Introduction to 2015 Lenten Devotionals

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

“If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that the Kingdom of God in the sense of holiness, goodness, beauty is as close as breathing and is crying out to be born both within ourselves and within the world; we would know that the Kingdom of God is what we all of us hunger for above all other things even when we don’t know its name or realize that it’s what we’re starving to death for. The Kingdom of God is where our best dreams come from and our truest prayers. We glimpse it at those moments when we find ourselves being better than we are and wiser than we know. We catch sight of it when at some moment of crisis a strength seems to come to us that is greater than our own strength. The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it.” ― Frederick Buechner

  The theme I selected for this year’s Lenten devotionals is taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:33. In chapter six, Jesus is speaking about worry and he comes to his conclusion about worry by stating, we are to “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” (v. 33) I became interested in exploring what Jesus said about the Kingdom of God or Heaven a couple of years ago and started to read, study, and collect information and notes about the kingdom.

  I work persistently for months to get these devotions done before the beginning of Lent. Each day I worked diligently and my work would keep getting bogged down. As my work progressed, I would find new avenues and ideas to explore, more scripture to read and study, and more references to study to understand particular ideas which would develop in my mind. Eventually, it came to me that God was trying to tell me something important. God seemed to say, “Lee, slow down don’t be too quick to get these devotionals done. Take the time to speak with me in prayer about the kingdom. I have many things to teach you along the way about the kingdom.” God was telling me they would get done in time, but at God’s choosing not mine.

  Lent for me over the years has become a special time for spiritual reflection and growth. For several years, I have written daily Lenten devotions, which I initially did only for my own personal Lenten journey. Then, around 1999, I started to share my devotions in a printed Lenten Prayer and Devotional Booklet, which I generally shared with whatever congregation I was serving at the time, if finances were available. The cost of printing a Lenten booklet eventually got too expense and I started sharing them on my blog, by e-mail and Facebook. So, please feel free to share these devotions with family, friends and neighbors.

  Lent is chiefly about growing in our love for God and our neighbor. Jesus teaches that these are the greatest of the commandments. To love is worth more than all of the offerings, sacrifices, and penitential practices that we could do for the next thousand years. But Jesus is not speaking of a cheap love. It is a love that we receive and give with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Love is the main focus for our lives lived in the kingdom of God. This is truly Lent.

Recommended Faith Requirements – Advent Devotional

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

Daily Scripture Reading: Micah 6:6-8

   When you buy some new software or hardware, one of the first things you need to check is, does your computer meet the minimum system requirements. If your computer meets the minimum requirements then does it exceed these by having what is recommended for optimal performance. Minimum. Recommended. This is the language used in the world of computers.

  In today's scripture, Micah is talking about the language of faithful living. If you want to excel as a Christian - not just with Microsoft Excel - you need to know the minimum and recommended requirements.

   Paul in Galatians, tells us a person is made right with God "not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (2:16). The minimum Christian system requirement is faith. This means that we enter into a saving relationship with God through our willingness to trust Jesus, to rely on him to be our Lord and Savior. We are saved through faith, and Paul assures us that there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

  Faith is the minimum system requirement. Then we might say that for optimal performance, we recommend you “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

  Recommended requirement one: Do justice. The recommendation to do justice applies to every aspect of life - it means treating others with fairness, equality and showing concern for people who are weak, powerless and exploited. "Do justice," says Micah. Not simply "support justice." It's a high-commitment, hands-on, everyday activity.

  Recommended requirement two: Love kindness. The English word "kindness" is actually a weak translation of the Hebrew word hesed, which means love, loyalty and faithfulness. You might say, you are to “love love” or “love loyalty” or “love faithfulness.” It lies at the heart of healthy relationships, whether the bonds are marriages, close friendships or the relationship between God and his people. To "love kindness" is to keep this loyalty and faithfulness at the heart of all your relationships.

  Recommended requirement three: Walk humbly with your God. If we are going to excel as Christians, we must travel with God over the course of life. Faith may begin with a momentary decision, but it matures through a long journey of following God over many ups and downs, through mountaintop experiences and valleys of deep darkness. Along this path, we are challenged to walk humbly, knowing that God is - and always remains - ahead of us leading the way.

   When Jesus describes himself as "the way, and the truth and the life" (John 14:6), he is echoing this image of a journey. Jesus is our way, showing us exactly how we are to walk with God. When he first calls his disciples, he doesn't say, "Agree to these fine points of theology." Instead, he says, "Follow me" (Matt. 4:19).

  In the life of faith, unlike the world of computers, we should never be satisfied with the bare minimum. To have the strongest possible relationship with God and with each other, it is important to reach for the recommended system requirements: Doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly in our journey with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Life Under-Construction - Advent Devotional

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” (Matt. 3:2-3, NRSV)

Daily Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1-10

  Live long enough in Pennsylvania and eventually you need to drive on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I have personally spent more hours on the turnpike than I would like, but sometimes it is the only practical way to travel by car to some points in Pennsylvania or neighboring states. One of the major frustrations with traveling the PA Turnpike are the frequent relays related to road construction. The turnpike always seemed like a sea of orange construction cones and consistent building and rebuilding the roadway.

  On one trip several years ago, I noticed a sign that alerted travelers that "the next five miles are the first completely rebuilt section" of the road. It seemed obvious, but you can't build better roads without some time spent in construction and you can not grow emotional, spiritually and mentally without periods of personal crisis, struggle, renewal and growth.

  Of course, no one likes the inconveniences of construction projects, particularly when we are traveling the road. Construction is what leads to smooth, unencumbered roadways that make for future convenient and safe travel. The hundreds of miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike goes around, and even through, a series of valleys, ravines and mountains, which makes road construction challenging. Many of the major construction projects on the turnpike have been to shorten sections and widen the highway.

  In Luke's gospel, John the Baptist's ministry around the region of the Jordan, was in fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah:

"Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be make low, And the crooked shall be made straight, And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

  John urged those who listened to prepare themselves for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. John called the people to repentance and to come and get baptized with water and prepare themselves for Jesus who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit. You might say John is beginning a new construction project that God was bringing upon the world in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

  John tells us this construction project begins with our repentance and baptism with water and is the sign of our forgiveness. He does not stop there, he goes on to tell us to “bear fruit befitting of our repentance.” (v. 8) For me, Advent and Lent has always been about a new journey toward building a better life for myself as a disciple of Christ. Advent often is a construction project for me to better embrace the spiritual significance of the incarnation of Christ into the world. To make the paths straighter toward my heart and mind so Christ can deepen and strengthen my faith, hope and love.

  What areas of your life need rebuilt and made straighter? God wants us to travel the straight paths in life, but we often complicate them, making them more difficult to travel. During Advent allow Jesus to rebuilt your faith, hope and love during this journey toward the incarnation. May our lives be under constant construction, as we make smooth the way of the Lord.