10th Day in Lent (Saturday)
Read Luke 22:24-32 Jesus said: “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:32 (NIV) ‘God’s grace grounds and empowers everything in the Christian life.’ I thought I was fit. I had been walking for a couple of months around Europe with my backpack. I had been walking everywhere, but in Austria, some other travellers convinced me to climb a mountain in the Tirol Valley above Mayrhofen. It was a 3-hour climb up and then a 3-hour climb down with rain and mist to overcome. It was hard work – I thought I would have easily done it with my fitness level, but it was hard. We had to encourage each other to achieve our goals. The view made the climb so worth it. Peter was convinced that he was ready to face any trial, even death, in following Jesus. But, when it came to standing up for his faith in Jesus in the courtyard, he failed miserably three times. He denied any relationship with, or even knowledge of, Jesus. Despite this stinging rejection by one of His most trusted disciples, Jesus looked on Peter with grace and forgiveness. This action by Peter could have crushed Peter’s faith, but Jesus said He was praying for Peter. He was encouraging him up the mountain he was climbing. Jesus told Peter that he could ‘turn back’ (overcome) this event and it would make him stronger so that he could then strengthen others. After Jesus died and was raised, He would appear again to Peter and this time send him out, freed and forgiven, on a mission of grace for the world. The grace of Jesus does not disown us. Jesus comes to strengthen our weak faith and encourage us up our ‘mountains’ and problems that we face so that we can stand and marvel at our life and the ‘view’ that we have of our life with Jesus. In the same way, we can also strengthen others through the same grace that we have received through faith. Strengthen my faith, Lord. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you didn’t leave me in my shame and sin, but you brought your grace and love to me to strengthen my faith and bring me peace. Help me to also encourage others. Amen.
9th Day in Lent (Friday) Read: 1 Peter 3:18-22 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV) ‘Christians live every day by the grace of God.’ “Yesterday is history; Tomorrow is a mystery; Today is a gift, which is why it is called ‘THE PRESENT!’” How many of us take time to just enjoy where we live and the work we do? How many times do we thank God for each and every blessing that comes our way during the day? When we moved to Noosa, Qld seven years ago, my husband and I decided that we wouldn’t take where we live for granted – we would spend time at the river, walk on the beach, and just soak in the Noosa culture. When we lived in Loxton, SA – we did the same thing – went to the river, enjoyed the town community, and explored the incredible places and unique scenery. In each place where we have lived, we live each day as a blessing from God with endless possibilities. God wants us to treat each new day as a gift with endless possibilities to share a word of encouragement, give comfort, listen to care, and maybe offer a prayer. There is a hurting world needing our little influences to bring joy and peace to lives needing grace. Each of these little things done with the Kingdom of God in mind allows the Holy Spirit to work in hearts and souls. God wants us to live each day as if it was our last with no regrets. In the 1 Peter 3 reading we read that Jesus died for each of us once and for all, both righteous and unrighteous – no one is excluded. This is God’s grace. His free gift is given to each of us. Let us then live every day with joy and peace and make the most of every opportunity. If we choose to ‘live in the past’, we may rely on experiences from years ago, rather than focussing on what God is doing for us in the here and now. Let God guide you today as He has promised He will. Live every day in God’s Grace! Prayer: Lord Jesus, your death covered all my wrongs and brings me joy and forgiveness today and every day. Let me choose to live each day in your grace and love. Amen
8th Day in Lent (Thursday)
Read: Luke 18:9-14
Jesus said: “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:14 (NIV)
‘Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering and brokenness.’
The story about Nicky Cruz is fascinating. He grew up in the slums of Puerto Rico, where his own mother called him the ‘Son of Satan’ and lived on the streets of New York City where he joined a gang and eventually became the gang leader. This was a man who has lived the worst and seen the worst of society. But due to the love and saving grace of God, Cruz gave his life to Jesus, studied the Bible and became an evangelist to the gangs in New York City. Nicky wanted to bring the love of God to others who were like him.
