Between Calvary & the Resurrection

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Saturday, April 3, Morning

By Helen Smithson, April 14, 1979

Between Calvary and the Resurrection

Read Matthew 27:57-60

“And when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given over to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled in a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.”

Yesterday we thought of the darkness of Calvary – the jeering crowds, the taunts. Mary’s broken heart as she stood with John at the foot of the cross looking at the suffering of her Son, the desolate cry “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” The Lord’s triumphant “It is finished,” and then His last words, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my Spirit.” Now there is silence and a feeling of hopelessness. Yesterday was Calvary – tomorrow is glorious resurrection, but in between these two days there is gloom and despair. Many times this is where we find ourselves in life. We have experienced a great disappointment, a personal rejection, financial reverses, the sudden loss of a loved one, and we all become numb with unbelief at what has transpired. Here is where the Scriptures can hold us steady while our Lord puts together the broken pieces of our lives. He tells us that “… those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40: 31). As we wait on Him the glory of His resurrection breaks through, our hearts are comforted, and we move forward with greater strength than before. Truly, we serve a risen Saviour who comes into our lives when we allow Him to do so with the light we need for any darkness that comes to us.

Prayer

Eternal God, our Heavenly Father, as we travel the road of life, many times we find ourselves numb with grief or disappointment. Although we know that in You there is grace sufficient for every circumstance in life, sometimes there is a period of darkness and near despair, as there must have been the day after Calvary and the day before Easter, when we need You in a special way to calm our troubled hearts and to assure us that You are the Lord of our circumstances. Thank You at these times You are near and faithful, and thank you for the blessed way You take the pieces of our broken hearts, as we give them to You, and put them back together in such a way that they are even stronger than before. Thank You that You are the Risen Lord and to those who receive You, a personal Saviour. Amen.

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When We Don’t Understand

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Friday, April 1, Evening

By Esther W. Bare, March 12, 1976

When We Don’t Understand

Read Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 13:8-9

We Americans are a people who want to know. Indeed, the genius of Western man, some say, has been that he was determined to push the limits of his knowledge as far as he could and then put that knowledge into action. As individuals, we follow a somewhat similar path as we grow up: we try to understand ourselves, our families, other people, and the world beyond, and as Christians we try to relate our knowledge and understanding to God and his plan for us and for the world. Surely it is good to attempt this, for we remember that Jesus expanded the Great Commandment of the Old Testament – “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength” – to include loving God with all our minds.

But there is a point at which understanding ends. No matter how wonderfully satisfying our relationship with God may seem at times, sooner or later most of us are brought face to face with realities we cannot reconcile with our faith, situations that jar the foundations of our beliefs. And it is here that we may turn away and abandon our faith. Or we may look at Jesus on the cross.

Our hearts shrink from His suffering, yet we must hear the words: “My God, my God why has Thou forsaken me?” For his agony was not only of the body, it was the pain of despair, of non-understanding, of alienation from the Father to whom he had dedicated his life.

Christ on the cross gives us the answer, too; not so much an answer, though, as the way in which we may follow: “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”

Prayer

Help us to place our spirits into Thy hands, in times of joy and in times of despair. Save us from relying too much on knowledge and from making progress our god. Help us to realize our weaknesses, that we may seek Thy guidance always, in the name of Jesus who showed us the Way. Amen.

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Lent is a Time for Preparing for Living

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Thursday, April 1, Evening

By Dorothy & Asa Bishop, February 21, 1980

Lent is a Time for Preparing for Living

Read Mark 14:32-42

“And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I pray…Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak’…”.

Lent is that period of time set aside on the Christian calendar when we direct our thoughts toward the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This is the high point of the Christian year, and a special emphasis is required to make the proper preparation for this rapturous occasion. Although we should make an emphasis each day of the year to use our daily devotional period to help us in deepening our personal commitment to the living Lord, we may sometimes neglect to carry out this daily time of preparation throughout the year.

Through the use of the Lenten booklets prepared by fellow Church Streeters, we began a daily family devotional period which now prevails in our home throughout the year. The special emphasis on preparation during Lent stimulated us to continue our family devotionals. In this time of sharing, praying, and Bible reading, we are made more aware of how God lives and speaks through each person in our family circle. As we prepare for Easter this year, we will be looking for some additional emphasis to assist us in our daily celebration that Jesus Christ lives within us and in the world which surrounds us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as we prepare our hearts and minds for the death and resurrection of Your son, Jesus Christ, help us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Forgive us for the many times we deny Thee daily and give us courage and strength to live in accordance with Thy will. Amen.

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Do You Wait for an Answer?

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Thursday, April 1, Morning

By Mrs. Elizabeth Reagon, March 28, 2018

Do You Wait for an Answer?

