8th Day in Lent (Thursday)
Read: Luke 18:9-14
Jesus said: “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:14 (NIV)
‘Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering and brokenness.’
The story about Nicky Cruz is fascinating. He grew up in the slums of Puerto Rico, where his own mother called him the ‘Son of Satan’ and lived on the streets of New York City where he joined a gang and eventually became the gang leader. This was a man who has lived the worst and seen the worst of society. But due to the love and saving grace of God, Cruz gave his life to Jesus, studied the Bible and became an evangelist to the gangs in New York City. Nicky wanted to bring the love of God to others who were like him.
Nicky Cruz understood grace. He understood what it was to be a sinner who had committed the most dastardly acts and crimes through his life. Imagine how he felt being forgiven all these sins and being totally accepted and loved through God’s act of grace for him. In the Bible story above, Jesus told of the two men praying in the temple. One felt that he was so good that he didn’t need to be forgiven and the other felt that he was so bad that God really couldn’t forgive him. We have all sinned and done wrong things, but nothing is so bad that God in his mercy and grace won’t forgive us when we ask for forgiveness. It is only when we see and acknowledge our wrongs and sins that we can see and acknowledge how marvellous God’s saving grace is for us. Every one of us is broken. I like the analogy of the Japanese Kintsugi pottery. It involves putting broken pieces together and fusing them together with gold. It is built on the idea that through embracing the flaws and imperfections of the pottery, an even more beautiful creation can result and will be stronger and a piece of art. God is the potter who forgives all our imperfections and heals our brokenness with the gold of Heaven creating the most priceless person – you! Grace heals all brokenness! Prayer: Merciful God, thank you for healing me and forgiving me. I am a broken person and you have made me into a loved child of you. Give me courage to share this love. Amen.
7th Day in Lent (Wednesday)
Read: Luke 19:1-10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:10 (NIV)
“Grace is God’s best idea. His decision to ravage a people by love, to rescue passionately, and to restore justly – what rivals it? Of all his wondrous works grace,
in my estimation, is the magnum opus.’ ~ Max Lucado A ‘Magnum Opus’ is considered a masterpiece or a creation that has been given much critical acclaim and praise. It is a great work of art, literature, or music and is considered the greatest single piece of work by that artist. Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel ceiling, especially ‘The Creation of Adam’ is considered his magnum opus. ‘The Mona Lisa’ painting is considered Leonardo Da Vinci’s magnum opus even though it wasn’t produced for any great event or person. Beethoven’s magnum opus was his ‘Symphony No 9 in D minor’, known as Beethoven’s ninth. J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ is considered his magnum opus.
God’s magnum opus would be the giving of His one and only Son for the salvation of all of humankind – His gift of grace. God loves us so much that He was prepared to have His Son die the most horrible death, to beat Satan, and then to be raised victoriously just so we could be saved to live forever with our Heavenly Father. The whole of Jesus’ ministry was leading to this great event, and He taught about God’s Kingdom so that we could understand what God, His Father, had sent Him to do.
In the story in Luke 19, Jesus came to the sinner Zacchaeus and promised Him eternal life – for Jesus had come to “…to seek and save what was lost.” God’s work of grace for all of humankind – that He rescue us and forgive us all we have done wrong and above all love us unconditionally. To me, that is God’s masterpiece! Today God also seeks us in love, even when we are lost and ashamed and He restores us in His grace.
That truly is a magnum opus! What would you consider your magnum opus? Prayer: My loving Saviour, thank you for being prepared to come and save me and restore me through your love, grace and forgiveness – help me to live each day in thanksgiving to you. Amen.
Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers (Luke 2:47).
Read Luke 2:41–52
Jesus’ miraculous inception and birth involved angels and shepherds. In those early days, not only was he prophesied over (see yesterday’s reading), but wise men came bearing gifts. Wow – and, of course, this was followed by a hasty escape to Egypt so that the mad king couldn’t kill Jesus. Being the parents of the Messiah was no easy mission!