Nicky Cruz understood grace. He understood what it was to be a sinner who had committed the most dastardly acts and crimes through his life. Imagine how he felt being forgiven all these sins and being totally accepted and loved through God’s act of grace for him. In the Bible story above, Jesus told of the two men praying in the temple. One felt that he was so good that he didn’t need to be forgiven and the other felt that he was so bad that God really couldn’t forgive him. We have all sinned and done wrong things, but nothing is so bad that God in his mercy and grace won’t forgive us when we ask for forgiveness. It is only when we see and acknowledge our wrongs and sins that we can see and acknowledge how marvellous God’s saving grace is for us. Every one of us is broken. I like the analogy of the Japanese Kintsugi pottery. It involves putting broken pieces together and fusing them together with gold. It is built on the idea that through embracing the flaws and imperfections of the pottery, an even more beautiful creation can result and will be stronger and a piece of art. God is the potter who forgives all our imperfections and heals our brokenness with the gold of Heaven creating the most priceless person – you! Grace heals all brokenness! Prayer: Merciful God, thank you for healing me and forgiving me. I am a broken person and you have made me into a loved child of you. Give me courage to share this love. Amen.
7th Day in Lent (Wednesday)
Read: Luke 19:1-10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:10 (NIV)
“Grace is God’s best idea. His decision to ravage a people by love, to rescue passionately, and to restore justly – what rivals it? Of all his wondrous works grace,
in my estimation, is the magnum opus.’ ~ Max Lucado A ‘Magnum Opus’ is considered a masterpiece or a creation that has been given much critical acclaim and praise. It is a great work of art, literature, or music and is considered the greatest single piece of work by that artist. Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel ceiling, especially ‘The Creation of Adam’ is considered his magnum opus. ‘The Mona Lisa’ painting is considered Leonardo Da Vinci’s magnum opus even though it wasn’t produced for any great event or person. Beethoven’s magnum opus was his ‘Symphony No 9 in D minor’, known as Beethoven’s ninth. J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ is considered his magnum opus.
God’s magnum opus would be the giving of His one and only Son for the salvation of all of humankind – His gift of grace. God loves us so much that He was prepared to have His Son die the most horrible death, to beat Satan, and then to be raised victoriously just so we could be saved to live forever with our Heavenly Father. The whole of Jesus’ ministry was leading to this great event, and He taught about God’s Kingdom so that we could understand what God, His Father, had sent Him to do.
In the story in Luke 19, Jesus came to the sinner Zacchaeus and promised Him eternal life – for Jesus had come to “…to seek and save what was lost.” God’s work of grace for all of humankind – that He rescue us and forgive us all we have done wrong and above all love us unconditionally. To me, that is God’s masterpiece! Today God also seeks us in love, even when we are lost and ashamed and He restores us in His grace.
That truly is a magnum opus! What would you consider your magnum opus? Prayer: My loving Saviour, thank you for being prepared to come and save me and restore me through your love, grace and forgiveness – help me to live each day in thanksgiving to you. Amen.
Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers (Luke 2:47).
Read Luke 2:41–52
Jesus’ miraculous inception and birth involved angels and shepherds. In those early days, not only was he prophesied over (see yesterday’s reading), but wise men came bearing gifts. Wow – and, of course, this was followed by a hasty escape to Egypt so that the mad king couldn’t kill Jesus. Being the parents of the Messiah was no easy mission!
Luke tells us that even though Jesus’ parents lived in Galilee, they took the young Jesus to Jerusalem every year for Passover. Surely the Messiah should be brought to the City of David and spend time in the temple. When better to do that than during the most holy time of Passover? And now that Jesus was 12 years old, they lost him! They have misplaced God’s promised Messiah. Imagine how they felt … As many commentators point out, Mary probably assumed that Jesus was travelling with Joseph and the men, and Joseph assumed he was travelling with Mary and the women and children. However, Jesus was in his Father’s house, back in Jerusalem.
