

2. If you do, why do you feel that God loves you “extravagantly”? If you do not, why not?

Day Thirteen Monday, March 9, 2020 Matthew 22:39 Thought: Jesus gave his crowd of listeners a one-two punch! He shocked them to the core when he told them they were to love God with mind, heart, soul and passion! Not one of the Temple priests had ever said anything close to the 11th commandment. While still shaking their heads in utter disbelief at what they’d heard, Jesus gave them yet another commandment: “You should love others as well as you love yourself”! At other times, he told them to “Love one another”; Love those who despitefully use you”; “Love your enemy”; “Love your neighbor.” Listeners were even more shocked to hear the 12th commandment! Over 95% of his listeners were poor, so that meant almost everybody lived in the same type of cramped housing. Records tell of as many as 10 persons living in one very cramped room. Housing was such that it was almost impossible to escape your neighbors no matter what you did. Needless to say, you didn’t jump in your car and drive to the shore for a weekend to get away from them. There were no one or two-week vacations away from home. There were no fancy restaurants to escape your neighbors while you enjoyed a special meal with family. No…Jesus’ listeners were stuck with their neighbors! Then he told them to love them! As well, Jesus included some others in his “neighbors” tag. The lepers, begging on the edges of the dusty roads, were also to be considered neighbors. You could walk to the opposite side of the road from the lepers, as everyone did. Of, you could walk straight to the lepers and talk with them, listen to them, or even offer help if you’re able, as Jesus did. Then there were neighbors who came to draw water from the community well that were of the wrong race, wrong country, wrong lifestyle, wrong bank account, wrong age, wrong sex, wrong what-ever. Jesus modeled love for your neighbor by walking straight to the well where the “wrong” woman had come to get some water. He even chatted with her, demonstrated care, and most likely healed her, as well. In light of the world we live in today, if Jesus was to talk to us, I’m sure He’d give us a 13th commandment: Love your family as yourself! The new technology of the world that has us in its grip limits conversation, caring, knowing and loving within one’s own family. In our fast-moving world, neighbors hardly count anymore. And caring-loving families are fading fast. Social scientists studying today’s world tell us that the overwhelming challenge faced by human beings today is loneliness. Mother Teresa said, “Loneliness is the leprosy of modern society.” Only caring love can break its chokehold on people today. Prayer: Jesus, help me consider who is actually my neighbor. Amen. Thoughts: 1. How do you touch your “neighbor’s” lives? 2. Whom do you consider to be your neighbors?

Day Fourteen Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Mark 2:3-4 Thought: Does Jesus expect too much from us by telling us to not only love those who live next door, but the fellow who repairs our car, the nurse who cares for us at the doctor’s office, the person who delivers our mail? The list could go on and on! Loving your neighbor takes time. Loving your neighbor calls for intentionality. Loving your neighbor calls for a partnership – with you and God. The most famous, worldwide known story about loving one’s neighbor is the story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. What that fellow did cost him both time and money. In many cases, loving your neighbor causes one to set aside his/her own agendas, and let the neighbor become the priority agenda. Jesus was involved personally in a “love your neighbor” incident when he was visiting in Capernaum in a home that was packed with friends, relatives and curious on-lookers. There were four fellows who loved their neighbor who was badly crippled. He was basically helpless, dirty, and dependent on someone else even for basic needs such as food. They had decided that Jesus could help him. But in order for that to happen, they had a lot of work to do. First, they talked together to come up with a plan. They had to get materials. They had to study the roof and have tools for its removal. They had to get ladders. They had to get ropes. They had to get a mat sturdy enough to hold the crippled man’s weight near the ceiling. They had to negotiate with a homeowner. They had to caution people on the inside so they wouldn’t get hurt if pieces of the roof fell in. You know, loving your neighbor can be downright hard work! Maybe that’s why there isn’t as much of it in the world as God wants. It’s hard for people “on the go,” day and night, to find and make time to help someone who desperately needs help. Dallas Willard wrote about God’s original plan: “God’s aim in human history is the creation of an inclusive community of loving persons, with himself included as its primary sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.” At the center of this is you and I loving God, loving our neighbors, and loving our whole family. Churches can reach out and love their neighbors. Individuals can reach out and touch their neighbors all the way around the world today! Families can engage in loving their neighbors in special ways, too. As Jesus suggested, loving God requires one to get off by oneself, and talk to, as well as listen for the voice of God. To love your neighbor today surely requires some “think and pray” time. The whole world needs our love today. How do you love God’s world? Prayer: Jesus, open my eyes so I can really see my neighbors. Amen. Questions: 1. How many “neighbors” have you loved on your journey? 2. Can you think of a “new” neighbor who needs to be loved?

Day Fifteen Wednesday, March 11, 2020 John 3: 16 Thought: Those listening to Jesus that day didn’t realize that he was giving them a description of heaven! Heaven is a place where all of God’s love is non-stop, and all other beings love God in the same manner!!! In heaven, every being loves every other being fully. There isn’t anything else! I pondered how I could show love to those who read during Lent…rather difficult to do. But I decided to give you some love as I received it from a long-time friend, Ed Heist. He sent me some quotes from 4 to 8 year olds who describe what love really is. Enjoy!

n ‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis, too. That’s love.’ (Rebecca – age 8)

n ‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’ (Terri – age 4) n ‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you

hate. (Nikka – age 6) n ‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even

after they know each other so well.’ (Tommy – age 6) n ‘My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing

me to sleep at night. (Clare – age 8) n ‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’(Elaine – age 5) n ‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and

has to go out and buy new ones. (Lauren – age 4) n ‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just

know that your name is safe in their mouth.’ (Billy – age 4) n ‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne, and

they go out and smell each other.’ (Karl – age 5) n ‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries

without making them give you any of theirs.’ (Chrissy – age 6) n ‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is

handsomer than Robert Redford.’ (Chris – age 7) n ‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it,

you should say it a lot. People forget.’ (Jessica – age 8) n ‘Love is when your puppy licks your face, even after you left him alone all

day.’ (Mary Ann – age 4) n The neighbor of a 4 year old child was an elderly gentleman who had

recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the neighbor’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked the boy what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said…’Nothing…I just helped him cry.’

If we learn to love God the way these children describe love, God will be happy! Prayer: Jesus, help me learn to love as a child…again. Amen. Question: How do you express your love for God -- to God?

Day Sixteen Thursday, March 12, 2020 Matthew 6:7-8 Thought: There are few art galleries around the world you could go into and not find some of Albrecht Durer’s works, and in particular his masterpiece known as “The Praying Hands.” What the world doesn’t know is the story of love, caring, and sacrifice that produced the work. In 1490, Albrecht Durer and Franz Knigstein were struggling young artists. Each was as poor as the proverbial church-mouse, and they worked to support themselves so they could study art. But work took so much of their time, moving ahead in the art world was next to impossible. They talked about it, and reached an agreement: they would draw lots, and one of them would work to support both of them, while the other would study art. Albrecht won and began his studies, while Franz worked at hard labor to support them. They also agreed that when Albrecht was “successful” he would support Franz who would then study art. Albrecht went off to the cities of Europe to study. It quickly became apparent he had both talent and was a genius. When he had “made his mark,” he went back to keep his bargain with Franz. But Albrecht soon discovered the enormous price his friend had paid. While Franz worked at manual labor to support his friend, his fingers had become stiff and twisted. His once “artistic” hands had been ruined for life. No longer could he hold a paintbrush to produce fine paintings. His hands could only do hard labor and even that was no longer easy. But in no way was he embittered or angry with his artist friend. Instead, he rejoiced, and thanked God for his friend’s success. One day Durer came upon his friend unexpectedly. He found him kneeling with his gnarled hands intertwined in prayer, quietly praying for the success of his friend, even though he could no longer pursue his dreams of being a painter. Durer immediately went to his study and sketched the folded hands of his faithful friend. Later, he completed the masterpiece known round the world as “The Praying Hands.” Franz’s praying hands are all about love. First, there is a vertical love shown by the position of both hands and body. He is aware of God’s love for, and interest in him even if he will never be a painter. He still loves God…and God still loves Franz. There is also horizontal love, in that Franz is grateful for his best friend’s success…not a hint of jealousy, regret, or anger. When was the last time you or I rested our hands on a table, and folded them in an attitude of prayer? It’s all about love! Prayer: Jesus, help me with my loving and my praying. Amen. Questions: 1. Have you ever had a friend such as these two were for each other? 2. How often do you pray for your family and friends…in love?

Day Seventeen Friday, March 13, 2020 Luke 5:9-10 Thought: Have you ever wondered where Jesus would concentrate his efforts in our world today? Do you think the first thing Jesus did would be to build a building…and invite everyone to come in? If so, why? Two thousand years ago, he built no buildings. Instead, he went wherever people might gather. In order to be closer to more people, he moved his base of operations from Nazareth to Capernaum, which was on the main highway through Galilee. Both Roman and temple taxes were collected there. The city had royal officials as well as a contingent of Roman soldiers. It was not the largest or most influential of Galilee’s cities, but it was a crossroad. Jesus’ miracles, exorcisms and healings enjoyed a quick and wide report throughout the country. It was also a fishing village, one of over a dozen small fishing anchorages along the Galilean seacoast. When there was danger of a large crowd “pushing” Jesus into the sea, the disciples had a boat ready to use if needed. A boat also provided restful solitude. He also surprised his band of disciples by walking on the water to their boat. The fishing trade provided Jesus with plenty of raw materials for parables, as well as a job description for his disciples: “I will make you fishers of people.” Fishing was not an easy job. One of the most time-consuming tasks was repairing the many breaks in the nets from a night of fishing. It’s even mentioned in the Old Testament when writers used the image of the “entangling nets” to describe the futility of humanity (Ecclesiastes 9:12; Job 19:6-8). A number of the disciples were fishermen and were absolutely amazed at who Jesus was – or might be! – when he taught them how to really fish! In Luke 5:1-7, they had already fished all night, and had nothing to show for it. What were they doing? Repairing their nets! Then Jesus had the nerve or audacity to tell them to set sail again and drop the net one more time. Remember that at this point, they were not yet his disciples. This was truly an act of faith! When they did this, they caught so many fish their nets were beginning to break! Of course, the rest of the story isn’t mentioned, namely, that having been up all night, with nothing to show for it, they now had a huge haul of fish to take care of, all the nets to mend again, and go a whole day without sleeping before venturing out again!!! Jesus knew the fish, too. He said, “If your child asks for a fish, will you give him a snake instead?” He was not referring to a snake as we know snakes; instead he was referring to the Hebrew Sfamnun fish, which is a catfish. Because it had no scales, it was unlawful for Jews to eat! And if Jesus came back today, where in the technological world would he begin?? Prayer: Jesus, we’re glad you know fish – and people, too! Amen. Questions: 1. Why did God choose that moment in history to redeem humanity? 2. How should churches do their “fishing” today?

