2013 devotional booklet

7/29/2019 2013 Devotional Booklet

1/32

The angel said to them,Do not be afraid. See! I bring you

good newsof great joy which isfor all people

Lenten Devotional 2013

Luke 2:10 NLV


2/32Southwood Lutheran ChurchLincoln, Nebraska2

Lent and EasterWorship Services

Lent and Easter Oferings will support SouthwoodsGlobal Mission work in Honduras and Tanzania. Over75 people will be serving with Southwood at theseission sites during 2013.

Ash Wednesday Worship Wednesday, February 13 5:15 and 6:45 .m. Services with Holy Counion Lenten Meal served 5:007:00 .m.

Lent Worship Wednesdays, February 20 & 27

and March 6, 13 & 20 6:30 .m. Service with Holy Counion Lenten Meal served 5:006:30 .m.

Holy Week Worship Maundy ursday March 28 6:30 .m.

Good Friday March 29 6:30 .m. Easter Services March 31

7:30, 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 .m.

Sunday Services at 8:30, 9:45 & 11:00 .m.402.423.5511 [email protected] Address: .. x 22767 Lincoln, 68542Physical Address: 9300 South 40th Street Lincoln, 68516


3/32Good News for All PeopleLenten Devotional 2013 3

Dear Friends,

Welcoe to the season o Lent and Southwoods th annual Lenten Devotionalbooklet. I know it sees like we just said goodbye to the last gasps o the Christas

season, but now we turn to this season o Lent and prepare our hearts or a diferentcelebration.

e good news is were beginning with Christas. is year our Lenten Devotionalreadings will take us through the entire book o Luke. Fro Jesus birth and baptis,to his parables, to the Last Supper, the cross and ost iportantlythe Resurrec-tion.

As I read the book o Luke, the essage I continually hear is how Jesus is bringing all

people into a relationship with God. Hes not interested in just a chosen group orthe religious elite knowing about God, he wants everybody to hear and to know theGospel essage. Fro the very beginning o the story we hear the angels proclai:Do not be araid. See! I bring you good news o great joy which is or all people.

In this devotional booklet are daily readings ro scripture along with reectionson the tet. As Lent begins, please coit yoursel to these daily readings. You willgrow in new ways as you take tie each day iersing yoursel in scripture anddevotion to God. You ight take an etra step too and challenge yoursel to read

the entire book o Luke during the net ve weeks. On page 31 is a checklist or you,i you take on that challenge.

ank you to Michelle DeRusha who, or the ourth year, has written these devotion-als or you. She shared the work this year with her husband, Brad Johnson, and weare so grateul to both o the. e work ofered in writing over orty devotionals iscertainly a git to our congregation. Special thanks also to Deb Paden who graciouslyshares her artistic skills with us again this year. We are blessed.

May you be inspired this season by Gods word and a Savior who cae or all people,

including you!

Many Blessings,



Ash Wednesday, February 13 Read: Joel 2:12-17at is why the Lord says, Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts, comewith fasting, weeping and mourning. (v. 12)

So oten we put of our relationship with God. Distracted by our endless everydayresponsibilities, we tell ourselves well connect with God later, toorrow, when wehave ore tie to coit to Hi. But too oten the tie doesnt agically pres-ent itsel; our busyness pushes God into the corners o our lives. As we enter thesesi weeks o Lent, a tie o repentance and renewal, listen to Gods words in these

verses: Turn to e now, while there is still tie. e tie is now, not toorrow, notnet week or net onth. Make a coitent to dedicate these Lenten weeks toGod. It doesnt have to be coplicated or even tie-consuing. A siple coit-ent o a ew inutes each day in which to allow your heart to return to the Lord.

Lord, as I begin this Lenten study, please give me the focus and fortitude I need

to commit my heart to you in a new way. Amen.

Thursday, February 14 Read: Luke 1:1-4Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I have also decided to writea careful account for you, most honorable eophilus, so you can be certain of the truth ofeverything you were taught. (v. 3)

A lot o us spent tie when we were young in Sunday School or a youth Bible study,hearing the Old and New Testaent stories and eorizing prayers and co-andents. We were taught that what we heard was act, and we believed it largelybecause our teachers and religious leaders told us so. Here, in the opening passageso the Gospel o Luke, Luke tells us that he will take a diferent approach, digging intoeye witness accounts o Jesus lie in a systeatic, logical way, so that we ay learn itand understand it or ourselves, not because we eorized it by rote, but becausewe know it is true in our hearts.

Lord, thank you for allowing me this opportunity to study Lukes thorough

account of Your Sons life. Breathe new insights and understanding into these

ancient words, so that I may grow to know and love You more deeply than ever.

Amen.



Friday, February 15 Read: Luke 1:5-56Zechariah asked the angel, How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is wellalong in years. (v. 18 0) How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am avirgin? (v. 34 0)

Its interesting to copare the descriptions o the annunciationsthe occasions inwhich both Zechariah, ather o John the Baptist, and Mary, other o Jesus, were

both visited by an angel bringing news o the ipending births. In both cases Zecha-riah and Mary reacted to the arrival o the angel siilarlyboth were startled andearul, and both were reassured by the angel. But note the subtle diference betweenZechariahs and Marys reactions to the news. While Zechariah challenged the angelto provide prooHow can I be sure o this?Mary didnt doubt the certainty othe actual event, she siply questioned the logistics o it. Soeties we are Zechari-ah on our own aith journeys, questioning God, skeptical that He will coe throughor us, insisting that He give us proo. But God desires a Mary-like aithcondento Gods goodness and His power.

Lord, I know sometimes I challenge You to oer proof of Your existence, proof

that You will fulll Your promises. Please nurture a Mary-like faith in my heart.

I want to believe and know that nothing is impossible for you. Amen.

Saturday, February 16 Read: Luke 1:57-80And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will pre-

pare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to nd salvation through forgivenessof their sins. (vs. 76-77)

We tend to think o John the Baptist as special, holy, set apart and distinguished rothe rest o us as one o Gods holy prophets. Truthully, though, we can read thesewords, spoken by Zechariah and inspired by the Holy Spirit, as words eant or usas well. As Christians, we coon, ordinary huans are chosen by God as His holypeople. Our job, like John the Baptists, is to spread His Good News, to prepare apath or others who ight not know Jesus, to help the nd Hi aid the chaoso this world. is prophecy is eant as uch or you as it was intended or Johnthe Baptist. You, too, are a prophet o the Most High. e question is: how are youpreparing the way or the Lord?

Lord, forgive me for forgetting that I, too, am one of Your holy and chosen

people. I know You have a specic role for me in helping to lead others to You.

Please help me see clearly how I can fulll that role here in Your kingdom on

Earth. Amen.