Luke tells us that even though Jesus’ parents lived in Galilee, they took the young Jesus to Jerusalem every year for Passover. Surely the Messiah should be brought to the City of David and spend time in the temple. When better to do that than during the most holy time of Passover? And now that Jesus was 12 years old, they lost him! They have misplaced God’s promised Messiah. Imagine how they felt … As many commentators point out, Mary probably assumed that Jesus was travelling with Joseph and the men, and Joseph assumed he was travelling with Mary and the women and children. However, Jesus was in his Father’s house, back in Jerusalem.
I know that awful feeling of looking down and not seeing the child who was with me mere moments ago: the panicked prayers sent to my Heavenly Father, followed by the praise upon finding the missing child. Many things that God calls us to have scary times – be it a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, a child, a spouse, an employee or an employer. But be assured, Jesus is where he is meant to be. Our Risen Lord Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. He is in the bread and the wine. Jesus has promised to be with us and to never leave us. While we may think we have lost sight of Jesus, he is always holding on to us!
Gracious Father, you never lose track of me, though I often fail you. Thank you for your forgiveness, mercy, and faithfulness. Through your Holy Spirit, keep my eyes focused on the cross and all that your dear Son has done for me. I ask this in his mighty name. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Glenn has been married to Karen for 38 years, and they have two grown sons – and their first grandchild is on the way (due March 2024).
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah (Luke 2:26).
Read Luke 2:22–40
Our passage today includes the wonderful story of Simeon. A man who loved and trusted the Lord God of Israel and had been promised by the Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. While we often picture him as quite an old man, please note that the passage does not give us any indication of his age. However, given that upon seeing the infant Jesus, he is ready and willing to die (verse 29), it would seem he has lived a full life.
As we saw yesterday, once again, the Holy Spirit is involved in moving people – this time, ensuring that Simeon is in the temple on this day that the holy family is present. The Holy Spirit is still at work moving people – and moving you.
When did you first see the Lord’s Messiah? Were you, like me, brought up in a Christian family and taught about Jesus from when you were born (and even when you were in your mother’s womb)? Were your parents moved by the Holy Spirit to baptise you as a child into the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour? Or did the Holy Spirit work in you as an adult, leading you to see who Jesus was and is? No matter your age, the Holy Spirit desires to move you towards Jesus. He wants to do this every day! He wants to continue to open your eyes to see that Jesus has lived the life you failed to do; he has died for you, and his resurrection proves you are forgiven.
Almighty God, forgive me when I have not heeded your Spirit’s prompting. Open my eyes and ears so that I can see and hear clearly. Keep me focused on your dear Son, Jesus. Keep moving me by your Spirit. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Glenn has been married to Karen for 38 years, and they have two grown sons – and their first grandchild is on the way (due March 2024).
At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness (Mark 1:12).
Read Mark 1:9–15
I’ve always thought of Mark as the action movie of the gospels. He gives us one scene after another, with very little rest in between. In our passage today, we have Jesus’ baptism, forty days in the wilderness, temptation, John’s arrest, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and ‘repent and believe’. All of that happens in seven verses. We also see the Holy Spirit at work, descending on Jesus at his baptism and leading Jesus into the wilderness. I believe Mark wants us to understand that the Spirit keeps doing this – leading Jesus from one scene to another. Mark is eager to show us that Jesus is the promised Messiah and that as we see who he is, we, too, will want to follow the Spirit’s lead and follow Jesus.
Having put our trust in Jesus, we have peace with God; we have eternal life; we have so much – but we are not promised a trouble-free life. We sometimes forget that ‘to follow’ means to go through the same things the person you are following has gone through. We see in the gospels that Jesus faced many difficulties. He went through hunger, thirst, weariness, suffering, betrayal, and so much more. Remember Mark 8:34 (take up your cross). Of course, Jesus had many good times with friends and family; he enjoyed many a good meal with good conversation and, no doubt, enjoyed much of the good creation (that he created).