Day Eighteen Saturday, March 14, 2020 Matthew 21:21-22 Thought: Those sitting on the hillsides long ago were filled with many questions…mostly about God. Where is God? What’s God waiting for? If we are truly the people of God, why are those Roman soldiers over there? Does God keep promises? Why should we keep praying when we don’t get any answers? How can you say God loves us when we know we’re going to die? In April 2018, two Florida teenagers had some questions for God, too! Tyler Smith and Heather Brown, students at Christ’s Church Academy in Jacksonville, were at a local beach. They decided they had time to take a dip in the ocean. But when they did, they suddenly were pulled away from shore. They tried hard to swim back, but it seemed the harder they tried, the farther out they drifted. Such an effort took a quick toll of their energy, and all they could do was drift helplessly out to sea. Realizing they couldn’t make it back to land, Smith grabbed Brown’s hand and started praying. “He was the first one to start calling out for help to God,” Brown said. “He was just praying for strength to swim.” At that moment, Eric Wagner’s boat, named “Amen,” appeared not far from them. “It just came out of nowhere,” Brown recounted later. Wagner said he was taking his boat from Delray, Florida, to New Jersey when he heard a “desperate scream” and saw an arm flailing in the water. When Wagner reached the teens who were not wearing life vests, they were pale and shivering. Smith’s lips were white and he was having trouble talking. Both teens were too weak to climb into the boat, so Wagner and a shipmate pulled them aboard. By this time, the teens were almost two miles from shore, and had been in the water for more than 90 minutes. When Smith and Brown found out the name of Wagner’s boat, they broke down and cried. Exhausted and near the end of any hope, Smith told Wagner he just called out for God’s help. Not long after he had begun to cry out his prayers, the “Amen” appeared out of nowhere. They were taken back to shore, recovered, and graduated not many weeks later (May 2019). Was it not Jesus who said to those sitting on that hillside that all they had to do was “Ask for what you will, and if you have faith, it will be done”? Most of them were poor, hungry, and afraid of tomorrow. Do you think any of them took his advice, prayed in faith, and got an answer? Two thousand years later, do Jesus’ words still have meaning for believers in today’s world? Only you and I know the answer. Prayer: Jesus, increase my faith, so when I pray, there will be more answers. Amen. Questions: 1. Recall times when you’ve prayed, with faith, and received answers. 2. Recall times when you’ve prayed and there were no answers. Why?

Day Nineteen Sunday, March 15, 2020 Psalm 81:10 Thought: Jesus gave his suggestions for praying two thousand years ago. Since then, every person has had to decide for her/himself what the act of praying means. Within every praying moment, for every person who prays there is an understanding of the God of the universe, and his/her relationship to God. Some don’t pray. Some pray because it’s something that’s supposed to be done. Some pray, with little expectation that anything will happen because she/he prayed. Yet some pray with total confidence that God not only hears our prayers, but God provides a response, sometimes far beyond what was asked. George Muller (Brethren) was a person who lived much of his life totally dependent on prayer. In late life, he said he knew of more than 50,000 instances of answered prayers on his journey (that’s two each day!). When he married Mary Groves in 1830, he immediately renounced his regular pastoral salary – God would take care of them! He also eliminated the renting of church pews at his church. Again, God would provide. In 1835, Muller felt God was telling him to start an orphanage because of a worsening cholera epidemic and the increasing number of orphaned children who were forced into workhouses, or to live on the streets. In order to get started, he brought 30 female orphans to live in their home. Not much later, a home was acquired for boys and girls under the age of seven. Muller believed that God heard – and responded – to each prayer. In 1838, the orphanage was in serious need. “I felt that I needed more exercise, being very cold, where I went not for the nearest way home. About 20 yards from my house, I met a brother who walked back with me…and as we talked, he gave me money for the Orphans. Had I been one half minute later, I should have missed him…but the Lord knew our need.” Muller went on to found many more orphanages. July 12, 1838 – “I gave myself to prayer with a brother who had called on us…While we were praying, an orphan child was brought from Frome…and believers in Frome sent 5 pounds…our first prayer for money…answered.” Aug. 18, 1838 – “I have not one penny in hand for the orphans and in two days, many pounds will be needed. My eyes are up to the Lord asking. Evening: Before this day is over, I have received 5 pounds from a sister. She sold her trinkets to help the orphans. May my soul be encouraged by my gracious Lord’s faithfulness.” Aug. 20, 1838 – “Today I was again penniless. But I gave myself to prayer this morning, knowing I needed over 13 pounds this week. In answer to prayer, I received 12 pounds from a woman whom I had never seen before. Adorable Lord, I thank you.” His stories of answered prayer are almost endless. Jesus said to ask, and in faith, we will receive. How is it with you, Lenten walker? Prayer: Jesus, help me increase my faith in your ability to answer my prayers. Amen. Questions: 1. Have you met anyone with childlike faith such as George Muller?

2. Do you ever pray to God – fully expecting an answer?

Day Twenty Monday, March 16, 2020 Matthew 7:7 Thought: “Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Yesterday’s verse was probably Muller’s favorite, although he feasted on both the Old and New Testaments. He prayed about many things, including the weather. He believed that God is ready to provide far more than we even dare to dream about. He believed that if we have enough faith, God intervenes. In December 1857, a boiler in one of the orphanages began to leak. It had to be repaired, but during the work there would be no heat, and the small children would be very cold. A day was set for repairs. Then a strong, bleak north wind set in. Muller prayed that God would stop the north wind, and also give the workers “a mind to work.” The wind veered to the south, and unsolicited, the workers decided to work all night to finish the job. Muller said: “Even the wind obeys the Lord.” Muller prayed about everything: travel, bread, soap, illnesses, sermons, souls – and health. During an outbreak of measles in 1866, he prayed that the number of children sick at a given time would not overwhelm the infirmary, that none would die, and that none would suffer permanent aftereffects. Over 300 children got the measles, all were cared for, none died, and none were negatively affected. Jesus said that God would answer our prayers – all we need is a tiny seed of faith – not even as big as a mustard-seed! Muller sometimes wondered why, at times, God seemed to be making him pray very hard. “The Lord mercifully has given enough to supply our daily necessities, but He gives by the day now, and almost by the hour, as we need it! Nothing came in at all yesterday. I have besought the Lord again and again, both yesterday and today. It is as if the Lord said, ‘Mine hour is not yet come.’ But I have faith in God. I believe that God will surely send help, though I have no idea from whence it will come. Several pounds are needed, and there is not a penny in hand.” Later he wrote: “God answered in a new way! Two pounds were given for the present necessities by one of the workers on the job!” In 1853, another heating system broke down, workers had to be paid, and money was lacking to cover regular expenses, such as food, clothing, etc. One hundred pounds was needed ($10,300). “I had no human prospects of getting any money – it was Monday, when little came in. But in walking to the Orphan House this morning, and praying as I went, I carefully spelled the issue out in prayer as I walked. Later in the morning, 301 pounds came in ($31,000)…and I walked up and down in my room for a long time, tears of joy and gratitude to the Lord who answers prayers.” Prayer: Jesus, help me as I often struggle with limited vision of who you are and what you can do. Amen. Questions: 1. Describe for yourself what you believe God is willing to do for you. 2. Would you describe your prayers as “heart-to-heart” conversations?

Day Twenty-One Tuesday, March 17, 2020 I Thessalonians 5:17 Thought: Jesus practiced what he preached/taught! When he told his listeners to “get off by yourself and pray”, at least some of them knew that praying was a part of his daily life. Not that many years later, a follower named Paul put it into two or three words: “Pray constantly” or “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17). Many questions still abound. Why should I pray? Why do I need to pray? How often should I pray? What position do I need to be in? How long should one’s prayers be? Where should I pray? How often should I thank God – and for what? Can I tell God anything? What kind of answers should I expect from God…if any? Do I dare to pray, fully expecting God to answer? Might God give me a different answer than what I think I need? Can I talk with God with my eyes open? When things go wrong, dare I be angry with God? How long do I have to wait for an answer? What do I do when there is no answer to what I have asked for? There are more questions. Some would even say there are many more questions than answers. We live in a “hurry up” age, and we want answers now, not later! What’s God waiting for? Doesn’t God know I desperately need some answers? As I write this page, I am a living example of most of the questions already posed. About seven weeks ago, some rather strange bumps/nodules appeared on my lower neck on the right side. Nothing much happened the first two weeks or so, and when I showed them to a doctor, I was told to put a crème on that area. But during the next two weeks, my neck began to swell, 3 blood vessels broke in my right arm, and my face was swollen to my half-closed right eye. I saw a different doctor, and he suggested it was Lyme Disease. Blood work was done, and Lyme was confirmed, but two doctors think I have something besides Lyme. So how do I pray now? I was put on an antibiotic. How do you think I prayed during those weeks? Do we ask God for immediate healing? Do we ask God for patience while doctors try to figure things out? Do we worry? You see, 20 years ago I had Lyme for the first time and lost complete use of my right arm and shoulder for a full year! What do you think I prayed then? Although it took over a year, my arm and shoulder were eventually fully restored. How do you pray for such a thing over a year’s time? Things seem to be getting somewhat better, so how do I pray now? For what dare I ask? These questions became even more real when yesterday yet another doctor suggested I do not have Lyme…more blood work needs to be done. You see, my task is only to ask the questions – you have to provide your own answers. Will I be healed? Eventually? Of what? How long will it take? If you don’t find a Day Twenty-Two, you’ll know I didn’t make it. In the meantime, I promise that God is listening – and responding – no matter when, how or why you pray! Prayer: Jesus, teach me that more prayer is better than less. Amen. (Work on the above questions!)

