Week6

A Gift For You Lenten Devotions for 2005

Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem Where true charity and love abide, God is dwelling there; God is dwelling there.1

1

Anonymous, Latin Hymn 8th century, With One Voice: A Lutheran Resource for Worship, Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, MN, 1995.

O, how sad and sore distressed Now was she, that mother blessed Of the sole begotten One. Deep the woe of her affliction, When she saw the crucifixion Of her ever glorious Son.2

2

Anonymous, 13th century, Service Book and Hymnal: Authorized by the Lutheran Churches cooperating in The Commission on the Liturgy and Hymnal, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, MN, 1958.

M onday, March 14 A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” Luke 23:27-29. The time of trial and tribulation for the

the world will strike out at those who

followers of Jesus has started but not

profess Him as Lord. The world does not

everyone recognizes it yet. Jesus sees

want a ruler who advocates equality,

this but the women do not.

peace, and service. Instead, the world wants dominion so that it will have

The women clearly see Jesus as dead

others in its service. We want war so that

because they are keening for Him as if

we can obtain the spoils of war. The

He were already dead. Jesus responds to

world wants to control us by having us

their actions by telling them that they

work to pay off debt while Jesus wants us

need to not wail for Him but to instead to

to freely give to others.

cry over those who will die. In order to wipe out the memory of Jesus, In this statement, Jesus is once again

the world places Him on trial and finds

reminding us that not only does the

Him guilty of subverting the world's

world reject His leadership but also that

goals. The world hopes that by using

brutal torture and capital punishment it

to children from now to the end of time.

can persuade the followers of Christ to

In the telling of this story, the women

change their minds.

will recount God's mighty deeds and others will believe in the One who frees

It appears at this moment of time that the

slaves.

world is winning since only the women are with Jesus. But Jesus knows better

Paradoxically, this freedom from slavery

than that because His Word

will bring death. The world

has already freed the

likes the way that it is

women from their bondage.

doing things and it does

He knows that the women

not want to change. Jesus

will tell their children and

tells all Christian women

their children's children

that the world will do to their

about their release from

children what it has done to

slavery. And these stories

Him.

will be passed from mother

Dear Lord, I want to be aware of my need for a Savior. Until I need a Savior, I won't want one. The gift of forgiveness is my greatest need. Thank you for the greatest gift of all - forgiveness; a gift that I cannot earn but one that I can receive. Amen.

Tuesday, March 15 “For the days are surely coming when they will say, "Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed." Then they will begin to say to the mountains, "Fall on us;" and to the hills, "Cover us." For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Luke 23:29-31. The world's utter rejection of God and His

It is important to note three things that

message of life and

are never said

love will continue as

about the

long as the world

Christian

exists. Jesus logically

women. First,

points out that the

Jesus never tells

world's deadly action

us that His

against His followers

followers will

will increase as His

stop having

message spreads over the world as it is

children. This is a message of hope in

passed from mother to child. This level of

this hopeless situation. Life will go on in

death and destruction will make

the Christian community because new

Christian women wonder why they ever

generations will be told of God's mighty

had children.

actions of freeing the slaves and bringing life out of death. From now to

the end of time, Christian women will

every generation, Christian mothers will

continue to have children and the women

teach their children about Christ's

will hope against all hope that the world

sacrifice for the world and how the world

will stop killing their children. Next,

will reject them. Finally, no one, not

Jesus never says that the Christian

even Jesus, tells the women to leave. In

women will stop teaching their children.

God's darkest hour, the most loyal

Despite the persecution

followers are not the men but

from the world, this

instead the women. In some

amazing story of God's

mystical way, they have a

passion will be passed

different kinship with God

from mother to child until

and do not abandon Jesus in

the end of the world. The

His suffering.

world possesses nothing that can stop the

Thank God for the Christian

Christian woman from

women who told you the story

telling God's story. In

of Christ.

Dear Lord, I am thinking of the times I weep. Do I weep because of human happenings or do I weep about spiritual things? Help me be aware of my life as being a spiritual journey. Amen.

Jesus is Crucifi e d Glory be to Jesus, Who, in bitter pains, Poured for me the lifeblood, From His sacred veins.3

3

Anonymous, Italian 13th century, Service Book and Hymnal: Authorized by the Lutheran Churches cooperating in The Commission on the Liturgy and Hymnal, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, MN, 1958.

