Lent Reflections (Page 3)

Scripture Psalms: 69:1-23(24-30)31-38 & 73 OT: Jer. 22:13-23 NT: Rom. 8:12-27 Gospel: John 6:41-51 Reflection There are times when Jesus says things that make you scratch your head. He is one subversive dude. Jesus doesn’t hesitate to say something to make a person feel uncomfortable. He shakes up the status quo. He rattles cages and doesn’t even care. No, Jesus was so committed to his mission of directing folks to the Father that he didn’t mind upsetting a few apple carts. In John 6 he says something shocking, and kind of gross. He tells the people that his flesh is bread and they need toRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30 & 119:121-144 OT: Jer. 18:1-11 NT: Rom. 8:1-11 Gospel: John 6:27-40 Reflection There are times when I am surprised by how complicated we make things. Sometimes the simplest way is the right way. It is almost as if we think we need something to be hard and difficult for it to be “right.” Why do we think this? What is it about ourselves as people that demands we pursue the complicated and hard and equate it as “right”? It ties back to the fall of man. The curse of the man is that, “By the sweat of your face you shallRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 97, 99, & 94 OT: Jer. 17:19-27 NT: Rom. 7:13-25 Gospel: John 6:16-27 Reflection When you love someone you begin to love what they love and dislike what they dislike. It’s a strange thing as you begin to see this happen within yourself. On the other hand, it’s really fun when you see it happening in your spouse. What’s interesting is that this is true within our relationship with God too. As we grow to love him we will begin to love more of what he loves and hate what he hates. Psalm 97 closes with this admonition, O you who love theRead More →

Scripture Psalm:  89 OT: Jer. 16:10-21 NT: Rom. 7:1-12 Gospel: John 6:1-15 Reflection The sign read, “Do not throw rocks into the water.” So what do we do? We pick up a rock and throw it into the water. If there was a severe punishment attached to it, we might look around first and then throw a rock in the water. Why do we do that? Is the rule a bad rule? Did the rule make us do this or is there something within us that demands to break the rule? Paul wrestled with this question in Romans 7 when he wrote, What then shallRead More →

Scripture Psalm: 75, 76 & 23, 27 OT: Jer. 5:20-31 NT: Rom. 3:19-31 Gospel: John 7:1-13 Reflection If you’re anything like me you look around at the world and wonder what is taking God so long to set things right. Many days I think, “If I were in charge I could get this place squared away pretty quick.” It is easy to judge because our judgement is typically not impacted by context or nuance. I think this is why the Scriptures often remind us who will ultimately judge the nations. We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near.Read More →

Scripture Psalms: 95* & 69 & 73 OT: Jer. 5:1-9 NT: Rom. 2:25––3:18 Gospel: John 5:30-47 Reflection When you are in the midst of a rough patch who do you blame? We all go through times where it seems like the world is against us. Relationships get hard. Work conversations don’t go as planned. There is strife in our marriage or with our children. Sometimes it just feels like everyone is out to get us. When you’re in the midst of those kinds of times, who do you blame? Usually, we cry out to God for help and simultaneously we blame him. “God you’re allRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 71 & 74 OT: Jer. 4:9-10, 19-28 NT: Rom. 2:12-24 Gospel: John 5:19-29 Reflection Christians seem to be held to a higher standard than other people, and rightfully so. Often times we, Christians, try to lower the standard by saying things like, “We’re still sinful. We aren’t perfect and we won’t be perfect.” While that’s true, the reality is that we as followers of Jesus ought be different. Our lives should look different from people who do not follow Jesus. The kicker is that the world knows this. They know this because we have loudly told them how they ought to live. AsRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 72 & 119:73-96 OT: Jer. 3:6-18 NT: Rom. 1:28––2:11 Gospel: John 5:1-18 Reflection Every year as we approach Easter there are television shows about Jesus. There are news interviews with experts about Jesus. The question on many people’s minds is, “Who was Jesus?” Jesus captures the imaginations of our world. He was so unique that 2,000 years later he still draws us in. Who was he? More to the point, who is he? There’s a great story in the Gospel of John, Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. InRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 61, 62 & 68:1-20 OT: Jer. 2:1-13 NT: Rom. 1:16-25 Gospel: John 4:43-54 Reflection What do you think of when you hear someone say, “The Gospel”? Some of us think about four point outlines or The Romans Road. Others think about service. Still others, think about the crucifixion and resurrection. Some people may think about Jesus being victorious over sin and death. You might think about how to get to heaven or how to avoid hell. Maybe you think about music. Do you think about power? Actually, do you think about an eternal power that undoes sin and death and ultimately overcomes theRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 56, 57, [58] & 64, 65 OT: Jer. 1:11-19 NT: Rom. 1:1-15 Gospel: John 4:27-42 Reflection Sometimes us pastors whine. We whine about how hard our calling is. “People are messy!” “We never get closure!” “I don’t feel like I make a difference!” Waaaa…waaa….waaa… I’m no stranger to this. Every once in a while a pity party feels just about right. Some times you get tired of the, “Hey you only work one day a week, right?” joke. As a pastor people tend to put me on a pedestal or try and pretend that I don’t exist. Either way, it can lend itselfRead More →