Day Twenty-Two Wednesday, March 18, 2020 Psalm 136:1-3 Thought: Jesus rocked the foundations of the world when he told the crowds that day to “Love God with your mind, heart, soul and passion” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But they shouldn’t have been shocked at all. For centuries, they had been reading the 136th Psalm. God – in Person – was Jesus living out the meaning of the Psalm. When our prayers aren’t answered as we want, that doesn’t mean that God’s love has stopped for us. If you’ve raised a child, did you still love that child when you told her/him a great, big ‘NO’? David wrote the 136th Psalm, so we believe. Yet we know that David did a lot of things wrong on his journey. He arranged for a woman’s husband to be killed; then took her to be his own wife, just to name one. In spite of this, he was certain that God’s love hadn’t quit on him. Moses killed an Egyptian, to name one big mistake. Yet God’s love seems to have endured such an action…and God’s love never quit for Moses. When Adam and Eve made their big mistake in the Garden…did God’s love quit for them? No. God came looking for them in the Garden – not because they had done something wrong – but because God was their friend and loved them. God’s love went with them right out of the garden, too. We can follow God’s trail all the way to the cross. That’s Super-love! With Hitler on the rise in Germany, only one voice was heard while all of the other church leaders kept quiet. It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young and brilliant theologian, and a pacifist. He lobbied German leaders – again and again – trying to stop the slaughter. His efforts were to no avail. He kept working at it for several years, with no success. During this time, he prayed to God to let him know what he could possibly do. He got a plan. After years of effort, he was given a face-to-face meeting with Adolph Hitler. He had his briefcase; there was a bomb in it. The bomb went off; but it was sitting below a concrete step – and Hitler wasn’t killed. He was put in a jail; later, he was taken to a concentration camp. The word came that the Americans were coming. His guards waited until the day the Americans stormed the camp – then they killed him. For Bonhoeffer, where was God’s love that never quits? When we pray, and our prayers are answered – when we get what we want – it’s easy to conclude that God’s love for us hasn’t quit! But when we pray, sometimes desperately, and don’t get the answer we want – or perhaps no answer at all – can we still believe that God’s love will never, never quit for us – regardless of answers or not? Prayer: Jesus, when we’re frightened or frustrated with the journey, please love us more. Amen. Questions: 1. Recall a time when, without a doubt at all, God loved you.

2. Are you ready to, daily, tell God how much you love God?

Day Twenty-Three Thursday, March 19, 2020 Matthew 4:23-25 Thought: God’s love is such that there are more people whose lives God wants to touch than there are people who want God to touch their lives! Everywhere that Jesus went, he touched lives. Some of the crowds numbered in the thousands, and he touched every person. Some liked it. Some didn’t. Some didn’t care. Touching lives was Jesus’ ministry; the same is expected of all who follow him. When his cousin, John, languished in a jail cell, and even wondered if Jesus was the true Messiah, Jesus gave John’s disciples this message (as paraphrased by F. Buechner): “You go tell John what you’ve seen around here. Tell him there are people who’ve sold their seeing-eye dogs, and taken up birdwatching. Tell him there are people who’ve traded in aluminum walkers for hiking boots. Tell him the down-and-out have turned into the up-and-coming, and a lot of dead beats are living it up for the first time in their lives.” Touching lives is a Jesus thing. Jesus was only about touching lives – and when he did, he pointed them to our living, loving God. Touching lives isn’t easy. In fact, sometimes it can even get you crucified. In Guideposts magazine the story was told of a Christian woman who lived next door to an elderly lady. She never came out of her house, or even raised her window shades to let some light in. Her husband had died, and she had survived a stroke, which left her lonely and bitter. The Christian woman and her two young children began trying to reach out to the elderly recluse, but every time they did, they were rejected. They baked cookies every week for a long time, and delivered them to her door, but it never opened. Then one day, she opened the door a crack, but quickly slammed it shut. The next time, she opened the door a crack, took the cookies, and quickly shut the door again. This went on for weeks, without any opportunity for conversation of any kind. Then she baked a casserole and went and knocked on the door. Since it wasn’t something she could quickly grab, she had to open the door and sort of invite her to set the casserole on the table. This time, she said more than a short thank-you. Slowly, but surely, the contacts continued, and soon the elderly lady began to open up, began to show attention to the two small children, and was willing to engage them in conversation. They told her that they loved her, and that God loved her, as well. She soon began to warm up to their “touches” and it wasn’t long until they began to feel like a family. Shades were opened; her door was open; she came into their home; and her heart was open to being loved by them, and by God. Jesus was all about touching lives. He asked all of his followers to do likewise. Prayer: Jesus, open my eyes to see people who need to be touched by You. Amen. Questions: 1. When have you been “touched” by another on your journey? 2. Make a list of people whose lives need to be touched - perhaps by you.

Day Twenty-Four Friday, March 20, 2020 I Thessalonians 5:17 (yes…again!!!) Thought: The Bible begins with what God’s business is all about. Genesis tells us that God regularly came to the Garden of Eden to have a talk with Eve and Adam. Since talking is normally a two-way street, we can assume that God, Eve and Adam had some long conversations. Talking can build friendships, and some of them can last a lifetime. Two recent polls of church-going people indicate that approximately 98% of them never have a meaningful conversation with anyone while at church – and that includes God! There are quick “Hello’s” or “How are you?” but no one expects much else. Let’s face it. Meaningful conversation – talking -- is today a lost art. Computer screens, cell phones, TV’s, iPads, video games, and on and on – not one provides opportunity for sharing with another person much of anything. For many of us, getting up in the morning is much like what was happening at a little league ball game. A fellow stopped to watch two teams playing. He decided to have a conversation with one of the young players standing near him. He asked him what the score was. “Oh, we’re behind 18 to nothing,” was the answer. “Well, young man, I must say you don’t look very discouraged.” “Discouraged?” asked the little guy. “Why should we be discouraged? We haven’t even come to bat yet!” So whom do we talk to when we’re behind before we even get started? Did you know there’s a new translation for I Thessalonians 5: 17? Pray 24/7! It’s now the shortest verse in the Bible! It’s what God was doing with Eve and Adam in the garden – talking! It’s what praying is all about for us today. It’s a two-way conversation – not a one-way street. You will counter me by saying that Jesus said to “Ask, and you will receive.” Which, of course, is true. But NO, prayer isn’t always about asking for something. NO, prayer isn’t always asking or pleading for something for someone else. NO, prayer isn’t the pastoral prayer in a worship service. NO, prayer isn’t repeating the Lord’s Prayer. NO, prayer isn’t an invocation or a benediction. Prayer is conversation between the God of the Universe, and the People of God. Corrie Ten Boom made the observation that “To pray only when there’s peril, trouble or sickness is like using our safety belts only in heavy traffic.” Jesus was walking to Jerusalem to demonstrate to the world that God loved, God cared, and God would provide a way for us to live after we die. God also wants to accompany each of us on our journey and have a two-way conversation with us along the way. It’s called prayer – 24/7!!!! Prayer: Jesus, open our eyes to see – our ears to hear – and our tongues to have two-way conversations. Amen. Questions: 1. Weigh your prayers as to one-way, or two-way praying. 2. What do you think God, Eve and Adam talked about?

Day Twenty-Five Saturday, March 21, 2020 Matthew 15:28 Thought: After more than two years of being around Jesus, what do you think the disciples thought about God? The longer they listened to Jesus, apparently the more they learned about the God of the Old Testament. Their learning was significantly different from what they’d learned while attending various village synagogues. Can understanding God be done with words? Or is our understanding of a loving God a combination of words and feelings? A Canaanite woman – unnamed! – provided us a stellar picture of understanding the Loving God of the universe. Tyre and Sidon were traditional “pagan” territory. One writer described them as being “red light” districts. In order for Jesus to get from Galilee to Caesarea Philippi, he had to pass through land belonging to Syrophoenicians. Jews considered people living here as socially unacceptable, outcasts, unclean, undesirable. The unnamed Canaanite woman was not only from the wrong “country,” but being a woman, too, was sort of a “double whammy.” There was no hesitancy in what she did. Jesus had hardly made it into this in-between territory when she called him “Master, Son of David.” But her first word was “Mercy.” She had a very sick daughter and was asking Jesus to heal her. She had no idea what he would say or do. But that didn’t matter. Apparently somewhere along her journey, she had learned that God was a God of love. She also believed that God not only cared for children, but that God could and would heal them. Apparently, Jesus ignored her. But that didn’t stop the Canaanite woman! She went after the disciples, and they turned tail and went to Jesus and asked him to get her out of there! At that moment, no doubt Jesus was almost overwhelmed with the challenges he faced dealing with “the lost sheep of Israel.” When the disciples turned back to Jesus, so did the woman. She didn’t give up easily. Can you imagine what her inner concepts of God and Jesus Christ must have been? She believed God knew about her. She believed God cared about her. She believed God cared for little children, even little girls. She believed Jesus was a loving God who already knew what was wrong with her daughter. She believed that God would not penalize her for breaking cultural norms. She admitted to Jesus that she was, indeed, a limited human being who needed God’s help. “Master… help me.” When Jesus, in a sense, suggested his task was to “save” Israel, she came back at him that surely a loving God must have some love left over for the rest of the world…crumbs, as they both said it. Jesus’ love couldn’t resist the faith and truth he saw in the woman…and her daughter was immediately healed. Yes, God’s love extends to every living, breathing human being on the planet…taste, and see! Prayer: Jesus, help us be open to telling others that God loves them. Amen. Questions: 1. What’s your greatest story of the love of God for human beings? 2. How can churches better tell God’s love story today?

