April 7th anonymous reflection
April 8th reflection byVern Collins
April 9th reflection by Blake Justice
April 10th reflection by Adam Goodrich
April 11th reflection by Wendy Jessen
April 12th reflection from Zoe Ministries
Palm Sunday, April 13th reflection by Andy Ellis
April 7th anonymous reflection
Psalm 23 John 8:1-11
The twenty-third Psalm and the story of the woman caught in adultery are both very familiar. What is their connection? All of God’s word in the Bible creates our rule for faith and practice but sometimes it seems like we need to apply the Six Degrees of Separation to get from one part to another.
Let’s look at the story of the adulteress. This was obviously a trap set for Jesus by the Pharisees. They cut some corners but still put Jesus in the position of having to uphold Jewish law (to stone the woman) while disobeying the Roman law (Jews can’t carry out death sentences) or vice versa which would be just as bad as if not worse. However, Jesus managed to stay within both laws by putting a condition on the stoning.
How sad that the very reason Jesus won this “contest” was because of our sinful nature. We, as the Pharisees, are not without sin. We can only be saved through God’s mercy and grace in the sacrifice of His own Son. This is the reality we spend our time facing in a most intense way during Lent. We meditate on our sinfulness, our sins, our need to be better followers of the Master.
How grateful I am that Jesus reminds me that I am not different from nor worse than any other, just as he made the Pharisees realize they were not in a position to judge the woman. During Lent, especially, I am also reminded that I am not better or in a position to judge anyone else. There is a story of one of the Desert Fathers of the early church who was asked to come to a judging of another monk. He reluctantly came but he wore an old basket which he had filled with sand on his back. When asked why he said “My sins run out behind me and I do not see them and I have come here today to judge another.” Lent is the season that reminds us to look behind us.
We reflect and meditate but we do not beat on ourselves; the ashes we wear are not those of futility. Jesus paid with great sacrifice for our salvation and that payment was needed. Not one of us could pay the cost for our own sin, much less the sins of the world. What our ashes remind us of is that we are dust and to dust we shall return. But we do not need to fear the “valley of the shadow of death” for the Lord restores our souls. Any small forfeit of our own during this season only gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ sacrifice. But thanks to His sacrifice we “shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Thanks be to God.
April 8th reflection by Vern Collins
John 8:21-30
There is a trick we use in Youth Ministry…don’t judge. Everyone does it, we have just learned to leverage it to our advantage. It is the art of conveying that you know someone, without really having any idea who that person is.
Let me give you an example.
I am at an athletic event and I see a group of our Youth approaching. A quick scan of the crowd reveals that I know 4 of the 6 students. It is thrilling when there is opportunity to connect with students. It is terrifying when there are students in the group that I know I have met, and I know that they know me, and I assume that they assume that I also know them…when in reality I can not remember their name if my life depends on it. The result is that one of two things happens. Either my hand goes up for a high-five and is accompanied by a “hey man” (gender specific, obviously), which denotes to them that I know them really well; that we are friends; that we have some connection, or I extend my hand, look them in the eye, and say, “tell me your last name again.” The hope for me is that this triggers something buried deep within the recesses of my brain and I am able to produce a first name that goes along with that last name, or at the very least communicates to them that I do in fact know them, and want to know more about them?
While for you it may not be in the context of meeting youth, how many times have you pretended to know someone out of embarrassment or fear of being “found out;” out of being uncovered as a “fraud?” This may seem harsh, but we will go to great lengths to prove that we are intentional and relational people (think about how many times have you Facebook stalked someone).
Today’s reading begs the question, do you KNOW Jesus, or do you PRETEND to know Jesus? There is a question asked in this passage, that we would do well to emulate.
“Who are you?”
Let that sink in. “Who are you?” When was the last time you asked someone that question? “Who are you?” Maybe never. It is a dangerous question in our culture. It reveals the lack of knowledge of a person that you are most likely supposed to know.
“Who are you?”
It reveals perhaps that you are too busy, that you have too much on your mind to be able to remember someone that you’ve met. It might even reveal that you are too self-concerned to be concerned with anyone else.
“Who are you?”
In this passage the validity of Jesus’ testimony is being questioned. What are these claims that He is making? Does He have the authority to make such claims? What do these claims mean for the way of life and understanding of life that these people have? The catch is that they are questioning Jesus’ testimony without entering into the life that Jesus is speaking about. They are questioning Jesus from an outside perspective.
“Who are you?”
To ask this question of Jesus invites us IN to the life that Jesus teaches about. To ask this question of Jesus leaves us vulnerable to a new understanding of Jesus. And a new understanding of Jesus draws us into deeper intimacy with Jesus and increased faith in Him as our Lord and Savior. And isn’t that the point?
In this season of Lent, may you have the courage to ask a question of Jesus, that you may never ask of anyone else. Jesus will not be offended. He is waiting for you to ask.
“Who are you?”
