SATURDAY, March 30 “Debts and Death”
1 Corinthians 15:55 (The Message)
“Death swallowed by
triumphant Life!
Who got the last
word, oh, Death?
Oh, Death, who’s
afraid of you now?
Our Daily Bread tells
the story of a man who heard a radio ad for ‘beating death’. He wondered, a new diet craze or fitness fad,
cryogenics? Then he realized the ad was
to beat ‘debt’ for good! Through his
death and resurrection, Jesus did both:
victory over our physical death and payment for the debt of our
sin. We beat both death and debt at
once!
With
the promise of a new house, Habitat homeowners also might feel they have
overcome both death and debt. Unsafe and
unsanitary living conditions can result in poor health or even death. Financial woes can be the reason for not
having the money to put down on conventional housing. While the homeowner puts in plenty of sweat
equity to their ‘debt’, the banking arrangements of Habitat homes are such that
homeowners have hope for a brighter future.
Every time a new Habitat home is dedicated
and blessed, another resurrection of new hope and light takes place! Keep building! ‘Homelessness’, who’s afraid of you now?
“We owed a debt we couldn’t
pay, Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe.” (ODB)
GOOD FRIDAY, March 29 “It Is Finished”
John 19:30 (Message)
After he took the
wine, Jesus said, ‘It’s done….complete.’ Bowing his head, he offered up his
spirit.
It is done. It is finished. The words of Christ upon the cross. Not words of defeat, however, but words of
victory. This time of earth living in
the form of a man was over, a time of trial and pain complete. Resurrection was ahead! Life and light awaited!
When a Habitat house is finished, a
dedication ceremony takes place. All the
sweat-equity hours are over for the homeowner, the volunteer hours of labor
complete for the builders. It’s
done….complete. The keys are handed
over, paperwork signed. But for the
homeowner, it is a new beginning. Habitat
houses so often provide new life in the form of security and safety, comfort,
and hope.
As we build Habitat houses, may we sense
the cross and crucifixion in our labor, but ultimately may we celebrate the
joy, the hope, and the excitement of the Resurrection when ‘It is finished.’
MAUNDY THURSDAY, March 28 “Darkness”
John 13:26-30 (The Message)
“Jesus said, ‘The one
to whom I give this crust of bread after I’ve dipped it.’ Then he dipped the
crust and gave it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. As soon as the bread was in his hand, Satan
entered him.
‘What you must do,’
said Jesus, ‘do. Do it and get it over
with.’
No one around the
supper table knew why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas was their treasurer, Jesus was telling him
to buy what they needed for the Feast, or that he should give something to the
poor.
Judas, with the piece
of bread, left. It was night.”
Night, darkness.
Despair, death.
The sense of sorrow
lingers
as Judas goes out the door.
What is happening?
But the veil of
uncertainty will continue
for a few more days.
The shadows of
Gethsemane
Surround agonizing prayer.
Jesus knowing the
future,
Yet as a man
frightened with apprehension.
Mockery under a
midnight council
of those who should have been his support.
And even in mid-day,
Darkness prevailed
as mankind
Crucified the Son of
God.
Maundy Thursday.
We remember the dark
that surrounds Holy Week.
We remember the pain
and suffering,
The sacrifice of
ultimate love endured for us.
One by one the
lights are extinguished,
Our Sin is
magnified,
Our separation
extended,
Until the Light and
Life of Resurrection.
Until Sunday,
when darkness is no more.
Calvary reveals the vileness of
our sin and the vastness of God’s love. (Our
Daily Bread)
WEDNESDAY, March 27
“To KNOW Truth”
John 17:17 (Message)
[Jesus is praying to God]. “Make them holy – consecrated – with the truth; Your Word is
consecrating truth.”
The Our
Daily Bread devotional goes on to quote from Luke 4:1-13 and the Temptation
of Jesus in the desert. Jesus and Satan
were having a verbal battle quoting scripture.
We have all heard those who attempt to use scripture to justify
something that is wrong or those who give the scripture out of context; they
don’t tell the ‘whole truth’. What is our defense? We must KNOW God’s message. It must be more than verses in a book, lines
from a sermon. In the Hebrew language,
the verb TO KNOW often meant an intimate relationship. That’s how we must know our God. Internally, from within our heart and soul. In this way TRUTH will emanate from us in
ways we might not be able to control.
That will be God at work through us.
In Habitat work to KNOW construction
means building without having to literary think through every detail. When a supervisor has a crew that is grounded
in construction truth, the job flows. I’m
afraid I am still at the manual stage in construction, but I hope God’s truth
is beginning to be consecrated within me.
TUESDAY, March 26 “Creation
Tenders”
Genesis 1:27-28 (The Message)
“God created human
beings; he created them godlike.
Reflecting God’s
nature, he created them male and female.
God blessed them:
‘Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for
fish in the sea and birds in the air,
For every living
thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
Psalm 24 opens with, “The Earth is the
Lord’s and everything within it.” This
spinning orb in space does not belong as a possession to us, its residents, to
use, abuse, and then toss aside. We are
responsible for all life on the planet, both animal and other humans. We are responsible to care for the natural
resources in a way that prospers the earth rather than degrades.
