Lent Reflections (Page 2)

Scripture Psalms: [120], 121, 122, 123 & 124, 125, 126, [127] OT: Jer. 25:8-17 NT: Rom. 10:1-13 Gospel: John 9:18-41 Reflection “Are you saved?” That’s an important question. It’s one of those questions that people don’t necessarily like asking. It is also one that can be uncomfortable to answer. Yet, it is one that each of us must grapple with at some point in our lives. When I worked with a large parachurch ministry we spent a lot of talking with people about having “assurance of salvation.” As I grew in my understanding of the Scriptures and following Jesus I began to discover that thisRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 31 & 35 OT: Jer. 24:1-10 NT: Rom. 9:19-33 Gospel: John 9:1-17 Reflection “I’m a good person.” “How do you know?” “Because, I follow the rules, I try to do no harm, and I try to help people as best I can. Besides, I’m definitely better than my neighbor.” This is a conversation that I’ve had hundreds, if not thousands of times over the years with people. We so desperately want to be able to say that we are acceptable to God apart from faith that we find all kinds of ways to ease our consciences. We work hard to please God. ThRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 87, 90 & 136 OT: Jer. 13:1-11 NT: Rom. 6:12-23 Gospel: John 8:47-59 Reflection Do you ever wonder if there is a point to anything? Is your life heading anywhere? I wonder that a lot. It seems like we do the same things over and over and over and over and… The circle and cycle of life gets a little weary. Something that I like about the Scriptures is they point us to this big macro picture. They show us that there is a “telos” or an end to things. Our lives are heading somewhere. At some point we will come to anRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 95* & 88 & 91, 92 OT: Jer. 11:1-8, 14-20 NT: Rom. 6:1-11 Gospel: John 8:33-47 Reflection As a campus minister and a pastor you see a great many things. I think the hardest thing that I have had to do over years is help people see that they are in destructive relationships. Each of us has a desire to be deeply loved and accepted. For many people they are willing to be in a destructive relationship simply to be in a relationship. No matter how messed up, how dysfunctional, or how rotten a relationship is, being in it is sometimes the goal.Read More →

Scripture Psalms: [83] or 42, 43 & 85, 86 OT: Jer. 10:11-24 NT: Rom. 5:12-21 Gospel: John 8:21-32 Reflection Our culture does not handle death well. We are hide it. We run from it. We fight death tooth and nail. I think that there are times when we more than anything else want immortality. Other cultures celebrate death. When a loved one dies they hold a parade and celebrate their freedom from this rock and their entrance into eternity. Why are we afraid of it? I think we are not so afraid of death as much as we are afraid of the consequences of ourRead More →

Scripture Psalm: 119:97-120 & 81, 82 OT: Jer. 8:18––9:6 NT: Rom. 5:1-11 Gospel: John 8:12-20 Reflection As a parent of a young child there is one great fear that we all face. It is the kind of fear that strikes people to the heart. This fear is real and palpable. You might think it is the fear that comes from wondering if your child will grow up well, but it’s not. Maybe this fear is that you won’t like their future spouse, that’s not it either. This fear that strikes at the heart of all parents is the fear of stepping on a lego inRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 78:1-39 & 78:40-72 OT: Jer. 7:21-34 NT: Rom. 4:13-25 Gospel: John 7:37-52 Reflection One of my favorite book series is The Lord of the Rings. It is an amazing tale that gets richer as the books progress. Too many times “sequels” are not as good as the original. I think what makes The Lord of the Rings particularly good is that it was conceived as a whole from the beginning. Many of our current novel series were not. The first one is written and published and then after it has shown to be marketable the rest of the books are commissioned. Often this leads toRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 107:33-43, 108:1-6(7-13) & 33 OT: Jer. 23:9-15 NT: Rom. 9:1-18 Gospel: John 6:60-71 Reflection I have two teenagers right now. One of the simple pleasures I get out of being a dad is hearing, “Dad, you’re so embarrassing.” Yup. That’s right! Typically this little phrase flies out when I am not allowing them to do something they want to do. Particularly when this happens in front of their friends. It also happens when I try to be hip and cool (this failed for me even before kids, but now it’s just fun to watch them shudder). Even though I embarrass them at times,Read More →

Scripture Psalms: 95* & 102 & 107:1-32 OT: Jer. 23:1-8 NT: Rom. 8:28-39 Gospel: John 6:52-59 Reflection I will never forget the first time I had to truly discipline Ethan. It was so hard. I cried. He cried. It was awful. Awful. When I say the first time, I mean the first time he could really understand that he was in trouble and that Dad was mad because of his actions. I think he was five or six. He was being ungrateful and so we took away his gaming system. He was able to grasp that this was something different. The thing is though, IRead More →