Month: March 2022

March 27: Ambassadors for Christ

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:11-32

From the cross, as Jesus was dying on the cross between two thieves, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus, who taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who hate us, practiced what he preached.

In the model prayer Jesus gave us, he taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). He tells us that if we refuse to forgive others, then we will not be forgiven by our heavenly Father (Matthew 6:14-15).

When we come to worship, he told us that if we know another person has something against us, we should “leave [our] gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to [the person], and then come and offer [our] gift” (Matthew 24).

Forgiveness is essential for those of us who claim to believe in Jesus and that we have been forgiven. The forgiveness we receive enables us to offer forgiveness to others. This is not only a command, it is essential for experiencing peace and reconciliation in our lives – both with God and others.

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction…Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. We never get rid of an enemy by meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy by getting rid of enmity.”

Failure to forgive leads to bitterness, alienation, cycles of conflict, and misery. Forgiveness defeats pain. It can heal both the forgiver and the forgiven.

What a magnificent calling we have as “Ambassadors for Christ.” Paul tells us that we are new creations because we’ve been reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus. We are forgiven. We’ve been made new! Because God is still in the business of reconciling people to himself, he’s given us – each and every believer in Jesus – the ministry of reconciliation.

God is making his appeal through us! We have the privilege to be witness of all Jesus is doing. We have the honor of living our lives as forgiven people and telling our stories of God’s reconciliation to others, imploring them on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God!

Sometimes the idea of telling a person about the gospel or Jesus seems so daunting. What should I say? How do I share? What if they ask a question I can’t answer? But all of us have a story to tell. God did not call us to be lawyers for Jesus – arguing people into God’s kingdom! He didn’t call us to be salesmen for Christ – trying to convince people to get the extended (eternal?) warranty! He called us to be witnesses – telling people of what we’ve seen and heard and all that God has done to reconcile us to him! All of us can do that!

As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” We don’t have to work to be good enough for God, as Romans 5:8 reminds us, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Now we are “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19) and God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3).

This is the message to which we bear witness. This is our reason for the hope we have. Though we are “jars of clay”, we bear witness to the surpassing power of God as he transforms us into the image of Jesus! We have been forgiven and set free, now we offer that same reconciliation and hope to others!

Questions for Reflection

Reflect on Jesus’ words of forgiveness from the cross. The prayer was certainly directed toward those who had conspired to crucify Jesus, but perhaps they were words of prayer for all whose sin sent Jesus to the cross. What is it like to hear Jesus say “Father, forgive them” to you?

The ministry of reconciliation has at its heart forgiveness and reconciliation between God and humans. Why is that a hard message to share with others at times? How can you overcome your hesitancy in this area?

Who is one person you could witness to regarding God’s forgiveness in your life? Pray and look for an opportunity to share your hope and your reasons for it. Ask God to help you be his ambassador!

Readings this week:

March 28:        Leviticus 23:26-41; Revelation 19:1-8

March 29:        Leviticus 25:1-19; Revelation 19:9-10

March 30:        2 Kings 4:1-7; Luke 9:10-17

March 31:        Isaiah 43:1-7; Philippians 2:19-24

April 1:             Isaiah 43:8-15; Philippians 2:25-3:1

April 2:             Exodus 12:21-27; John 11:45-57

April 3:             Isaiah 43:16-21; John 12:1-8

March 20: Like a Common Criminal

Read: Psalm 63:1-8; Luke 13:1-9

Fleming Rutledge tells a story about a woman named Sally. She was looking for a church to attend. When he suggested one in her neighborhood, she said, “Oh, no, I could never go there.” When he asked why not she replied, “I would have to look at that big cross they have behind the altar! It would upset me terribly!”

Once Sally, a very fashionable woman, was shopping at a fancy department store. She bought an expensive blouse at the store and was walking out when the security alarm went off. The store clerk had forgotten to remove the white plastic security device. Store security forces pounced upon her.

“How horrible for you!” cried her sympathetic friends as she shared the story. “It must have been so distressing for you.”

“Oh,” said Sally, “It wasn’t any trouble. I was able to explain who I was and what happened. No, the really bad part was the feeling of being treated like a common criminal!”

Rutledge writes that he tried to explain to Sally how her experience of being treated unfairly like “a common criminal” could give her a hint of the shame Jesus felt when he was falsely accused; his identity rejected; and ultimately put to death between two common criminals.