This message today in Our Daily Bread seems appropriate for our move to Hobbs. The transition from the culture and overall
vibe of Tucson to Hobbs is striking. We
have shifted from the environmental oasis of Tucson with its biking lanes,
recycling programs, xeriscape landscaping, and multiple aid programs for those
in need to oil-rich Hobbs. At first glance, the town is bursting at its seams,
wantonly using natural resources of water and power, gouging its citizens and
workers with boom-town, inflated pricing.
Why? Because they can? Because the resources, for the moment, are available
and plentiful? Fortunately, the city
fully supports the work of the local Habitat - city coffers are overflowing and
they are willing to spend on behalf of Habitat work. We asked at the meeting yesterday about the
logic of planting grass in the front of the homes….isn’t water an issue? Apparently not yet.
Responsibility for Creation is a fine line
between liberal environmentalism at all cost to exploitation of the earth no
matter what. But when we abandon our job
as tender of creation and mistreat our world, we also dishonor and offend the
Creator. May we all remember to take the
daily small steps of creation love – with the natural world and with each
other, and,in so doing, offer our praises to Creator God.
MONDAY, March 25
“Heavy Loads”
Matthew 11:28-30 (Message)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on
religion? Come to me. Get away with me
and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show
you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do
it. Learn the unforced rhythms of
grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or
ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me
and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
What amazing words of reassurance and comfort! We know them more familiarly from the NIV
translation (or perhaps Handel’s Messiah and King James!) “Come
unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Whether we are consumed by guilt, fear,
or doubt, Jesus invites us in, welcomes us to a point of healing and
comfort. God did not create us to bear
such heavy loads alone. Our God WANTS to
have the relationship with us where we will burden God with whatever burdens
us. This knowledge, this assurance,
should surely LIGHTEN our day!!! Palm Sunday, March 24
"The Lord Has Need of It"
Mark 11:4-6 (Good News Translation)
So they went and found a colt out in the street, tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders asked them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?”
They answered just as Jesus had told them, and the crowd let them go.
Jesus told the disciples to simply say, "The Lord has need of it" and the owners of the donkey would let them use it. What of our possessions, especially those we put high value on? Do we let them go as the Lord requires need?
A member of our church had need of a new car recently. She prayed, others prayed. Someone in town obviously heard the prayer of "Let it go" because a car was donated to her. Not just a battered, used unwanted car, but the perfect vehicle for her needs: 4w drive for safety and lots of room! We are quick to donate our used and unwanted possessions to charity, but do we ever sense the urge to release goods that are special to us, valuable, or perhaps JUST what the agency needs?
If strangers come to us today and ask to borrow our prized possessions, what is our response? I know what my initial response would be, 'no way'!! But then they say, 'The Lord has need of it'. Hmmmm...that throws a different light on the matter. Or does it? Maybe, just maybe, we aren't just talking possessions here. Maybe our time is prized as well, our gifts.
'The Lord has need of it.' Are we open to give when someone else obviously needs some part of us? In such giving to God, the gift will be glorified beyond belief!
What donkey do I need to release today to God?
God gives us all we need, so we can give to others in their need. (ODB)
Addendum:
I got to thinking
about this morning’s devotion in relationship to Habitat for Humanity work and
Pete’s parting message to us on Thursday.
Perhaps our ‘the Lord has need of it’ is to work for Habitat in the less
desirable places; to NOT choose a location based on the natural beauty or the
fine amenities offered by the affiliate.
We are called to go where we are NEEDED!
A good message to remember as we pull into Hobbs Habitown ‘Resort’ with
its lack of internet, few TV stations, and rather primitive camping
conditions. The city has donated the use
of the property to the Habitat affiliate and the need appears to be great for
affordable housing in the area.
SERMON NOTES, Sunday March 24 Palm Sunday Psalm 118 “Gratitude”
‘O Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever.’
· Gratitude has nothing to do with circumstances of life, but everything to do with your vision of God.
· Palm Sunday is a moment of God-Vision; the crowd saw Jesus for who he truly was, the son of God.
· When we fail to look through the lens of Christ, our world view warps.
· Two types of Biblical Gratitude:
o Responsive Gratitude – to praise and give thanks in response to God’s past and current blessings.
§ There are ALWAYS reasons to be grateful; pay attention!
§ So many refuse to give thanks by focusing on what life has NOT given them.
§ Our attitude is always up to us. We can complain or thank – the only choice.
o Creative Gratitude – finding the blessings of God in what WILL happen or become.
§ Praise a God who isn’t done with creation.
§ This road can be painful, uncomfortable and confusing.
§ God is still creating in the thin veneer of what we call the ordinary.
· There is a cost to the promise of hope for the future.
· To be fully alive requires you to creatively be grateful for the promise of tomorrow and endure the pain of losing a bit of your past.
· Hold blessings in open hands – ready to release them in appreciation and accept new ones.
Heard by Rick on TV commercial: The car has a small rear-view mirror for looking back at the past (responsive gratitude) and a huge front windshield for looking ahead to the future (creative gratitude).