Sunday, February 17 Read: Luke 2When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, Lets go to

Bethlehem! Lets see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about!ey hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lyingin the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened andwhat the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds story wereastonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. e

shepherds went back to their ocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard andseen. It was just as the angel had told them. (vs. 15-2)

e truth is, there is no oneright way to worship and cel-ebrate God. Take these verses,or instance, in which we seetwo very diferent approaches to

worship. When the shepherdsheard the news about the birth othe Savior, they actively rejoiced,hurrying to the village to crowdinto the anger. Ater witness-ing Jesus, they let iediately tobegin spreading the word, eagerto tell everyone about this Good

News. e shepherds were eno action, putting their aith andworship into otiontraveling,

visiting and then verbally gloriy-ing and praising God everywherethey went, even as they returnedto their ocks.

Now look at Mary. While the

shepherds and other visitorscrowded around her and the baby, praising, rejoicing and eclaiing over the aston-ishing news, Mary sat quietly aid the bustle, conteplating the aazing turn oevents. e tet reads that she kept all these things in her heart and thought aboutthe oten. e New International translation o these verses reads that Mary trea-sured up all these things and pondered the in her heart. Mary quietly treasured thebirth o her son, the Savior. She didnt sing Hallelujah or eclai Aen or even prayaudibly, but that doesnt ean she didnt rejoice over the birth o the Saviorshesiply epressed her joy and thanksgiving diferently than the shepherds.

e very diferent ways Mary and the shepherds worshipped Jesus reinds us thatpraise and prayer coe in any orsboisterous and joyul, quiet and contepla-tive and every variation in between.

Dear God, please know that no matter how I choose to express my worship, I

praise You with every ounce of my being. Amen.



Monday, February 18 Read: Luke 3:1-22Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Dont

just say to each other, Were safe, for we are descendants of Abraham. at means nothing,for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. (v. 8)

As Lutherans we believe that we are saved by the grace o God alone. But this doesnt

ean we dont need to continually repent o our sins and return again and againto God. Nor does it ean that we are allowed to skate through our short lie hereon Earth without contributing to the betterent o Gods people. John the Baptistdidnt ince his words in this speech to the ancient Israelites who cae to the JordanRiver, epecting to be baptized. Every tree that does not produce good ruit willbe chopped down and thrown in the re, he told the bluntly. And his answer tothe crowds question, What should we do? is intended as uch or us as it was orthe: Give to the poor. Share your ood with the hungry. Dont cheat others. Dontake alse accusations. Be content with what you have.

Lord, sometimes I rely too much on Your gift of grace. I get lazy, assuming I can

skate through life on grace. Tank you for reminding me that I have work to do

in Your kingdom on Earth. Please give me the insight to see and the strength to

accomplish Your specic will for me. Amen.

Tuesday, February 19 Read: Luke 3:23-38Jesus was known as the son of Joseph (v. 23) Adam was the son of God. (v. 38)

Most o us probably skip, or at least ski through the genealogy sections o the Oldand New Testaents. Unless were epecting a baby and are searching or a uniquenae with Biblical origins, we dont see uch value in a long, boring list o ancientnaes, right? What we orget, though, is that these lists o naes oten provide in-teresting insights into our aith. Lukes list here in Chapter ree, or instance, tracesJesus ancestry not only back to Abraha, the ather o the Israelites, but to Adahisel, the original son o God and the very rst an. Lukes point is to illustratethat Jesus is Savior not just to the Jews, but to the entire world. And just as Lukes list

o naes traces Jesus ancestry, it traces our own, too. We are indeed the sons anddaughters o Ada and the sons and daughters o Christ.

Lord, I often tend to think of myself as the spiritual child of Christ, but not

necessarily his actual child, by birth. Tank you for this global perspective on

my very own lineage today and for helping me to connect my own ancestry with

Jesus Himself. Amen.



Wednesday, February 20 Read: Luke 4:1-13en Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spiritin the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing at allthat time and became very hungry. (vs. 1-2)

When we think o the Holy Spirit, we oten picture a quiet, restul presence thatbrings peace and respite into our hectic lives. And while that is certainly an accurate

portrayal o the Holy Spirit, its iportant to note that the Spirit oten propts usboldly, in unepected and soeties even challenging ways. In this instance, oreaple, we notice that the tet says that Jesus was led by the Spiritled into thewilderness, toward teptation by the devil hisel. e act is, soeties the HolySpirit intentionally leads us into uncoortable, dicult circustances, places wewould rather not be. Soeties God intentionally tests us, in order to strengthenour aith and our trust in Hi. Soeties God allows us to go hungry, so that,epty and vulnerable, we will allow ourselves to be lled by Hi again.

Dear God, give me strength and hope to withstand temptation and the desola-

tion of the wilderness. Help me follow You, wherever You may lead. Amen.

Thursday, February 21 Read: Luke 4:14-41Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijahs time, when the heavens wereclosed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah wasnot sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreignera widow of Zarephath in theland of Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, butthe only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian. When they heard this, the people in the syna-

gogue were furious. (vs 25-28)

We dont like to think o ourselves as the angry Jews in this story, bitter and resentulthat God bestowed His love on oreigners, the others, who they deeed unde-serving o that love. But think again. Maybe youve deterined another person tooawed or too sinul to deserve Gods love. Perhaps youve judged another person aswrong or unworthy. Maybe you, too, have decided that certain groups o people arenot eligible to be chosen and accepted by God. e act is, God chooses who Hewants to choose, based not on the qualications we deterine but on His own per-ectly right criteria. We dont choose or God; the decision is His alone.

Lord, I know I am guilty of sometimes assuming that I am more worthy of being

chosen and loved by You than my neighbor. Please broaden my understand-

ing of Your all-encompassing love and accept that the power to choose is Yours

alone. Amen.



Friday, February 22 Read: Luke 4:42-5:39When he had nished speaking, he said to Simon, Now go out where it is deeper, and letdown your nets to catch some sh. Master, Simon replied, we worked hard all last nightand didnt catch a thing. But if you say so, Ill let the nets down again. And this time theirnets were so full of sh they began to tear! (vs. 4-6)

Soeties we ust ollow Gods propting in our lives siply out o trust and obe-dience. In this story, Sion Peter doubts that he will catch even a single sh. Aterall, hes just returned epty-handed ro an entire night at sea. You can hear the

doubt and rustration in his voiceI you say so, he says to God, pushing his boatro shore and begrudgingly heading back out to sea. e key, though, is that SionPeter obeys the Lord, in spite o his doubt. He ay have been thinking, is isridiculous, this is a coplete waste o tie, but yet, when he hears Gods coand,when he hears His propt, Sion listens and obeys. e net tie you doubt Godscalling in your own lie, reeber Sion Peter: listen and obey, even in the idst o

your skepticis.

Lord, sometimes I doubt You, I doubt Your calling in my life; I refuse to obey

You when I cant see a clear outcome. Help me trust You in these times of uncer-

tainty. Help me obey You in complete trust. Amen.

Saturday, February 23 Read: Luke 6:1-16One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God allnight. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to beapostles. (vs. 12-13)

In this day and age o rapant social edia and ultiple ways to ake instantaneous

connection, we are oten overwheled with a deluge o opportunities or co-unity, connection and ellowship. We have hundreds o Facebook riends, dozenso eails piled up in our in-bo and a social calendar packed with activities. Yetwe need to ask ourselves, is this true connection, true counion? Jesus, too, hadthousands o ollowers and adirers and endless opportunities or connection, yetits iportant to note in this passage that he chose just twelve, a sall nuber o hisclosest condants in which to nurture a deeper, ore eaningul relationship. Do

you have an intiate circle o loved ones on who you can depend and who help younurture your relationship with God? Or have you spread yoursel too thin to aketrue and eaningul connections?