Read John 18:38, 17:17 (KJV), Matthew 24:35, 7:7 (KJV)

Pontius Pilate’s life may have been dramatically changed had he waited for an answer. The crucifixion scriptures tell us, “Pilot saith unto him, What is truth?” But the Scriptures continue, “and when he said this, he went out . …”

Jesus answered this very question a few hours earlier. As He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane for his Disciples, he asked his Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth.” The Word is also eternal in Matthew 24:35 when Jesus said, “… my word shall not pass away.”

Jesus told us in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given; seek and ye shall find …” But do we ask and fail to wait for an answer or do we ask as Pilate did and then move on? Perhaps more important, do we wait expectantly? Do we anticipate an answer?

Do we allow time to sit quietly and meditate on God and His Word and give God a chance to communicate to us? Wouldn’t we give a friend a chance to respond to an inquiry?

No answer, yet; perhaps God prefers to reply through his Holy Word.

Scripture speaks and can deliver definite messages when we are attuned.

Reverently peruse the Scriptures, read slowly, prayerfully, frequently, meditating on it and you will have answers and also a light to direct your life.

Prayer

Righteous God, sanctify us, enable us to love you and your Word more, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Affirmation of Faith

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Wednesday, March 31, Morning

By Laura Still, April 20, 2019

Affirmation of Faith

Read John 13:1

“Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

If you begin a sentence with who, what, where, or why, then the sentence should end in a question mark. We all learn that. During the season of Lent, there are many questions we ask. Why did Jesus have to die? Why did Jesus pray? Let this cup pass? What happened to Jesus’ body? Did Jesus always know he was going to be crucified? Why did Jesus cry out, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ These are questions asked in every Lenten study I have been a part of, and I have attempted to answer questions to the best of my ability in sermons and in lessons.

One of the first Lenten hymns I remember learning is “What Wondrous Love Is This” (#292 in the United Methodist Hymnal). It was just a decade or so ago that I paid attention to the missing question mark! The title is not a question but an exclamatory sentence! An affirmation.

What wondrous love is this!

This discovery coincided with my own spiritual growth and understanding. I had worked so hard to explain all the different atonement theories and make sense of the crucifixion. I wanted to be able to answer satisfactorily the questions people would ask in studies.

There is a freedom to accept God’s love and grace when we can exclaim, ‘What wondrous love is this!’ I encourage asking questions and I know full well that is an important and necessary part of our spiritual development. But, at some point, it became more important to me to be embraced by God’s love than being able to explain it.

What wondrous love is this!

Prayer

O God beyond all reason yet so accessible, we thank you that you love us and call us into a new understanding of life through your love. Amen.

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Among Us

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Wednesday, March 31, Morning

By Laura Still, April 20, 2019

Among Us

Read John 1:14

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

I confess this is my favorite verse of the Gospel, but I am still finding out what it means. When I was young, I daydreamed about what it would be like to be one of the people who met Jesus during his three years of ministry on earth. Surely if I had actually seen him, in the flesh, all my questions and doubts would disappear and I would have become one of the disciples, leaving everything behind to follow him.

However, as a teenager and young adult, my certainty faded as all the complications of the living damaged my self-confidence, and failures ate away my faith. How could I follow Jesus in a world that pulled me apart? There was no sudden blinding light for me, but there were tiny flashes: kind words, laughter, the soaring trill of birds at the moment of twilight. Little sparks sent to remind me he did not leave us alone; he promised he would always be with us. In the gray winter days, the sun is hidden, but we can feel it above the clouds. Lent comes to remind us the Spirit is with us every day, still among us, still full of grace and truth.

Prayer

Dear Lord, give us eyes to see your light when it is hidden and hearts to feel your presence within us. Let us be led by your Holy Spirit in all we do.

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The Love of God

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Tuesday, March 30, Evening

By Nancy Thompson, April 16, 2019

The Love of God

Read Hebrews 13:13

You may remember the story of the “The Three Trees” accredited to folklore of long ago. Three trees grew up together on a hillside. They often shared their dreams of what they wanted to be when they were grown.

The first wanted to be a beautiful decorative treasure box in which to hold precious and priceless treasures and jewels of the king. He was made into a manger from which animals would be fed. The manger became a crib which held the Christ child – the most precious treasure ever to be known.

The second wanted to be a huge ocean craft on which he would carry many people across the seas to see God’s creation. He was crafted into a small fishing boat which carried Jesus as He taught His disciples. It held them as they rested and slept, and from which Christ calmed a dangerous storm.

The dream of the third tree was to grow to be the tallest, strongest and largest tree in the forest so he could stand erect and daily point people to God. The woodsmen came and downed the third tree and sawed it into two large square type logs with which they formed a cross. It was from this tree that our Savior was hung as the painful crown of thorns was placed on His head and the dreaded swords pierced His side until He said, “It is finished”. This tree has pointed people to Christ through the centuries.

