March 26, 2016: Buried

Luke 23:44-56

I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you (John 14:18).

All four gospel writers tell us that Jesus was buried. Our most prominent creeds, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, do the same. Why? Why is it necessary to be reminded that the lifeless body of Jesus of Nazareth was buried? On one level this fact is emphasized to underscore that Jesus actually did die. Early critics of the resurrection of Jesus argued that he did not die, but instead fell into a coma from which he was later revived. His three-day burial disproves that theory.

There is another reason why his burial is an article of the Christian faith, one that brings enormous comfort for anyone who has stood at a loved one’s graveside. Jesus Christ has been even there. One of the funeral prayers of the Reformed Church says: “Almighty God, by the death of your Son Jesus Christ you destroyed death; by his rest in the tomb you sanctified the graves of the saints…” Jesus was laid in Joseph’s borrowed tomb, and in so doing he made even our darkest and loneliest place holy ground.

This, at least in part, is how Jesus makes good on his promise: I will not leave you orphaned, I am coming to you. (John 14:18)

Prayer: We bless you, Lord Jesus, for even going to the grave with us.

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.

March 25, 2016: Dying

Luke 23:32-49

Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scripture… (1 Corinthians 15:3)

The Heidelberg Catechism, a treasured statement of faith for many Reformed Christians, contains a series of four powerful questions and answers about Christ’s suffering. The first of them concerns the death of Jesus: “Why did Christ have to suffer ‘death’?”

Understanding the answer ought to shield our hearts against an avalanche of guilt: “Because the righteousness and truth of God are such that nothing else could pay for our sins except the death of the Son of God.”

Hear it again, friends: Nothing else could pay for our sins except the death of the Son of God.

But, I hasten to add, the Son of God did indeed die for our sins! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

I once heard a preacher give tremendous counsel to a sanctuary filled with college students. He told them, “When the devil assaults you with a barrage of accusations concerning your sinfulness, don’t argue with him. He has good evidence. Simply tell him you have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and therefore his accusations are now irrelevant.” The sense of relief in the room was palpable—including the sense of relief in my own soul.

Prayer: We bless you, Lord Jesus, for your saving blood!

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.

March 24, 2016: Feasting

Luke 22:14-23

When the hour came, he took his place at the table… (v. 14)

John Calvin, one of the spiritual fathers of Reformed Christians, once argued vehemently for the Lord’s Supper to be celebrated every time Christians gathered. He felt this way because he believed that the Lord’s Supper was not merely a feast of remembrance, but of communion and hope as well. He believed in Jesus’ real presence at the table, and that was enough to persuade Calvin that we should eat the bread and drink the cup with the Lord every week.

Calvin meditated upon the meaning of that Last Supper scene for the longest possible time. The fruit of his deep contemplation is this moving statement:

Here at the Table Christ himself grows into one with us…There is nothing more incredible than that things severed and removed from one another by the whole space between heaven and earth should not only be connected across such a great distance but also to be united, so that souls may receive nourishment from Christ [himself].

You can find Calvin’s full description of this communion experience in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (4.17.24). But more profoundly, you can receive such nourishment from Christ yourself the next time you respond in faith to your pastor’s invitation, “Come, for all things are now ready.”

Prayer: We come to your table hungry, O Lord; feed us until we want no more!

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.

March 22, 2016: Teaching

Luke 20:1-8

One day as he was teaching…

Does Luke 20:1 require anything of us? A young boy I met in Lynnwood, Washington, knows the answer and is eager to share it with all of us.

In the days just before his death, Jesus taught the good news of the gospel (Luke 19); in the days just after his death he compelled his followers to do the same (Luke 24). And that is precisely what my young friend from Lynnwood wants to tell us.

Some time ago I preached in the congregation where this boy and his family are members. After church I gathered with some folks to field questions about life in the seminary where I teach. During this time a sharp little boy named Aaron raised his hand and asked, “If you really, really want to be a pastor so you can tell people about Jesus, do you have to wait until you’re grown up?”

I said to him—oh, who cares what I said to him. He had said it all! One day, as [Jesus] was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news… Aaron knows what to do with that verse, and he isn’t going to wait to grow up to do it.
So what are we waiting for?

Prayer: Give us the courage and urgency, O God, to go and tell the good news of Jesus!

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visitwww.woh.org.

March 13, 2016: The View from the Seesaw

Luke 16:19-31

At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus (v. 20).

One day, while riding a seesaw with my daughter when she was a small child, she got a thoughtful look on her face, and she declared: “When I am up, you are down!”

When it comes to food and resources, all the world rides a seesaw. One side is up; the other is down. One side is like the rich man; the other side is like poor Lazarus.

The seesaw runs pretty much along north-south lines, the fulcrum being the equator. With one or two exceptions, affluent countries are in the northern hemisphere—America, Europe, Japan. That’s the up side of the seesaw. Poorer countries tend to be in the southern hemisphere—Africa, Asia, the Indian subcontinent. That’s the down side.

The difference in lifestyle and consumption of resources from one end of the seesaw to the other is mind-boggling. Compared to most of the world’s peoples, Americans live like sultans.

Wealthy nations are not at fault for world hunger. It is not wrong to be prosperous. Affluence doesn’t make you bad. It makes you blessed. But there is something dreadfully wrong if those who are affluent can look at Lazarus starving at the low end of the seesaw and do nothing to help him.

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see the poor. Open my hands to help.

Today’s devotional was written by Lou Lotz, the pastoral leader of Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visitwww.woh.org.

March 12, 2016: Forge Your Future

Luke 16:1-9

And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly(v. 8).