God, sometimes I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of connections I make

on a daily basis. Help me discern the people in my life that comprise my inner

circlethe ones who ll me up rather than deplete me. Te ones through whom

and with whom I can better connect with You. Amen.



Sunday, February 24 Read: Luke 6:17-49Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is likewho comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man build-ing a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a ood came, thetorrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well-built. But the one whohears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the

ground without a foundation. e moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed andits destruction was complete. (vs. 46-49 )

We oten have very good intentions. Well coe away ro Scripture or a seronconvicted, eager to transor our behavior and our lives. Inevitably, though, ourgood intentions ade away, and beore we know it, distracted by our daily lie, weveresorted to our bad habits and awed ways once again.

So whats the solution? How can we ake our good intentions stick? How can wetruly transor, not just in our heads, but in our hearts? e key, Jesus tells us here,is practice. We ust take Jesus teachings, His words, and ake the concretethrough practice.

Author Mark Buchanan puts it like this in his book e Rest o God: We need tochange our inds, yes, but we also need to change our ways. And or this we requirepractices to ebody and rehearse our change o ind. e physical is a handaidento the spiritual, but a necessary one, without practiceswithout gestures with whichto honor resh ways o perceivingany change o ind will be supercial, articial,short-lived. We ight attain a genuinely new thought, but without soe way o put-ting it into practice, the thought gets suck in abstractions, lost in orgetting.

e net tie you eel convicted by Scripture or a seron, consider how you ightlive out that teaching in a practical way. ink about a new routine or a spiritualpractice that will ceent those words into your everyday, so that they will transornot only your thinking, but your entire lie.

Lord, please help me transform my good intentions into concrete action. Tenext time I am convicted by Your Word, show me how I might live out Your

teaching in my own life, in my everyday, so that my actions, not just my words,

demonstrate my faith. Amen.



Monday, February 25 Read: Luke 7:1-18A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. e young manwho died was a widows only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. Whenthe Lord saw her, his heart overowed with compassion. Dont cry! he said. en hewalked over to the con and touched it, and the bearers stopped. Young man, he said, Itell you, get up. (vs. 12-14)

As a widow, this grieving other held just about the lowest possible position in so-ciety. She was, according to ancient Israelite standards, a nobody. And now, with the

death o her only son, the widows status plueted even urther. Status didnt at-ter to Jesus, though. He had copassion or the widow, despite the act that she wasworthless as ar as society was concerned. Its no coincidence that Jesus chose thewidow and her only son as the recipient o his iracle. He was aking a clear point,both to the ancient Israelites and to us today. Status doesnt atter. Jesus loves everyone o us, especially when we eel the least valuable to anyone else.

Dear God, I admit, sometimes I feel worthless and useless. Sometimes I feel like

a failure, a nobody. Please help me know in my heart that You value me and love

me just as I am. Amen.

Tuesday, February 26 Read: Luke 7:19-35After Johns disciples left, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. What kind of mandid you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind?Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people who wearbeautiful clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet?Yes, and he is more than a prophet. (vs. 24-26)

Soeties we ake judgents based on appearance. We see soeone who looksdiferently than we doa hoeless an; a entally ill woan; a person o a difer-ent ethnicity, religion or seual orientationand we judge that person as less than.In these verses Jesus challenges our tendency to judge based on appearance. Whatwere you epecting John the Baptist to look like? he asks the crowd. What do youthink a prophet should look like? he challenges. Did he look diferently than youiagined he would? Jesus challenges the crowd to re-eaine their epectations,and he asks us to do the sae. Holiness is present everywhere, in all people, perhaps

especially in those who we least epect to nd it.Lord, I know I am guilty of judging based on appearance and pre-conceived

notions. But I also know that You are found in the least of thesethe poor, the

dirty, the sick, the weak. Please open my eyes. Help me see You and love You in

every person, especially in the people I am least likely to accept and embrace.

Amen.



Wednesday, February 27 Read: Luke 7:36-50I tell you, her sinsand they are manyhave been forgiven, so she has shown me muchlove. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love. en Jesus said to thewoman, Your sins are forgiven. (vs. 47-48)

No atter how badly you have sinned or how deeply awed

you are, know that there is always hope in Jesus. In theseverses Jesus ofers us a worst-case scenario: the egre-

gious sinner, the prostitute, the woan who sinnedagain and again and again. Yet she is the one Jesus

chooses to orgivethis woan, the one lookedupon so disdainully by Sion and the other

Pharisees. ey couldnt atho why in theworld Jesus would waste his tie

on such a lost cause, such avile, worthless woan.

What the Pharisees re-used to understand, o

course, is that or Jesus,there is no lost cause;there is no sin too greatto be orgiven.

God, I know I dont deserve to be forgiven. I know I dont deserve Your limitless,

amazing grace. Tank you for this incredible gift. Amen.

Thursday, February 28 Read: Luke 8:1-21No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is

placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. (v. 16)

Soe o us ight eel intiidated when we read a verse like this one. We are un-coortable with the idea o evangelizing; we dont like the idea o talking about our

aith with others. But look closely at the language in this verse: its light can be seenby all Here Jesus tells us that our actions can be just as powerul as our words. eHoly Spirit lives in each one o us, and our job is to allow that Light to shine brightlythrough our words and our actions, so that others ay be inspired and convictedby the power o Jesus Christ. Today, take a oent to think about one sall way inwhich you can let the Light o the Holy Spirit shine onto soeone else and then vowto ake it happen.

Lord, what an amazing gift You have given me: the Holy Spirit, Your very es-

sence, in me. oday, help me bless someone else by shining that Light ontothem, so that they, too, will know Your love. Amen.



Friday, March 1 Read: Luke 8:22-56e disciples went and woke him up, shouting, Master, Master, were going to drown!When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm

stopped and all was calm. en he asked them, Where is your faith? (vs. 24-25)

Do you ever eel absolutely panicked, convinced that despite your desperate prayers,

God doesnt hear you or isnt listening? Have you ever elt like you were drowningin grie, in aniety, in ear, in stressand wondered where Jesus was aid the tuulto your lie? Its in these oents that we need our aith the ost, knowing in ourhearts that Jesus is in control, even when it sees like He is sleeping on the job. Asa riend o ine likes to say, Gods got it. Have aith. Know that Hes got it and isalways with you in the here and now.

Lord, I know sometimes my faith is weak. I know that when my life seems to

spin out of control, I sometimes wonder where You are; I question whether

Youre at the helm at all. Lord, strengthen me; give me the condence to knowthat You are with me when I doubt. Amen.