April 9th reflection by Blake Justice
Who are you; and whose are you?
John 8:35 “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.”
Most of the time when I meet someone new, within the first few minutes I’ve asked the generic “what do you do?” If I’m with a young person that might mean talking about school – a college major, or what college they might be interested in attending – or if they have some vocation that they’d like to pursue. With adults it is generally the “what type of work do you do?” question. People spend a lot of time at work and school, so it’s an easy way to help to describe yourself. As an adult, I have generally described myself with whatever job I was doing or whatever school I was attending or working for – are these the things I have been a slave to? Beyond job description, I’ve been quite proud to be able to describe myself as husband and father – clearly I haven’t minded to be a slave to these titles. I have begun to believe, however, that all this time I’ve been doing a disservice to my Lord. I have generally had to know someone quite a long time before I’d begin to talk with them about Christ. I honestly don’t know why that is. Christ didn’t just save me – He’s walked beside me and intervened in my life every day. I can’t name a single time that I haven’t been able to depend on Him to at the very least, listen to me. How about you?
If I had a person who was visible to the outside world who was always with me – talking to me and listening to me and advising me and offering counsel – don’t you think people would ask who He was pretty soon after meeting me/us? Don’t you think I would introduce Him pretty soon after meeting almost anyone? Why is it that we have such a difficult time introducing Jesus Christ, when He has defined us since we accepted His gift of Grace and asked Him into our hearts? I am a part of His family, and belong to it forever. I am also reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6 when I think about this. I think I tend to lean on my own understanding too much. I tend to think about what people will think of me, instead of thinking about what they might think if they could meet the Savior of all humanity and become a part of His family.
I pray that as I move toward the celebration of the single most important event in all of human history – Christ’s death and resurrection – I will continue to grow in the strength of faith that will allow me to tell others of His wonderful love right away.
April 10th reflection by Adam Goodrich
Genesis 17:3-9, Psalm 105:4-9, John 8:51-59
In Genesis and again in Psalms, the Bible mentions the covenant that God made with Abraham. God promises to give Abraham and his descendants the promised land of Canaan forever. Because Abraham served God, He made Abraham and his family his chosen people. In the book of John, we find that Jesus changed everything we used to know about the old covenant with Abraham.
At the time, some of the Jews actually thought Jesus was demon-possessed because of what he was saying. Jesus said “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews focused so much on the old covenant with Abraham that they could not comprehend what God was doing for us through Jesus. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God created a new covenant of grace. The key part of what Jesus said in John was “anyone.” Because of Jesus, you don’t have to be a descendent of Abraham to be one of God’s chosen people. If you accept Christ as your savior, your sins will be forgiven and you will live forever in paradise.
As Christians we sometimes get caught up in how “religious” we are. Like the Jews in the Old Testament it can be easy for us to slip into an old covenant mindset. Like the Pharisees, we sometimes focus too heavily on rules and traditions of the church. Now this doesn’t mean that church or denominational traditions aren’t important. It is healthy to be a member of a congregation where you can grow in your faith with others and worship the Lord together. What I’m saying is that it becomes a problem when rules and traditions distract you from the real reason why we even have church: to grow in our relationship with Christ.
My parents always tell me that they will always love me no matter what. The same can be said of God. No one is perfect, and no matter how badly we might mess up, God will always love us. It doesn’t really matter to God what kind of music we play in church, as God loves a cappella just as much as he loves electric guitar and drums. It doesn’t really matter how we say liturgies or how we baptize people, or even what we wear. God knows us inside and out, and what truly matters to him is that we have a meaningful relationship with Him and try to know Him more than we do.
In Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren challenges readers to create subtle reminders in every day life that constantly remind us of God’s presence in our lives. As we continue to celebrate the season of lent, may we be constantly reminded of the new covenant God made to all of us through His Son, Jesus Christ. May we share the good news of this new covenant with all who we meet.
April 11th reflection by Wendy Jessen
But if I am doing them, put aside for a moment what you hear me say about myself and just take the evidence of the actions that are right before your eyes. Then perhaps things will come together for you and you’ll see not only are we doing the same thing, we are the same-Father and Son. He is in me and I am in him. John 10:37-38. The Message
Jesus was being tormented by non-believers, but was standing firm against them stating the scriptures and showing evidence of his existence. In today’s world there are examples of Christians having the opportunity to show evidence of their faith. Being a teacher in public schools put me in the middle of various social settings that, particularly in middle school, dictate a professional adult intervene. My classroom at Blowing Rock Elementary was near the middle school lockers. I could hear the clump of the large bookbags hitting the floor and the occasional disgruntled student who couldn’t get his lock to work. One Friday afternoon I heard a more than usual cry of giggles and loud voices as the students were packing up for the Friday afternoon dismissal. The bell had rung and I kept hearing the tremor of voices. Thinking they were going to miss the bus or their car pick-up I finally walked down to the hall to see what all of the noise was about and hurry them on their way. As I approached the group, in the middle of the teens, was a Young Life leader from high school who had come to gather the students for a “Wyld Life” excursion. “Wyld Life” is the middle school extension of the Christian group “Young Life.” It hit me that here in the middle of the hall in a very open arena these students were willing to show their commitment to their spiritual cause amidst their peers when being committed to Christ is not always the cool thing to do in today’s society. These students were excited for their journey with Christ.
