Lenten Devotional Guide2016

Written by Students ofTruett Seminary

As we follow along on the journey with Jesus to the cross, the season of Lent engages our hearts and minds so that we are truly ready to celebrate once we arrive at Resurrection Sunday. Lent is a time of contemplation, a time of dedication, and a time of preparation. This collection of Lenten devotions has been written by students of Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Our hope and prayer in compiling and sharing these reflections is that they might encourage you and enhance your experience of the Lenten journey this year. The scripture readings have been selected from the Revised Common Lectionary’s daily readings for Lent. We have included passages from the New Testament and the Psalms and have provided a selection for each week day throughout the Lenten season. May you be blessed and inspired by these words. Jon J. Polk, MDiv 2008 The Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching Tiffani Harris, MDiv 2001 Office of Spiritual Formation

Cover design by Andy Clark, MDiv 2017

Beautifully Broken We once were wild horses. We galloped without guidance. We roamed without restrictions. And thus we wrestled against our restraints. We bucked against impending authority. We knew not the peace and perfection of submission. Yet, despite our savagery, there was One who had great plans for us—a Christ who sought to work us into God’s glorious purposes. But He knew that He would first have to break our spirits. One does not usually imagine beauty in brokenness, but this idea of a broken spirit is not uncommon to those engaged in the domestication of wild horses. It might also be referred to as domestic discipline. When someone wishes to domesticate a horse, he or she must commence in the long, grueling process of wrestling with the excited, ferocious, kicking, biting, anxious beast by jumping on top of it and holding on for dear life as the horse does everything within its power to break free from the strange parasite now clinging to its back. If persistent, the rider will exhaust the animal into its surrender, and from then on the rider and the horse can work as one unit, learning the language of each other’s heart: his or her tendencies, sounds, behaviors, expressions. Through the outworking of their relationship, the savage becomes a steed. Beauty emerges from brokenness. Thus, before David ever brings out the bulls as his burnt offering to the Lord (v. 19), he offers to God “a broken spirit” because “a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (v. 17). To grasp the tone in which David sings this prayer to God, one must remember the reality of his circumstance; he had just been confronted by the prophet Nathan about the sins he had committed with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. He sings out to God in his guilt and shame after having done such savage deeds. “Have mercy on me,” he begs God, recounting His “unfailing love” and “great comfort” (v. 1). He requests, “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin” (v. 2). David is aware of his sinful past. He knows that apart from God’s will, he is an out-of-control sinner. More importantly, David knows that true righteousness must come from God. He says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (vv. 10-12). He understands that his own heart is not pure and that his spirit is insufficient for sustenance. He needs his spirit to be broken in order for there to be room for the Holy Spirit. He confesses the shame of his past, acknowledges the great mercy of God, and devotes himself to a broken spirit for the sake of God’s presence. Reflection: Read and reflect upon Paul’s words in Romans 12:1-2. In what way(s) am I acting as a “living sacrifice” to God (Romans 12:1)? Do my actions for God reflect the sincerity that is within my heart? Are there any sins in my life that are masking the image of mercy, had through Jesus Christ, and holding me back from my God-willed purposes? Prayer: Merciful God, who knew me in my sin and granted me the gift of salvation, I thank You for Your unfailing love and great compassion. In my sin, I am far from You and my sacrifices mean nothing. Purify my heart. Keep me in your presence. Wash me, so that I am whiter than snow. Grant me a broken spirit, O God, so that I may enjoy Your Holy Spirit within me. May my tongue sing of your righteousness, and may I profess Christ by my words and deeds, inside and out. It is in the holy and precious name of Jesus that I pray. Amen.

Wednesday, February 10 Jordan Davis

MDiv 2019

Psalm 51:1-17

"Egypt." I imagine that word was not spoken in Moses’ house. His wife had taught the children early on to keep that one word silent. The other men in the village could sense it too. They felt the tension rise in Moses when they spoke of caravans from Egypt, or gave directions to a weary traveler. Through the years, they learned to change the subject when he came near. "To Egypt." I imagine this country haunted Moses’ dreams. Shamed that he had killed. Shame that he had a hand in afflicting his family for so many years. He saw the face of the murdered guard in strangers. He heard the voices of the slaves as the wind whistled through the trees, howling and spinning all around him. He had tried to forget. Forty years is a long time to practice deadening one's own heart. "I will send you to Egypt." I imagine this word, this command, shocks Moses. After all this time, here, standing with his feet in holy sand, the Lord rips the sickly scab off Moses' broken heart. No, he can't go back, not to the source of the pain. Go back? To the place he had killed a man? To the place that he had betrayed his family? Go back? To the place where he was an afflicter? To the cries of distress that were partly his fault? Go back? "And now come, I will send you to Egypt." The last time Moses was there he had tried to deliver the slaves. At least one who was being beaten. He killed one of the guards, one of the afflicters. Not knowing that the slaves, his family, would mock him. Because they knew he was an afflicter too, not a deliverer. An afflicter, not a deliverer. An afflicter. Not a deliverer. He needed deliverance just as much as they did, but in a different way. "I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt." Moses would this time not be going as deliverer, but on behalf of the Deliverer. His own heart would be hurt in the process, going back to the place of his pain. Nevertheless, that is where healing would finally be found for him. The Deliverer was using the broken to deliver the broken. And Moses went. Would you? Prayer: My Deliverer, I am a broken messenger. I desperately need you to heal the broken parts of me, the parts of me I have been hiding from. Heal me, even if it hurts. Help me to reach out to the broken world around me. When I try to do things in my own strength, I miss the point. Help me to step out of the way, and let you work through my life and my brokenness. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Thursday, February 11 Philip Jorgensen

MDiv 2016

Acts 7:30-34

As we wait for the most important celebration of the Christian calendar, we should reflect on the origins of our journey. In Acts chapter seven the first Christian martyr, Stephen, makes a plea to the Sanhedrin immediately before he is stoned to death. In his speech he recalls the story of the Israelites, the story of Moses leading God’s chosen people out of bondage in Egypt during the Passover. Beginning in verse thirty-five he recounts for us how the Israelites rejected Moses and turned towards idols. Friends, at the heart of this story is our story, too. Remember the Gospels link Moses to Jesus. Jesus is the new Moses; in fact, he is the new prophet that is even greater than Moses. We, in turn, have become the new Israelites, frequently turning to our idols, whatever they may be. That is why many of us practice a Lenten fast, in order to practice self-discipline and turn to our great Lord in our need. Isn’t it so beautiful how the story of the Bible is so great and all-encompassing? We have been grafted into this tree, into this story. Let us not forget that before he was betrayed, Jesus was celebrating the Passover in that upper room with the disciples! We have become part of God’s chosen, but we need to be aware of the repeated mistakes of those that came before us. During this time of fasting and waiting, let us turn toward our greater Moses, the God who became a humble Jewish man to free us from our bondage. Perhaps we can learn something from those early Christians who counted themselves as Jews. Every year they recounted the story of God’s action in freeing them, reenacting the Passover so as to never forget, so as to continue the storied tradition of their covenant with God. We as Christians perhaps ought to use our Lenten time to in a similar way to recount the fulfillment of that covenant made so long ago in the person of Jesus Christ.

