Gardening

Luke 13:1-9

Tom Cooper

In the first part of this verse (vs. 1-5), Jesus is telling his followers that the manner in which one dies is not for us to judge; some may wrongly look for sinful behavior or action as a cause for one’s death.  Jesus says do not judge – we all are born in sin and will die but must repent by believing and following him to have eternal life. 

And then, Jesus tells a parable in the second part (vs. 6-9) about bearing fruit, thus making a linkage between repenting and bearing fruit.  This parable talks of the expectation to bear fruit.  When we plan a flower or tree, we want to see it produce.  In the same way, God has created us to do the same – bear fruit.

I recently retired as a manager at the Department of Transportation.  During my career, I had to the opportunity to hire inexperienced college graduates and others for my staff.  Much like planting a tree, new staff needs mentoring, direction and opportunities to grow.  As time goes on, some staff grow and become more productive.  They move to bigger and better things.  This was very rewarding for me, I always got much joy from seeing my staff learn and grow.  However, for some, more time is needed to bear fruit like the man tells of his fig tree in verse 8.  Growth is an integral part of life, be it with gardening or with people.

How can each of us bear fruit?  In another section of the Bible (Corinthians 12), Paul tells followers that all have the capacity to bear fruit.  Our talents are spiritual gifts that are special to us and they need to be put into action for the body of Christ. 

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the gifts you have given me and I pray that I use them wisely for your service.  Amen.

Come Home

Luke 15:1-3,11-32

Judy Lombardo

As parents, Dave and I always told our children that we loved them unconditionally, just as God loves us unconditionally.  What a reassuring feeling to have that promise. To know that whatever happens, however we waiver in our faith, we can always come home to God, that He is always there for us.  David, Deborah and Douglas knew that we would always be there for them, in good times and bad - to rejoice in college graduations and outstanding job opportunities and still stand by them (albeit disappointed) when we received a call from the high school guidance counselor advising us that one of them had cut school in order to buy beer for a party that evening.  How often children, upon becoming young adults, feel they no longer need church.  They sleep late on Sunday morning and we feel lucky if we get them to church on Christmas and Easter.  It is only after they become parents themselves that they realize what they have missed and what they want to share with their offspring - the comfort of knowing a loving God.    Now that our children are grown and are parents themselves, they have told their children this same message of unconditional love.   Through their religious studies, whether in church or synagogue, my grandchildren have learned that God will always be there for them.  What a wonderful gift.  And when they do wrong, their parents will be there to comfort them and get them back on the correct path, reassured that God is always walking beside them.

PRAYER: Precious Jesus, thank you for this message of unconditional love. Watch over us and help us to become vessels for you-to share with others your words and promise.   

Egypt's King

Gen. 37:3-4, 12-28

Nori Huckaby

Joseph was dearly loved by his father and lived a comfortable life before his brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery.  When Joseph became a slave he lost almost everything he had had.  It’s hard to imagine a fate much worse than being betrayed by family members and stripped of all possessions and personal freedom.  But Joseph still had two of the most important things, God’s love and God’s plan for his life, which no one could take away from him.  Joseph’s faith in God helped him to endure many hardships and he discovered that his terrible misfortune was actually an avenue to a wonderful new life.

Prayer: Dear God, please give me strength in times of adversity and help me to understand your plan for my life.  

A Bargain

Luke 6:36-38

Louise Babirak

Once we know that our sins are forgiven and understand that the greatest gift from God is love, we realize that we have the responsibility to extend the same forgiveness and love to everyone in our lives. As God does not withhold His love and compassion; we should not. A forgiving, loving spirit reflects our understanding that we have received these gifts from the Lord.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to remember the depth of love and forgiveness I show others is a reflection of yours towards me.

Note: This devotion originally published on March 1 matches the right scripture and author with the wrong devotion. The above devotion corrects this editorial mistake.