Saturday, March 2 Read: Luke 9:1-27When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. en he slippedquietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. But the crowds found out where hewas going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdomof God, and he healed those who were sick. (vs. 1-11)

A child interrupts you at the coputer to ask orhelp. An elderly parent interrupts your well-planned day to ask that you run an errand.A colleague interrupts your work to askor advice. Your spouse interrupts youravorite television progra to discussa concern. e question is: how do youreact to these daily interruptions? Do

you resent the? Are you aggravated thattheyve upset your well-laid plans? Or do youreact like Jesus did when the crowd interruptedHis quiet tie? Instead o avoiding the crowd ortelling the He was too busy, Jesus welcoed theinterruption as an opportunity to teach and heal. Heapproached the interruption not as nuisance, but as a git,an opportunity to grow and nurture relationships.

Dear God, I want to embrace interruptions as Jesus did, not as a burden or an ir-ritation, but as a gift. Please help me see and welcome the myriad interruptions

in my day as an opportunity to love, nurture, teach and heal. Amen.



Sunday, March 3 Read: Luke 9:28-62John said to Jesus, Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but wetold him to stop because he isnt in our group. But Jesus said, Dont stop him! Anyone whois not against you is for you. (vs. 49-5)

At rst glance you ight think you cant relate to these verses at all. Casting out de-

ons? Healing the possessed? For ost o us, thats not part o our daily occupation.Yet look closely at whats really happening in these verses. e disciples are criticiz-ing soeone outside their own close-knit group or healing in Jesus nae. Becausethis other person isnt part o their group, because he is separate and perhaps practic-ing aith diferently ro the disciples, he is criticized or overstepping his bounds.

ink about it or a oent. Do you ever eel this way about those you consideroutside your group? Are you ever critical o Christians who practice their aithdiferently than you do? Have you ever considered another denoinations worship

practices or theology wrong because it difers ro yours?

Jesus point is that we need to consider the big picture when it coes to Christianityand aith. Instead o nitpicking over who has it right and who has it wrong, we needto appreciate, as Jesus said, that whoever is not against us, or Hi, is or us and orHi.

Consider the verses that precede these, in which Jesus chastised the disciples orarguing over who aong the was the ost iportant: anyone who welcoes ealso welcoes y Father who sent e. Whoever is the least aong you is the great-est. (:) Hierarchy is not iportant. Jesus does not welcoe only a specic groupo ollowers. Anyone is welcoe, especially those who are considered less-than.

We are all on the sae tea; none o us is better than the other. In the end, it doesntuch atter which theology is the purest or the best-aligned with Scripture. Ourission is siply to love God, love our neighbors and spread the Good News. atsthe big picture Jesus had in ind.

Lord, I know I can be judgmental of others. I know, based on their theology,

that sometimes I consider some people better Christians than others. Help mebroaden my perspective to live with the big-picture attitude You expect. Amen.

Monday, March 4 Read: Luke 10:1-24At that same time Jesus was lled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, O Father,Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think them-selves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you todo it this way. (v. 21)

Most o us probably dont particularly like the idea o God intentionally hiding soe-thing ro us. But the hard truth is that oten God requires that we patiently wait orHis answerand soeties that answer is a long tie in coing. God sees into our

very hearts. He knows our innerost thoughts, oten better than we know ourselves.And He knows when we are too dependent on our own abilities, too bent on control-



ling our own lives as we see t, rather than yielding to His will. In these circustanc-es, God ight withhold clarity and answers ro us, in order that we ight growand ature in our aith and trust in Hi.

Dear God, help me yield to Your will for me. Help me surrender control in order

that I may more fully trust in and obey You. Amen.

Tuesday, March 5 Read: Luke 10:25-37e man answered, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,all your strength, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. Right! Jesus toldhim. Do this and you will live! e man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus,And who is my neighbor? (vs. 27-29)

I suspect the an in this story isnt the only one with a narrow denition o neigh-bor. Its easy or us to consider the people we like as our neighbors; its easy to love

our riends and aily as ourselves and then justiy that love as enough. But whatabout the people who irritate us, like the surly co-worker or the crabby cashier? Orhow about the people we consider beneath usthe raggedy hoeless an on the



corner o O Street, the iprisoned pedophile, the people whose choices we judge asioral or wrong? Did Jesus epect us to love the as neighbors, too? e act is,Jesus denition o neighbor spans every oral, social and geographic boundarythere is no boundary, no liit to His love, and He epects there to be no liit to ourseither. e net tie you ask, Who is y neighbor? reeber that the answer isdeceptively siple. Its everyone.

Lord, I know I put limits on my love. Like the man in Jesus story, I pick and

choose who I deem worthy of being my neighbor. Help me break down those

boundaries so that I will love as freely and generously as You do. Amen.

Wednesday, March 6 Read: Luke 10:38-41But the Lord said to her, My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these de-tails! ere is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it

will not be taken away from her. (vs. 41-42)So whats this one thing worth being concerned about that Jesus entions in hislecture to Martha? What eactly has Mary discovered that Martha cant see throughthe busyness and obligations crowding her day? He doesnt speciy, but i we lookat the preceding verses, the answer is clear. While Martha bustles about in a renzy,Mary takes the tie to sit and listen. Its that siple: she sits and she listens to Jesus.Most o us ake the sae istake Martha akes in this story. But , years later,the answer is still the sae: Jesus wants us to sit and listen to Hi. What He tells

usthrough our oents o quiet conteplation, in worship, while couningwith Hi in His Wordis worth taking the tie to discover.

Dear God, so often I am distracted by my responsibilities and obligations. I tell

myself Ill take the time to be with You, but more often than not, I dont do it.

Help me change my ways, Lord, so that like Mary, I will come to understand that

the only thing worth being concerned about is You. Amen.

Thursday, March 7 Read: Luke 11Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your wholebody is lled with light. But when it is bad, your body is lled with darkness. Make surethat the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are lled with light, withno dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a oodlight were lling youwith light. (vs. 34-36)

We all have dark cornerseperiences or decisions we regret; periods in our past orpresent lled with pain, anger or sadness. When we obsess over these ugly parts oourselves and eel guilty about poor choices, that darkness can carry over into every

aspect o our lie. Instead, Jesus tells us, we should train our eyes, and our inds,on all that is good, while also being wary o the darkness that asquerades as light.Jesus knows that we tend to ocus on aterial things as a source o happinesswealth, success, popularitywhen in reality, these shallow pursuits bring a alselight, a teporary joy. Focus on Jesus, the one and only true Light, and your lie willradiate with real joy.



Lord, ll me with Your light. Brighten my dark corners with Your love and grace.

And help me focus not on shallow, ephemeral happiness but on You, the source

of authentic joy. Amen.

Friday, March 8 Read: Luke 12:1-21

en he said, Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by howmuch you own. (v. 15)

Greed, Jesus tells us, coes in all packages, and we are to guard against everykindnot just oney and aterial wealth, but greed in all its subtle and wily ors.Maybe youre greedy or power. Or recognition. Or a particular liestyle. Or tie. Ora certain body type. Or the desire to t in with a certain crowd. You ay not havebrand-new barns lined up in your backyard, or even a baseent or a storage unit ullo stuf, but chances are, you struggle with being greedy in soe aspect o your lie. I

youre unsure where your own personal greed hides, just ask yoursel this: what is itin y lie that distracts e ro pursuing a rich relationship with God? Your answeris likely your greed.