Friday, February 12 Anastasia Johnson

MDiv 2018

Acts 7:35-42

What an incredible act! God’s love was made manifest in the form of God’s son Jesus Christ who, by living a sinless life in perfect concert with God, became the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. The hands that were stretched out on a cross proclaimed how much God loves us and how far He would go for us. Perfection in the human life is impossible as it relates to sin. This doesn’t mean that we throw up our hands in hopelessness, however, because even when we fall and act in disobedience of God, we have the blood of Christ that covers our sins. This incredible act of God not only gave to us a Savior and an atonement for our sins, but also a way to express our love for God. We are not commanded to cower in a corner in fear of the world and in fear of the possible causation of sin. Rather, we are commanded to live as Jesus lived. We seek to rid our actions of disobedience to God and our acting out of sin and Christ’s blood covers us when we fall. But living like Christ involves so much more than simply not sinning. Christ lived a life of service to others, of love even when it wasn’t easy, and of care and compassion to those who needed it most. He fiercely protected both his relationship with God and the ability of others to worship God. In being called to live as Jesus lived and to act upon our love for God, we are not only commanded to seek God’s heart in avoiding sin to the highest attainable level, but in also seeking God’s heart in how we act out our everyday faith in our genuine imitation of Christ. Prayer: Father, Thank you for your son, my Savior. Thank you for the life that Christ lived and the death that he died for me. Guide me in the ability to seek you with all my heart and that through that seeking, my actions would reflect your commands and Christ’s life.

Monday, February 15 Kyle Shipp

MDiv 2019

1 John 2:1-6

In his second letter to Christians in the Roman provinces, Peter affirms the power of Christ’s presence and the certainty of his return. 2 Peter 2 addresses the constant threat of false, unstable teachers and the fallacy of their interpretation of the Word. How are we to view such people in our day? Are we to engage with friends and authority figures who “speak blasphemies about what they do not understand?” Peter says they are “springs without water, mists driven by a whirlwind” (v. 12, 17). We all interact at some point with people who speak boastful, empty words and promise good things but are consumed with ways of the world. Are we to simply avoid them? In Paul’s words, people can become ‘enslaved’ to whatever has mastered them. Often I only notice the behaviors that have mastered others. Yet what judgmental attitudes have controlled me, often dictating what I am willing to do? At unexpected moments, we are given opportunities to share the truth of Christ’s teaching to those who are perishing. I had one such opportunity over Christmas this season, and I was challenged to let God control my new perspective. Visiting a family member in the hospital is rarely easy. Hospital rooms are usually dim, small spaces full of tubes and machines. I had little hope for reconciliation that rainy afternoon as I headed up the hospital walkway. My relative was dying, and for as long I could remember our relationship had been tense and estranged. Harold is a successful, but isolated man—someone who has had little interest in my way of life. I was taking him some homemade bread, hoping it might diminish some of his acrimony and my own years of disappointment. After brief hellos and conversation about the children, we began a more serious exchange: “I don’t know what’s happening. This could be it for me, Sally.” Surprised, I carried on, “Well, this may be ‘it’. How do you feel about dying… and what do you know about God in case you meet him sometime soon?” He only began to shake his head. We sat together in the dimly lit room for some time, and Harold wept, sharing different fears and regrets. I was both heartbroken and happy for him to be confronting these things, sorry he had never talked to me before. Abruptly, he decided to put on those tubular hospital socks with the rubber pads on the soles. As he struggled to pull them on, I felt a gentle nudge in my heart, “Get down on the floor and help him.” How could I possibly kneel down in front of this man who had treated me like a total stranger? If I got on my knees at his feet, it would be like I was bending down to wash them. “That’s right,” said my heart. A few days later I received a text, “I’d like some more of that gingerbread… any time.” Of course, I went that day. The room was dark, and bubbling IVs streamed out from poles beside the hospital bed, so I sat down and held his hand. “I’ve brought you a booklet from a Bible study that I teach,” I began, thinking ‘Maybe this will be a gentle start.’ I prayed softly with Harold, confessing we were both sinners and asking for God’s forgiveness and joy. I searched for words. Instead, he was the one who spoke, “Thank you, and I… I love you very much”— words he had never said. We talked a few minutes more about God’s love, his holiness, and his forgiveness. Our conversations and Bible reading continue to this day. All of us know difficult people or perhaps come from broken families. One way to interpret Peter’s warning about boastful people is this: although we cannot turn a blind eye or enable sin, we can love people in the place of their darkness and offer ourselves, even at their feet, when they are ready to talk. As Christians, our words should be springs of water that will never run dry. “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly and keep the righteous from being deceived,” Peter says. Maybe we are to be part of that plan.

Tuesday, February 16 Sally Lombardo

MDiv 2017

2 Peter 2:4-21

Shanna’s Great Peril Shanna thought to herself, “What have I done that the Lord has not yet rescued me from such an evil crowd, two years without a change? Was it something that I had forgotten, a misstep perhaps, a wrongful thought or deed? Oh, please give heed to my cry!” She, like King David, prayed that God would hear her cry. Surely, the virtues of one who nurtures would be clearly evidenced, she thought. Nevertheless, she felt it best to reiterate… no, not at His behest, the ways in which she excelled. She prayed, “Lord I give to the church, I help the needy, never am I found amongst the greedy. My hands are clean and open to both orphans and widows. Never have I deviated from your worship, integrity intact, both day and night. I seek only your face, none other may displace you, yet each day I am hounded by evil.” With no relief in sight, determined to put up the good fight, her will acquiesces to His will. As she prepares for work the next morning, she beseeches the Lord to hear her prayer, to vindicate her before her enemies. Believing that God has the power to rescue is consolation; knowing how he will, however, is aggravation. Alas, she climbs up to take her stand. Her enemies are all around, near the water fountain with their callous hearts and mouths that speak with arrogance about her. Is there no resting place? They hound innocents at lunch to join in the melee as they slay yet another; their mouths linger over the details of the day as prey. In the boardroom, at the office party, in the meeting rooms, she prays to be saved from such ones. Reflection: He positions us so that His will shall be accomplished in us and then through us. In us is the compassion of Christ for a world that is dying under the dark in the broad light of day. “Oh children,” He cries, “have some compassion for your fellow man. Open your eyes see that what is needed here and now are the prayers of the righteous. Hurry for the day grows short.” Will you intercede, will you pray for those you call enemies, will you forgive freely? Fear not, Ambassadors of the Kingdom, arise, take your place and fear not, for God is always with you. Prayer: Oh merciful Father, how awesome is your love for us that you continue to progressively redeem us. Forgive us Lord, for we do not see what you see, we pray for those spiritual eyes and hearts to be able to discern your good and perfect will for us, your creation. Grant us your Grace, Lord, as we traverse this world, endow us with the compassion of Christ, a love for those that are lost, so that we may be able to intercede on their behalf. Our prayer is that we will be about the will of God offering healing and deliverance to those that are lost. In as much as we received freely, let us also give freely the benefits of the Kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

Wednesday, February 17 Paulette Taylor

MDiv 2018

Psalm 17

We live in a world defined by accomplishment and possessions. The drive is to do more, work harder, be better, and have more than anyone else. Success is defined by gain, yet the Lenten season calls us back to our first love. In preparation for the greatest celebration of the Christian year, Lent calls us to step back and remove focus from our accomplishments. We must realize it is not what we do or even where we fail that defines us. Lent reminds us that we are defined by our relationship to the risen Lord. Lent calls us to find our place in the grand narrative of salvation history. In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul calls us back from our reliance on the flesh. He reminds us of his status as a member of the people of Israel and his zeal for following the law. Yet, when he is faced with Christ, all of his accomplishments become rubbish to him. Paul rejects everything that defines him in the eyes of the world in order to completely present his identity in Christ. He sees that his place in the story is not defined by his accomplishments, but in the actions of Christ. As we move toward the ultimate celebration of God’s victory over sin and death, Lent allows us time to reflect on our role in the story. Our accomplishments and failures are never more than rubbish when our identity is Christ. During Lent, we take a step back from ourselves and focus on the suffering of Christ. By putting aside our desires and boasting and examining Christ’s suffering, we are able to see Christ in the fullness of his glory. We put aside ourselves to prepare to see the full power of the resurrected Savior. In the Savior, we find an identity that can never be shaken. Reflection: What do you need to count as rubbish in order to gain Christ? What keeps you from placing your identity in Christ?