I know that awful feeling of looking down and not seeing the child who was with me mere moments ago: the panicked prayers sent to my Heavenly Father, followed by the praise upon finding the missing child. Many things that God calls us to have scary times – be it a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, a child, a spouse, an employee or an employer. But be assured, Jesus is where he is meant to be. Our Risen Lord Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. He is in the bread and the wine. Jesus has promised to be with us and to never leave us. While we may think we have lost sight of Jesus, he is always holding on to us!
Gracious Father, you never lose track of me, though I often fail you. Thank you for your forgiveness, mercy, and faithfulness. Through your Holy Spirit, keep my eyes focused on the cross and all that your dear Son has done for me. I ask this in his mighty name. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Glenn has been married to Karen for 38 years, and they have two grown sons – and their first grandchild is on the way (due March 2024).
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah (Luke 2:26).
Read Luke 2:22–40
Our passage today includes the wonderful story of Simeon. A man who loved and trusted the Lord God of Israel and had been promised by the Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. While we often picture him as quite an old man, please note that the passage does not give us any indication of his age. However, given that upon seeing the infant Jesus, he is ready and willing to die (verse 29), it would seem he has lived a full life.
As we saw yesterday, once again, the Holy Spirit is involved in moving people – this time, ensuring that Simeon is in the temple on this day that the holy family is present. The Holy Spirit is still at work moving people – and moving you.
When did you first see the Lord’s Messiah? Were you, like me, brought up in a Christian family and taught about Jesus from when you were born (and even when you were in your mother’s womb)? Were your parents moved by the Holy Spirit to baptise you as a child into the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour? Or did the Holy Spirit work in you as an adult, leading you to see who Jesus was and is? No matter your age, the Holy Spirit desires to move you towards Jesus. He wants to do this every day! He wants to continue to open your eyes to see that Jesus has lived the life you failed to do; he has died for you, and his resurrection proves you are forgiven.
Almighty God, forgive me when I have not heeded your Spirit’s prompting. Open my eyes and ears so that I can see and hear clearly. Keep me focused on your dear Son, Jesus. Keep moving me by your Spirit. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Glenn has been married to Karen for 38 years, and they have two grown sons – and their first grandchild is on the way (due March 2024).
At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness (Mark 1:12).
Read Mark 1:9–15
I’ve always thought of Mark as the action movie of the gospels. He gives us one scene after another, with very little rest in between. In our passage today, we have Jesus’ baptism, forty days in the wilderness, temptation, John’s arrest, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and ‘repent and believe’. All of that happens in seven verses. We also see the Holy Spirit at work, descending on Jesus at his baptism and leading Jesus into the wilderness. I believe Mark wants us to understand that the Spirit keeps doing this – leading Jesus from one scene to another. Mark is eager to show us that Jesus is the promised Messiah and that as we see who he is, we, too, will want to follow the Spirit’s lead and follow Jesus.
Having put our trust in Jesus, we have peace with God; we have eternal life; we have so much – but we are not promised a trouble-free life. We sometimes forget that ‘to follow’ means to go through the same things the person you are following has gone through. We see in the gospels that Jesus faced many difficulties. He went through hunger, thirst, weariness, suffering, betrayal, and so much more. Remember Mark 8:34 (take up your cross). Of course, Jesus had many good times with friends and family; he enjoyed many a good meal with good conversation and, no doubt, enjoyed much of the good creation (that he created).
Like Jesus, the Spirit is going to lead us through various action scenes. We are going to go through glorious times and challenging times – and even devastating times. As we do, remember that we are not the action star – Jesus is! The Holy Spirit, whom we received in our baptism, is with us. Jesus promised he would never leave us. We are the precious children of our Heavenly Father.
Heavenly Father, thank you for fulfilling your promises and sending Israel’s Messiah – my dear Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Help me to follow your Spirit’s leading so that my life may be based on repenting and believing in Jesus. In his mighty name, I pray. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Glenn has been married to Karen for 38 years, and they have two grown sons – and their first grandchild is on the way (due March 2024).
