Praise: Day 4

Devotion by: Bill Carbaugh

Luke 19:37-40

As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
‘Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’

“The whole multitude of disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to highest!” As I sit here on Super Bowl Sunday writing this, I think how easily we praise the athletes who demonstrate physical prowess on the football field and basketball courts. With unbridled enthusiasm we proclaim, “We’re number 1” or “Go Colts” or “Da Bears are Great” or “Wahoowa”! Why is it that we find it harder to praise God? We pray to God, but do we praise God as we ought? I sing hymns of praise to God in church, but I rarely praise him outside of the Church doors. In fact, I might give a funny look to someone who shouts, “Praise be to God!” during the workweek. Do I praise God’s healing power when confronted with medical cures? Do I praise God for the many blessings I enjoy each day? Do I praise God for the blest assurance of his love and forgiveness and the promise of salvation he has given me? Okay, let’s all stand up and shout, “Jesus is #1” or “Go God” or “Hallelujah” not just on Sundays, but throughout the week.

Prayer: Dear God: I know you do not need my praise (why even the stones will cry out if your disciples remain silent), but are indeed worthy of praise. Please give me the courage to praise your name, not just on Sunday, but throughout the week. Keep me mindful of your many blessings and help me praise you as you certainly are worthy of being praised! In Jesus name we pray, Amen and Hallelujah!

Praise: Day 3

Devotion by: Andrea Sweet

Romans 15:7-11

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
‘Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,
and sing praises to your name’;
and again he says,
‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people’;
and again,
‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him’;.

In this passage it says “Rejoice, people”. We should rejoice to the Lord. For He gave us everything; houses, animals, trees and even our lives, for Pete’s sake! At night I praise Him for He made my house and I feel safe and warm and comfortable. I mean, come on people, just look at what he gave us. Whoa! He lives and that’s for sure! Sometimes though, I’m mad at him because I don’t get my own way, but no matter what condition I’m in, I should praise God.

PRAYER: Lord, please let us remember that you made us and you are God, we should praise you all the time, no matter what!

Praise: Day 2

Devotion by: Dave Luehring

Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Jesus said “You are the light of the world”, and . . . “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.” What I believe Jesus is saying is that we as Christians are to be beacons for others.

One summer semester when I was in college, I felt depressed and was questioning the meaning of life. I was looking for a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to go to classes, a reason to do everything. I was in a “funk” for a couple months until one day I had a conversation with a friend of my roommate who always appeared to be extremely happy and positive. When I asked him why he was always in such a good mood, he told me that his belief in God gave him a reason to get up every morning.

As a child, I did all the normal Christian activities, including going to church with my parents every Sunday and going through the confirmation process. However, I did not experience my spiritual awakening until that encounter with my roommate’s friend. I thank God for letting his light shine before me.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please remind us how important it is for us to be beacons for others. Remind us to let our light shine before men, that they may see our good deeds and give praise to you in heaven. Amen.

Ash Wednesday: Praise

Devotion by: Pastor Scott McAnally

Psalm 118: 14-16

The Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.

There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
‘The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.’

These are words that echo in our ears, words that literally remind us who we are…we are finite, not infinite. We gather for worship this day and see black. We gather to hear God’s word and confess our sins…and the liturgy leaves us with just confession…no absolution…that won’t come for six weeks.

Yet we hear these words of the Psalmist today… ‘The Lord is my strength and my might, the Lord has become my salvation.’ In the midst of blackness, in the midst of ashes being smudged on our foreheads, in the midst of our finitude, we hear words of the infinite grace, love, and mercy of God. Death does not have the last say, and neither does sin. And so we leave today on a journey…not just towards Golgotha…but to an empty tomb and beyond.

We journey this Lent with Turning Silver into Gold. We will learn some new things this Lent. As we ponder Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross, we are asked to ponder what sacrifices we can make as we strive to Connect the World with God’s Grace. We will learn that even in the midst of sacrifice, in the midst of giving our lives to God, there is praise. Because as we give, as we trust in God’s ultimate promise…the ashes will be wiped away, life will conquer death, and silver will turned into gold. Thanks be to God!

PRAYER: God of grace and mercy, today we ponder our finitude. Yet as we confess our sins, we call on you, our strength and might to go with us this on this journey. Be with our congregation, be with your church, as we strive to proclaim life and salvation, your gifts to the world, for the world. Amen.

Welcome: Dust and Bunnies

by: Antonia Siebert, Lenten Devotions Editor

As he was leaving his preschool one day, my youngest son flung himself on the grass with great abandon, rolled over a few times and ended up on his back, looking up at the sky as he wiggled his feet back and forth. The mother of one of his classmates looked at him and said, "It's good that Tom likes to do that. I understand that it makes kids feel safe and centered and grounded, so it shows that Tom is seeking that 'grounded' feeling to be calm and focused."

Those of you who know my exuberant son would probably find that observation as amusing as I did, as no one would ever describe Tom as "calm" or "focused". Nevertheless, the hypothesis that lying upon the ground can have a comforting or stabilizing effect was intriguing, and the idea lingered with me.

It finally made sense to me when I read Genesis 3:19, wherein God tells Adam "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." If we came from the ground, if we live by our toil of the ground, and if we eventually return to and become the ground, then of course lying on the ground is a way to re-connect our bodies with our ancient ingredients - a way to return home.

And while we are there, communing with the dirt and becoming "mentally and emotionally stable : admirably sensible, realistic, and unpretentious" (as Webster's Dictionary defines "grounded") we should probably be tidying up a bit - you know, dusting. We should be clearing out cobwebs in the brain, ordering our thoughts, focusing on goals at hand and preparing for the future.

Lent is a period of contemplation and preparation - the season for dusting.

Tomorrow we are dusted with ashes on Ash Wednesday, and then we have 40 days to repent, confess our sins, and return to God. We need to prepare ourselves to experience the heart-wrenching sorrow of the crucifixion, and then the glory and joy of Easter.

The members of Christ the King Lutheran Church offer these daily devotions to inspire you to seek out and sweep away all your dust bunnies. We hope these Bible verses and meditations will encourage you in your task.

Speaking of bunnies, you may notice lots of rabbits included in the art that accompanies these Devotions. They are a tribute to Beth Barley Tozer, who loved rabbits and for many years assisted in producing our annual Devotions for Lent. Beth passed away on January 7, 2007, and this edition of the Devotions for Lent is dedicated to her.