Thursday, February 18 Matt Berry

MDiv 2017

Philippians 3:2-12

I've always been good at imitations. Maybe I watch too many movies. I can try on character's postures like old coats, taste their accents and words like new foods. I've collected an arsenal of personalities on which to draw, and a particular adjustment of the shoulders or tightening of the mouth flips a switch that activates something in my mind. In middle and high school I loved acting, but more practically I used imitation to navigate confusing and awkward teenage relationships. Need to act casual and calm? A subtle version of Jack Sparrow's posture could help with that. Need to sound sincere? How would Jimmy Stewart say it? It's not a natural talent. It was never as if someone could come up to me, speak any name, and I could just will myself to do an impersonation. It comes from spending two or three hours carefully watching a character navigate the twists and turns of their plot line, and by the credits, I know I've picked something up. The more I use a character, the deeper into me he or she will seep, each one leaving a small mark on my soul. In seminary, I learned how to borrow the voices of wise people, picking up grammar to navigate life with God by imitating them, often poorly. After reading about prayer, it was a week at a monastery with a professor that gave me the posture I needed to pray. After classes on pastoral theology, it was a semester shadowing a pastor that showed me the timbre in which I needed to speak. I think Paul was familiar with this skill. It may have been just what he meant when he encouraged those in Philippi to "join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us." These are not light words considering they may have been written from a prison cell. He called them to imitate him insofar as he imitated Christ, to allow their cruciform pattern of living to seep in deep and leave a mark on their soul. This is part of the beauty of the Lenten season. It is a time to fast, to keep silence, to retreat so that we might find the room to become more aware of whom it is we imitate, whom it is we serve. Then we notice we may have been thoughtlessly imitating those on television commercials, and that our god is no bigger than our own belly. Faced with this truth, we are then free to re-examine with clarity: where do we really want to set our minds, to fix our eyes, knowing that the more we watch, the closer we imitate? Where might we fix our eyes to learn what posture to assume, what accents to use, and what words to speak? Who might we watch, hear, read, and imitate that would bring us closer to imitating Christ himself? I pray that this season God might guide us through those questions and form us more fully into Christlikeness.

Friday, February 19 Zach Helton

MDiv 2015

Philippians 3:17-20

In the midst of a difficult conversation, Paul chooses to point all the way back to the exact moment in history when the conversation actually began. Up to this moment in the letter to the Romans, Paul has noted considerably that we are incapable of saving ourselves, “as it is written: none is righteous, no, not one.” And certainly “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Yet he knows and understands that there is a misconception about a certain father of the Jews. The biggest obstacle was a physical ritual that was emphasized for Abraham’s sons as the sign of the covenant between him and his offspring. Many placed the entirety of their righteousness on the simple act of circumcision. But Paul taught that Jesus is the redeemer who was to be received by faith. Thus faith in Jesus alone was to be enough to justify us. But the question needed to be answered on the topic of Abraham’s first act of obedience and his entire life of righteousness before having been chosen. Paul knows of these concerns and asks a very simple question: What did Abraham gain with his own works before God ever appeared? Surely if he was able to justify himself through his works it would be commendable. Yet Scripture teaches otherwise. Paul points us back to the exact moment in history when all of this conversation actually began. Scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Not because of what he did, but because he believed. Abraham was justified and so are we. And for that, let’s all praise the Lord. Prayer: Heavenly Father, we give you praise and honor and glory for you alone can save us. You have shown us the extent of your mercy in your Son, as it is faith in Him that justifies us. Though we stood condemned, Christ died for us.

Monday, February 22 Jorge Rivera

MDiv 2018

Romans 4:1-12

Opportunity Knocks In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, the Apostle Paul uses Israel's history in the wilderness to paint a practical picture, teach us a lesson, warn us, and provide us an opportunity to succeed in our Christian walk. Scripture makes clear that all human beings are subject to temptation. It provides examples of individuals who faced and yielded to such influences. Sadly, Israel's yield to temptations ended in death. Israel's history paints a gloomy picture, but I want to draw our attention to God's promise and our opportunity. Even though temptations present themselves, God has promised us a way to escape. The circumstances that tempt us to sin are never qualitatively different from those which God's people of every era have experienced and we never have to give in to them. In essence, we face the same temptations that Israel faced, the temptation to worship other people or things, which is idolatry, the temptation to complain about everything, or the temptation to commit sexual sin. There is absolutely nothing new under the sun. Temptation comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Temptation is bold and will knock on your door with the purpose of testing your love for God and creating a breach in your relationship with Him. However, our faithful God has promised that for every single temptation "with it" and "alongside it" is a way of escape. Our loving Father provides us an escape-hatch, which is defined as a way to persevere without sinning, in whatever difficult situation we find ourselves. As Christians we should not be complacent in our walk with Christ. We have to carefully evaluate exactly what we participate in. The strongest people can fall into temptation if they are not careful. We must examine ourselves, our attitudes, and our lives daily. We must take the opportunity to learn from those in Scripture that yielded to temptation. We must take the opportunity to claim God's strength to resist temptation. We must reject things that do not help our spiritual life and embrace those that do. We should strive to live to the glory of God and the edification of others. Be encouraged today and daily remember God's promise to provide us a way of escape and ultimately an opportunity to succeed in our Christian walk. Prayer: Father we thank you that for every temptation, with it You have made a way for our escape. We pray for ourselves and for our neighbors and ask that we will claim your strength to resist the devil and every temptation he presents. Father, we ask that you will help us to always be mindful of Your commandments and in being mindful of your commandments, that we will live to the glory of God and to the edification of others, In Jesus name, Amen.

Tuesday, February 23 Angeleka Smith

MDiv 2019

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

The Door, The Mission, The Cross In this passage, we are reminded, for the first time since Luke 9 that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, where the cross looms on the horizon. As his death, and ultimately his resurrection, hastens into view, the disciples pose a question about eternal life through salvation, “Will those who are saved be few?” Expecting a direct answer to their yes-or-no, black-and-white question, Jesus instead answers the disciples in typical fashion – by indirect response. Jesus points the finger, not on the world of others, but on the disciples themselves, with a metaphor of a narrow door. The narrow door requires an earnest effort to enter into – full participation in the work of God. This is a reminder for the disciples, and for Christianity in a modern context, that no one can easily waltz through a broad door of salvation without any effort. Simply wanting to enter through this door isn’t enough. Being a follower of Christ means complete manifestation and initiative in the missio Dei – extending the invitation to the table-fellowship of Christ to all people. They are to be seeking the narrow door of salvation by actively engaging in the missio Dei because, once the door is closed, it is finished. Why respond to a question about what, at first glance, appears to be about salvation, with an answer about mission? God doesn’t refuse people admittance through the narrow door; people who refuse to put forth the effort for entrance through the narrow door lock themselves out. Jesus knows that the journey of being a pilgrim follower is not an easy pathway. Verse 31 tells us that immediately after this conversation, Jesus is warned of Herod’s impending pursuit. In this Lenten season, we are preparing ourselves for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – the promise of Easter Sunday. While we yearn for Sunday, we tend to neglect the pains of Friday and Saturday. Walking through the darkness of the weekend, with the promise of light on Sunday, is walking through the narrow door. As we strive for our own narrow door, we participate in the mission of God by walking beside one another, pointing to the promise of Sunday, and journeying together, as pilgrims along the way. The narrow door means struggle. The narrow door means energy. The narrow door is less inviting. The narrow door leads to the cross. The narrow door is the missio Dei. The narrow door concludes with the proclamation, “thanks be to God!” Prayer: “May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that

you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may wish

for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so

that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.” – St. Francis of Assisi