Day Twenty-Six Sunday, March 22, 2020 Mark 11:24-25 Thought: Yesterday’s story of believing and loving happened 2,000 years ago! But, you say, it doesn’t happen like that today. I think it does. Mary and John lived in Atlanta, Ga. They were a deeply committed Christian couple, with a son, Johnny. But when Johnny was 3, he accidentally drowned. Mary’s grief was compounded by her anger and bitterness toward her husband, because Johnny had been in his care for the day. With her bitterness, a process of disintegration began to set in. She quit taking care of the house. She stopped meal preparation. She didn’t care how she looked, either. She quit her job. Her anger was unlimited. One morning, a woman she’d never seen before knocked on her front door, pushed herself into the living room, announced she was in love with her husband, John, and they were leaving town together. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and at the same time tried to get the woman out of the house. When she finally did, she went to the kitchen, poured a cup of strong coffee, and sat down for a long cry, and a long hard look at herself. Suddenly, a Scripture verse she had heard a long time ago popped into her mind: “See to it that no root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled…” (Hebrews 12:15). Suddenly she saw it all. She had allowed the bitterness about Johnny’s death to grow up and fill her complete being with it until there was not any space for love of any kind. Her bitterness had defiled her marriage and her home. Then she thought of the other woman and got mad. How could she ever forgive that? She cried some more, became angry, then threw a cup at the wall and shattered it into little pieces. She screamed: “I won’t! I won’t!” In the ensuing silence a quiet, inner voice kept saying: “…if you love him, you will forgive…” – “…you also must forgive yourself…” – “God loves you, and will forgive each of you…” – “there is no other way.” She began by asking God to love her and forgive her. She cleaned herself up. She went looking for John and asked his forgiveness. John then asked her to forgive him. They knelt in prayer and gave themselves – together – back to God. John died at an early age, but they had 12 more years together, and a second son was born. He’s a doctor in Kansas City. Yes, God loved and forgave 2,000 years ago. And today, God still loves and forgives anyone who asks to be forgiven. Nothing’s changed. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for loving us…all the way to the cross. Amen. Questions: 1. How can we introduce people to a living, loving, forgiving God? 2. What do you do with bitterness when it surfaces?

Day Twenty-Seven Monday, March 23, 2020 Matthew 12:1 Thought: Only a few weeks remain of our walk with Jesus to Jerusalem. The disciples were growing more concerned for his safety, as well as his purpose in doing so. Two thousand years later, it’s difficult for “modern” minds to see the world as the Jews of Jesus’ day. Their worldviews were shaped by their understanding of geography. Jews and most of the ancient Near East oriented themselves not by magnetic north, but by the sun’s rising in the east. East (which means “in front” in Hebrew) would have always been at the top of their map. But their maps (or understandings!) made little sense because they perceived the world as a flat disk or circle sitting on primeval waters. One description was that it was a garment stretching across the void. Heaven and earth were perceived to be sealed together at the rim of the horizon. This would prevent the influx of cosmic waters. Heaven rested on the earth, which was in turn set on pillars or foundations. Damascus was the intersection of Palestine’s two major roads. The Great Trunk Road followed the mountain ranges to the Sea of Galilee, then through Capernaum and about five miles from the Mediterranean Sea, wound its way to Memphis, Egypt. Then there was the King’s Highway that mainly followed the mountain range on the east side of the Jordan. To Jews and their neighbors, the sea was a dangerous and scary place. Its power was second only to God’s (Jonah 2:5-6; Ps. 93:3-4) and was thought to hold sea monsters. At the time of Jesus, Jewish rabbis said: “The Lord has created seven seas, but the Sea of Gennesaret (Galilee) is his delight.” Galilee fills the crater of an extinct volcano and had clear, sandy beaches, lots of fish, and affluent residents along its shores. Note that in Revelation 21:1 there is the hope of a “new earth” that will have “no more sea!” Jews of Jesus’ day considered Jerusalem the omphalos (the earth’s navel) from which order was established and diffused to “those who dwell at the earth’s farthest bounds.” Yet it had only one reliable spring (Shiloah) and during droughts, water had to be carried long distances to supply city residents. In spite of such problems, they thought Jerusalem was God’s Holy City, through which to rule the world. Jesus’ world was a “walking world”. From Capernaum to Jerusalem was a 106 mile trip, one way! Several studies indicate that Jesus walked 15,000 miles in his lifetime! Speed was hardly an issue. Think of Jesus’ world as a walking world, and a world of face-to-face conversation. For a moment, try to think of God as you might have in Jesus’ world. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for taking the time to walk to Jerusalem – for me. Amen. Questions: 1. Could you talk with God easier while walking, or driving a car? 2. What is your concept of Jerusalem today?

Day Twenty-Eight Tuesday, March 24, 2020 John 14:1 Thought: Two thousand years later, of what does your own worldview consist? We tend to smile when we reflect on what people thought about the world, God, and their own purpose in life thousands of years ago. Do we do a better job? Does what Jesus said so long ago have any meaning for earth-dwellers today? Or did Matthew, Mark, Luke and John get tossed out by technology? Every time a crowd gathered, Jesus was telling them something about God they had never heard before. He introduced them to a caring God, a friendly God, a loving God, and a “saving” God. Nowhere in the world had such been heard before. Nothing like it has been heard since. Our world is captivated with speed. Whether we are talking about travel, communicating, producing, or daily living, we want it faster and faster. It’s far more difficult today to do what Jesus said about having a conversation with a living, loving God than it was then. Where will we find the time? One thing remains much the same. Although we now live a few more years than they did then, we don’t have a surplus of time! However, Jesus gave hope to anyone who would believe in such a God the promise of life forever. History tells us that today’s worldview regarding dying remains little changed from thousands and thousands of years ago. People have always devised elaborate ways to memorialize the dead. Think of the Pyramids of Egypt, Europe’s Gothic mausoleums, or the Taj Mahal in India. Throughout history, we have memorialized the dead with the tech/tools of our times. With today’s technology, there are some rather fancy – and expensive – options. A British company will press your loved one’s ashes into a custom-made vinyl record -- puns will be provided at no extra cost! Ocean lovers may want to make their afterlife plans with a Florida company that incorporates cremains into artificial reefs and marine habitats. A Houston-based business has partnered with commercial space-flight companies to send ashes into orbit, to the moon, or even into deep space. But perhaps the most intriguing option lies with engineers who can transform the carbon from human ashes into diamond gems that are physically and chemically identical to natural diamonds. The geologic process that otherwise takes hundreds of millions of years can now be managed in weeks…and a good bit of money! Jesus had another idea. “There is plenty of room in my Father’s house…I’m on my way to get your room ready…I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live.” That sounds better to me than ending up being nothing but a diamond!!! Prayer: Jesus, save me a room…and rooms for those I love, as well. Amen. Questions: 1. What is at the center of your own worldview? 2. Jot down your thoughts about your future.

Day Twenty-Nine Wednesday, March 25, 2020 John 3:16 Thought: Jesus, again and again, tried to “paint” a new picture of the God of the Universe. Because of the Jerusalem synagogue, in the middle of which was the “Holy of Holies” where God “lived,” ordinary people were scared to death of trying to envision who God really was/is. None of them were allowed to go into the room where God “lived.” How do you describe the God of the Universe to your family, friends, or the un-churched today? I believe God is totally different from what most of us think. Four years ago, I suggested to readers that God was a partying God. Several (at least who let me know!) thought it was awful to think such. You see, one day as I climbed Beaver Hill (my exercise hill, that is!) after quite a storm, and reached the top of the steepest part of the climb, I paused for a breath. As I did, my eye caught movement high up in the tall trees to my right. I had to blink at what I was seeing. There were four big party balloons, red, yellow, blue and black, clinging together as they bounced with the wind. Yes, it looked just like party time. So I concluded that the God of the Universe was a partying God, and wanted to include me in the party! It was fun to think that, just perhaps, God might have a humorous side as well as being a creator God, a judging God, a sustaining God, and an end-of-all-time God. Yes, I allowed myself to think that God might have wanted to see a smile on my face when I saw such a surprise. But of course, balloons don’t last forever, especially in the cold and heat of winter and summer storms. I expected God’s partying to quickly be over! But, four years later, we’re still partying. It’s a bit hard to believe, but the black balloon is still in place, although its colorful partners were torn apart by strong winds and storms. I believe God cares for us in the tiniest, often unnoticed ways. Earlier in our life, one of our daughters lived with us for awhile. I enjoyed this time because she loved cats, and always had to have one living with her. My wife did not like cats and didn’t enjoy it at all. But I enjoyed the evenings when her big cat paddled down the steps, jumped on my lap, and purred the time away. Then she moved on. I had no more cat, and knew I’d not be getting one. But God had another idea. One dark, cold evening, I saw a cat run around the corner of our breezeway. I ran out to see what it was, but it was gone. The next evening, I saw the same cat. So, I put a bit of food out the next night and watched from inside…and a small stray ate all the food. This began a pattern. Shy, scared, and easily spooked, she slowly began to eat with me there. Then one evening, she actually rubbed against my leg…and the petting began. Now four or five years later, she still dashes across our heavily traveled road, stays with us much of the day, and then heads home – wherever – as night approaches. Yes, God does little, caring things for us…if we only have eyes to see what the loving God of the Universe is doing. That’s what Jesus said. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for loving every human being in the world. Amen. Questions: 1. Think of ways that God has specially loved you on your journey. 2. What does “…for God so loved the world…” really mean?