In this morning’s passage from Luke, word had reached Jesus and the disciples about a horrible tragedy in which Pilate had mingled the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices. Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?”

In the world of Jesus’ day, most people would have thought that terrible things happen to people because they sinned or did terrible things. Job’s friends were a good example of that.

But before the disciples can say anything, Jesus tells them, “No.” No, they weren’t worse sinners. No, they didn’t do some horrible thing that deserved an equally horrible punishment. He tells them the Galileans who died were just like them. He’s telling us that we are all alike. We are all sinful people. Unless [we] repent, you will all likewise perish. Perhaps not the exact same way, but it will be the same result. We will die and face an eternity separated from God.

In Rutledge’s story, Sally thinks she is a pretty good person. The idea that her sin put Jesus on the cross makes her uncomfortable. The idea that she would be treated as a common criminal is unfathomable. She doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment.

When we learn to see ourselves as Jesus does – as people who are just as sinful as everyone else and just as deserving of God’s wrath – it helps God’s grace and love and mercy shine even more brightly.

The parable Jesus tells in verses 6-9 remind us that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). We are the fig tree that doesn’t produce fruit. God’s patience and drawing us to him gives us the opportunity to respond with faith and repentance.

This message is not intended to be guilt-inducing. Rather, it should be grace-inducing. We are, apart from Christ, awful people who deserve punishment. But God, who is rich in love and mercy and grace, saved us as we are.

Lent is a great reminder of who we were and a great reminder of who we are – people of grace and love and forgiveness and new life!

Questions for Reflection

Do you struggle like Sally to see yourself as Jesus does? How can passages like Luke 13 help?

Reread the passage with an eye for God’s grace. Where do you see it in these verses? How does it encourage you?

How does the passage encourage you to pray or act in light of God’s patience? Are there people who are like that fig tree in your life? How can you “dig around and fertilize” their lives in your words and actions so they might come to faith in Jesus?

Readings this week:

March 21:        Jeremiah 11:1-17; Romans 2:1-11

March 22:        Ezekiel 17:1-10; Romans 2:12-16

March 23:        Numbers 13:17-27; Luke 13:18-21

March 24:        Joshua 4:1-13; 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5

March 25:        Joshua 4:14-24; 2 Corinthians 4:14-24

March 26:        Exodus 32:7-14; Luke 15:1-10

March 27:        2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:11-32

March 13: Memories

Read: Psalm 27; Luke 9:28-43a

Memory is a tricky thing. On one hand, it can be debilitating – remembering failures, remembering hardship, remembering when things didn’t go well. It can be warped and selective and often keeps the wrong parts.

On the other hand, memory can be beautiful – remember good times, remembering people we love and cherish, remembering when things were wonderful. It can be helpful and constructive and the thing that helps us keep our faith when we are in the midst of difficult times.

We do not know when David wrote Psalm 27. In his life before and while he was king, he faced many challenges and difficulties, times he feared for his life and times he didn’t know how he would escape.

Through it all, he could declare, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall (Psalm 27:1-2).

In this psalm, we can learn at least four significant reminders from this psalm of David about the importance of memory to live faithful lives in challenging times.

1. Remember all God has done in the past.

David remembered all the times God had shown up for him. He remembered all the times God had saved him. Though armies pursued him, though he was in the mist of war and feared for his life, he believed God would not leave him. He would be confident. David doesn’t know how the situation will turn out. He cannot presume to know if he will survive or be uninjured, but he trusts in God and knows God will do what’s best.

We too can trust that God always does the best things in the best ways. We can be confident that no matter how dark or difficult our situation may be, God is able and he is enough.

2. Remember to seek intimacy with God.

David wanted one thing from God and he says it is the one thing he will seek after (verse 4), to be with the Lord always. It’s a metaphor for living in God’s presence, for developing an intimate relationship with him. More than protection from armies, David wanted God.

In verses 7-8 David cries to God, Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” David remember that God had invited him to seek him and David obeyed.

God wants us to make him our priority. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said if we would seek first his kingdom and righteousness, God would give us all we need. Remembering God wants us to seek him and delights to meet us should give us confidence to trust him in every circumstance. He wants us to seek him and when we do we know we will find him and he will always cares for us!

3. Remember God will never abandon us.

David had spent much of his life on the run. In verses 9-10, he asks God not to turn away from him; not to cast him off; and not to forsake him.