Wednesday, February 24 Andrew Bowles

MDiv 2018

Luke 13:22-31

In the desert of ancient Israel, water meant life. The Psalmist in Psalm 63:1-8 is writing in the desert of Judah where water was scarce. At this time in Israel’s history, many had also stopped following God and had become like the people described in Jeremiah 2:13 – those who “have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” But the Psalmist chooses to have a different relationship with God. He uses the metaphor of water for God, saying his “flesh faints for [God]” in verse 1. He says that looking upon God in his sanctuary is what sustains him. For the Psalmist, an experience with God meant life and to be separated from God meant death. Because his soul is satisfied by God, he glorifies and praises God. Jesus showed us that he has come to be living water for His people. He comes to bring relief to the world. Read John 7:14-16 This passage occurs when Jesus is at the festival of Succoth. This festival was a time of celebration for the fall harvest and remembrance of the time of wandering. During this festival, Priests would go to the pool of Siloam with a pitcher, fill it up, and take it and pour it at the Temple Mount as a libation offering. This was their prayer for rain and they would perform this offering on the final day of the festival, which is also the day when Jesus comes on the scene again. Read John 7:37-38 On the last day of the festival, Jesus proclaims on the Temple mount that he is the relief they are looking for. He promises to be the source of living water Israel has been looking for. When life is lived by coming to Jesus to drink living water, your “soul is satisfied” (Ps. 63:5) and out of your heart “shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Reflection: The Hebrew words for “living water” are mayim chayim. Pray today that you would choose Jesus as your source of mayim chayim instead of other things in this world that may satisfy us for a minute, but leave us thirsty afterward. Ask God to remind you that his steadfast love is better than life.

Thursday, February 25 Rory Jones

MDiv 2018

Psalm 63:1-8

The church in Sardis had a reputation for being perceived as something it wasn’t. In a church known for being busy with doing the things of God, it is interesting that the critique is they weren’t doing things with him. In the church of Sardis, Christianity had merely become part of their culture and in the margins of their lives, rather than that which defined their soul, the fragrance of Christ ripe through the veins of their lifeblood. As Americans, we live in a culture that has become, like the church in Sardis, Christianized. In such a context, Jesus can easily become a peripheral association rather than someone we are in a transformative relationship with. It would be a mistake to think that our membership in a local church, having Christian-looking habits, or some ritual practices disconnected from the active participation of our heart, can alone be the clothing that shows that we are conquerors with Christ. We cannot merely have a reputation of being alive with dead works, but we must be active in our devotion to him. The rituals of the Lord do not save us. The Lord saves us. May we not seek so much to study the footprints of the Messiah, but to instead to actively walk alongside him. But how do we find ourselves having the heart God desires? How do we move from mere reputation and into transformative relation? Jesus gives us three commands in this passage. Regarding what we’ve seen and heard God do, 1) Remember it, 2) Keep it, and 3) Repent. It is easy to remember anything for a short period of time and anything we know can quickly be forgotten if not revisited frequently. The same is with Christ: remember God’s words, what you’ve heard, and remember his faithfulness in the testimonies of yourself and others, what you’ve seen, by continuously returning to them. As we have received, we freely give. By keeping the word of Christ and his testimony we act it out, finding our “works complete in the sight of my God.” Knowing we will fail, God offers us opportunities for repentance. The three follow each other: remembering, keeping and repenting. These are the patterns of discipleship for those who follow Christ and walk with him. This is the ebb and flow of grace. Reflection:

1. In what ways is my discipleship genuine and not merely an act of culture disconnected from the heart?

2. In what ways am I…

a. Remembering God’s word and the testimony of Jesus? b. Keeping the word in action? c. Repenting where I am failing?

3. How does grace inform my actions and discipleship?

Friday, February 26 Luke Donahue

MDiv 2018

Revelation 3:1-6

“But we know that the judgment of God is true.” (Romans 2:2) Lent is a season of judgment. It is a set of forty non-consecutive days in which Christians are invited to place themselves, their lives and thoughts and intuitions, under the judgment of God. We look inside of ourselves and see laziness, and so we choose to unplug the television until Easter. We look inside of ourselves and see greed, and so we choose to keep track of whatever money we spend and give an equal amount to charity each week. We look inside of ourselves and see luxury, and so we commit to spend not even a dime on entertainment until March 27th. We judge laziness. We judge greed. We judge luxury. We judge these things to be unworthy of us, to be uncharacteristic of those being remade in the image of God. Lent is a season of judgment. But Lent is also a season of kindness. In fact, it is a season of judgment precisely because it is a season of kindness. In the same way that God’s kindness coaxes us out of our hardened selves into repentance, God’s kindness is what motivates God to approach us in the first place. God invites us out of our old patterns of life, out of laziness and greed and luxury, because God knows that those things are sub-human, that they are unfulfilling, and that they will ultimately destroy the “very good” creation. Because God loves us - not only us, but also those around us and even the non-human world itself - God invites us into a season of divine judgment. God, whose judgment is true, whose judgment causes the trees of the field to rejoice, whose judgment frees the oppressed and forgives the oppressor, invites us to freedom from the oppression of Sin in which we are our own oppressors. God invites us to see our own lives and actions and motivations more clearly, with the judgment of God which is true, so that we can kindly but firmly reject the Sin still lingering in is. So that we can fast from the permissible in order to discover the idolatry hiding underneath. So that we can kill the evil disguised as the good. Lent is a season of self-judgment because Lent is, primarily is, a season of kindness. Prayer:

Father, Kind and gracious God,

Righteous and true judge, Grant us wise minds to judge with right judgment,

Obedient hearts to cleanse our lives, And faithful hands to do your will.

For your glory, For the world’s good,

And for our own fuller joy. Amen.

Monday, February 29 Gerhard Stübben

MDiv 2017

Romans 2:1-11

They say you don't know what you've got until it's gone, and as the proud mother of a one-month old baby boy, I can verify that as far as freedom, spontaneity, and the ability to go see a movie whenever I feel like it are concerned, they're right. I couldn't have understood the burden of responsibility I would feel as the mother of this child even if you'd told me (and plenty of people did). Don't get me wrong - I love my son, but I didn't, and couldn't, appreciate the absence of that burden until I felt its full weight. As I read this text from Romans, I'm reminded that as Christians, we often read Paul's writings as a kind of exemption from the law, as if the work of grace somehow nullified the law rather than calling us to an even higher standard. In this passage, though, he makes the strong claim that "it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified." Of course, we are saved by grace and not by our (in)ability to live up to the law, but Christ himself instructed us to "be perfect" (Mt. 5:48). Jesus apparently did us a favor by whittling down the law to one rule – love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind – but most of the time we can't even live up to that. So how are we meant to move forward? Are we supposed to even try? Lent is a time of preparation for the season of Easter, and in Easter we celebrate the mystery that in Christ we are made perfect, that in Christ the law has found its fulfillment and we have found our freedom. But it's like the old saying in reverse - rather than "you don't know what you've got until it's gone," having the burden of the law lifted means nothing if we haven't first allowed ourselves to feel its full weight. Perhaps during this season our somber task is to return to a full acknowledgement of our own sinfulness, to embrace the burden of the even higher law of love, and to do it by fixing our aim even more wholeheartedly on the perfection toward which we are called. Perhaps if we willingly engage in this exercise in futility - we know we'll never make it - for the sake of embracing our own imperfection, we will find the law etched just a little more deeply on our hearts, and we might more fully embrace the perfection of the cross when Easter finally comes. Reflection: Reflect on the commandments in scripture and choose the one you find most difficult to fulfill. Ask God to help you walk the path toward perfecting that law in your life during this season.