God, You know where my greed hides. As I contemplate this, illuminate the

problem areas in my life, the places where I am tempted by greed. And then help

me turn my attention from that back to You. Amen.

Saturday, March 9 Read: Luke 12:22-59Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. (v. 31)

Soeties we read a verse like this one and we think, Great! I all setGods gote covered! Hell give e everything I need! e proble, o course, is that ourdenition o need difers greatly ro Gods. Much o what we dene as need, isactually wanta bigger house, a new car, a prootion, a raise, a vacation, even ourgood health. us, when we dont get ro God what we think we need, we blaeHi or coing up short, or or not answering our prayers. But the reality is thatthere is only one true need in our lives: the need or God. When we seek God rstand oreost, everything else alls away. When we easure our yriad wants againstthe Kingdo o God, they di in coparison.

God, You know I get distracted by what I consider my needs. And you know I

sometimes put what are actually my wants ahead of You. Forgive me. I want to

seek You above all else. Amen.



Sunday, March 10 Read: Luke 13:1-21One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had beencrippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to

stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, Dear woman, you arehealed of your sickness! en he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How

she praised God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus hadhealed her on the Sabbath day. ere are six days of the week for working, he said to thecrowd. Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath. But the Lord replied, Youhypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Dont you untie your ox or your donkey

from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? is dear woman, a daughter ofAbraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isnt it right that she bereleased, even on the Sabbath? is shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the

wonderful things he did. (vs. 1-17)

Have you ever give soething up or Lent? Chocolate? Red eat? Giving up thosethings we love has becoe a hallark o the Lenten season. Turning Lent into a dietplan ight be ne provided there is soe spiritual ood in place to sustain you. Butwhen we siply give up the things we enjoy or the sake o giving the up, Lentbecoes punishent. It conveys the idea that God siply wants us to sufer or a ewweeks to understand how well of we are the rest o the year.

Like the Pharisees, who ade the Sabbath all law and no spirit, we soeties seek alegalistic eperience o Lent. Its easier that way. In this passage we see the Phariseesso caught up in their set o rules, so enaored with etiquette, that they are unable toebrace a healing iracle. We also soeties nd that to ollow a set o directionsor ake a set o sacrices is sipler than seeking guidance through lies uncertain-ties.

In Lent we seek repentance, the return to God o our deepest selves. While the giv-ing up o things ay help us on that journey, it is the adding in that reconnects us toGod. By reading and reecting upon Lukes gospel, you are adding in, absorbing thespiritual ood that will bring clarity and purpose to this reective season.

Lord, help us to use Lent as a time to seek You out with deep purpose. Guide our

spirits as we reect on our weakness and stand in awe of Your strength. Help us,

in our giving up and our adding in, to bring our desires into line with Your plan.

Amen.



Monday, March 11 Read: Luke 13:22-35Someone asked him, Lord, will only a few be saved? He replied, Work hard to enter thenarrow door to Gods Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. (vs. 23-24)

Although we like to think o ourselves as a society o independent thinkers, ouractions soeties argue against that notion. We wait in lines or the ost popular

gadget; we pack stadius to blend in with like-inded ans; and we check the latestashions to ake sure we arent too ar out o step. In short, we oten seek conori-ty. When Jesus tells us to enter the narrow door, he is inviting us to be nonconor-ists. I we live in true peace, the world will be ashaed o its grotesque violence. I weshow true copassion, true love and true huility, we will be like nothing this worldcan ofer. Walking through that narrow door will lead to epansive possibilities.

Dear Lord, the world claims us every day as its own. each me a dierent way,

and lead me through the narrow door, so that I might know another way of be-

ing. Amen.



Tuesday, March 12 Read: Luke 14:1-14en he turned to his host. When you put on a luncheon or a banquet, he said, dontinvite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back,and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and theblind. en at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those whocould not repay you. (vs. 12-14)

Have you ever noticed how dicult it is to do a good deed without telling anyone?How oten do we do a seless act with the epectation o a thank you? Even i weanage to keep our good deeds a secret, we pat ourselves on the back in recognitiono our huility. As sinners, our tendency toward sel-prootion is so great that weust train ourselves to do good deeds. When kindness and service becoe secondnature, like breathing, then helping those less ortunate will be a genuinely hublingand spiritually enriching activity.

Lord, I sometimes feel pride in those gestures of charity that You would have be

second nature to me. Refashion me as a habitual giver so that I may become the

humble vehicle of your work in the world. Amen.

Wednesday, March 13 Read: Luke 14:15-35A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, If you want to bemy disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparisonyour father and mother, wifeand children, brothers and sistersyes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be mydisciple. (vs. 25-26)

How can we live out soething so strange and seeingly opposed to the essageo love that Jesus norally proclais? Can he really be telling us to hate? O coursenot. Clearly the essage is that God coes rst, but that still sounds harsh because itsees to suggest that we should reject the ones we love in avor o God. Fortunately,the agic is in the nature o a love without boundaries. I we love God copletely,then we love our neighbor copletely. When we love our aily, riends and eveneneies copletely, we are enacting the kind o love that akes worldly attachentsinor by coparison with the love o God. To reject our ailies is siply to loveGod rst, to allow Hi to act in our hearts so that we ay love our ailies, and allpeople, as ully as we can.

Dear God, teach me to love You above all and, in doing so, to love all people

sincerely. Remind me that family titles hold little meaning in the midst of Your

all-encompassing love. Amen.



Thursday, March 14Read: Luke 15:1-10

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one.Wont she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and

search carefully until she nds it? And when she ndsit, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say,Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin. Inthe same way, there is joy in the presence of Gods angelswhen even one sinner repents. (vs. 8-1)

ink about the tie when you were at your low-est, ost guilt-ridden point. Now think about theoent ater that, when you reebered that

your debt was paid and your sins orgiven. It wasipossible to iagine, just a oent earlier, that

you could have been released ro despondency.Perhaps the greatest challenge we ace as Christiansis despair. We soeties eel that we are unworthyo grace, and we hide ro orgiveness in the is-taken idea that only we know how bad we really are.But here Jesus invites us to eperience the joy o aweight liteda joy shared by heaven itsel. We canalways return and be welcoe, and that knowledge

akes us never want to turn away again.Lord, thank You for the daily reminder that You want me to return to you, es-

pecially in the moments of my greatest sin and my greatest despair. Help me to

share that grace and forgiveness with others. Amen.

Friday, March 15 Read: Luke 15:11-32I will go home to my father and say, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way o, his father saw himcoming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.(vs. 18-2)

We oten dont eel worthy o coing beore God. Perhaps we assue our sins aretoo egregious to be orgiven, or we are ashaed and huiliated by our behavior. ButGod orgives us entirely, no atter what the circustances, and ofers us His gracetie and tie again. In act, He sees our repentance ro its earliest stages, when itis the erest seed, as we are just beginning to turn back toward hoe, toward Hi.

