What Do You See?

Matthew 11:2  When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples3  and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" 4  Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5  the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6  And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." 7  As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8  What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

 

“What did you go out to see?”

While this question was directed at the people around Jesus, it is the enduring question of the past 2 000 years: “What do we see in Jesus”. The truth is that humanity often sees only that part of Jesus that we want to see.

·         Do we want a compliant, gentle Jesus? He is there.

·         Do we want a fierce, revolutionary Jesus? He is there.

·         Do we want a mystical, other-worldly Jesus? He is there.

·         Do we want a blessing-giving, materially rewarding Jesus? He is there.

It is the enduring problem of our human nature to shrink Jesus to fit our particular desires.  Jesus is aware of this – and protests that he is “more” than whatever conception the people have of him (Matt:11:9).  

Lent can be a time where our understanding of Jesus is challenged to become bigger than is comfortable for us. Discover the work of Jesus in the lives of those who make us uncomfortable:  “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them”.  The challenge for today is to look beyond the first impression and see God at work in the people around you.     

For thought:

What do you see, nurse, what do you see?
What are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A crabby old woman, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with far away eyes...

Inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living life over again.

.....So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
Not a crabby old woman, look closer - see ME!!

By Phyliss McCormick

There is also a later rendition of this poem by David Griffith in Texas.[1]

Extract from a Song by John Fisher

 Have you seen Jesus my LORD?

He's here in plain view

Take a look. open your eyes

He'll show it to you

Have you ever stood in the family

with the LORD there in your midst,

seen the face of Christ on each other?

Then I say...you've seen Jesus my LORD

The Fifth Sunday in Lent

From death to Life

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Rueben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 129.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day

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[1] http://www.hoax-slayer.com/cranky-old-man-poem.shtml

A Transformed Attitude

Romans 12:1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect.3  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4  For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function,5  so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6  We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7  ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8  the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. 9  Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10  love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11  Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13  Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16  Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17  Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18  If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 9  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20  No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." 21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

St Paul writes to a church that is struggling to understand that becoming a follower of the way of Jesus requires a fundamental change in attitude. Most of the Roman Church had grown up Jewish, and so assumed that people needed to be Jewish in order to follow Jesus. Paul opposes this:  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.  Instead of following the exclusionary norms, traditions and habits of the Jewish community – allow the Spirit of God to lead you into new truths. Paul insists that all people are welcome into the community who follow Jesus: we, who are many, are one body in Christ.  

As we learn from this early Christian church we who follow Jesus are challenged to be different from the normal patterns of human behaviour: our gifts and abilities are to be used to benefit everyone: we live to serve both “the saints” and those people who are far from sainthood; we respect both the important, and the lowly; we welcome both our family and the strangers; we love both those who love us in return and those who persecute us!

For Thought

What shall our greeting be:

Sign of our unity?

‘Jesus is Lord!’

May we no more defend

Barriers he died to end:

Give me your hand, my friend-

One Church, one Lord!

What is our mission here?

He makes his purpose clear:

One world, one Lord!

Spirit of truth, descend;

All our confusions end:

Give me your hand, my friend-

‘Jesus is Lord!’

Fred Pratt Green

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Crucial Choices

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Rueben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 123.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day

  

I will Offer Up My Life

Colossians 3:1  So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3  for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4  When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. 5  Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6  On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7  These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8  But now you must get rid of all such things--anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10  and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11  In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! 12  As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

There is a choice to be made: to choose to live for Christ, or to choose to live selfishly. The first asks a life that rejects the things that cripple human community; the second allows us to ignore everyone – to do nothing other than follow the narrow interests of our family and culture.

I choose to offer my life to something much bigger than my personal gratification. I choose to be renewed each day, each hour, each moment – as I outgrow my old self and put on the new self.

I will offer up my life in spirit and truth
Pouring out the oil of love, as my worship to you
In surrender I must give my every part
Lord, receive this sacrifice of a broken heart

 Matt Redman - I Will Offer Up My Life

Prayer:

Lord God, you who are the source of all truth, wisdom, justice and love. Save me from haste and confusion, from wrongful desire, and the net of evil. Through the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, enlighten, instruct and guide me all the day long. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.[1]  

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Crucial Choices

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Rueben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 123.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.   

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[1] Rueben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 123.

A New Relationship

Philemon 1:8  For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9  yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love--and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10  I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11  Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12  I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13  I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14  but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15  Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16  no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother--especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17  So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18  If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19  I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20  Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21  Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

So what does one say about this letter? St Paul is in prison, where he meets Onesimus, a runaway slave. Paul becomes his spiritual father (vs10), and instructs him to return to his owner, Philemon. Paul then suggests that the chance prison meeting of the slave is so that Philemon “might have him back forever”.   This is outrageous! To tell someone to voluntarily return to slavery is bad enough, but to write to the slave owner without condemning slavery is just plain wrong.