The dishonest manager isn’t ethical, but he sure is shrewd. Before walking out into the cold, hard world of unemployment, this scoundrel creates for himself a lot of friends who now feel more indebted to him than to his master!

“And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.” Jesus is not praising the dishonest manager for his dishonesty. He praises the man because, when faced with a catastrophe, this rascal doesn’t passively accept his fate. Rather, he rolls up his sleeves and goes to work, determined to forge for himself a better future.

When catastrophe happens—when the boss tells us to go and clean out our desk, or when we are diagnosed with a debilitating disease, or when a cherished relationship is shattered—we hang our heads, stoically accepting our fate.

But Jesus tells the story of an outrageous manager who does outrageous things because, catastrophe notwithstanding, this guy actually believes that his future is still throbbing with possibility and not at all fixed or final. Your future is in God’s hands. Whatever bad news life dishes out to you, God is still in control, which means your story is not over, your future is not finished. Don’t just accept your fate; forge your future!

Prayer: Lord, whatever happens to me, I trust you.

Today’s devotional was written by Lou Lotz, the pastoral leader of Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visitwww.woh.org.

March 11, 2016: The Elder Brother

Luke 15

Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons” (v. 11).

One of the ways to read any story in the Bible is to ask two questions: What is God doing in the story? And, what should I be doing in light of this story? If we apply these two questions to the story of the prodigal son and his loving father, we get some remarkable results.

In this wonderful story, the living God is played by the father. The father of the prodigal son does not force his son to be obedient; he gives him his inheritance even though he knows it isn’t good for him. He also graciously receives back his penitent son and restores him to full status—over the objections of the ungracious brother! This is a portrait of our gracious God, and it ought to prompt us to return to him from whatever far country we may be in. The last word from our heavenly Father is not condemnation but forgiveness. Amazing grace!

And what should we be doing in light of this story? Certainly not pouting at grace given to others like the elder brother, but rather running long and hard into the outstretched arms of a loving and forgiving Father! When Christians rise to their feet in worship to say “I believe in the forgiveness of sins,” the story of the prodigal son and his gracious father is their justification for doing so.

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visitwww.woh.org.

March 10, 2016: A Banquet for All Nations

Luke 13:22-30

From east and west, from north and south (v. 29).

Today’s question (“Will only a few be saved?”), like the last (“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”), has to do with the way to heaven. Here Jesus’ answer ignores the topic of “how many,” and becomes an urgent plea that we should make sure we are going there, not just assume we are.

But in doing this he gives us two mind-stretching glimpses of what heaven will be like. First, we shall “eat in the kingdom of God”! In chapter 14 he will also say a lot about banquets and compare life in the kingdom to a “great dinner.” Of course heaven will be pure and holy and free from all evil. Of course it will be filled with the glory and praise of God. But it will also be a party: the best party imaginable, “pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Secondly, people of every kind will be there. Jesus says that heaven will be filled with “Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets,” and every single Israelite believer, naturally; but also countless “outsiders,” “from east and west, from north and south,” the multitude “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,” that John sees in the vision of Revelation 7. What an exciting prospect!

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the joys that await us in heaven.

Today’s devotional was written by Michael Wilcock, a retired pastor in the Church of England. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.

March 8, 2016: Say Yes

Luke 11:24-26

“I will return to my house from which I came.” (v. 24)

As a youngster in Sunday school I learned a song: “Have Courage, My Boy, to Say No.” Think of all the misery we create for ourselves because we lack the courage to say “No!”

But there is more to the Christian life than saying no. People talk about how they are against this vice and against that vice, how they oppose this sin and that sin, and you can’t help but wonder what they do approve of. You can’t get to heaven just by criticizing other people’s sins.

In Jesus’ parable of the empty house, the unclean spirit discovers that his former haunt has been swept clean, but no righteous replacements have taken his place. So he moves back in, and invites seven cronies to join him. “And the last state of that person is worse than the first,” says Jesus.

There is an affirmative quality to the Christian life. There is a “yes” at the heart of our faith. “In him [Jesus] every one of God’s promises is a ‘yes,’” says Paul (2 Corinthians 1:20). It is not enough to say no to what is wrong; we must also say yes to Christ. It is not enough to be delivered from the power of Satan; one must pledge allegiance to the kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord, I say “yes” to you.

Today’s devotional was written by Lou Lotz, the pastoral leader of Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.

March 7, 2016: Pray Without Ceasing (Part Three)

Luke 11:1, 5-13

Lord, teach us to pray (v. 1).

How kind of Jesus to urge us to pray for the same thing over and over again! Following his model prayer is the parable of the persistent friend, the man who goes to his neighbor in dire need of bread only to be turned away. Apparently the old saying, “A friend in need is a friend in deed” doesn’t always apply! Jesus taught, however, that if you make a nuisance of yourself by asking over and over again, you might finally get the thing for which you’re asking. The logic is simple, and in fact Jesus’ interpretation of the parable follows. “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you” (v. 9).

We are given permission by Jesus to ask the Father for the same thing over and over again. We all know that some prayers seem to go unanswered, and such is the mystery of God’s providence. But it never alters both the desirability and necessity of asking! This must be why Jesus compares God the Father to a loving parent who surely would never turn away from a child in need. “Is there anyone…who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?” (Matthew 7:9).

I served as a pastor for many years and have spent endless hours with people in deep need, encouraging them to take heart in this parable. The living God is not annoyed by our persistence. He encourages!

Prayer: Create boldness in us, Lord, to pray without ceasing.

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.