In the cross of Christ I glory, Tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time; All the light of sacred story Gathers round its head sublime Bane and blessing, Pain and pleasure, By the cross are sanctified; Peace is there that knows no measure, Joys that through all time abide.4

4

John Bowring, 1825, The Hymnal and Order of Service: Authorized by The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod, Augustana Book Concern, Rock Island, IL, 1925.

Wednesday, March 16 When they came to the place that is called the Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Luke 23:33. God is dieing between two enemies of the state. One of them will ask Jesus to save

The model of Jesus as a superman who

him and the other will ask Jesus to

saves us from the cross does not fit what

remember him. What do we want God to

we have been taught. Jesus does not

do? Do we want to be saved or do we want

always come down and remove us from

to be remembered?

our sticky situations. Every one of His disciples faced death and every one of

The common English definition of being

them died. Jesus did not keep the

saved is that someone is rescued from a

disciples away from every danger and

dangerous situation. When this type of

He will not extract us from all of our

language is used, it seems that we expect

problems. In every encounter with Jesus

a superman to come in and to pull us out

at least one change occurs. Sometimes

of our problem. Once superman has

the crowd gets angry at Him, at other

raised us out of our nasty situation, we

times, the crowd follows Him, and at yet

then want the superman to put us back

other times, they believe in Him. Jesus

down in a safe place so that we can go on

also changes. Sometimes He has

about our business.

compassion on us, at other times, He

rebukes, and at yet other times, He yells.

have been taught. In remembering,

In the comic book world, no one changes:

something or someone is put together

superman or the one rescued. The final

again or re-membered. Jesus puts our

difference is that Jesus tells us to go and

broken relationships back together

live. Unlike superman who allows us to

again. He brings us back to God. He

go back and to do things

reconnects us with others. He

the way we always have,

rejoins us with ourselves.

Jesus tells us to turn from

And then at the last day, with

that which keeps us from

his winnowing fork in His

God and our neighbor and

hand, He will re-member us

to walk in a manner

by separating us into wheat

worthy of a human.

and chaff. He will clear His threshing floor by gathering

Jesus remembering us in

the wheat into His granary

His kingdom fits what we

and burning the chaff.

Dear Lord, they treated Jesus the same way criminals are treated. Lord may I treat Jesus with love, honor, and respect. He wasn't just a human, for He was at creation when man was made. May I honor Him with my life each and every day. He is not my buddy but my master. Teach me Lord to be a servant for my master. Amen.

Jesus Promises His Kingdom to the Good Th i e f When I cross death’s bitter sea, And its waves roll higher, Help the more forsaking me, As the storm draws nigher: Jesus, leave me not to languish, Helpless, hopeless, full of anguish! Tell me, “Verily, I say, Thou shalt be with Me today.”5

5

Theoctistus of the Studium, circa 890, The Lutheran Hymnary: Including the Symbols of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, MN, 1935.

We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains He had to bear; But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there. There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin; He only could unlock the gate Of heaven, and let us in.6

6

Cecil Frances (Humphreys) Alexander, 1848, , The Hymnal and Order of Service: Authorized by The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod, Augustana Book Concern, Rock Island, IL, 1925.

Thursday, March 17 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” Luke 23:39a. The criminal is entirely correct. The

my attitude must be right before God

criminal's statements are true. Jesus is

accepts me, I know that I will never be

the Messiah. He has saved others and it

saved. I do not always approach God with

seems reasonable for the criminal to ask

a deep sense of remorse. I often put my

Jesus to save everyone.

will before God's will. If my theology must be perfect before God grants me life,

Why does Jesus ignore this criminal's

I will go down to the pit. In the two

question and command? Why doesn't

thousand some odd years since Jesus's

God do anything? Is it the tone of the

life, smarter people than I have argued on

criminal's voice? Is it the criminal's

what we are to believe and how we are to

attitude? Is it the criminal's theology? Is

put that belief into action. I know that I

it what the criminal did in the past? If

will never approach their sophistication or

the correct tone of voice is required before

their actions. If the criminal is being

I can talk to God, I know that I am in

ignored because of his past, I know that

trouble. I often question God on God's

God should ignore me also. I have not

actions and I know that I also command

lived a perfect life. I have often forgotten

God to do the things that I want done. If

to love others.