He sees us coing ro a long way of, He eagerly eets us wherever we are in theprocess, and He is willing to guide us with love and copassion the rest o the way.

Lord, thank you for Your innite grace. I need it. You never turn Your face from

me, no matter how many times I leave you, no matter how many times I return

in repentance. I am so grateful for Your unrelenting love. Amen.



Saturday, March 16 Read: Luke 16:1-18If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonestin little things, you wont be honest with greater responsibilities. (v. 1)

It truly is the little things that ake us who we are. When we give our children theetra hug beore school or spend a little etra tie helping the with hoework,we lay the groundwork or anaging the bigger things. When we write little notesor show little acts o love, we prepare ourselves to endure the greater challenges o arelationship. Writing a check to a charity or aking a direct deposit each onth toour church is wonderul, but i we give, in soe capacity, every tie we see a need,we train ourselves to be big givers. Likewise, when we put of kindness or charity oranother ore convenient tie, we train ourselves to hold back when it atters ost.

Dear God, please shape me in Your image as a consistent builder of Your king-

dom. each me to act with love and compassion in little things, so that I am

prepared when greater actions are required of me. Amen.

Sunday, March 17 Read: Luke 16:19-31en the rich man said, Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my fathers home.

For I have ve brothers, and I want him to warn them so they dont end up in this place oftorment. But Abraham said, Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brotherscan read what they wrote. e rich man replied, No, Father Abraham! But if someone is

sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God. But Abra-ham said, If they wont listen to Moses and the prophets, they wont listen even if someonerises from the dead. (vs. 27-31)

e story o Lazarus and the rich an is a story o the living, not the dead. e richan, in hoping to shelter his brothers ro his torented ate, asks or iraculousintervention. Abrahas response is direct. I they wont listen to the voice o God inthe scripture, why would they listen to the voice o a ghost?

We soeties think that aith would have been easier i we could have been disciplesor direct observers o Jesus lie. How could we witness water turned to wine or a blindan see and not be absolutely convinced that Jesus told the truth? e act is, thedisciples were quick to orget what they had seen; they were quick to abandon Jesuswhen he was turned over to the Roans. We also have plenty o reasons to turn theother way. e ugliness o the world, the brutalities and the sadness, will always giveus reason to doubt and to ake ecuses or not being who we know we should be.

God asks or our aith, not our conration o His iracles. at aith is an act ostepping out o our doubt and cynicis. It is an action, an attitude, a choice. We arenot asked to wait or a agical eeling to take over our ree will and lock us into aith-ulness. Instead, we are asked to take a step toward aith every day, even i the worldaround us appears godless and cold.

Walking in that kind o aith, aking that choice every day, is its own iracle.



Lord, please help me renew my faith daily despite my doubts. Give me the cour-

age and commitment to believe even when I think I have no reason to. Bolster

me with the miracles of Your word, and give me the peace that comes from nd-

ing my faith in You. Amen.

Monday, March 18 Read: Luke 17:1-19en one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loudvoice; and he fell on his face at Jesus feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.en said Jesus, Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to returnand give praise to God except this foreigner? And he said to him, Rise and go your way;

your faith has made you well. (vs. 15-19 RSV)

How oten do we pray to God, asking or help, healing, guidance and strength, yetorget to return to Hi in thanks when He has answered our prayers? We are soocused on our wants and needs, on satisying our own desires, we orget to showgratitude and thanks or the One who akes it all possible. Notice the language inthese particular verses. e story says that all ten lepers were healed o their physicalalady, but the tenththe Saaritan who returned to praise Jesuswas ade wellby his aith. e phrase ade well iplies a deeper, uller healinga transora-tion o his ind, heart and body. Prayer healed the Saaritans body; thanksgivingand praise transored his whole sel.

Lord, forgive me for my selshness. So often when You answer my prayers I fail

to praise You and thank You. I thank You now for all the gifts you have bestowed

on me, for all the prayers You have answered. And I pray that I will return to You

again and again with a thankful heart. Amen.

Tuesday, March 19 Read: Luke 17:20-37One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, When will the Kingdom of God come? Jesus replied,

e Kingdom of God cant be detected by visible signs. You wont be able to say, Here it is!or Its over there! For the Kingdom of God is already among you. (vs. 2-21)

Since Jesus spoke oten about the Kingdo o God coing soon, the Pharisees seeto have wanted Hi to coit to a date so that they could scof at Hi when itdidnt arrive. We also live in a tie o especially intense apocalyptic talk, and Jesusreply to the Pharisees is as relevant or us today. We watch television shows aboutpeople preparing or doosday; Hollywood is obsessed with zobies; and televan-gelists clai to know when the end will arrive. All that business o preparing or

toorrow leaves us neglecting today. e best way to protect our eternal selves in thepresent is to build the kingdo, one brick at a tie, today. Today, try to act kindlytoward others. e kingdo is always in the here and now.

Lord, youve told me that I will not know the time of Your return. Prepare me

with the recognition that You want me to build Your kingdom now through love

and compassion toward others. Amen.



Wednesday, March 20 Read: Luke 18:1-17I tell you the truth, anyone who doesnt receive the Kingdom of God like a child will neverenter it. (v. 17)

Its rearkable how uch children accept on aith, not out o ignorance, but on thebasis o trust. ey trust that as parents, grandparents and caregivers, we will watchover the and protect the. ey trust that what we tell the is honest and true.ey trust that we will orgive the or their wrongs and love the unconditionally.is, Jesus tells us, is how we as believers should receive the Kingdo o Godnot inignorance, but in trust. Unless we give ourselves entirely and wholeheartedly to ourFather and Protector, unless we relinquish our ears and insecurities to Hi, unlesswe trust Hi with our whole selves, we are not truly His.

Dear God, I know I often dont come to You in complete trust. I question, I fear,I try to control every detail of my life, instead of handing it over entirely to You.

Help me, Lord. Help me come to You like a child, trusting in faith. Amen.

Thursday, March 21 Read: Luke 18:18-42In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich personto enter the Kingdom of God! ose who heard this said, en who in the world can be

saved? He replied, What is impossible for people is possible with God. (vs. 25-27)

We tend to stop in rustration and disay at the rst part o this story, guiltily awarethat Jesus proclaation applies to us. Ater all, we are rich; we have ore oney andore resources than ost o the people across the entire globe. What chance is thereor us, the richest people on Earth, to enter the Kingdo o God? But its the net

verse in this conversation that atters ost: What is ipossible or people is pos-sible with God. Its truelet to our own devices, we awed huans are ill-equippedto enter the Kingdo o God. But nothing is ipossible with Gods innite grace.Grace akes everything possible.

Lord, thank You for Your endless grace. I know that without it, I am nothing.

Your grace is everything, and I am humbly grateful for it. Amen.