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long (Psalm 25:5).
Read Psalm 25:1–10
This verse from Psalm 25 wonderfully points out that in our daily walk with God, we have the blessing of looking to the past, present and future.
The past: ‘Guide me in your truth and teach me.’
This points to the way God has gone before us, laying out the path to be in a relationship with him and serve him. The word guide (as written in the NIV) comes with connotations of a large Monty Pythonesque hand reaching down from heaven to push us in the right direction. Which is what we might sometimes wish would happen. But ‘guide me’ is better understood here in the sense of someone treading before us, physically leading the way.
For David, as the psalm writer, God had not yet physically come to earth and walked before his people – although he had interacted with them through priests and prophets. We have the advantage of God walking ahead of us, which is recorded in the Bible. We can turn to God manifested in history to seek his guidance.
The present: ‘For you are God, my Saviour.’
We die daily with Christ (1 Corinthians 15:31), and therefore daily receive his salvation, rejoicing in him as Saviour. God is our Saviour in the present, right now.
The future: ‘My hope is in you all day long.’
Hope points to the future. What’s more, hope in this verse is better translated as ‘in you Lord, do I wait [expectantly] all day long’. David is constantly looking to the future, to the eager expectation of the full revelation of God’s glory. We can do the same.
Today, may you look to God in the past, present and future, following the way of Jesus, living in his daily salvation, and looking with hope for the glory to come.
God, you are the Lord of all time – past, present and future. Thank you that you work in all of these, and we can experience the blessings that come through that. Help us to live our day with the hope of your future glory in our hearts. Amen.
Emma works as a freelance videographer in Adelaide, and she recently joined Lutheran Media as its Production Assistant. Emma also studies theology and is heavily involved in youth camping ministry around South Australia. In her free time, she eats a lot of cheese, attempts to grow vegetables (the tomatoes have been the best success so far), and has committed the majority of her ‘casual reading’ time this year to getting through War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
he Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come, and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life … Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:17,20).
Read Revelation 22:1–11
Youth camps, ultimate frisbee, beach volleyball, camping, strawberry picking, backpacking Europe. These are some of the things I always liked the idea of but never bothered to actually consider doing until I was specifically invited by a friend to join them.
How many things in life would you not have done if you hadn’t first been invited?
Fittingly, the end of the Bible, while wrapping things up, is also an invitation. But to what? And by whom?
Firstly, we have the invitation from the Trinity to come and drink the water of life.
And secondly, John (on behalf of the church, I assume) ends his letter with the invitation to ‘Come, Lord Jesus’.
What a beautiful way to finish what is, for most, a very scary and confusing book of the Bible. An ending of a relationship. Because a relationship is an invitation – love offered without compulsion.
It began in Genesis with God’s invitation to Adam and Eve to join him in ruling the earth and building the population. But Adam and Eve didn’t return that invitation. They were so fearful after their first act of sin that the last thing they were going to do was invite God to come!
But here in Revelation, at the restoration of all things, redeemed humanity can, without shame, cry: ‘Come, Lord!’
Recent studies indicate people in Australia might be quite interested in coming to church and finding out about this whole Christianity thing; they just haven’t been invited yet (source: National Church Life Survey). Let’s extend God’s invitation. Let’s show people they don’t need to fear a perfect God because of their imperfections any longer. The gift of the water of life is free.
Lord God, you are always inviting us into a relationship with you. Help us to take up the invitation daily and put aside any fear, reluctance or complacency getting in the way of that life-giving invitation. Amen.
Emma works as a freelance videographer in Adelaide, and she recently joined Lutheran Media as its Production Assistant. Emma also studies theology and is heavily involved in youth camping ministry around South Australia. In her free time, she eats a lot of cheese, attempts to grow vegetables (the tomatoes have been the best success so far), and has committed the majority of her ‘casual reading’ time this year to getting through War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.