Day Thirty Thursday, March 26, 2020 Matthew 6:24 Thought: You might ask, if God is such a loving, caring God, why did Jesus spend so much of his time talking about money/possessions? The rich, young ruler apparently was a thoughtful and concerned young man. He wanted to get things right. No doubt his life’s foundation was shaken to its core when Jesus said to him: “You cannot serve two masters – you cannot serve both money and God.” Jesus spoke more about money and “getting things” in the Gospels than any other subject. So apparently God can be loving and caring – and still have some expectations of those who pray. Two thousand years later, the world we live in is mired in the love of money and possessions. What business do you know that does not exist to produce money or profits? Yet Jesus said, “Woe to you who are rich” (Luke 6:24). “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Mt. 6:19). “…sell your possessions and give alms” (Luke 13: 33). Money/possessions are the subject of one out of every ten verses in the Gospels! Look around next winter…might this be what you see? “They huddled inside the storm door – two children in ragged outgrown coats. ‘Any old papers, lady?’ They could get a few pennies for old papers. Marion was busy. She wanted to say no – until she looked down at their feet; thin sandals, sopped with sleet. ‘Come in and I’ll make you a cup of cocoa.’ There was no talking. The sandals left marks on the floor. She gave them cocoa and toast with jam. Then she went to get some papers. There was nothing but silence in the front room. The girl held the empty mug in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a low voice: ’Lady…are you rich?’ ‘Am I rich?’ She laughed at the thought. ‘Mercy, no!’ Marion looked at her plain furniture, the worn carpet, the shabby slipcovers. The girl set her mug on the table carefully. ‘Your mugs match.’ Her voice was old, with a hunger not of the stomach. They left then, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn’t said thank you. They didn’t need to. They had done more than that. Plain blue pottery mugs – but they matched. Marion tested the potatoes and stirred the gravy. She had potatoes and brown gravy, a roof over her head, a husband with a job. She tidied up the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon the floor. She let them be. Marion wanted them there in case she ever forgot again, how very rich she was.” (from A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul…Health Comm, Inc. 1996). Jesus really said: “You can only worship God…nothing else.” Prayer: Jesus, open my eyes to see what really counts on my journey. Amen. Questions: 1. On a scale of 1 to 10, where do money/possessions rank? 2. How do you think people reacted to Jesus’ comments about money?

Day Thirty-One Friday, March 27, 2020 Matthew 18:14 Thought: If you had lived in Galilee 2,000 years ago, would you have gone to see and listen to Jesus? Remember…this was before cell phones, TV’s, magazines, books, etc. What you heard was all by word of mouth! People were surprised by what he said…and did! In the course of a week, many new stories were being told. Many of them were a bit hard to believe. So, many people went to see Jesus…because they couldn’t believe what they were hearing! So you went to see him one day. What did he do? He called a little child over, then told the disciples that if they didn’t become like a little child, they would never make it to heaven! Remember this was in a society where small children were “valueless." Do you suppose that – perhaps -- Jesus might have been talking about status, titles, degrees, addresses, bank accounts, neighbors having no place in heaven? He didn’t stop there. “Take care that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matt. 18:10-11). Do we, 2,000 years later, know exactly what Jesus meant? He wasn’t finished. “What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” And he still wasn’t finished. “So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost” (Matt. 18:12-14). Not one person sitting on the hillside that day had ever heard anything close to what Jesus said. They knew plenty about the life of a hill shepherd. They also knew plenty about small children…they were all over the place, had to be fed and housed, and as well, had to be tended to. No one – not ever – had said that the God of the Universe had any time or thought about a small child…anywhere! All they’d ever heard was that God was closest to and cared most for those who were in charge of the synagogues…no one else was even close! So, was Jesus the Son of God? Or just an interesting speaker who chose this way to make a living? C. S. Lewis stated, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. But let us not come with any nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” (Mere Christianity) So did Jesus come looking for you? Or did you go looking for Jesus? Prayer: Jesus, thank you for coming, even if it meant dying for us. Questions: 1. How can you describe a loving, seeking God to people today? 2. What more can be done to get God’s message across?

Day Thirty-Two Saturday, March 28, 2020 Luke 2:46-47 Thought: As the crowds continued to gather to listen to Jesus, we wonder just what they were thinking. Jewish crowds in Jesus’ day were neither naïve or ignorant about history, Israel, or God. Deep in their minds Galileans believed that at a certain moment in history, God had spoken directly to their ancestors. Not long after they were freed from being slaves in Egypt and were traveling north, they were camped at the base of Mt. Sinai. Their leader, Moses, went up the mountain and received words from God. They also believed that God gave Moses a copy of what he said. They believed that the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy – were a copy of what God said to them. Together they were called the Torah. They lived their lives the way the Torah said they should live. Their life depended on teaching, living and obeying the Torah. How well did the listeners know the Torah? One rabbi said, “Under the age of six we do not receive a child as a pupil; from six upwards accept him and stuff him with the Torah like an ox.” So by six years of age, many of the kids would be in school, held at the local synagogue, and taught by the local rabbi. By the time they reached ten years of age, many, if not most, would have memorized the Torah. Remember also that none of them had a copy of the Torah at home. The only local copy was the one in their synagogue. At the age of ten, students began to sort themselves out. Some wanted to continue studying at the synagogue, while some wanted to learn more about their family trade and begin to be involved in it for their long-term future. Meanwhile, the “best of the best” continued in school, and over the next four years, the top students would have memorized all of the Old Testament…yes, all 39 books!!! After yet another four years of schooling, those who felt they could handle the challenges would present themselves to a well-known rabbi and ask to become one of his disciples. The applicant would then be “grilled” by the rabbi who wanted to be sure he would be up to the challenge, and beneficial to have around. The student would then leave his family, leave his synagogue, leave his village and friends and devote his time to learning how to do what the rabbi did. Isn’t that what Jesus’ twelve disciples were doing then? And didn’t Jesus tell them not only would they do what they saw him doing, they would even do greater things? Yet as they walked towards Jerusalem, they were more concerned that Jesus was going to get himself killed! Some days it was just plain hard being one of Jesus’ disciples. Is it any easier being a follower of the risen Christ today? Prayer: Jesus, show us the way we should go…and may we not falter. Amen. Questions: 1. How much of the Torah can you quote today? 2. What part of Jesus’ teachings bothers you most today?

Day Thirty-Three Sunday, March 29, 2020 John 9:5 Thought: If we had been walking with the disciples and Jesus, I wonder what we would have thought as the days went by. There was never a dull moment! Jesus had just amazed more than 5,000 people – and the disciples – by feeding all of them with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Everybody ate till they were full…and there was plenty left over! What a day to be close to Jesus, even if we didn’t understand how he did what he did! So let’s get in the boat and head back home, while Jesus relaxes here for awhile. But storms come up fast on the Sea of Galilee. One writer described the Sea of Galilee as “a deep gouge in the Jordan rift surrounded by hills so that winds frequently sweep down and stir the waters into a frenzy.” If you were to go there today, the same thing still happens. So the disciples rowed frantically, and went nowhere for all their work. Suddenly they saw movement on the water, strained their eyes to see what it was, and seeing Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost! “Don’t be afraid,” he said, and joined them in the boat…and the wind stopped blowing. Their mouths dropped open. They still didn’t understand what they’d just seen on the hillside, and now they couldn’t believe what they’d just experienced. So, they “hardened their hearts” (Mark 6:52). Why couldn’t they understand? They were Torah-thinkers. Only God could do such things. And Jesus wasn’t God…or was he? Not long after, the Pharisees and Sadducees, who believed that anyone’s misfortune was the result of someone’s sin, confronted Jesus as he left the temple in Jerusalem. A man blind from birth was sitting at the gate. A disciple asked “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?” Jesus’ answer shocked them all: “Neither.” Jesus was once again confronted with “Torah-thinking…” He suggested that perhaps the man was born blind so that God might be revealed as a healing God. “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” So, he spit on the ground and made some mud with it and rubbed it on the man’s eyes, while telling him to go wash it off in the pool of Siloam. He did, and he came back seeing. For decades the Pharisees had judged the man at the Temple. The Sadducees ignored him. Some temple worshippers showed compassion and gave him something. Others tiptoed by, clutching their purses as they did. He told them he was healed by Jesus…there was no doubt in his mind! For 2,000 years, Jesus has continued to heal people…but the world continues not to believe. What can we do? Prayer: Jesus, help me help someone become a believer. Amen. Questions: 1. What’s the greatest miracle of your earthly journey? 2. What miracle do you hope you see before life ends?

Day Thirty-Four Monday, March 30, 2020 John 6:27 Thought: As Jesus moved closer to Jerusalem, he was shadowed every step of the way by “Torah thinking.” The Sadducees were very much upset by what Jesus had said and done, but the Pharisees were far more so. Jesus was a threat because he was “painting” God in very different colors from Torah teaching in the synagogues. After Jesus joined the disciples on the boat in the storm, they went ashore at Capernaum. The crowd that was left behind by these events tried to figure out where he’d gone. They finally found him teaching in the synagogue and called him to task for deliberately sneaking away from them. Jesus let them have it: “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:26-27). Those two words – “eternal life” – followed by – “Son of Man” – caused every person in the crowd that day to blink, while shaking their head. The Jewish people had their own ideas, and they were surrounded by very different concepts of life after death in every direction on the compass. Brian D. McLaren (Author; Theologian) has helped us by sorting out the very different thoughts about the afterlife at the time of Jesus. In brief summaries, here is what he saw. To the north and east in Mesopotamia, they believed that the souls of the dead migrated to an underworld whose geography resembled an ancient walled city. Good and evil, the rich and the poor all descended to this shadowy, scary, dark and very inescapable region. To the south, the Egyptians believed the newly departed faced a ritual trial of judgment. Bad people who failed the test were then devoured by a crocodile-headed deity. Good people who passed the test settled in the land beyond the sunset. To the west, the Greeks had a more elaborate system. At death, souls were sorted into four groups: the holy and heroic; the indeterminate; the curably evil; and the incurably evil. The incurably evil went to Tartarus where they experienced eternal conscious torment. The holy and heroic were admitted to the Elysian Fields, a place of joy and peace. Those in between might be sent back to earth for reincarnations until they could be properly sorted for shipment to Tartarus or the Elysian fields. Then there were the Persian Zoroastrians to the east. Recently departed souls would be judged by two angels, Rashnu and Mithra. Those worthy would be welcomed into the Zoroastrian version of heaven. The unworthy would be banished to the realm of the Satanic figure, Ahriman – their version of hell. So when Jesus used the words “eternal life,” what would have come to your mind immediately? Prayer: Jesus, help us understand what you said that day. Amen. Questions: 1. What does the Old Testament teach about life after death? 2. What does the New Testament teach about life after death?