Friday, March 22 Read: Luke 19:1-10ere was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, andhe had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see overthe crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-g tree beside the road, for Jesus was

going past that way. (vs. 2-4)ere has probably been a tie in your lie when you have striven to be noticed.Perhaps youve wanted to be recognized by your boss as you clibed the corporateladder. Maybe youve desired the attention o a particularly popular crowd at school.Perhaps youve siply wanted to accoplish big things in your lieto be noticedand recognized or your achieveents. Whats interesting about Zacchaeus is that he



is already aousas a rich ta collector, he is well-known aong the townspeopleo Jericho. But Zacchaeus knows that none o that earthly ae atters. He realizesthat nothing copares to seeing and being seen by Jesus. God proises that He willseek us out, nd us and save us. e truth is, there is no greater ae, no greaterrecognition, than being sought by God.

Lord, sometimes I get distracted by earthly pursuits, seeking the attention and

recognition of my colleagues, friends and acquaintances. Help me keep my eyes

focused only on You. Earthly fame, achievement and recognition pale in com-

parison to being sought by You. Amen.

Saturday, March 23 Read: Luke 19:11-28But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, Master,

I hid your money and kept it safe. I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with,taking what isnt yours and harvesting crops you dont plant. You wicked servant, the kingroared. Your own words condemn you. If you knew that Im a hard man who takes whatisnt mine and harvests crops I didnt plant, why didnt you deposit my money in the bank?

At least I could have gotten some interest on it. (vs. 2-23)

Its oten easy to look at others and clearly see their gits: the usician, the artist, thedoctor, the inister. ey have soething obvious to ofer God; their skills are use-ul or growing the Kingdo o God on Earth. But what about the rest o us? What

about oce anagers and stay-at-hoe os, accountants and engineers? What dowe have to ofer? e truth is, God gives each one o us gits, though soe ight notbe as obvious as others. Ask yoursel this: what uels y passion? e answer to thatquestion ay very well point to your God-given gits. e key, o course, is to recog-nize your gits and use the or the good o others. Dont play it sae, Jesus tells us inthis parable. Dont hide your gits; dont bury the where they wont benet anyoneelse. Use the to grow the Kingdo o God.

Lord, please give me the eyes to recognize the gifts You have bestowed on me.

And help me use these gifts to give You glory. Amen.

Sunday, March 24 Read: Luke 19:29-48When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his

followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderfulmiracles they had seen. Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peacein heaven, and glory in highest heaven! But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said,Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that! He replied, If they kept quiet,the stones along the road would burst into cheers! (vs. 37-4)

When Jesus enters Jerusale in triuph, he no longer deects the Pharisees ro histrue identity. Prior to this oent, he has responded to the with questions o hisown or answers so det that they conuse and rustrate the Pharisees. Now, however,Jesus speaks in direct language that he knows will accelerate the process o his perse-cution and cruciion. e authorities want hi to either renounce the crowds sug-



gestion that he is the essiah or to acknowledge it and open hisel up to a charge oblasphey. His response goes well beyond the acknowledgent that He is a king. Insaying that the stones would burst into cheers i the people could not, Jesus showsthat His authority transcends that o earthly kings. Nature itsel, allen and brokenalong with huanity, eels its tie o liberation at hand.

e stateent also ofers an ironic oreshadowing o the abandonent and cruci-ion o Jesus. e people, who could not contain their enthusias when Jesus ar-rived as a potential political liberator, evaporate when He is arrested and huiliated.When Jesus nally breathes His last on the cross, darkness covers the land. Natureitsel ourns. e Gospel o Matthew, in a parallel with the iage o stones celebrat-ing Jesus entry into Jerusale, notes that the earth shook and the rocks were splitwhen Jesus dies. Both accounts see to suggest that nature stands ready to respondto the coand o God, to reect the ood o its creator, while people will only beobedient to their own interests.

Lord, as we celebrate the entry of Jesus into human history, remind us to be on

guard against a fair-weather faith. Help us to be obedient to your will, celebrat-

ing your triumph regardless of the consequences. Amen.

Monday, March 25 Read: Luke 20Now tell usis it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? He saw through their trickeryand said, Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it? Caesars,

they replied. Well then, he said, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to Godwhat belongs to God. (vs. 22-25)

Here the scribes and chie priests try to trick Jesus into coitting to being anti-Roan or pro-Roan. I the orer, he can be handed over to the authorities. I thelatter, he will be branded a collaborator by his own people. For Jesus, the Roansare a distraction ro the real issues. ey are siply the oppressors du jour, and hisreply deonstrates how ar beyond governents Jesus is. We are incredibly blessedto live in a nation that allows its citizens to ollow their consciences in atters oreligion. Nations, however, do not last orever, and the United States is no eception.Jesus reply is an ecellent lesson in perspective. We are invited to see stewardship asa higher calling than citizenship.

Lord, please remind us not to place our faith in objects or institutions but to

recognize that You, the sovereign and eternal One, are our only true source of

security and prosperity. Amen.

Tuesday, March 26 Read: Luke 21

I tell you the truth, Jesus said, this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everythingshe has. (vs. 3-4)

When He copares the widow, who gave only two sall coins, with the wealthypeople who dropped uch larger donations in the collection bo, it ay see on



the surace that Jesus is speaking only about onetary oferings in this story. But theact is, He is reerring to uch ore. Are you giving God only a tiny part o yoursel,a sliver o your tie, a sliver o your heart? Or are you ofering Hi everything youhave? Jesus wants you to be the widow, giving everything you have to Hiyourheart, ind and soul.

Lord, I admit, sometimes I nd it hard to give myself entirely over to You. Iknow its a matter of trusta trust I dont always have. Help me be the widow; I

want to give all that I am and all that I have to You. Amen.

Wednesday, March 27 Read: Luke 22:1-38en they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them.

Jesus told them, In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet theyare called friends of the people. But among you it will be dierent. ose who are the

greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.(vs. 24-26)

is oent is rearkable, o course, because Jesus suggests that true greatnesscoes through service to others. But also rearkable is what propts Jesus to speakthis truth. e apostles are arguing about who will be greatest while they eat the LastSupper. We can orgive the or isunderstanding Jesus previous stateents thathe ust sufer and die beore he could return to the. But this is Passover, the daywhen the Jews turn with huble awe to the eory that they were spared Gods

punishent. e apostles trivialize the oent and deonstrate just how huanthey are. In doing so, they conr the essage or us. ese deeply awed, sel-in-terested people are us. ey are not religious rock stars. ey are people who had tostruggle against the sae teptations we ace. Knowing that they went on to live outJesus words through sufering and serving in those early days o the church gives ushope that we, too, can becoe servant leaders.

Lord, help me look beyond my immediate interest to Your will for my life. Re-

move my pride and teach me that humble service is my greatest calling. Amen.



Maundy Thursday, March 28 Read: Luke 22:39-23:25He walked away, about a stones throw, and knelt down and prayed, Father, if you arewilling, please take this cup of suering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, notmine. en an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fer-vently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great dropsof blood. (vs. 41-44)

In asking that He be spared a horric death on the cross, Jesus does not bargain. Hedoes not proise to build a hoe or orphans or heal as any sick people as He cani God preserves His lie. ere is no deal-aking, only a request. Subission to theFathers will is built into Jesus prayer. at nal part, y will be done, is the ostdicult one to say with sincerity, but it is the part that brings peace with our losses,

that places our iediate desires into the big picture o Gods plan. Perhaps God cant our specic desires into His plan. I it is not to be, the knowledge that His plan iseternal perection will give us patience and peace with whatever lie brings.