Even in his earlier confidence and his passionate seeking after God, David is afraid. He prays that God will not leave him. He says in verse 10, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” We don’t know a specific time when David’s parents abandoned him. In 1 Samuel 22:3-4, we read that he sent them to Moab for safety when he was fleeing for his life. It’s possible that he felt forsaken by them. It may also be that it is a poetic way of saying that even if they did forsake him, God would not.

We too can know with certainty that God will never leave us nor abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). Paul tells us that he will bring the work begun in our lives to completion (Philippians 1:6). Even if family and friends walk away, God never will. In those times when life is toughest and we’re tempted to think God has abandoned us, remember he promised he never has and he never will!

4. Remember God is always faithful.

David writes in verse 13-14: “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Life will be full of trials. There may be days that seem hopeless. There may be times God seems to be hiding. And we know the day will come when our lives on this earth will be finished.

In that day, God is the one we can count on. As we remember all he has done in the past; as we remember his desire to be in relationship with us; as we remember he will never abandon us; we can trust that God is faithful. We know that he will not fail. He always does the best things in the best ways at the perfect time. He did it for David and he is doing it for you!

Questions for Reflection:

What are ways God has blessed you or shown up in difficult times? Take a few minutes to remember his provision. Thank him for it!

What are the ways you experience God most intimately? A walk in the woods? Worship music? Reading the Bible? Gardening? Painting? For each of us, God will relate to us in different ways. Take time today to seek God in a way that speaks most to you.

Have you ever felt abandoned? Take time to reflect on God’s faithfulness and his promise to never leave nor forsake you!

Readings this week:

March 14:        Exodus 33:1-6; Romans 4:1-12

March 15:        Numbers 14:10b-24; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

March 16:        2 Chronicles 20:1-22; Luke 13:22-30

March 17:        Daniel 3:13-30; Revelation 2:8-11

March 18:        Isaiah 55:1-9; Revelation 3:1-6

March 19:        Isaiah 5:1-7; Luke 6:43-45

March 20:        Psalm 96; Luke 13:1-9

March 6: Repent

Read Psalm 32; Romans 10:8-13

⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I have a friend who isn’t a big Lent fan. He sees Lent as an attempt to pretend that Jesus hasn’t died yet as we wait to remember his death on Good Friday and the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

He has a point. Jesus already died and has already been raised. Lent exists, in part, because we human beings have an incredible knack for complacency and for taking things for granted. If we aren’t careful, we rush past Christ’s death and resurrection and give them no more thought than who won the Blues game last night or what the weather will be like.

“Lent” comes from an Old English word that literally means “lengthening of days” or “springtime”. It is a time of preparation, a time to return to the desert and join Jesus in preparing for ministry. He allowed himself to be tested and if we take seriously our call to follow him, we will too.

Lent began in the fourth century. It is associated with penitence, fasting, charity, and prayer. There is a giving up that is balanced by a giving to those in need. It’s an opportunity, not a requirement. It’s an opportunity to join in the church’s springtime, “a time when, out of the darkness of sin’s winter, a repentant, empowered people emerges.”

Lent is a season we should be surprised by joy. We give something up, not to check a box or to make ourselves look good in the eyes of God and his people. We lay aside a right desire of our heart to pursue the One who should be our heart’s deepest longing. We seek to be closer to Jesus. In him – his suffering, his death, his resurrection, his ascension – we find our truest joy!

Recently I read that many church fathers and mothers of centuries past spoke of a sense that many of us have that something in our lives is not quite right. We feel we missed something important and have somehow been “untrue to ourselves, to others, to God.” Lent is a good time to examine that feeling. It’s a good time to let go of excuses for our failings and shortcomings. It’s a good time to ask God to help us see our selves the way he does.

Lent is a good time to repent. Repentance is the act of changing our mind, but more than that, it’s turning away from something that is outside of God’s will, confessing our error, and turning toward God’s will.

Jesus over came all our sin in his death and resurrection. We don’t need to pretend it hasn’t happened yet. In Psalm 32:1-2, David declares, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” He goes on to say that when he kept silent, his sin weighed him down. When he confessed his sin, God lifted it from him. We are forgiven. Paul wrote in Romans 10:13, For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Lent is a time to for us to repent, to recalibrate our hearts to live in the forgiveness and freedom that is ours in Christ. John the Baptist said, “[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). May we discover afresh Jesus, our scarred, weak, wretched, crucified, dying Savior in the midst of the gods of this age that would lure us away.

