Posts with the category “lent-devotional-2022”

Scripture - John 20:1-18Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him.” Peter and the other disciple left to go to t...  Read More

Matthew 27:57-66That evening a man named Joseph came. He was a rich man from Arimathea who had become a disciple of Jesus. He came to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission to take it. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had carved out of the rock. After he rolled a large stone at the door of the tomb, he went awa...  Read More

Mark 15:1-47At daybreak, the chief priests—with the elders, legal experts, and the whole Sanhedrin—formed a plan. They bound Jesus, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”Jesus replied, “That’s what you say.” The chief priests were accusing him of many things.Pilate asked him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? What about all these accusa...  Read More

Mark 14:32-42Jesus and his disciples came to a place called Gethsemane. Jesus said to them, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John along with him. He began to feel despair and was anxious. He said to them, “I’m very sad. It’s as if I’m dying. Stay here and keep alert.” Then he went a short distance farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if possible, he might be spared the...  Read More

Mark 14:3-9Jesus was at Bethany visiting the house of Simon, who had a skin disease. During dinner, a woman came in with a vase made of alabaster and containing very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke open the vase and poured the perfume on his head. Some grew angry. They said to each other, “Why waste the perfume? This perfume could have been sold for almost a year’s pay and the money give...  Read More

Mark 11:12-14, 20-25The next day, after leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. From far away, he noticed a fig tree in leaf, so he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing except leaves, since it wasn’t the season for figs. So he said to it, “No one will ever again eat your fruit!” His disciples heard this.***Early in the morning, as Jesus and his disciples wer...  Read More

Mark 11:12-19The next day, after leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. From far away, he noticed a fig tree in leaf, so he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing except leaves, since it wasn’t the season for figs. So he said to it, “No one will ever again eat your fruit!” His disciples heard this.They came into Jerusalem. After entering the temple, he threw ...  Read More

Luke 19:28-44After Jesus said this, he continued on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.As Jesus came to Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he gave two disciples a task. He said, “Go into the village over there. When you enter it, you will find tied up there a colt that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘Its master needs it....  Read More

John 11:17-45When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was a little less than two miles from Jerusalem. Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother’s death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t h...  Read More

John 10:1-18“I assure you that whoever doesn’t enter into the sheep pen through the gate but climbs over the wall is a thief and an outlaw. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The guard at the gate opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them...  Read More

John 15:1-17“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you...  Read More

John 14:1-6“Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. You know the way to the place I’m going.”Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are goin...  Read More

John 8:1-12Early in the morning he returned to the temple. All the people gathered around him, and he sat down and taught them. The legal experts and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. Placing her in the center of the group, they said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone women like this. What do you say?” Th...  Read More

John 6:28-40They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?”Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.”They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”Jesus told them, “I assure you, ...  Read More

Sunday, April 3THE PRACTICE OF GIVING by Seth BottsReflectionWhy are talks of money so hard? Why do they make me so uncomfortable? In a world where accumulation of resources carries so much social value, it is hard to trade those resources for something intangible. For me, in order to open my heart to giving, I had to first let go of the transactional expectation that I have associated with money ...  Read More

John 3:1-17There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.”Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.”Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult ...  Read More

Luke 16:1-13Jesus also said to the disciples, “A certain rich man heard that his household manager was wasting his estate. He called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give me a report of your administration because you can no longer serve as my manager.’“The household manager said to himself, What will I do now that my master is firing me as his manager? I’m not stron...  Read More

Matthew 25:31-46“Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left.“Then the king will say to those on his right, ...  Read More

Matthew 19:16-30A man approached him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?”Jesus said, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There’s only one who is good. If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments.”The man said, “Which ones?”Then Jesus said, “Don’t commit murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t give false testimony. Honor your father and moth...  Read More

Matthew 6:19-24“Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is heal...  Read More

Luke 21:1-4Looking up, Jesus saw rich people throwing their gifts into the collection box for the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow throw in two small copper coins worth a penny. He said, “I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than them all. All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had to live on.”Reflection Wh...  Read More