Day Thirty-Five Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Matthew 25:40 Thought: The Sadducees in the audience, upon hearing the words “eternal life,” blinked because their brand of religion said nothing about heaven or hell. If you engaged a friend or neighbor in a conversation today regarding “eternal life,” how might they respond? Are we so busy today we don’t have time to think of the future? Life for the Sadducees was an effort to live a good life and be honest and faithful human beings on the journey. There was nothing else. The Pharisees and other Jewish sects had strong feelings about the afterlife. Anyone going to heaven could be easily identified. They knew the Torah and all its teachings and tried to keep every one of them; they had money/possessions; they were titled or respected within their society; they were physically healthy. These were the heaven-bound! Those not going to heaven were just as easily identified. They knew little of the Torah or its teachings; they had little money or possessions; no one in “real” society knew who they were; they were sick or disabled. Jesus’ teachings on the afterlife turned almost everybody’s world upside down. But even more than that, Jesus’ teachings about God provided a totally new vision of the God of the universe! McLaren writes: “And who, according to Jesus, was going to heaven? The very people the religious elite despised, deprived, avoided, excluded and condemned. Heaven’s gates open wide for the poor and destitute who shared in few of life’s blessings; the sinners, the sick, and the homeless who felt superior to nobody and who therefore appreciated God’s grace and forgiveness all the more; even the prostitutes and tax collectors!” When Jesus made his statement (yesterday’s verses), the heads most violently shaking “No way!” were the temple priests and those related to temple worship. Other listeners liked Jesus’ description of a God who was not a judge, who was not handing out Commandments, who was not “making people pay” for their wrong-doings, who was not asking for a tithe, and even more! Jesus knew how much God loved them. If God had not wanted to grant forgiveness to anyone who would believe in a loving God, Jesus would not have been there that day. God – and very much Jesus – knew that humanity’s days were/are limited (Jesus only had a few days left!). There would be a day of reckoning, and an eternal life beyond. They pondered heaven – and hell. Was Jesus telling them there was another way? Some liked the thought. But some knew the time had come to get rid of Jesus. Do many in today’s world think of Jesus’ new vision of a loving God? Is anyone listening? Does it matter? Prayer: Jesus, thank you for painting so clearly a picture of a loving God. Amen. Questions: 1. What are the limits to God’s love? 2. Define for yourself the love of God that continues to forgive.

Day Thirty-Six Wednesday, April 1, 2020 John 9:39 Thought: “God welcomes sinners into Heaven?” “That’s not what the Torah says!” And several disciples whispered together “He’s getting closer to being killed for such teaching. But I sure like what he’s saying!” What happens when we live out God’s love as Jesus suggested? It happened in Hungary in 1950. A Russian army captain walked haughtily down the aisle of the church and went straight to the pastor. “I will have a word with you alone. Take me where we can speak privately.” The officer was young and walked out his role as conqueror! When the pastor had led him to a small conference room, the officer shut and locked the door. He nodded towards a cross that hung on the wall. “You know that thing is a lie. It’s just a piece of trickery you ministers use to delude the poor people to make it easier for the rich. Now we’re alone. Admit to me that you never really believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God!” The minister smiled. “But, my poor young man, of course I believe it. It is true.” “I won’t have you play tricks on me…this is serious. Don’t laugh at me!” He drew out his revolver and held it close to the body of the minister. “Unless you admit to me that it is a lie, I’ll fire.” “I cannot admit that, for it is not true. Our Lord is really and truly the Son of God.” For a painful minute, his muscles tightened as he awaited the bullet. Instead, the captain suddenly flung the revolver on the floor and embraced the pastor. Tears sprang to the captain’s eyes. “It is true!” he sobbed. “It is true. I believe so too, but I could not be sure men would die for this belief until I found for myself one who would. Oh, thank you! You have strengthened my faith. Now I, too, can die for Christ. You have shown me how.” (Jesus Freaks – Bethany House) Peter heard Jesus tell the crowd about a loving God, and the need to believe and trust such a God. In his later years he said, “This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step by step. He never did one thing wrong…not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book, and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right” (I Peter 2:21-23). Where do we in America fit into such a prediction? Prayer: Jesus, help me live out your love to others who don’t know you. Amen. Questions: 1. Have you ever had to “stand up” for your faith in Jesus? 2. How can today’s churches reflect God’s love in new ways?

Day Thirty-Seven Thursday, April 2, 2020 Luke 3:1 Thought: As Jesus was nearing the close of his earthly journey, almost everyone in the crowds was uneasy, unsettled, worried, predicting! Jesus came to the Jews, who were truly a tormented people. Luke named some of the sources of torment as he began his third chapter. Roman Emperor Tiberius was known for his extreme paranoia, anger and wrath that spread like disease across all parts of the empire. Pontius Pilate, the prefect of Judah, executed political enemies without a trial. He was known for his bribes and insults, as well. Herod Antipas imprisoned and executed anyone who got in his way, even if it was nothing more than a personal slight. With Roman soldiers lingering near the edges of the crowds, Jesus spoke loudly to the people: “Love your enemies!” The soldiers mirrored all that was Tiberius, Pontius Pilate and Herod. Indeed, they were the ‘enemy’! Jesus told those listening that when the soldiers forced them to help carry their belongings a mile or two to the next town, do it, and take them an extra mile or two! It was this same Jesus who lashed out against the religious teachers, calling them false prophets, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and hypocrites. When they tried to keep the small children away from him, it was Jesus who called the kids to him…and then told those listening that it was better to tie stones around their necks and throw themselves into the sea then to deliberately keep away children who wanted to come to him! In today’s jargon, we’d say that Jesus was “marketing” the new kingdom of God. And Jesus’ teachings turned just about everything upside down. In today’s world, respect is given to those who are “on top”, strong, or perceived to be successful… and the reason doesn’t matter! Yet Jesus suggested we should become servants! We spend our lives trying not to be last in anything…to try to get to the front or the top of whatever! Yet Jesus said that in the end, the last would be first. We are busy developing new methods of destruction to get rid of our enemies…yet Jesus told us to love those enemies. We yearn for riches, and most of our lifetimes are invested in getting a good paycheck, setting money aside for the future, and trying to get more, whatever it might be. Yet Jesus instructed would-be-disciples to sell everything and give all their money away if they really wanted to follow him. Two thousand years later, what Jesus said to the daily crowds is just as unbelievable, unsettling, and difficult to pursue as it was then. Perhaps when we enjoy abundance and freedom, it is all too easy to fool ourselves into thinking that our kingdom has already come. What do you expect heaven to be like? How are you marketing the “real” Jesus in 2020? Prayer: Jesus, open my eyes…that I may see you as you really are. Amen. Questions: 1. How would you rate your church’s “marketing” of Jesus today? 2. How can we “market” Jesus better with today’s technology?

Day Thirty-Eight Friday, April 3, 2020 John 11:21-22 Thought: When Jesus began his earthly walk, his destination was Jerusalem. Only he knew where he was headed, and only he knew how much the walk was going to cost. Along the way, he did things that had never been done, and haven’t been done since. They called them miracles. Miracles are “to be astonished at.” Mark was totally impressed with Jesus’ miracles, and included 18 of them in the Gospel he wrote. Altogether, 36 are mentioned. Some are huge events (i.e., feeding 5,000 people!), while others were small, quiet, and almost isolated. One day, a wealthy Sadducee walked 8 hours to see Jesus. Keep in mind that Sadducees believed in nothing supernatural…they believed each person created his own fate. In other words, whatever you got, you deserved. The word faith was not in the Sadducee’s vocabulary. Jesus challenged him by saying “Unless you see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” But the man responded with unbelievable faith. “Come, before my child dies.” Jesus didn’t put on a show; he simply said, “Go…your son lives.” Some miracles were of this type. Another day, Jesus went to the asclepicion in the northeast corner of Herod’s temple. The Greeks believed Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing, would heal the infirm who came. Jesus walked to a man whose body had been broken for forty years…unable to get into the pool because others were faster. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed. The man didn’t say yes, but explained why he couldn’t get healed. So, without any fanfare, Jesus simply told the man, “Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk!” Can you imagine what the Temple leaders thought later in the day when the healed man walked into the Temple? Pause for a moment and reflect on how many people you have known who have died. The older we are, the longer the list gets. Now, whether your list is short or long, how many of them have you seen since they died? Obviously, none of them! The system doesn’t work that way. The system never worked that way. But Jesus, in his last public miracle, decided to change the system. The greatest enemy of life is the fact we’re going to die, sooner or later. God did not fashion our bodies for death, to rot in a grave, or to be burned to ashes. Paul stated it simply: “Sin entered the world through one man (Adam) and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). A close friend of Jesus, Lazarus, lived in Bethany, a town near Jerusalem. He became gravely sick, and his sisters sent word to Jesus to come. But Jesus didn’t go right away…and when he got there, Lazarus had been in his burial cave four days. So, Jesus went to get him out. Martha protested, only to be told by Jesus, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” Then he said: “Lazarus, come out!” And he did. For the first time, the world saw a dead man alive, talking, laughing and walking. And for his last miracle, Jesus had to die. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for bringing new life to the world…if we believe. Amen. Questions: 1. What’s the closest thing to a miracle you’ve seen on your journey? 2. When one of our prayers is answered, is that a miracle?