Questions for Reflection:

What has been your experience with Lent? What do you look forward to? What do you dread?

Where do you have a sense of things not being quite right or dis-ease in your life? Where do you think that comes from? Talk to God about it and ask him to help you see yourself as he does.

If it reflects the desire of your heart, ask God to make Jesus increase and you decrease. Ask him to draw you closer to him during Lent.

Readings this week:

March 7:          Psalm 17; 1 John 2:1-6

March 8:          Zechariah 3:1-10; 2 Peter 2:4-21

March 9:          Job 1:1-22; Luke 21:34-22:6

March 10:        Genesis 13:1-7; 14-18; Philippians 3:1-12

March 11:        Genesis 14:17-24; Philippians 3:17-20

March 12:        Psalm 118:19-29; Matthew 23:37-39

March 13:        Psalm 27; Luke 9:28-43a

March 2: Ash Wednesday

Read: Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 51:1-17

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the period in the church calendar we call Lent. Lent is a period of six weeks that are set apart for drawing near to God and seeking him with greater focus and intensity. It is a time when many people abstain from food or some other activity to help them face the hold their sin has on their lives or to see where they have wandered from God and clung to something else. Disciplines of fasting and abstinence help us identify and detach from anything that is not from God.

Isaiah’s words to God’s people are a sobering reminder of what fasting is truly to be about. He sends the prophet to a people who were seeking God in their actions. They were fasting and praying. They were crying out to God and worshiping. But God wasn’t answering. They ask God, “Why have we fasted, and you do not see it?”

God’s answer is sobering. He says, “Yes, you fast, but you fight and quarrel and exploit and seek your own pleasure. How is that good? You go through the motions and think I’ll be pleased?”

It’s a good reminder to us as we prepare to being the season of Lent. If we choose to give something up, why are we doing it? What’s the purpose? Will we sacrifice for forty days and then go back to seeking our own pleasure? Will we fast but be so cranky and harsh that it blesses no one? Will either of those be acceptable to God?

Lent is a time for us to consider our lives. It’s a time to think about where our hearts have wandered from God; where our lives have drifted from what is right and best. It’s a time to invite the Holy Spirit to show us our true condition and to identify in us any sin that needs our attention. It isn’t that we dwell on how bad we are so much as we remember the depths we’ve been rescued from and hold our lives up to the light of the Holy Spirit to help us draw closer to Jesus.

The sacrifices we make in Lent help to reveal where our hearts need to be recalibrated. Our time of willingly going without invite us to live with that kind of self-control and willingness to say no to good things for the sake of Jesus all year long.

God is concerned with our hearts. He says through Isaiah that the fast he approves is the one that is more than just a box to check off; a duty done. It’s a sacrifice that isn’t from our surplus, but it costs something. It blesses someone else. It shares with those in need.

This year, we have again made “Salem on Mission” calendars. Our prayer is that they would be a tool Salem members could use to keep their time of Lent focused both on identifying things within us that God wants to change, but also to establish habits of blessing our neighbors and remembering that God blesses us, in part, so we can bless others.

When our hearts are right with God, our prayers, fasting, and sacrifice will be heard. God will revive those places in us that are dry and broken. Isaiah writes that the Lord will make us like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. ¹² And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in (Isaiah 58:11-12).

As we begin Lent on this Ash Wednesday 2022, let us seek God, not in actions alone, but with hearts that hunger for God to reorient our hearts and lives so they reflect his presence and priorities. We know, this side of the cross, that the blood of Jesus has washed us clean. We know that we have God’s Holy Spirit to guide us and transform us.

And so we can press in and pursue him with all our hearts. We can sacrifice or fast and bless others – not to gain his approval, but because we already have it! May this season of Lent be filled with the presence, power, and person of Jesus in such a way that our lives, our church, and our community receive the blessing.

Questions for Reflection:

As you begin Lent, where in your life do you feel distant from God?

Are there any areas where you’re “going through the motions” or right activity, but your heart is not in it? Talk to God about that.

Do you sense an invitation to “give up” something in your life this Lent? How will you balance that with the invitation to be “on mission” blessing others?

Readings this week:

March 3:          Exodus 5:10-23; Acts 7:30-34

March 4:          Exodus 6:1-13; Acts 7:35-42

March 5:          Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; John 12:27-36

March 6:          Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Luke 4:1-13