Tuesday, March 1 Claire Helton

MDiv 2015

Romans 2:12-16

I used to think that I was responsible for growing God's kingdom in my life. If I completed my list of good deeds each day and did everything right, then me and mine would be just fine. It's as if I thought that God’s plan could only come about if I perfectly followed the right steps. Life has a way of teaching us that God and his Kingdom are much too complex to be reduced to a simple formula or to-do list. The Kingdom of God is meant to grow powerfully, wild and free, connecting us to one another and to God himself. These days, I see my part of Kingdom growth more as a cultivation. Just like we prepare the ground for a new seed, or a bread dough for the addition of the yeast, we need to prepare our hearts and lives for God's reign. We are not responsible for making growth happen as much as we are for creating the right environment for growth. You can't make a seed sprout or a bread rise, and you can't micro-manage the Kingdom of God. What you can do is invite it in, plant it, mix it with the recipe. If you are diligent about cultivating the right environment within yourself, the Spirit of God will take care of growing the kingdom of God in you and around you. Reflection: Are you trying to micro-manage God's work in your life and ministry, or are you working to cultivate an atmosphere where the Kingdom of God can grow unhindered? What are some ways you can make your life and ministry better “soil” for the seed of the kingdom? Perhaps you need to create stillness and margin in your life so that you can better connect to the Spirit of God. Maybe you need to find a way to connect with others on a deeper level so that the Kingdom can work in you together. Whatever it is, recognize that there is no priority higher than Kingdom cultivation in your life today.

Wednesday, March 2 Sarah Ellzey

MDiv/MSW 2019

Luke 13:18-21

Silence. It is a vitally important spiritual practice. Silence ushers us into the presence of God and centers our minds on our Creator. Silence stills the soul and focuses the heart on things beyond what is present to us in the noise and clamor of the day. Silence brings us away from rush and worry into the presence of One who is sacred peace. What about when silence becomes sin? I would argue that Eve did not commit the original sin; Adam did. In Genesis 2:17, before Eve is created, God instructs Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When the serpent talks with Eve in Genesis 3 about the fruit of this tree, Adam is with her, passively remaining silent about God's command given only to him about this tree. Adam therefore sinned before Eve by remaining in silence. One does not have to look far to ascertain that there is sin in the world. Sins committed by people made in the image of God, against one another and against God. Sins committed by you and by me. Sins committed against you and against me. Sins of what we have done and what we have left undone. The psalmist writes that while he or she remained silent about sin, "my body wasted away through my groaning all day long" (v. 3). The psalmist's entire body aches because of silence - the destructive kind. What if our sins and silences toward sin affect the Body of Christ in the same way? Perhaps Christ's Body is aching and groaning for the sins that remain untouched and undiscussed. Reflection: Where is silence present in your life? Hopefully, it is a regular practice for your spiritual growth. Where are the places in your life in which you need to speak up? As we set our faces toward Jerusalem together this Lenten season, let us turn both inwardly and outwardly, confessing sins against self and neighbor. Only when we confess sin as sin can we be made whole.

Thursday, March 3 Michelle Shackelford

MDiv/MSW 2017

Psalm 32

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) There is nothing that shapes our lives more than death. It is an inescapable part of the human experience. Do you remember the first time you were impacted by death? Perhaps at a young age you lost a dear pet, childhood friend, or family member. It shakes us. Our corner of the world as we know it is not the same. We realize for the first time what our own mortality means. The life that is taken is not coming back. These are dark days and there is nothing we can do about it. We are helpless. Enter Christ. "We are convinced that one died for all." All of human history collides with the truth that Jesus died to save humanity from the reign of death and sin. His death gives us life. It is through his death that Christians learn how to live today. The dramatic display of God's love captivates believers in a way that nothing else can compare. Christ's death on the cross has called us to follow his path of dying to self. The radical exchange from death to life gives hope and renewed purpose to the sinner. Love has conquered our sinful self and freed us to live for Jesus. The power death holds over all humanity is overcome by the living presence of Christ in our hearts. The power of God's love rests on us who are filled with His Spirit. His love moves us to love. Because he has forgiven us our sins, we are able to forgive others who sin against us. Because he has shown us kindness and mercy, we can be peacemakers. His life gives us a new direction. Our lives have been cruciformed. Prayer: God, the death of your one and only Son has opened my eyes. When I confessed my faith in you, I died to who I was. I can no longer pretend that things are the same as they used to be, but change is still a struggle in my life. I want to be led by your Spirit. Let your love guide my thoughts and actions. Help me to die to myself that Christ may reign within me.

Friday, March 4 Nathan Burrow

MTS 2016

2 Corinthians 5:6-15

“Babylon, the mother of us all” Glory to the ageless one, who levels empires, who sees through the smoke of our vain desires! Have mercy on us who would be your bride — with our whorish injustices harbored inside. Amen, hallelujah, we cry, make us pure! But how sweet, how sensible the bloody allure Of partaking of the opulent feast of power, seeking swift security and a lavish dower. When Babylon falls, where will we stand? With her victims rejoicing, or wringing our hands At the loss of all that pomp and history, our furrowed brows marked by the profane Mystery? Prayer: Lord, reveal to us where we are complicit in the priorities and values of empire; convict us of our part in the culture of death. Prepare our hearts in mercy and justice to take part in the messianic wedding that will come with the fullness of your kingdom, and let us anticipate that kingdom even now through our labors against violence and oppression. And empower us to do the hard work of the gospel — standing in solidarity with those crushed under the weight of powers and principalities, working for peace and liberation. We may fear that such dirty work will stain our white robes, but help us remember, O God of salvation, that you alone make clean.

Monday, March 7 Cade Jarrell

MDiv 2018

Revelation 19:1-8

As a child, I thought heaven was just a long church service, a somber affair. It may suggest how impoverished our imagination has become that many adults harbor equally somber visions. But anyone who has read about Jesus in the New Testament knows he likes table fellowship. Jesus saved an otherwise disastrous beverage service at the Wedding at Cana, which is the first miracle in John. He had table fellowship with his disciples before the Crucifixion to teach them about the significance of his death. He eats a breakfast of bread and fish with his disciples after his Resurrection. Jesus loved to gather in fellowship with all sorts of people who would otherwise be excluded. So when the angel appears to John in Revelation 19:9 and commands him to write about how deeply fortunate were those “invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” we should hear something deeply resonant with the kind of God who is revealed in Jesus Christ. The Lamb is first one who invites, who beckons, who summons, who extends his hand out to all. Will you take it? The Lamb is one who has prepared a feast for those who accept his invitation. They will not go hungry. There will be much to celebrate. Will you celebrate? We could hardly fault John for falling down to worship the angel; he was perhaps overcome by these blessed words. But it is not the angel who deserves worship; it is God. Angels are messengers of God, but we learn here that they are much more than that. They are “fellow servants” with Christians. And like all true servants of God, their whole lives bend towards their Creator. Don’t worship me; worship God! the angel says. Imagine that, angels are working with us in their service to God. You’re not so alone, really. Seeing John on his knees, the angel says: “Don’t do it!” Get off your knees, in so many words. There will be time for the right kind of kneeling soon enough. When you are in God’s presence. It is far better to prepare yourself for the wedding supper of the Lamb. After all, there’s work to be done. Prayer: Father, forgive us for imagining you as anything other than the creator and sustainer of all life. Forgive us for imagining you as one who does not invite us into your life. Help us see with new eyes that there is so much more to celebrate than our pessimistic worldview currently allows. There’s a wedding supper to attend. Help us to prepare for it.