Charity

Luke 16:19-31

Bob Hummel

It is hard to imagine the agony in Port au Prince, Haiti.  So many dead!  For survivors, so much destruction and loss to fathom!    We gave.  We prayed.  And I believe that we as a Nation, as a Body of Christ, and as a Congregation, will continue to help.  And that is good.  And I hear on the news about other Nations, and an international community, helping the Haitians.  That too, is good.  But it can’t be enough.  There will always be inequalities in this world, and there will always be others who are not as fortunate.  How much should we share?  What are we to do?

Prayer:  Lord, your resurrection should convince us, that we should share what we can.  May your message, that we should love one another, guide us in our compassion and help for those who have less, as we share in the gifts that You have given us, even everlasting life itself.

Divine Sacrifice

Matthew 20:17-28

Mitchell Kiffe

This passage has a lot of cross-currents and clearly focuses on Jesus' divinity and holiness on the one hand, and our human frailty and pettiness on the other. Jesus announces to his disciples that He will be delivered to the Chief Priests and then be condemned, mocked, scourged, and crucified. Jesus also announces that he will be raised on the third day. What is the human response by two disciples and their mother? Do they comfort Him? Try to understand how they can help Him? No. Unfortunately the human response is a request that the disciples be placed at Jesus' right hand and left hand when He comes into the Kingdom!

Even trusted and faithful disciples exhibit self-centeredness and seek elevated stature rather than focusing on God and God's plan.

During Lent we should ponder Jesus' humility and supreme sacrifice and ask what we can do to grow our faith and to follow Him.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, we pray for humility. Help us to remember that you are the source of all good things in our lives. We pray that you will give us strength when it is our turn to suffer. Help us to serve others. Amen.

Rabbi

Matthew 23:1-12

Ellen Lokker

In this passage, Jesus teaches a timeless lesson about hypocrisy and conceit.  The Pharisees, who were successors to Moses as teachers of the law, had become the embodiment of hypocrisy.  Jesus instructs his followers to “do and observe” what the Pharisees say, but directs them not to act as the Pharisees do, “for they say things and do not do them.”  The Pharisees deliberately disregarded the laws they taught and imposed burdens on the people that they had no intention of fulfilling themselves.

Hypocrisy still plagues mankind today.  We have all heard the admonition to “do as I say, not as I do” when someone knows their own actions fall short of desired behavior.  Hypocrisy is most troubling in the religious arena.  We have all witnessed the public downfall of a religious leader caught in immoral behavior.  When the leader has strongly condemned that same behavior from the pulpit, it is often the hypocrisy that we find more troubling than the underlying offense.  Hypocritical leaders, as well as hypocritical lay people, tarnish the image of Christianity in the public’s mind and diminish the authority of the church.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew that hypocrisy is rooted in conceit.  The Pharisees, for example, routinely made elaborate displays of religiosity in their attire.  But Jesus reveals that, in their hearts, the Pharisees were motivated in all that they did by the desire for recognition among men.  They  “do all their deeds to be noticed by men” and  “love . . . being called Rabbi by men.”   

Jesus warns against these impure motives and admonishes his listeners not to adopt titles of honor in order to elevate one person above another.  Jesus reminds us that there is only one Rabbi, one Father, and one Leader:  Christ.   Jesus calls us to be servants to one another, explaining that the person who humbles himself will be the one that is exalted, not the other way around.

It is striking how much we need this message in the 21^st Century.  Can any of us read this passage without a glimmer of self-doubt as to what Christ sees in our heart?  Our culture rewards pride and self-promotion.  The desire for fame and recognition are driving forces now more than ever before.  The notion that a person who humbles himself and behaves like a servant will be the greatest is contrary to secular society’s fundamental message. 

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, give us the grace to be a servant to others today.  Help us to temper our desire for worldly recognition and free us from the driving force of conceit. Work though us so that others will know that there is only one Rabbi, one Father, and one Leader, who is Jesus Christ.