Like Jesus, the Spirit is going to lead us through various action scenes. We are going to go through glorious times and challenging times – and even devastating times. As we do, remember that we are not the action star – Jesus is! The Holy Spirit, whom we received in our baptism, is with us. Jesus promised he would never leave us. We are the precious children of our Heavenly Father.
Heavenly Father, thank you for fulfilling your promises and sending Israel’s Messiah – my dear Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Help me to follow your Spirit’s leading so that my life may be based on repenting and believing in Jesus. In his mighty name, I pray. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Glenn has been married to Karen for 38 years, and they have two grown sons – and their first grandchild is on the way (due March 2024).
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long (Psalm 25:5).
Read Psalm 25:1–10
This verse from Psalm 25 wonderfully points out that in our daily walk with God, we have the blessing of looking to the past, present and future.
The past: ‘Guide me in your truth and teach me.’
This points to the way God has gone before us, laying out the path to be in a relationship with him and serve him. The word guide (as written in the NIV) comes with connotations of a large Monty Pythonesque hand reaching down from heaven to push us in the right direction. Which is what we might sometimes wish would happen. But ‘guide me’ is better understood here in the sense of someone treading before us, physically leading the way.
For David, as the psalm writer, God had not yet physically come to earth and walked before his people – although he had interacted with them through priests and prophets. We have the advantage of God walking ahead of us, which is recorded in the Bible. We can turn to God manifested in history to seek his guidance.
The present: ‘For you are God, my Saviour.’
We die daily with Christ (1 Corinthians 15:31), and therefore daily receive his salvation, rejoicing in him as Saviour. God is our Saviour in the present, right now.
The future: ‘My hope is in you all day long.’
Hope points to the future. What’s more, hope in this verse is better translated as ‘in you Lord, do I wait [expectantly] all day long’. David is constantly looking to the future, to the eager expectation of the full revelation of God’s glory. We can do the same.
Today, may you look to God in the past, present and future, following the way of Jesus, living in his daily salvation, and looking with hope for the glory to come.
God, you are the Lord of all time – past, present and future. Thank you that you work in all of these, and we can experience the blessings that come through that. Help us to live our day with the hope of your future glory in our hearts. Amen.
Emma works as a freelance videographer in Adelaide, and she recently joined Lutheran Media as its Production Assistant. Emma also studies theology and is heavily involved in youth camping ministry around South Australia. In her free time, she eats a lot of cheese, attempts to grow vegetables (the tomatoes have been the best success so far), and has committed the majority of her ‘casual reading’ time this year to getting through War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
he Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come, and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life … Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:17,20).
Read Revelation 22:1–11
Youth camps, ultimate frisbee, beach volleyball, camping, strawberry picking, backpacking Europe. These are some of the things I always liked the idea of but never bothered to actually consider doing until I was specifically invited by a friend to join them.
How many things in life would you not have done if you hadn’t first been invited?
Fittingly, the end of the Bible, while wrapping things up, is also an invitation. But to what? And by whom?
Firstly, we have the invitation from the Trinity to come and drink the water of life.
And secondly, John (on behalf of the church, I assume) ends his letter with the invitation to ‘Come, Lord Jesus’.
What a beautiful way to finish what is, for most, a very scary and confusing book of the Bible. An ending of a relationship. Because a relationship is an invitation – love offered without compulsion.
It began in Genesis with God’s invitation to Adam and Eve to join him in ruling the earth and building the population. But Adam and Eve didn’t return that invitation. They were so fearful after their first act of sin that the last thing they were going to do was invite God to come!
But here in Revelation, at the restoration of all things, redeemed humanity can, without shame, cry: ‘Come, Lord!’
Recent studies indicate people in Australia might be quite interested in coming to church and finding out about this whole Christianity thing; they just haven’t been invited yet (source: National Church Life Survey). Let’s extend God’s invitation. Let’s show people they don’t need to fear a perfect God because of their imperfections any longer. The gift of the water of life is free.