Christ gave His perfect life on the cruel cross for us – for you and me. This realization comes particularly close during communion when the server hands us the bread and says, this is Christ’s body given for you – followed by the juice and the server says, this is Christ’s blood shed for you.

“…the love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell…”

Hymn by Frederick M. Lehman

Prayer

Oh God, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for the faith with which to believe, for your love which we witness and feel every day, and for the hope of eternal life. Amen.

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Why Must Jesus Die?

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Tuesday, March 30, Morning

By Dr. Charles Wender, March 30, 2018

Why Must Jesus Die?

Read Genesis 15:6-18

Jesus, Paul and Peter assure us that the Bible is the word of God written and spoken by human authors chosen by God. In the last analysis, however, some of that which is recorded has more to teach us than other parts. The early chapters of Genesis are most informative dealing with creation, mankind’s fall, and the emergence of Abraham. God witnessed to Abraham. Abraham’s belief in the nature and character of God resulted in his being declared righteous.

Abram, as he was first named, sought reassurance and God enacted a covenant with mankind with Abraham as its representative. This describes the blood path covenant that requires a perfect walking of this path without a breach of the law; God in symbolic fashion walks the path as both a fire pot and a torch. Abraham recognizes that he is unable to walk this path without suffering, bleeding, and dying. This is delayed-action fulfillment until one of his descendants is compelled to walk this path.

The understanding of this ancient covenant brings clarity to our understanding of Good Friday and Easter. Fulfilled prophecy makes it clear that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah. It is Jesus the son of Abraham, fully human, but also fully God, who comes to walk the blood path for those who have violated God’s covenant. The sinner can take advantage of Jesus’ willingness to die in the sinner’s place provided he or she grieves their sin, confesses such and willingly picks up their own cross and follows Jesus’ direction. Despite the many other attempts of worship of other supposed saviors, Jesus is the only one who can take us into the presence of God in eternity.

Prayer

Holy and Righteous God, we bow before you knowing the magnitude of your love for us. Amen.

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God’s Marvelous Alarm Clock

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Monday, March 29, Evening

By Kathryn and Sidney H. Everett, February, 1981

God’s Marvelous Alarm Clock

Read Romans 8:11

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf of springtime.” – Martin Luther

If you have been wandering in your yard, even as early as December, you have seen a wondrous calendar at work. Daffodils were peeping out; just a tip perhaps, but they were there. Looking further you saw Crocuses, Hyacinth and early Tulips.

Regardless of the weather, all of them have a date to keep, even through the ravages of snow and ice.

The countdown to Spring is underway.

Just what is the “magic” that brings on this beauty regardless of the weather? Light.

For years it was believed that the return of warm weather was the magic trigger. But heat is not dependable, as evidenced by the many changes of weather all through the season.

Bulbs planted in the Fall are seemingly dead, but through the combined magic of light and rain a wondrous resurrection takes place.

This resurgence of breath-taking beauty strengthens our hope and faith in the resurrection of our Lord and in our own resurrection.

Prayer

Because of the beauty and abundance of Thy good earth, oh, God, may we have a rebirth both spiritually and physically this season. Amen.

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Spring Cleaning

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Monday, March 29, Morning

By John Eldridge, April 15, 2019

Spring Cleaning

Read John 15:1-4

One tradition my parents observed every year was spring cleaning. Although the labor fell mostly upon my mother’s shoulders, everything in the house got a cleaning sometime before Easter: every window was washed, every floor scrubbed, all the curtains went to the dry cleaners, all the silver was polished, every nook and cranny got a dusting, and every cobweb was removed.

Although the spring cleaning ritual mostly died out with the passing of my parents’ generation, we can still practice spring cleaning, albeit in a different way: spiritually. Spring cleaning is an apt analogy for Lent. For in Lent, we are called to take a good look at ourselves. What parts of ourselves need a good cleaning? Are there cobwebs that need to be removed? Are there stains on our soul that need to see the light of day and be addressed? Does the window to our hearts need some Windex so that love from our hearts can get through to our neighbors? Does our kindness barometer need polishing so we can better practice being kind? Is there anger and resentment that needs to be swept away? Does our attention to prayer need dusting off, so our communication with God can be better?

Yes, it is time for a spiritual spring cleaning, but as my mother used to say: “You can’t clean what you don’t see.” “Look,” she would say, “and you will see the dirt you missed.” Lent provides that time to look within and make ourselves the persons God calls us to be.

Prayer

Lord, give us the strength and courage to do a spiritual spring cleaning. Amen.

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