Because it is so easy for us to sin, we The writer of Luke only gives a one little

need to ask the Holy Spirit in our daily

clue that might help in understand this

prayers to turn our hearts so that we are

situation. According to our translation,

not abusing Christ. Daily we need

the criminal was deriding Jesus. Perhaps

God's forgiveness and because of Christ's

a better word would be

life and death, we have been

abusing. The criminal is

given this precious gift.

not making a confession of belief instead he is abusing Jesus. His relationship with God is not one built with trust but instead is built on anger.

Dear God, help me to surrender my thoughts and life to Jesus. Help me to realize that I must not dictate but listen to Him. Thank you for the many lessons He has taught during His life here on earth so that I may follow His ways. Amen.

Fr i d a y, March 18 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Luke 23:39b-42. The criminal on the cross is speaking for

was able to keep God’s commandments.

all of us when he says, “We indeed have

The punishment that hangs over our

been condemned justly, for we are

heads should cause us to fear God

getting what we deserve for our deeds.”

because if God forgets us, we do not exist.

We all have been found guilty. We all

And if we do not exist, we do not have

have missed the mark. Every one of us

life.

has not loved God with our entire existence and we have not loved those

Instead of forgetting the human race,

around us. God has looked into our

God has remembered us. God recalled

being and has found us to be lacking.

His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God sent His only Son, Jesus into

A just God would condemn us and

the world, not to condemn to world but

punish us because we have ignored God’s

instead to show the world His love for all

Law. We have broken the Law time and

of creation. It was us, not God, who did

time again even though a man, Jesus,

not want the see God’s passion, so we

found God guilty and put Him to death. That is why God is hanging on the tree.

In this new universe, God promises us that things will be different. We will live

Even through all of the cruel torture,

as God intended and when this happens,

Jesus never forgets us. He never curses

our outlook will change.

us. He does what is needed so that we can be reunited with God, with

Instead of fearing God, we

others, and with ourselves.

now can give God our

This work of the Word

thanks and praise because

includes proclaiming God’s

He has placed us back on the

love, living as God intended

path that leads us to eternal

us to live, and forgiving us.

life.

In all of these actions, Christ is putting together our brokenness and is assembling us into a new creation.

Dear Lord, I thank you that I have not received what I deserve. I cannot earn your favor for you have been the one choosing me to be your own. Amen.

Saturday, March 19 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42-43. Christ’s promise to the criminal that he will be with Jesus that very day in

In creation, God gave each of us a portion

Paradise is one of the most comforting

of God’s likeness. This image of God

verses in the

Jesus, remember me

Bible because we cannot imagine

When you come into your kingdom.

existence

Jesus, remember me

without relationship. In other

When you come into your kingdom. –

words, we are not truly alive unless we

includes the love of relationships. God’s selforganization is something like a family. Everyone in the Trinity pitches in to do God’s will. God recognized our need for

Luke 23:42, With One Voice: A Lutheran Resource for Worship

have others around us.

family and interactions, so

God gave us the structures that we

construct into families and God also

and the perfect example of a working

gave us others to place in our

group. As we work out our own rules, we

relationships. Because of God’s

find that no matter how hard we try; we

experiences in the Trinity, God gave us a

can never achieve the perfection found in

set of laws, often referred to as the Law,

the Trinity. Additionally, some of us

which shows us how we are to live with

try to do things alone even though God

ourselves, with the community, and with

created us to be in community.

God. We experience true life when we live according to God’s rules.

In His statement to the criminal, Jesus once again reminds us that we were

The problem is that we

created to be in relationships.

feel that the rules do not

And for the criminal, that

apply to us. Each of us

perfect relationship started at

has the opinion that our

his death. What a waste of a

way is better than God’s

life! Wouldn’t it be better to

way even though the

start living in true community

Trinity is the original

before one dies?

Lord of Heaven, I want

to be with you. You have

chosen my lifespan and eternal life is the gift of grace that awaits me. My days are in your hands and today is but just a part of this eternity you promised. Let me us my days wisely and look forward to your call to my heavenly home. Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria

O loving Trinity, Our God, to You we bow through endless days, And in Your grace newborn we sing New hymns of gratitude and praise.7 Ann Wofford – Prayers Elaine Lenz – Crosses The Winstons – Photographs Jody Winston – Writing

7

Anonymous, Latin Hymn 6th century, With One Voice: A Lutheran Resource for Worship, Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, MN, 1995.

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