Lord God, you are always inviting us into a relationship with you. Help us to take up the invitation daily and put aside any fear, reluctance or complacency getting in the way of that life-giving invitation. Amen.
Emma works as a freelance videographer in Adelaide, and she recently joined Lutheran Media as its Production Assistant. Emma also studies theology and is heavily involved in youth camping ministry around South Australia. In her free time, she eats a lot of cheese, attempts to grow vegetables (the tomatoes have been the best success so far), and has committed the majority of her ‘casual reading’ time this year to getting through War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
2nd Day in Lent (Thursday)
Read: Psalm 118
“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” Psalm 118:8 (NIV)
‘The very centre and core of the Bible is the doctrine of the grace of God.’ ~J. Gresham Machen
I have recently come across these Bible facts (makes one wonder about the miracle of it):
• The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117
• The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119
• The chapter in the centre of the Bible is Psalm 118
• There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118
• There are 594 chapters after Psalm 118
• Add these two numbers up and you get 1188 chapters altogether.
• The centre verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8 (written above)
Is this what we mean by the centre and core of the Bible? Maybe, but it is God’s
undeserved love shown for His people! Grace is seasoned through the whole Bible and
even the literal centre verse of the Bible is peppered with God’s love – He gives shelter
and refuge from all circumstances, unlike the fickleness of humans. Read Psalm 118 if
you haven’t already and read of David’s joy in the love of God that he felt he did not
deserve. It speaks of the grace that God also offers to each of us. When David writes
‘I’ – put your own name there and rest in the grace and love of an amazing God.
Try to find a story in the New Testament or one in the Old Testament where God’s
ultimate love and grace is not apparent and how through everything He does is for the
love of His people. Yes, there are stories of judgement, but underlying these stories is the
message of God’s grace. One such story is Noah’s Ark – God was so displeased with how
evil His people had become, He could have destroyed the whole earth with the click of
His fingers and then forgotten all about creating anything else. Instead, God in His love
saved one family and His amazing creatures. Then came God’s promise in the rainbow
that He would never do such a thing again – all out of His love!
Explore the Bible and God’s Grace for His people.
Prayer: Gracious God, you have promised me your love over and over again through all
that is written in your Word. Help me to share this undeserved grace and love of a loving
God. Amen.
Karma vs Grace Ash Wednesday Read: Psalm 103:1-12 “Out of the fullness of his grace He has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.” John 1:16 (GNT) ‘Grace is the opposite of Karma, which is all about getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve and not getting what you do deserve.’ A few years ago, the movie ‘Unbroken’ came to my attention. Louis Zamperini was an Olympic runner who joined the army and during World War 2 was captured and imprisoned in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The story is quite graphic in its descriptions of the horrors that Zamperini and his fellow POW soldiers went through. When he was finally released at the end of the war, he was full of bitterness and anger towards his captors who had tortured and killed so many of his friends. One day he went to a Billy Graham revival meeting and opened his life to the freedom and grace that Jesus offered. His life changed completely. He experienced the grace of God. When he encountered one of the Japanese guards who had hurt him physically and mentally, instead of anger and retaliation, Zamperini forgave this guard and showed him undeserved favour and love. This is a human example of just a fraction of the grace that is extended to us. In a society where we are all about others getting what they deserve (Karma) and the courts full of plaintiffs trying to get retribution for the pain and evil suffered to them, God’s gift of grace is unreal. Can you imagine the courts full of people wanting to offer others forgiveness and love? People getting what they don’t deserve? There would be no need for lawyers and courts. This Lenten season these devotions will be focussing on what we don’t deserve. The opposite of Karma! We don’t deserve the incredible love of a God who has to put up with all our complaining and going against his plan for us – but he loves us anyway and offers us total and absolute forgiveness and grace. As you may receive the ashes at the Ash Wednesday service today: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Prayer: My Heavenly Father, you extend such incredible love and acceptance for me. Help me live in the grace you offer me and share this grace with others around me. Amen.