C.S. Lewis stated that “either Jesus is a totally mad person…out of his mind…or he is telling the truth…He is the center of everything. He is the center of life, the giver of truth. Jesus of Nazareth is the center of everything. To ignore him is to grope in darkness, to live in rebellion, to miss out on joy, peace and love…”
It is reassuring in these days of the political correctness separating prayer from public schools, that these “Wyld” students believe in the authenticity of Jesus being the son of God and putting his love into practice with their works in today’s world.
My prayer for today’s students, as well as my children and grandchildren, is that they will stand firm in their faith that Jesus is the son of God and let that light of their spirit shine. “Who in the world am I? Ah, that is the great puzzle.” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland. My hope is that they will solve this great puzzle ,believing that Jesus is the son of God and stand for their beliefs, even in the face of adversity.
April 12th reflection from Zoe Ministries
Ezekiel 37:1–14
Our Scripture passages move to the theme which the season of Lent is slowly building towards: resurrection. In all of the readings, we find themes of life and death, forgiveness and sin. In Christ’s body on the cross, which we partake of each time we break the bread of communion, life and death come together. We remember Christ’s physical death; yet we rejoice in his glorious resurrection. We reflect upon the death our humanity and sins bring; yet we experience new life and forgiveness in Christ.
In the passage from Ezekiel, we find a strange story, full of haunting images of dried bones being raised up out of a valley and put together with new flesh. It is difficult to discern what all of this means at first, but that is part of the nature of the prophecies of the Old Testament. Though these prophets had strange visions, often as perplexing to the people around them as they are to us today, such prophecies were a vehicle God used to bring God’s voice of justice and truth amidst a broken world.
The image of resurrection that is prophesied by Ezekiel is a vision of God’s people being restored from their place of brokenness and exile. Throughout much of the Old Testament, the Israelites cannot seem to get their act together. It seems that once things start to go well, they mess up again in a new way. But, alongside this theme of brokenness, there are also voices of redemption and restoration. Through the cries of prophets like Ezekiel, they remember who they are and the reason they had to hope. This story is our story.
Unlike the Israelites, we have not only seen the fulfillment of their covenant with God in Christ but also experienced the profound hope of Christ’s resurrection. This is an incredible gift. But, like the people of Israel, we are prone to forget who we are as children of God and how we must follow Christ’s example of living in this world. The need for prophetic voices is still very much alive, as they call out the injustices of this world and inspire us to do the same. They help us to see our blind spots and work to bring in the kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven.
Condensed and reproduced with permission from Zoe Ministries. http://www.zoehelps.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Year_A_Lenten_Resource_Adult.pdf
April 13th, reflection by Andy Ellis
Matthew 21:1-11 Colossians 2:13-16
On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem marking the beginning of Holy Week and Jesus’ journey to the cross. All throughout the gospels Jesus has an interesting relationship with crowds. Sometimes he looks upon them with compassion. Other times it seems that he intentionally drives them away. On Palm Sunday we see another interaction between Jesus and a crowd. Here we see Jesus entering the political power center to palm branches and shouts of “HOSANNA; SAVE NOW!!” Underlying these celebratory shouts are desperate cries of a politically oppressed people for deliverance from Roman rule. One might expect a king to ride proudly into a waiting celebratory town on the back of a mighty steed but here we see King Jesus enter riding meekly on the back of a donkey, a borrowed donkey no less. It is clear that the crowd wished to welcome Jesus to town in order to anoint him as king to overthrow Rome and liberate them politically. They had an agenda all of their own that did not end with their desired liberator martyred on an old rugged cross on the outskirts of the city. The only crown that this king would wear would be one made of thorns given to him mockingly by the very people he came to free and redeem.
Palm branches have been used throughout the course of history to celebrate political and military victory over enemies. During the season of Lent leading up to Easter we celebrate that on the cross Christ triumphed over the enemy defeating sin and destroying death. Today we find ourselves among the crowd crying out for freedom, liberation, and redemption but so often in our flesh, weakness, and failings we cry out for deliverance from all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons. Colossians says that at the cross, in what looked like utter defeat King Jesus triumphed over the powers of this world, over our sin and its penalty, and over our warring flesh. He knows you better than you know you. He knows what you need better than you know what you need. The season of Lent with its self-reflection and dying to self may not be the way that we would choose for ourselves to make ourselves more holy, more sanctified, and more the people God dreamed us up to be but take heart because Jesus Christ is not the savior that we may want but he will always be the savior that we need.