But we read this with the benefit of hindsight. Today it is unthinkable for Christ-followers to own slaves. But at the time of St Paul slavery was embedded in the economy and social construct of the world. So while Paul cannot end the system of slavery – he does the unthinkable: he asks the slave owner to treat his slave as a family member. Paul urges Philemon to see Onesimus as “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother “. Here we see that following the way of Jesus profoundly changes our relationships. We no longer see people as objects. Instead we become brothers and sisters to one another, offering the gracious love of God unconditionally to all.

For Thought

We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Lord

And we pray that all unity

May one day be restored

(chorus)

            and they'll know we are Christians

            by our love, by our love

            yes, they will know we are Christians

          by our love.

We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
And we'll guard each man's dignity
And save each man's pride.

(chorus)

            and they'll know we are Christians

            by our love, by our love

            yes, they will know we are Christians

          by our love.

 copyright 1966 Peter Scholte, F.E.L. (licensed)

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Crucial Choices

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Rueben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 123.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.   

A Suffering God

Hebrews 2:9  ...but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10  It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11  For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 12  saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." 13  And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Here am I and the children whom God has given me." 14  Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15  and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. 16  For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. 17  Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. 18  Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Buried deep in our bones are stories of the gods coming alongside human beings. Some stories tell of humans and gods competing with each other – each trying to outwit the other; some are stories of gods (normally male) taking women as their sexual partners, and producing super-humans; and some are tales of human beings who aspire to be gods, and being punished for this presumption.  Despite the variety of god-man myths, the one thing held in common is that gods do not suffer. It is a self-evident truth that the mark of divinity is the ability to escape struggle and suffering.  While human beings suffer – gods do not.

This is what makes the story of Jesus different: God in Jesus chose to live alongside us human beings, sharing our struggles and sufferings. We serve a God who does not ask anything of us that God has not already experienced. The good news of our faith is that “because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested”.  When we struggle in life, God comes alongside us to give us courage. And the Spirit of God within us urges us to stand with other people who struggle – because we have already benefitted from God standing with us in our time of need.

For Thought

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Saviour's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou my God, shouldst die for me!

‘Tis mystery all the Immortal dies
Who can explore his strange design
In vain the first born seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine
‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore
let angel minds enquire no more

Charles Wesley

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Crucial Choices

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Rueben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 123.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.   

A Sacred Place

Joshua 24:14  "Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15  Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." 16  Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17  for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18  and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God." 19  But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20  If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good." 21  And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the LORD!" 22  Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses." 23  He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." 24  The people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and him we will obey." 25  So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. 26  Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak in the sanctuary of the LORD. 27  Joshua said to all the people, "See, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God." 28  So Joshua sent the people away to their inheritances.

Joshua calls the nation together and they affirm three times “we will serve the Lord”. They then ratify this with a covenant at Shechem – a city that is deeply significant in the life of Israel. Israel took it from its original Canaanite residents and made it a site of deep religious significance:  Abraham reached the "great tree of Moreh" at Shechem and "built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him"[1] - and a covenant between God and the descendants of Israel is established. Here Jacob built an altar which he named El-Elohe-Israel.[2] Joshua crossed the Jordan River and conquered the towns of Jericho and Ai. He then led the Children of Israel to Shechem where he built an altar to God on Mount Ebal, and wrote a copy of the law on a pillar of stones. [3] After completing his conquest of Canaan, he again gathered the people at Shechem, reminding them of their previous commitment, and set up another stone saying: this stone shall be a witness.

While it is true that God inhabits all of the earth, we human beings need sacred places that remind us of our faith commitments. Just as the children of Israel returned repeatedly to Shechem, so we can find treasured places of our own as places that offer spiritual strength. For some this might be a church building, or a place in a garden of remembrance, or a view from a mountain top.  For others this will be a family home, or a retreat centre, or a cattle kraal. Find your sacred place and return to it often so that you may be strong in the Lord.

For Thought

Hold to the center
Beyond time and space
Gotta find a sacred place
Everybody's got a sacred place

I'm going to a place
I know it by heart
And there I know that we'll
Never be apart

Mason Jennings Lyrics

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Crucial Choices

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 123.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.   

   

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[1] Gen 12:6-7

[2] God the God of Israel Gen 33:17-20

[3] Joshua 8:30-35

Choose Life

Deuteronomy 30:15  See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16  If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17  But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18  I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20  loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

These are the words of Moses as he takes his leave of the children of Israel. These treasured words have been passed down from generation to generation, as this is told and retold. Every generation is challenged again with this choice: obey God or turn away, do not hear, and be led astray.