Tuesday, March 8 Daniel Headrick

MDiv 2017

Revelation 19:9-10

Lent is the quarantine of the church when we pause from the busyness of ministry and heed the words “Physician heal thyself.” We make time to focus on our relationship with Jesus, practice self-denial more intentionally, and engage in spiritual disciplines. We make our plans and map out a path to personal growth. However, it rarely works out so neatly. Being in relationship with Jesus means that Jesus sets the agenda and the pace. In today’s reading, the disciples are looking forward to a private retreat with Jesus, but no sooner do they arrive at Bethsaida than crowds of people disrupt their plans. Rarely does Jesus’ ministry follow an itinerary; most of the miracles, most of the teaching is in response to such disruptions. Thankfully, now as then, Jesus welcomes disruptions. As the day is ending, the disciples have a sensible idea: send the crowds away so they can get some dinner and some rest. Were they just looking forward to getting back to their scheduled retreat with Jesus? Perhaps. Sometimes the disciples get a bad rap at this point, but maybe they were just being practical, just trying to figure out the most efficient solution. So much of our ministry in Jesus’ name is planned, scheduled, budgeted, and sensible. We look at disruptive opportunities and our mismatched resources and we send the crowds away, maybe hoping to get back to our regular schedule and ministry that fits in our ledgers. We tend to forget just what the disciples forgot – Jesus. The disciples looked at the crowds, they looked at the need, they looked at what they had, but they never looked to Jesus. Too often, we do the same, assuming Jesus is unaware of the hour, unaware of our needs. The miracle happens only after Jesus calls them and commands them to do the very thing they cannot do. And so it is for us, Jesus will never call us to a ministry that doesn’t require his presence and his power. It is likely that our Lenten experience will not be all that we planned. It is certain that our lives will have disruption in ways we cannot anticipate. If the disciples were attentive, they learned the key to welcoming the disruptions as opportunities. Ministry with Jesus is not about what you have, but whom you are with. Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us realize your faithful presence with us. Remind us to look to you in moments of disruption and welcome the opportunities to be part of what you are doing. Strengthen our confidence in your abilities and abundance, for your glory and in your name. Amen.

Wednesday, March 9 Jeremy David Teague

MDiv 2018

Luke 9:10-17

How is it that some people seem to have a focus that enables them to not get caught up in the worries of the world, or the petty conflicts or the insatiable appetite of wanting and pleasing self? Have you ever met someone like that, whose focus is on the horizon – on the goodness and sufficiency of God? They have their gaze fixed upon Christ and are filled with meekness and grace. I hope that you have had someone live that example for you. We are all called to exemplify this type of meek devotion to our Lord. Verses 10 and 11 set the tone for this passage from Philippians. Remembering the glory and majesty of God our Creator is the foundation for the humility necessary to allow God to work in and through us. Without this humility and holy fear, it is easy to grumble and get caught in the snares of this world which only serves to seek pleasure for self. Continuing to serve Christ with meekness, we guard against pride as God works in and through us. It is only with humility that God’s love can shine through us “like stars in the world” (v. 15). This is exemplified in the life of Timothy. While others who surrounded Paul were lacking in humility and were seeking their own interests, Timothy stood out with genuine concern for others. His life demonstrated humility based upon reverence for the Lord. He had a singular focus that allowed him to see clearly what was most important in God’s kingdom. When our gaze is upon Christ, we begin to see those around us and the needs around us as Christ would see them. Let us not be so harsh on those “others,” whom Paul refers to, that we forget how easy it is to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. It is a subtle deception that clouds our perceptions and erodes humility. Any goodness that comes through us is due to God’s work in us. Reflection: In what ways have you noticed God’s goodness in your life? What distracts you from keeping your gaze upon Christ? How can remembering God’s glory and majesty help you with the worries and temptations of this life? Spend some time today praising God for who God is and what God has done. Ask God to help you serve with humility and meekness and to see others as he sees them.

Thursday, March 10 Tiffani Harris

Office of Spiritual Formation

Philippians 2:19-24

Dreaming is a dangerous endeavor. It forces us to engage with the world as it is and dares us to believe the world could be better. In this process, we risk being called, by God, to a task. We risk a call to downward mobility. We risk a challenge to our comfort. We risk our life. So, rather than face this danger, often we cast aside our dreams with the hasty justification that they are: imprudent, impractical, or impossible. Under this tyranny of the “im” we lie lethargic, unable to engage with the heart God. Into our lethargy crashes Psalm 126, which opens with a memory and ends with a promise. In the opening line the Psalmist reminds us that when God arrives in our lives we all become dreamers. To “be like one who dreams” is to be one who overthrows the “im.” The dreamer rises above questions of practicality and to the place of confidence. Confidence to believe that if God can sustain his people in the wilderness, and if God can sustain his Son in the desert, then perhaps God can also sustain me. Frustratingly, this rebellion against the “im” is not without its losses. To become like dreamers once again, our work must be spurred on by tears. The Psalmist uses agriculture as a symbol of our work, in order to remind us that this process will need to be nurtured, and that storms will need to be weathered. There is no shortcut. The dream must grow in our soul, through both drought and storm. Though the season comes with struggle, it promises that at the end of the toil there is a harvest of great joy. This season of Lent, let us join together as a community to dream. Let us lead a rebellion, in our souls, against the shouts of “im,” that we may hear the whispers of our heavenly dreams. Let us dare to believe that God will come through. May the world see our dreams and our tireless effort to make them reality, and declare, “the Lord has done great things for them.” Reflection:

1. What dream in your life did you give up on too early?

2. What keeps you from dreaming without limits? Fear? Practicality?

3. What will you do this season of Lent to practice dreaming?

Friday, March 11 Rob Covington

MDiv 2017

Psalm 126

Life provides so many challenges to faith. There are constant reminders of our imperfections, difficulties we face, problems to be solved, whether big or small. Hearing others' thoughts and views, gaining perspective from new experiences, watching the news, and even studying theology can provide more questions than certainty. And certainty is more comfortable. It's so easy to get caught up in the goal of figuring out the answer so we can move on to the next concern. In the midst of trials, solutions are what we desire. Yet, we are called to faith. Faith is not knowledge, but belief. Believing and entering into new life with Christ brings us into communion with God. We are connected. God is fully accessible to us. We can draw near to him and His help is there. This is the certainty: We can rest in that faith, our hope, even while we grapple with our questions, our fears, our worries, our understanding. We are also called into community. We are charged with turning to one another and sharing the reminder that we live forgiven. No matter what we are struggling with, we are called to love one another more and more. If we focus on exhibiting love and making our hopeful living visible to others, we can provide unbounded encouragement. Life can be difficult, and trials keep coming. Sometimes the people we love pass away. We're cut from the team. We get a rejection letter from the school we wanted to attend. A tornado destroys our home. A science experiment fails. We lose a job. But we remain washed clean. In the midst of turmoil, no matter what we face, even when we doubt, Jesus is constant. As you walk into each day, let it be with the knowledge that He walks with you persistently, patiently, faithfully. No matter where you are, what moment you're living, as you put one foot in front of the other, God is your source of hope and will never leave you. Prayer: Lord, when we struggle, help us to remember the moment when we confidently entered into relationship with you. Help us to remind ourselves and others of your constant presence, and rest in your eternal hope. Give us the strength to love more. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Monday, March 14 Kristy A. Wade