Dear Lord, grant that I can surrender with sincerity to Your will. Give me the

peace that comes from knowing that You are in control, and my individual inter-

ests are only as important as the service they render to You. Amen.

Good Friday, March 29 Read: Luke 23:26-50One of the criminals hanging beside him scoed, So youre the Messiah, are you? Prove itby saving yourselfand us, too, while youre at it! But the other criminal protested, Dont

you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes,but this man hasnt done anything wrong. en he said, Jesus, remember me when youcome into your Kingdom. And Jesus replied, I assure you, today you will be with me in

paradise. (vs. 39-43)

ink about the ind and the soul o the criinal who deends Jesus. He had been

nailed to a cross, his body battered but instinctively ghting to live. He hung inhuiliation above oreign soldiers who were occupying his hoeland. e shaeo his crie ust have been eceeded only by the ear o what would happen to hisaily when he died. Finally, he had to listen to another criinal who laented hisown wasted lie by ocking the only innocent an aong the. Yet soehow, inthe idst o terror and chaos, this criinal, who would soon learn that he was also agood an, saw beyond his ear to the grace o the One beside hi and deended Hiand proclaied Hi.

We ay not be able to coprehend the relie that washed over this criinal as Jesusproised hi lie, but in this darkest o days, we also look orward to the relentlessercy and love that will see us through any trial, to the light that this broken worldcannot deny.

Lord, seek us out in our despair, comfort us in our sorrow, and remind us always

that the promise of the cross is extended to people of all circumstances. Amen.



Saturday, March 30 Read: Luke 23:50-56Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish

high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religiousleaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdomof God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus body. en he took the body down

from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb thathad been carved out of rock. (vs. 5-53)

ere is a ove in ountain clibing called the rest step. When clibers areehausted and pulling in little oygen with each breath o raried air, they will takeone step, breathe a ew ties, and continue. At this pace a hundred eet o elevationcan take hours to achieve. Siilarly, both Joseph o Ariathea and the woen whotend Jesus body ove orward under the burden o grie and hopelessness, one di-cult step at a tie. Each o these people is engaged in the ugly work o lie. In theace o hopelessness and loss, they siply ove orward. In the absence o any clearhope ahead, they trudge. We are guaranteed to sufer in this lie. But when we eelthe hopelessness that coes with sufering, we ight do well to reeber Joseph oAriathea and the woen o this tet and trudge on until hope arrives.

Dear Lord, in my darkest moments give me the strength to move forward, little

by little, until the promise of Your mercy can be fullled. In the darkest mo-

ments of others, let me lighten their loads and share the peace that You oer.

Amen.

Easter Sunday, March 31 Read: Luke 24:1-53But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices theyhad prepared. ey found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So theywent in, but they didnt nd the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, twomen suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. e women were terried andbowed with their faces to the ground. en the men asked, Why are you looking amongthe dead for someone who is alive? He isnt here! He is risen from the dead! Rememberwhat he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the handsof sinful men and be crucied, and that he would rise again on the third day. en theyremembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his elevendisciplesand everyone elsewhat had happened. (vs. 1-9)

Have you ever eperienced the unburdening o an unepectedly good prognosis?Have you ever ound a thing o great value that was lost? Have you ever elt the relie

o a relationship reconciled? I so, you ay understand soe raction o the shockand disbelie and rising euphoria that the woen eperienced at the tob. ey havebeen at the lowest point o despair. As ollowers o Jesus, they had dedicated theirwork and ental energy and reputations to a inistry that was now in shables.eir leader was dead, their corades were in hiding, and they cae to the tob toperor one nal gesture o obedience to their Lord.



Now they stand beore en bathed in a supernatural light. e stone is rolled awayand the body o Jesus gone. ey are reinded o the story He had oretold, and theist begins to lit. Like the recipients o any incredible news, their rst ipulse is torun and tell others who will share the joy. ey ust be stubling and crying or joyas they run.

at is the eeling o Easter: the perpetual second chance, the journey ro weightto weightlessness, ro despair to joy. Today, as you go out into the crisp air, take adeep, grateul breath and reeber that grace has ade every burden anageableand teporary. We are a people o epty-tob euphoria. Lets let our actions reectour joy! He is risen; we are redeeed!

Dear Lord, thank You for ooding the world with redeeming grace. By Your

sacrice we are made whole and given an example of perfect love to follow. Keep

the message and the feeling of Easter joy foremost in our hearts, so that we

might follow in Your steps and spread the joy of Your message to others. Amen.



About the Artist:Deb Paden, artwork contributor or this devotional, has been aeber o Southwood or 20 years. She is arried to Steve Paden,and has three children and one grandchild. Deb priarily works in

watercolor, but has designed, and been part o the painting tea onthree ural projects at Southwood. She is a docent at the SheldonMuseu o Art, and is a eber o the Sheldon Board o Trustees.

About the Authors:Michelle DeRusha and Brad Johnson, authors o thisLenten devotional, have been ebers o Southwood since

. Brad teaches English at Doane College in Crete, andMichelle works as a writer. ey have two boys, Noah andRowan, and a pet lizard naed Frill.

2-14 1:1-4 2-15 1:5-56 2-16 1:57-80

2-17 2

2-18 3:1-22 2-19 3:23-38

2-20 4:1-13 2-21 4:14-41 2-22 4:42-5:39 2-23 6:1-16

2-24 6:17-49

2-25 7:1-18 2-26 7:19-35 2-27 7:36-50

2-28 8:1-21 3-1 8:22-56 3-2 9:1-27

3-3 9:28-62

3-4 10:1-24 3-5 10:25-37 3-6 10:38-41 3-7 11 3-8 12:1-21 3-9 12:22-59

3-10 13:1-21

3-11 13:22-35 3-12 14:1-14 3-13 14:15-35 3-14 15:1-10 3-15 15:11-32 3-16 16:1-18

3-17 16:19-31

3-18 17:1-19 3-19 17:20-37 3-20 18:1-17 3-21 18:18-42 3-22 19:1-10 3-23 19:11-28

3-24 19:29-48

3-25 20 3-26 21 3-27 22:1-38 3-28 22:39-23:25 3-29 23:26-50 3-30 23:50-56

3-31 24:1-53

Daily Reading Schedule for Luke

Bible verses (except where noted) come from the New Living Translation 2007 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc.


32/32

Theang

elsaidtothem,

notbeafraid.

See!Ibring

you

goodnew

s

ofgreat

joywh

ichis

fo

rallpe

ople

Non-Proft

Organization

U.S.Postage

PAID

Lincoln,NE

PermitNo.305

p..bx22767Linco

ln,68542

402.423.5511uhwduh.

Luke2:10NLV

2013 devotional booklet

Documents