FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012: MATTHEW 6:1-6 THREE PRACTICES
This text is located in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus lays out the constitution of the new Kingdom. Here Jesus addresses three important religious practices of his day: giving alms, prayer and fasting. Like Isaiah, Jesus puts the harsh light of judgment on empty piety. It is not the act … Read more
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012: ISAIAH 58:1-12 ASH WEDNESDAY
Lent begins with a call to fasting, prayer and repentance. Today, Christians all over the world are marked with ashes in the sign of the cross and reminded that we’re all “dust, and to dust we will return.” Many scholars believe this text was written to the Israelites during and after their return to Jerusalem … Read more
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2012: JOHN 5:4-11 REMAIN
Jesus is not giving comforting advice; he’s illustrating the difficult path of faithful service. God is the Vine Grower, Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches. Jesus is the life source for the branches. God tends to the branches and will “remove every branch” that gives no yield. The word “remain” (it could … Read more
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012: JOHN 15:1-3 VINES AND BRANCHES
This text focuses on images of vines and the vine grower. In the Old Testament, this imagery represents the covenant people of God, planted and tended by God to produce fruit. When Israel is depicted as a vine or vineyard, it’s generally being chastised for not bearing fruit as God expects. Jesus’ description of himself … Read more
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2012: MARK 4:13-20 GROWTH
Jesus doesn’t call us to make believers. He calls us to make disciples, followers, people who live daily in the way of Jesus, people whose lives bear fruit. When, by God’s grace, the seeds we plant into people’s lives germinate and grow, that’s just the beginning. Together, as the body of Christ, we nurture that … Read more
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:10-15 FOUNDATIONS
This is one of the great foundations of faith: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as … Read more
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012: ISAIAH 55:10-11 PLANTING
In Monday and Tuesday’s readings, Paul couldn’t be any more clear; we plant and water, but only God makes the seeds we plant into people’s lives grow. This is even true agriculturally. We can work the process, but ultimately we can’t make seeds grow. The power is inherent in the seed itself, where God placed … Read more