Day Thirty-Nine Saturday, April 4, 2020 John 11:41-42 Thought: Bringing Lazarus back to life after four days in his burial cave was an almost unbelievable miracle! It still is. At the same time, it branded Jesus as the next to die. Do you ever wonder why God chose that point in time to come into the world? More so than any place else in the world at that time, Palestine was a tinder box. Long before Jesus was born, there was significant unrest everywhere. There were plenty of reasons for unrest. Most obvious would be foreign military occupation. When the Roman army occupied a land, it was accompanied by thousands of civilians (wives, children, doctors, merchants, servants, etc.). The army lived off the occupied country, pilfered its natural resources, enslaved members of its population, as well as raping women and generally terrorizing the people. The Pharisees and Sadducees collaborated with the occupying forces, and in exchange for personal safety and affluence, aided Israel’s oppressors. As well, the gap between the few rich and the many poor was greatly widened. In 57 BC, the proconsul in Syria, Gabinius, increased power to the nobility, and the peasants revolted. It took over 10 years for Palestine to get back to “civil” rule. Social banditry was prevalent for many years before Jesus arrived. Social bandits are the “Robin Hoods” of the land and come alive in times of struggle. An earlier Herod determined to get rid of the bandits in order to consolidate his power as Rome’s client king. Josephus wrote there “was a large force of brigands.” They retreated to the caves near Arbela and kept up the harassment. Josephus tells how much Herod wanted complete control: “With ropes he lowered over the cliffs the toughest of his men in large baskets until they reached the mouths of the caves; they then slaughtered the brigands and their families…Not one of them voluntarily surrendered…all preferred to die than live under Roman rule.” Set aside your “Silent night…Holy night,” lambs and shepherds, mental pictures of Jesus’ Palestine. It had been a war zone for a century before Jesus arrived…and the feelings of the people, both poor and rich were raw. There were also “Messianic pretenders” who came along, and they could always draw a crowd. There were some who thought Jesus, too, was no more than a Messianic pretender. After Lazarus appeared again, alive and well, cell phones weren’t needed for the word to get around about what had happened. All fingers pointed at Jesus – “He’s the one who did it!” For the disciples, who would worry them the most? The Temple Priests? The Pharisees? The Sadducees? The Roman soldiers? Probably all of the above. “We need to get out of sight for awhile, and let things calm down” was probably whispered among them. Prayer: Jesus, thanks for love that was greater than the worry and mystery. Amen. Questions: 1. When else might God have come to make a greater impact? 2. How did Jesus really feel about seeing his friend, Lazarus, again?

Day Forty Sunday, April 5, 2020 Matthew 21:12-13 Thought: In light of what you read yesterday about the tension everywhere, can you get a sense of the danger in what Jesus did, and as well, all of those who put down their cloaks or palm branches? It was traditional in the Near East to place something across the path of someone deemed worthy of highest honor. Many of the Jews gathered that day knew very well what Zechariah 9:9 said: “The coming of Zion’s King – See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. In reality, Jesus was declaring that he was the King of Israel, which greatly angered the Sanhedrin. Although they had talked about it already, it was obvious to them that, whatever it took, they had to get rid of Jesus. If you check out II Kings 9:13, you’ll find that Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, was treated the very same way. In ancient Egypt, the palm was carried in funeral processions and represented eternal life. In the Roman Empire, the palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory. The Roman soldiers watching Jesus and the procession surely had “red flags” raised in their thinking that morning. When we attend a Palm Sunday service, we each receive a palm or similar symbol, take it home at the close of the service, and that’s the end of Palm Sunday. However, it wasn’t that way with Jesus. He no longer visited Jerusalem as a worshiper. Instead, he claimed it as King. And he had work to do. Several times earlier he had spoken against the corruption that was taking place in the outer courts of the Temple – it was called the Annas Bazaar! Earlier in AD 6, the office of High Priest had become a royal post. The Rome-appointed governor of Syria selected a young aristocrat named Annas to rule as Israel’s priest-king. In a few years, the new leader selected someone else. Annas retreated from public view but controlled every Jewish political office in Jerusalem. No fewer than five sons and a grandson succeeded him. In Jesus’ time, his son-in-law, Caiaphas, ran the temple. The Annas Bazaar kept money flowing into the family’s pockets and funded their corrupt hold on power. So, Jesus came into the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple’s courts. He turned over the tables of the money changers. He said, “My house will be a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of robbers!” With that one act, he turned the Sadducees into an alliance with the Pharisees, one that would guarantee death to Jesus. This act flowed out of the Palm Sunday procession – and moved him closer to crucifixion. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for all the steps you took to save us. Amen. 1. What do you feel as you hold a piece of palm branch in your hand? 2. What kind of feelings were the disciples dealing with now?

Day Forty-One Monday, April 6, 2020 Luke 18:15-17 Thought: Apparently Jesus wasn’t going to allow people to cheat others in his Kingdom. What did Jesus have in mind for the Kingdom of God? The word “kingdom” is used again and again throughout the four Gospels. The term meant many different things to those listening. They knew about the “king” of Egypt. They knew more than they wanted to know about the Roman “kingdom” or empire. They knew about the Mesopotamian kings. They’d heard about others, as well. Whatever they were thinking about, Jesus shook them up when he told them they had to think about God’s Kingdom with the mind of a child…and if they didn’t or wouldn’t, they would never get into that Kingdom! That must have hurt. There wasn’t a person there who didn’t want to get smarter with age, and no one wanted to be “demoted” to the thinking of a child. Now that Jesus publicly announced he was a King, what do you think today about the Kingdom of God? The Bible tells us clearly that God came to earth in Jesus, willing to die for humanity, and to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. So what do you wish God’s Kingdom is going to be? To get your thinking started, here are some thoughts:

• No one will be sick, injured, deformed or incapacitated in any way. • Everyone will live an enjoyable life. • There will be no wars, killings, or destruction of any kind. • Not a single person will ever be hungry. • Aging will not be an ever-present factor in living in God’s Kingdom • No cheating; no government; no taxes; no armies; no hospitals. • Love for God, and for each other, will be the way of life. • All relationships will be in full harmony with each other. • There will be no titles…everyone will be equal. • No one person will have more than any other person. • You will not have to “work” for a living. • There will be no guns, or any other weapons of war…there will be no wars. • There will be no jails, and no funeral homes.

Continue with your own list. As you do, think back to what those who were listening to Jesus might have thought. What did the Pharisees and Sadducees think about what Jesus was suggesting? What does your family think about Jesus’ thoughts about God’s Kingdom? What do your neighbors think? What do those who attend your own church think? Some of those who listened that day determined Jesus had to be stopped --immediately! It was one more of many steps that led to a cross. Prayer: Jesus, help me get a grip on what is the “Kingdom of God.” Questions: 1. What is at the heart of your personal belief about God’s Kingdom? 2. What do you like best about your concept of God’s Kingdom?

Day Forty-Two Tuesday, April 7, 2020 John 15:9-13 Thought: Jesus was only three days from the cross. The disciples, although uneasy and afraid, were not yet thinking of a cross. Neither did they come close to understanding some of the things he was telling them. If you were to read the middle chapters of the Gospel of John, you would find Jesus pouring out his love and concern for the disciples – and for all followers many centuries later (you and me!). The key word in these chapters is love! That’s why God left a peaceful and perfect existence…so that God’s love could be seen and experienced in flesh and blood! J. B. Phillips throws a little fantasy into his book “New Testament Christianity” as he describes God’s decision to come to earth. He has a senior angel showing a very young angel the splendors of the universe. They view whirling galaxies and blazing suns, and flit through space till they enter one galaxy of 500 billion stars. As the two of them drew near to the star we call our sun, and to its circling planets, the senior angel pointed to a small and rather insignificant sphere turning very slowly in space. It looked as dull as a dirty tennis ball to the little angel, whose mind was filled with the size and glory of what he had been seeing. “I want you to watch that one particularly,” said the senior angel. “Well, it looks very small and rather dirty to me,” came the response. “What’s special about that one?” The little angel listened in stunned disbelief as the senior angel told him that this dirty looking planet was the renowned “Visited Planet.” “Do you mean our great and glorious Prince went down in person to this fifth-rate little ball? Why should he do a thing like that? Why would he do a thing like that? Do you mean to tell me that he stooped so low as to become one of those creeping, crawling creatures on that floating ball?” “I do,” said the senior angel, “and I don’t think He would like you to call them ‘creepy, crawling creatures’ in that tone of voice. For, strange as it may seem to us, He loves them. He went down to visit them to lift them up to become like him. He was willing to pay the price tag…which was a cross.” The little angel looked blank. Such a thought was far beyond his comprehension. And 2000 years after the cross price tag was paid, very few of us have come close to understanding Divine Love. We receive it into our lives – and we are never the same again – we are transformed by God’s love, even if we don’t begin to understand it. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for putting flesh and blood on God’s love – for our redemption. Amen. Questions: 1. How do you feel about the God of the Universe loving you?

2. What’s different about life as a result of God’s love for you?

Day Forty-Three Wednesday, April 8, 2020 Luke 22:14-16 Thought: Jesus would not have been crucified on Friday if the Jewish leaders had had their way! In fact, they would have crucified him on Monday, having seen his ride into Jerusalem on Sunday morning, and later when he “drove out” the merchandisers while shouting, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, and you have made it a den of robbers.’” People were “spellbound” (Luke 19:47-48) by what Jesus was saying. Deep inside, many of them were wondering if what they had been waiting for centuries was actually going to happen right then! Some allowed themselves to think that what Jesus said and did was more like the way God took them straight out of Egypt. The Roman soldiers were now on high alert. Jewish leaders were panicky because they didn’t dare to touch Jesus each day. The crowds would never let it happen! It was in such a volatile setting that Jesus ate his “Last Supper” with the twelve disciples. In a sense, Jesus decided to combine into one event his last meal with his disciples and the Passover meal…and don’t ever allow yourself to think that Jesus wasn’t “in charge.” Secrecy was the code word for the day! Jesus gave Peter and John very specific instructions including signs and special words. They were to look for a “man carrying a jar” who would lead them to a house and its owner. When asking about the use of a room, they couldn’t mention Jesus’ name. Instead they could only say, “The teacher asks you, ‘Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’” The mysterious, unknown owner readily understood their request, and took them to a chamber “already furnished” for them. The other ten disciples must have been more than just curious at what was going on. None knew beforehand where the meal would be eaten. Peter and John learned about it as events unfolded. The other disciples didn’t know where they were going until Jesus led them there…which also meant that Judas didn’t know, either, and couldn’t tip the death-plotters in advance. Rest assured that this is what Jesus wanted. He had already told them at least three times that he was going to die. But they still didn’t have a clue to what he really meant. “I want to eat this supper with you…for I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Bock stated: “Passover looks beyond the first Exodus to the last.” The day is coming when God’s people will be freed from human rules and rulers, and will experience a messianic banquet in a new age. They liked what they were hearing – until he mentioned that he was going to have to suffer. What did he mean by that? They, other than Judas, had not a clue. Yes, Jesus was still in charge, but now his way pointed to a cross. He did what he did for every soul that has lived on this planet…and much of the world has not cared one iota. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for pursuing the challenge of the cross. Amen. Questions: 1. What might your thoughts have been if you’d been at the meal? 2. What do you think about the anticipated messianic banquet?