MACM 2017

Hebrews 10:19-25

When I was child, I loved to play with baby dolls. I am one of four children, and much of my day was spent watching my mom care for her babies. I loved the way she nurtured us and longed for the day I too would be a mom. When I was eight years old, I received a baby doll for Christmas. This baby doll came with real diapers, it cried, and it even took a pacifier. I thought caring for this baby doll would fill my childhood desire to be a mom, but it simply left me longing for more. In 1 John 2:18-28, John warns us against the fake truth. We learn about those who claim to have made professions as Christians, were members of a church community, even baptized, but eventually walked away. John explains these people actually never believed, but were simply impostures, phonies, fake. John gives us an encouraging word. In verse 20, he says the Holy One has anointed us, true believers. The Holy Spirit indwells in all believers and reveals to us all things. We are anointed so that we might understand divine truth. It is because we know God that we might live for God. We live in a world in which we are easily deceived. As a young girl, I had believed a baby doll that wore real diapers and cried real tears would make me a mom. But the doll was just a pretend object and produced merely pretend results. The doll did not sustain me, but soon left me longing for more. A lack of grounding in the Word of God and a lack of life in the Holy Spirit lead to spiritual deception. How can we be filled with wisdom if we neglect the truth? We have been provided with the Word and anointed with the Spirit. Let us seek a deeper rooting in the Word and a richer experience of the Holy Spirit so that we might be protected from deception and led into eternal life. Reflection & Prayer: As we sit in the presence of the Spirit today, I would like to guide you through centering prayer. First, choose a sacred word as the symbol for your intention to consent to God's presence and action within. In light of this reading, I will be choosing the word anointed. Sit in a comfortable position, feet flat on the floor, palms placed in an upward position resting on your legs, and eyes closed. Slowly introduce the word you have chosen. As miscellaneous thoughts consume your mind, gently return to your sacred word. You may participate in this time of prayer for as long as you'd like. I would suggest beginning with 5 minutes and ending with a period of silence.

Tuesday, March 15 Marissa Hostin

MDiv/MSW 2017

1 John 2:18-28

But they understood nothing about all these things. The disciples still do not understand. For all the time they have spent following their Teacher, they still do not understand what Jesus is proclaiming to them. Despite all that he has done and said, despite the fact that he has now foretold his death three times, the disciples simply cannot imagine that Jesus is going to suffer at the hands of the Romans. They cannot conceive that this man, whom they have left all they have to follow, is going to die. They cannot wrap their heads around the notion that their leader, the man they have come to believe in as Israel’s Messiah, could possibly be killed by Gentiles. Instead the truth remains hidden from them. Instead they remain limited to, and enthralled by, nationalistic hope in a Messiah that will conquer the occupying Romans and restore Israel’s political might. It is easy for us to read about the disciples’ lack of understanding and think how foolish and blind they must have been. But do we not, just as they did, so often refuse to believe in the foolishness of the cross as God’s redemptive and victorious action in the world? Do we not forsake the way of the Crucified Messiah for ways and messiahs of our own making? Perhaps we, like the disciples, think that we know a better way than the way of the cross. Perhaps we think that if we were a bit more strategic, suffering would not be necessary. Perhaps we are tempted by the allures of success and comfort to believe that real power can take any form other than that of the Suffering Servant carrying his cross. But the way of the cross is what Jesus invites us to, and what we are promised: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. There is suffering on the way of Jesus. But Easter is coming. Prayer: Our Lord Jesus, forgive our unbelief. Forgive us when human reason would leave no room for the action of God. Give us eyes to see wisdom and victory in the cross, where the world sees only foolishness and defeat. Give us strength and hope to bear the suffering of the world as you have.

Wednesday, March 16 Sam Davidson

MDiv 2017

Luke 18:31-34

Paying Careful Attention to Salvation Lent is full of confession and admitting that each of us tend to focus on money, clothes, food, and entertainment more than the one thing that matters in life. We commit ourselves to school, to work, to church, and to each other in hopes that we will become the ‘better’ sort of Christian. However, we cling to the tangible forms of life that will ultimately fade rather than submission to God. What does this submission mean? Does this submission have an attractive outcome if we follow all the steps of Lent and give up something in life – maybe like soda? “Abba Poeman said that the blessed Abba Anthony used to say, ‘The greatest thing a man can do is to throw his faults before the Lord and to expect temptation to his last breath’.” (Roller, 25 Books Every Christian Should Read) The Desert Fathers had a different way of viewing this submission and it was not just a simple step to take for forty days. Life changed completely and they withdrew from the temptations of the world. In a sense, that is what we try to do with Lent, but I think a lot of us expect the temptation for the thing given up to ultimately go away. We do not lose our human nature during Lent and we should not expect to come out spotless like our Savior. We should not expect our own experience of forty days in the desert to result in a denial of “exploitative economics, manipulative religion, and coercive politics” (Foster, Streams of Living Water), but we should hope for this. If failure occurs, then we remember the salvation we have through Christ. We hope that we will not drift away and we seek to be obedient. Lent is not to be an end to such means, but the continual process of living righteous and holy lives continually recognizing that we will face temptation to our last breath. May we be a people that confess and admit our humanness to one another so we may grow to understand the true meaning of salvation. Prayer:

Savior who offers us forgiveness in our weakness, May we follow Your example in the desert, and yet realize that we are weak in our sin.

Help us to admit sin and confess to one another in our temptation. Bring us closer to one another and closer to You so we may grow in faith and virtue.

To You, who all glory is to be given. Amen.

Thursday, March 17 Kim Minnick

MDiv 2017

Hebrews 2:1-9

Let us keep the phrase, “the patience of Job.” Yes, he muttered suicidal thoughts following financial, family and medical ruin, but he remained in ongoing conversation with three friends who offered him cheap clichés, baseless accusations, and ill-timed advice. I once thought there was a scene when Job’s friends got it right. Job 2:13 says, “They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” “Now there is some wisdom,” I thought. “Don’t reach for words in the midst of someone suffering. Just be present.” Background study quickly ruined my theory when it revealed how ancient people might sit for a week when assuming someone is as good as dead. Not to mention they threw dust on their heads (Job 2:12). So often we are caught between offering false hope or ignoring the agony of the sufferer altogether. Psalm 31:9-16 gives a voice to the many silent sufferers who feel ignored or slighted. Over a year ago my wife and I watched Child Protective Services reunify three children we had fostered for over a year and had hoped to adopt. Some told me the pain would get better in time. It has not. Others who knew them sometimes avoid the subject as if the kids never existed. Along with the psalmist I have cried, “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress…” (Ps. 31:9). While the pains of my own life may be unique to me, the cry for grace and deliverance while wasting away in heartache is not. The driving rains of bad advice or the cold chill of avoidance do not always cease for the life whose world gets blown apart. Continually spiraling down seems understandable but the psalmist offers a second thought before going further. “Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love” (Ps. 31:16). This text is often read during Passion Week. For it was Jesus who anticipated the worst hours of his life in a garden. While he wept and prayed for his life and his friends, his friends slept. The lesson here is difficult. When love appears to have run out alongside you, because of who God claims to be, we are to trust that His love will faithfully arrive once more.