    

Lent is a moment to revisit our calling to be Jesus-followers. Let us use this period as a time to reflect on our commitment to God – and choose again the way of obedience to God: a way of life that is deeply satisfying and affirming.  

For Thought:

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were ev'ry stalk on earth a quill
And ev'ry man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Tho stretched from sky to sky.

Dallas Holm Album: FOUNDATIONS

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Crucial Choices

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 123.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.   

Suffering

Romans 8:18  I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20  for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22  We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; 23  and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24  For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

To be, or not to be, that is the question—
Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? [1]

These words from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet  recognise that we all suffer from the “Slings and Arrows” of life.  The question is asked whether we just accept the suffering that comes our way – or whether we resist this “Sea of troubles”. St Paul’s words offer a way of replying to this: While agreeing that suffering is part of life, Paul argues that our perspective can change the way we deal with suffering.  We can literally move from “groaning” to “glory”. This begins when we anticipate the rebirth of all life: of our bodies, of our spirits...and all of creation.  Instead of being crushed by our struggles, we are encouraged to patiently and hopefully work for the renewal of all of creation. As we work to transform our world, so God’s Spirit enables us to rise above our struggles to discover signs of rebirth all around us.

Talk about suffering here below
And let's keep a-loving Jesus.
Talk about suffering here below
And let's keep a-following Jesus.

Oh, can't you hear it, Brothers?
And don't you want to go?
And leave this world of sorrow
And trouble here below.

The gospel train is coming
Oh, don't you want to go?
And leave this world of sorrow
And trouble here below.

Songwriters
SKAGGS, RICKY / DP, from Cold as the Clay

 

The Third Sunday in Lent

Thirsting for God

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 118.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.   

       

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[1]  A soliloquy in the "Nunnery Scene of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.

Thirst

John 6:22  The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23  Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24  So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25  When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" 26  Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." 28  Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" 29  Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 30  So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31  Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32  Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34  They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." 35  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36  But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37  Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38  for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40  This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

This is an example of people who see life in absolutely different ways:

On the one hand there are people who greedily grasp for things because they think this will satisfy the cravings of life. What must we do to perform ... What sign are you going to give us ... give us this bread ... Here are people who want Jesus to provide for them: they want his loaves of bread, his miracles, his signs and wonders. On the other hand Jesus consistently points out that possessing temporary things do not satisfy the cravings: Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.

This remains the perennial human dilemma: we think that having stuff will satisfy our cravings – but they only wet an appetite for even more stuff. And the one lesson that life teaches us is that we will never have enough stuff. Jesus knew this, and so he offers that which will satisfy: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

There flows from Calvary a stream
For every sinner’s pain,
And he that drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never thirst again.

Refrain

What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again;
What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again,
For he that drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again

Words & Music: May A. Stephens, 1903

The Third Sunday in Lent

Thirsting for God

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 118.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.    

Living Waters

John 7:37  On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38  and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" 39  Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.40  When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, "This is really the prophet." 41  Others said, "This is the Messiah." But some asked, "Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? 42  Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" 43  So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44  Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

John Chapter 7 is a significant turning point in the life of Jesus. The preceding chapters note a gradual build up of hostility towards Jesus:  the first four chapters have no opposition; then Chapter 5 tells of how Jesus heals a paralyzed man on the Sabbath and angers the religious leaders; and Chapter 6 tells of the many people who turn away from Jesus because his teaching is too hard; It is as if John says – it is time to answer the criticism.. And so John places Jesus at the Festival of the Tabernacles. There are booths/tents everywhere. This is a symbolic reminder of how the Jews spent years living in temporary homes while wandering in the wilderness. [1]  

One of the significant moments of the festival is the ceremony of pouring out the water. This is a reminder of the refreshing stream that came out of the rock at Meribah.[2]   As the water is poured out, Jesus seizes this moment to offer a new perspective:  "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink”. Here is John saying that just as people found their thirst satisfied by God in the wilderness – so will the teaching of Jesus satisfy the thirst of those who wander in the desert of the soul.  

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[1] Lev. 23:43

[2] Ex. 17:1-7

For Thought

Let Your living water flow over my soul,
Let your Holy Spirit come and take control,
Of every situation that has troubled my mind,
All my cares and burdens on to you I roll.
Father, Father, Father.

Give your life to Jesus, let Him fill your soul,
Let Him take you in His arms and make you whole,
As you give your life to Him, He'll set you free,
You will live and reign with Him eternally.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

Come now Holy Spirit and take control,
Hold me in your loving arms and make me whole,
Wipe away all doubt and fear and take my pride,
Draw me to your love and keep me by your side.
Spirit, Spirit, Spirit.

Jimmy Swaggart Lyrics

The Third Sunday in Lent

Thirsting for God

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 118.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.   

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[1] Lev. 23:43

[2] Ex. 17:1-7