ReflectionWhat is the simplest way to be more like Jesus? Being of service. Jesus’s ministry was characterized by consistent care and attention given to others. Although today I can’t expect to have even a fraction of the impact had by Jesus via service, I can dedicate my  most valuable resource, my time, to serving those around me. By consistently dedicating my time and energy to the service of o...  Read More

Matthew 8:5-13When Jesus went to Capernaum, a centurion approached, pleading with him, “Lord, my servant is flat on his back at home, paralyzed, and his suffering is awful.”Jesus responded, “I’ll come and heal him.”But the centurion replied, “Lord, I don’t deserve to have you come under my roof. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. I’m a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I s...  Read More

Mark 10:46-52Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David...  Read More

John 4:1-26Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was making more disciples and baptizing more than John (although Jesus’ disciples were baptizing, not Jesus himself).Therefore, he left Judea and went back to Galilee.Jesus had to go through Samaria. He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was ti...  Read More

Mark 2:1-12After a few days, Jesus went back to Capernaum, and people heard that he was at home. So many gathered that there was no longer space, not even near the door. Jesus was speaking the word to them. Some people arrived, and four of them were bringing to him a man who was paralyzed. They couldn’t carry him through the crowd, so they tore off part of the roof above where Jesus was. When they...  Read More

Mark 5:24b-34A swarm of people were following Jesus, crowding in on him. A woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a lot under the care of many doctors, and had spent everything she had without getting any better. In fact, she had gotten worse. Because she had heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes. She was thinking, If I can...  Read More

ReflectionWhen I attended my first Explore Group in the Summer of 2021, I had been attending the church for several months and was existing as simply a consumer of christianity, I was far from an empowered Christian leader. I would attend Sunday sermons, arriving once worship had started and leaving immediately after the closing prayer. Through this intimate group of people, which would eventually...  Read More

Matthew 13:44-52“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field.“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all that he owned and bought it.“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net th...  Read More

Matthew 6:25-34“Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? Who among you by worry...  Read More

Matthew 5:13-16“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet.You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in t...  Read More

Matthew 5:1-12Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. He taught them, saying:“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.“Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.“Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousn...  Read More

Tuesday, March 15I’VE COME FOR SINNERS by Jeff AllenLuke 5:27-31Afterward, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”Levi got up, left everything behind, and followed him. Then Levi threw a great banquet for Jesus in his home. A large number of tax collectors and others sat down to eat with them. The Pharisees and thei...  Read More

Monday, March 14RECLAIMING THE TEMPLE by Dave MerrillJohn 2:13-22It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple those who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as those involved in exchanging currency sitting there. He made a whip from ropes and chased them all out of the temple, including the cattle and the sheep. He scattered the coins...  Read More

Sunday, March 13THE PRACTICE OF WORSHIP by Sabra EngelbrechtReflectionWorship is a foundational part of our relationship with God; however, many of us miss the significance of worship, believing it is an optional, even unnecessary aspect of our faith life. It is easy to think of worship as something we go to, or watch (when we feel like it). We say things like, “Worship was awesome today”, or “Wor...  Read More

Saturday, March 12THE FIRST MIRACLE by Mike DePopeJohn 2:1-12On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They don’t have any wine.”Jesus replied, “Woman, what does that have to do with me? My time hasn’t come yet.”His mother told the servants, “...  Read More

Friday, March 11THE CALLING OF PETER by Dave DietrichLuke 5:1-11One day Jesus was standing beside Lake Gennesaret when the crowd pressed in around him to hear God’s word. Jesus saw two boats sitting by the lake. The fishermen had gone ashore and were washing their nets. Jesus boarded one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, then asked him to row out a little distance from the shore. Jesus...  Read More

Thursday, March 10INVITATION by Suzanne BasslerJohn 1:35-50The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus walking along he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus.When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, “What are you looking for?”They said, “Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying...  Read More

Wednesday, March 9THE SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED by Samantha YoderLuke 4:14-22Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news about him spread throughout the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. On the Sabbath he went to the synagogue as he normally did and stood up to read. The synagogue assistant...  Read More

Tuesday, March 8JESUS IN THE DESERT by Jeff AllenMatthew 4:1-11Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving. The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.”Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread, but by every word s...  Read More