Day Forty-Four Thursday, April 9, 2020 John 13:14-15 Thought: As you reflect on Jesus’ three years of ministry, many, many things sort of “jump” at you. There wasn’t just one miracle – there were many miracles. Which one would you say was the greatest? Then there were his teachings…many of them. Which one would you say was the greatest? He did many other things, too. As you reflect on everything he did before the cross, what would stand out to you as “bigger” than anything else? After pondering this question for a long time, I finally decided that the greatest thing Jesus did was what he did to the disciples in that Upper Room. He washed their feet. They were lying on their sides, their heads were all focused on the center of the table, and their feet extended outward. They’d just come from outside so all their feet were dusty or dirty and should have been washed before the meal. But there hadn’t been time…and for good reason. Jesus had a plan of his own! Jesus had, on his own, made all the arrangements for this last meal with his traveling companions. He also made certain there was available a basin, plenty of water, and an apron. So, he went to work. Why is this the greatest thing that Jesus did? Because the God of the Universe was the one washing their feet! Jesus said: “Whoever looks at me is looking, in fact, at the One who sent me.” So, they were looking at God. Many of the hymns of the church make reference to the God of the Universe. And many of them talk about kingdoms, thrones, crowns, high and lifted up, angelic beings, etc. Many talk about Jesus, his suffering, the cross, and dying on a cross. None talk about God washing the dirty feet of the disciples! But it goes even deeper than just saying it that way. Why? Because Jesus/God washed the feet of Judas Iscariot! Yes, the one lying with the others around the table who was, in a matter of a few hours, going to betray Jesus to those seeking to kill him. There was a lot of love wrapped up in Jesus’ apron as he moved from one disciple’s feet to the next. But when he came to Judas, there was love shown that had never before existed in the history of the universe. God was willing to penetrate time and wash the dirty feet of one of Satan’s followers. The love of God goes far beyond human understanding. This is the same Satan who in Jesus’ earliest days of ministry, tried to convince him that God’s love was not the right way to go. Jesus told him that God’s love was greater, and he would go that way. For Jesus, washing dirty feet and hanging on a cross sort of went together. He was ready to love! Prayer: Jesus, help us understand the depths of God’s love in new ways. Amen. Questions: 1. For you, what was Jesus’ greatest miracle? 2. For you, what is Jesus’ greatest miracle?

Day Forty-Five Friday, April 10, 2020 John 19:28-30 Thought: It would take many more days to address all that happened the day Jesus was crucified. He had had no sleep or rest since Wednesday night, if he got any then. He had been beaten, belittled, and in a sense, dehumanized. But Jesus’ final words give us a clear indication he had complete confidence in his Father’s readiness and ability to receive him into a new life. None of us need to pretend that faith in God makes it easy to die, or takes away our fears. In 2006, Billy Graham said: “All my life I’ve been told how to die, but no one ever told me how to grow old.” The growing old part often has something to do with the dying part, too, even as the “living part” has much to say about the dying. In Our Greatest Gift, Henri Nouwen tells this story. He went to the circus to see the Flying Rodleighs, famous trapeze artists. “One day, I was sitting with Rodleigh, the leader of the troupe. . . talking abut flying. He said ‘As a flyer, I must have complete trust in my catcher. The public might think I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher. He has to be there for me with split-second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump.’ ‘How does it work?’ I asked. ‘The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly to Joe, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me to safety over the apron behind the catch bar.’ ‘You do nothing?’ I said, surprised. ‘Nothing,’ he replied. ‘The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. I am not supposed to catch Joe. It’s Joe’s task to catch me. If I grabbed Joe’s wrists, I might break them, or he might break mine, and that would be the end of both of us. A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.’” Jesus spoke several times from the cross. But the words of finality -- “It is finished” -- reflect the above story. We all know that Jesus could have taken himself off the cross, or prevented the whole story of the cross, if he so chose. But that wasn’t the point. He had complete confidence in his Father God that he would “catch” him as he made his “long jump” when he said it was finished. And God will be there when you make your last long jump. Don’t try to grab God; God will grab you…and me! We need to stretch out our hands and heart, and trust, trust, trust. That’s what Jesus did. And if it was right for him, it’s also right for you and me. Prayer: Jesus, no matter how much faith we have, or how brave we pretend to be, catch us when we take our own “long jump” into your presence. Amen.

Day Forty-Six Saturday, April 11, 2020 Friday night had been a very long night. Neither did the disciples find any kind of sleep easy Four questions plagued them: 1. What could I have done that would have kept our leader, Jesus, from being crucified? 2. He said many things I didn’t understand…and still don’t. I wonder what he really meant by some of the things he said. 3. He said: “I go to prepare a place for you…that where I am, you may be also.” I wonder what he meant by that. 4. Now what are we going to do?

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2020 For almost 2,000 years now, Jesus hasn’t been walking the dusty roads as he once did. Who, then, is doing what He did? Mother Teresa was once asked: “What will you do when you are not Mother General anymore?” She replied: “I am first-class at cleaning toilets and drains. There is plenty of work that needs to be done.” She went on: “It is not what we do, but how much love we put into the doing. If I belong to Christ and at that moment He wants me to be cleaning the toilets, or taking care of the sufferers from leprosy, or talking to the President of the United States, it is all the same… because I am being what God wants me to be, and doing what He wants me to do. I belong to God.” That’s why Jesus came…so that those who believe in Him will walk the “dusty roads” as he did, and do greater things than he did. He said that’s what we’d be doing. Do you believe him? Enjoy your walk beyond the cross.

Daily Scripture Readings from The Message by E. H. Peterson Day 1 – Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.” “You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act.” John 14:8-11 Day 2 – They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?” Then they remembered Jesus’ words. Luke 24:4-8 Day 3 – That fulfills the conditions set down in God’s Law: that you can count on the testimony of two witnesses. And that is what you have: You have my word, and you have the word of the Father who sent me. John 18:17-18 Day 4 – You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. Matthew 5:6 Day 5 – Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me, and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30 Day 6 – Walk with me, and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Matthew 11:29 Day 7 – We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. II Corinthians 4:8-10 Day 8 – You should love God with everything that is within you…mind, heart, soul, passion. Matthew 22:37 Day 9 – Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel. The Lord your God is one, so love the Lord God with all your passion, and prayer and intelligence and energy.’” Mark 12:29-30 Day 10 – He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?” Luke 2:49 Day 11 – Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role- play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. Matthew 6:6 Day 12 – I’m absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable, absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. Romans 8:38-39 Day 13 – But there is a second to set alongside it. ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ Matthew 22:39

Day 14 – They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. When they weren’t able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher. Mark 2:3-4 Day 15 – This is how much God loved the world. He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why; so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 Day 16 – The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for such nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. Matthew 6:7-8 Day 17 – When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, co-workers with Simon. Luke: 5:9-10 Day 18 – This mountain, for instance, you’ll tell ‘Go jump in the lake’, and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God. Matthew 21:21-22 Day 19 – “I’m God, your God, the very God who rescued you from doom in Egypt. Then fed you all you could eat, filled your hungry stomachs.” Psalm 81:10 Day 20 – Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. Matthew 7:7 Day 21 – Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. I Thessalonians 5:17 Day 22 – Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits. Thank the God of all gods, His love never quits. Thank the Lord of all lords, His love never quits. Psalms 136:1-3 Day 23 – From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God’s kingdom was his theme – that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came. Matthew 4:23-25 Day 24 – Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens; This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. I Thessalonians 5:17 Day 25 – Jesus gave in. “Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!” Right then her daughter became well. Matthew 15:28 Day 26 – That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. Mark 14:24-25 Day 27 – One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples through fields of ripe grain. Hungry, the disciples were pulling off the heads of grain and munching on them. Matthew 12:1 Day 28 – Don’t let this throw you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. John 14:1

Day 29 –This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why; so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 Day 30 – You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both. Matthew 6:24 Day 31 – You Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers. Matthew 18:14 Day 32 – The next day they found him in the Temple, seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. Luke 2:46-47 Day 33 – For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light. John 9:5 Day 34 – Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by the Father to last. John 6:27 Day 35 – Then the King will say: “I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me – you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40 Day 36 – Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.” John 9:39 Day 37 – In the fifteenth year of the rule of Caesar Tiberius – it was while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod, ruler of Galilee, his brother Philip, ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis, Lysansias, ruler of Abilene…Luke 3:1 Day 38 – Martha said, “Master, if you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you.” John 11:21-22 Day 39 – They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.” John 11:41-42 Day 40 – Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text: ‘My house was designated a house of prayer, You have made it a hangout for thieves.’ Matthew 21:12-13 Day 41 – People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Luke 18:15-17 Day 42 – “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done – kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love. I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy and your joy wholly mature. This is my command. Love one another the way I have loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. John 15:9-13

Day 43 – When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said, “You’ve no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It’s the last one I’ll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:14-16 Day 44 – So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I do, you do. John 13:14-15 Day 45 – Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said “I’m thirsty.” A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit. John 19:28-30

LentenDevotions2020ByDr.RichardE.Rusbuldt

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