Friday, March 18 Daniel Crowther

MDiv 2016

Psalm 31:9-16

Jesus was no stranger to Mary of Bethany. He had raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead just a short time before this event. I think it is reasonable to believe that because of this she carried a great deal of love and gratitude in her heart for Jesus. In this story, we see Jesus dining with her, Martha, Lazarus, and his disciples six days before Passover. In essence, he was saying goodbye to Mary and her siblings, a family that he loved dearly (John 11:5). During supper, Mary took a pound of very expensive ointment, anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. This very intimate act of love and worship was performed with sheer abandon, as if she and Jesus were the only ones in the room. She made herself completely vulnerable so that she could share her overflowing love toward him. Judas’s rebuke of Mary was met with Jesus telling Judas to leave Mary alone. Jesus went on to justify Mary’s actions saying that she was only anointing his body for burial ahead of time. Perhaps Mary knew this would be the last time she would see Jesus alive. Perhaps she was one of the few, maybe the only one, in the room that understood the big picture of the meaning of Jesus’ life and acted accordingly. Jesus then said, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Don’t take that to mean that we should abandon ministry in order to worship God. What we should recognize is that we cannot allow those ministries, or in my case the pursuit of a divinity degree, to get in the way of our worship. I am guilty of getting caught up in the academic study of the Bible while forgetting to worship, listen, and stand in awe of who God is. I focus on the “whats,” the “whens,” and the “whys” of the Bible without spending enough time focusing on the “who.” Let us not lose sight of the big picture of who God is and where we fit into his work. Instead, let us use Mary’s anointing of Jesus as a guide for understanding the importance of worship in our daily lives. Prayer: God, I don’t want the work that I’m doing for you to take attention away from you. Help me to remember that no matter what, you are my beginning and ending.

Monday, March 21 Kim Littleton

MDiv 2020

John 12:1-11

Lifted Up Is it center-stage or a scaffold? Oh God, I hope it’s the stage. I want to serve Him, and to serve I must follow, He said so Himself. But just where are we headed? Oh God, I want to know. He says the hour has come to be glorified, and (thank God!) it’s an answered prayer. I love Glory, Glory, Glory - Hallelujah! I could sing ‘til my breath dries my croaking throat. I love the tune of Old Rugged Cross but it is better, much better, not to linger on the lyrics. Glory, Glory. I can follow that - yes, sir. Surely this talk of death and grain is, what? Hypothetical? Metaphorical? No, no - I must be missing something here. He speaks over my head often; it’s no surprise. No, no, it’s not a scaffold. It can’t be that. He’ll be lifted up, and He’ll draw all people to Himself. Praise God! I can picture it now: the greatest rock-star to ever live - all the people of the earth, gathered ‘round the stage, hands in the air, screaming their ecstatic praise. He’ll bask in that glory, yes, and I’ll be close behind, soaking up the edges of that Glory. Maybe, just maybe, He’ll bring me onstage (not center-stage, God, no). Then I’ll be lifted up. Oh, praise God! Surely, surely this is a typo - how can this show the type of death He will die? No, no, it can’t be a scaffold. There’s no Glory I know on the scaffold. Cursed is the man on the scaffold, isn’t that what we’re taught? The crowd is ready, yes. Of course they’re ready - hadn’t they met Him at the edge of town, escorting Him in like the battle-weary warrior, returning home from the glories of war? Oh, yes, soon He’ll be lifted up. He’ll take center stage. They’ll lift Him up - on their shoulders, chant His name, bathe Him in glory. Surely. Reflection: Prayerfully reflect on John 12:20-36 with 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Tuesday, March 22 Michael Laminack

MDiv 2015

John 12:20-36

Active Love I will be the first to admit that when I think about the betrayal of Jesus, I do not think of “love.” The scripture in John reminds us that Satan entered Judas and Jesus’ response to this was to ask Judas to “do quickly what he was about to do.” We are also reminded by verse 21 that Jesus’ spirit was troubled. Has the anxiety of an impending event ever triggered your mind to think deeply about love? Most likely not. Worrying, if it affects you as it does me, has probably brought you stress, restlessness, frustration, and maybe even anger. How did Jesus do what he did that night when he oh so carefully dipped a piece of bread in a dish and gave it to his betrayer? How did Jesus extend a sense of peace in a moment that was anything but peaceful? Jesus loved. Throughout his ministry in the gospels we have snapshots of compassion and true friendship. An appropriate response at this moment would be “Well of course Jesus loved! What do you think I’ve learned at church?!” We all know that we are called to love others deeply, but as we walk together through this time of waiting for the crucifixion, I encourage you to lean in to the idea of “active love.” In what ways can you exemplify the kind of love that it took for Jesus to tell the disciples who would betray him and then hand that same betrayer a piece of bread for him to eat? When have you stared an opportunity to be “active in love” in the face and then chosen to be passive? How has God placed “active love” your life? Let us all remember that Lent is a time of sitting with realities. Sometimes we can talk about change and never catapult that plan into existence. Let this time be one of healthy meditation on how Jesus loved, even the one who led him to the cross. Prayer: Dear God, Help me to know how very loved I am, despite my own protests to the contrary. Amen - Anne Lamott

Wednesday, March 23 Ali Chappell

MDiv 2017

John 13:21-32

From the moment our feet touch the ground in the morning, they take us where we need to go. They guide us on our way to meet new people and to explore new places. They support us and help us to balance the world when we feel it’s on our shoulders. Feet require strength of heart and of body. But feet also require vulnerability. In high school I was involved in a biannual retreat for youth by youth. I got to serve as a participant and as a leader. On the last night of the retreat, one of the most meaningful experiences for me involved foot washing. One of my peers, who served as moderator for the retreat, would wash everyone’s feet. He or she followed in Christ’s example shown in John 13. He or she washed my feet. Having dear friends serve me in this way, washing even the parts of me that I don’t like, remains one of my dear memories. It truly was a time when I have seen and felt God’s love. Foot washing requires vulnerability. As a leader it requires me to lower myself and serve. As a follower it requires a willingness to take off my shoes and show my feet. Feet that have taken me through good times and bad. In allowing another person to wash my feet, I must bear my insecurity. Suddenly I understand when Peter tells Jesus, “You will never wash my feet” (John 13:8). I often feel the same way. But what we see in this story in John is a God who loves and does so by serving, even while knowing that one of his followers will soon betray him. A God who comes to earth not to be served, but to serve. Before Jesus, only female servants washed feet. He truly made a statement by getting down on his knees and washing the feet of his disciples. A statement filled with love through action. A few verses later in John 13:34, Jesus speaks of a new commandment. In this he says, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another”. In foot washing we see a way that we can serve one another. We see a way to bear our insecurities and be vulnerable with one another - a way to love. Let us love one another. Reflection: With Christ’s example, how can I serve those around me, in love, today?

Thursday, March 24 Lizzie Davis

MDiv/MSW 2017

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

A Poem from Psalm 22 Eli, eli, lema sabachthani My God, my God — I am forsaken. Why have you forsaken me? My God, I look to the left and there is

death… but you do not give breath. To my right there is hate… But you do not give love. You are the holy one, the one who loved in the past, and in the past beat death. The earth cries out to you in confusion—in

pain. You have answered the earth’s cries

before… but why do you not answer mine? I am but a fly on the wall— a speck of dust.

My world suffers; day by day they scorn your name in the

face of suffering, and yet, you do not reveal yourself. Am I wrong to believe in your mercy? I’ve been humiliated by you, others scoff at me for thinking you exist. Children are dying, cancer is winning, all I can see is death, all I can do is weep. Yet, I will praise you amongst the pain. You will water our dry earth, The dust will turn to fields of green. You will not hide your face from agony, Our burdens will become your burdens. Hunger will be satisfied. Death will be stomped out. Until then I will not want, for you are my shepherd. The earth will proclaim your righteousness, the people will declare “He has done it!”

Reflection: We live in a world full of cancer, murder, strife, war, famine, and other forms of suffering. We all suffer, each person you meet is suffering. For some reason we, especially Christians, think that it is improper to express our hurts to each other and to God. Consider spending the week in honesty to God and to some people who are close to you. Express your doubts, your pains, and anything else that you are struggling with. Grow close to others through pain. Consider this quote from C.S. Lewis’ Problem of Pain: “Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.”

Friday, March 25 Kody Bartley

MTS 2016

Psalm 22