Lenten Devotional...February 27

Mark 10:35-45

 

“Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

(Mark 10:38b)

 

James and John, also known as “Sons of Thunder,” created quite a storm among their friends when they asked Jesus for preferential treatment.  Seems they wanted to have special places of prominence in what they perceived to be Jesus’ coming kingdom. Actually, their discussion with Jesus was more demand than request.  The Common English Bible translates the beginning of this conversation, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”  We have little background from which to discern the character of these brothers, but their audacity strikes us in much the same way as it did their fellow disciples.

 

Jesus, as he is known to do, calmed this storm by bringing the brothers and their friends back to the reality of what he and they were to be about. The question he asked in Matthew 10:38, though taken lightly by James and John, led Jesus to affirm what they would soon become in his kingdom…servants. 

 

The words of Jesus still speak to sons and daughters of thunder today; “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”

 

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to drink once more from the cup of humility and be immersed yet again in the servant waters of discipleship. Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

Lenten Devotional...February 26

Matthew 11:2-6

 

“Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see…’”

(Matthew 11:4)

 

Eyewitness accounts are notorious by legal standards.  In the heat of the moment, after the dust settles, contradictions are often exposed in eyewitness accounts.  Several high profile cases have recently borne this out.  Therefore, modern methods of criminal investigation center more on physical evidence that is above the reproach of unreliable human memory. And yet, we are still moved by personal testimony; the genuine story of transformation an individual shares that influences others.

 

John, in the isolation of prison, sends word to Jesus; “Are you the One long awaited, or should we be looking for someone else?” John’s mission was to pave the way for the One who would come after him, bringing salvation to the world.  And yet, there now seems to be doubt in his mind.  Jesus isn’t threatened by John’s question.  Instead, he tells John’s disciples to return to John and tell him what they have seen and heard...the blind see, the lame walk, the dead are made alive again!  Transformation is the evidence of Messianic purpose. 

 

The same is still true today. We must hear the words of Jesus when confronted by a skeptical world…go, and tell…show what God has done for you.

 

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to be a faithful witness to your transforming love.  Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

Lenten Devotional...February 25

Mark 3:19b-21, 31-35

 

“…looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!”

(Mark 3:34)

 

In Robert Frost’s powerful poem, “The Death of a Hired Man,” Warren and his wife, Mary, debate the return of their prodigal hired hand, Silas. In discussing the relationship they share, Warren declares, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” 

 

Families are like that…often made up of people in different relationships with sometimes widely varying perspectives.  Even in their differences, there is often a deep connection that rallies them to welcome, care for, and protect their own, no matter what.

 

In today’s text, Jesus’ family seeks to exercise their claim over him as brother and son, wanting to protect him from the crowds and himself.  Jesus, however, redefines family as more than flesh and blood. “Here are my mother and brothers,” he says in looking around him.  He wasn’t denying his mother and siblings, but rather expanding family to include any who would do God’s will.

 

You and I would do well to recognize and celebrate the bond we share with brothers and sisters in Christ as our Lenten journey leads us to the cross.

 

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the reminder that we exist within family, connected by faith in the living Christ.

 

Jim Abernathy

Lenten Devotional...February 24

Matthew 28:1-10

 

“He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.”

(Matthew 28:6a)

 

My friend records sporting events to watch at a later time.  He tries to avoid knowing the outcome before watching these recordings, but he isn’t always successful.  Though some mystery is reduced by knowing who will win, there is still a degree of mystery in watching the game unfold.

 

Mystery shrouds the tomb of Jesus as two women stand in stunned silence.  The guards have fainted in fear while the women, not knowing what has taken place, stand to witness the angel’s words.  “He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.”  The words the angel chooses should have a familiar ring.  You see, Jesus told his followers on several occasions that he would be killed and then rise on the third day.  The angelic proclamation simply echoes his words.  The brave women then take the news to Jesus’ followers.

 

There is still assurance for us today in these three words…“as he said.”  Jesus was true to his word.  Resurrection was, and still is, affirmation of his faithfulness.  Fear still paralyzes and uncertainty often threatens, but those three words in the aftermath of resurrection still give courage to face whatever comes.   

 

Prayer: Lord, help us on this Lenten journey to remember words of promise and hope...as Jesus said. Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

Lenten Devotional...February 23

Mark 15:21

 

“They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.”

(Mark 15:21)

 

A few years ago, I received a call from the dean at Leland Seminary where I served as an adjunct professor, asking if I would replace a professor for a class that was to begin in just five days.  If not, the class would be canceled and the students would lose needed credits.  “There wasn’t enough time to prepare,” I thought to myself, but in the end, I agreed, and picked up the responsibility as my own. 

                                    

In today’s text, Simon picks up another’s responsibility as his own.  Mark calls him a “passer-by,” compelled to carry the cross of Christ.  Ray Bolz wrote a song about this story.  In it, Simon brings his sons to Jerusalem to sacrifice a lamb.  In the confusion, the lamb escapes and they have nothing for the temple sacrifice. As the song concludes, Simon stands near the cross with his two sons.  Changed by the ordeal, he points to the cross he carried which now holds Jesus’ broken body, and he tells his sons, “Watch the Lamb.”

 

Jesus compels us to pick up our cross daily and follow him. In doing so, we, like Simon, point to Jesus and say, “Watch the Lamb.”

 

Prayer: Help us Lord, to willingly carry the cross of Christ, and in doing so, point others to Him.  Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

 

As part of your devotional today, copy the link below, go to youtube, and paste the link in the window to see the video for Watch the Lamb.   www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YU4q7-c4v4

Lenten Devotional...February 20

Mark 10:46-52

 

“When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly…”

(Mark 10:47-48a)

 

Restoration is messy work.  Ask the car enthusiast whose garage is cluttered with parts to be used in restoring a vintage automobile.  Ask the antique dealer who painstakingly removes paint or varnish before carefully restoring a treasured piece.  Ask the blind man in Mark’s story about what it took to be heard, respected, and ultimately healed.  Bartimaeus was doing what he always did, what the community expected…begging beside the road.  Purposefully positioned, he probably became a fixture, unnoticed.  On this day, however, he refused to blend in; restoration was coming down the road!

 

The crowd sternly tried to silence him.  Maybe his unkempt appearance embarrassed them.  Maybe his tone or words seemed inappropriate.  Maybe he was interrupting what some hoped would be their own moment with Jesus. 

 

Their response is disturbing.  I suppose what really disturbs me, however, is that I see myself in that crowd…too self-absorbed, too concerned about what others might think, too indifferent to need.

 

The crowd couldn’t silence Bartimaeus nor hinder the compassion of Christ.  The NRSV says that Jesus stood still…he stopped and healed Bartimaeus.  Perhaps in a world crying to be made new, we would do well to stand still, listen, and offer restoration.

 

Prayer: You hear my cry, O Lord.  Help me hear the cry of a brother or sister in need. Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

Lenten Devotional...February 19

Luke 5:27-32

 

“The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’”

(Luke 5:30 NRSV)

 

Matthew just didn’t fit in.  People like him weren’t welcome in the company of…good people.  The religious elite were communicating this to Jesus’ disciples in today’s text.  Truth is, Jesus didn’t really fit in either, particularly with their expectations for what a righteous person ought to be.  Matthew was a tax collector and his friends were tax collectors…and worse.  He wouldn’t be welcome in the gatherings of the righteous and neither, it would seem, would Jesus.

 

On another occasion, a Pharisee mumbled under his breath when a “sinful” woman approached Jesus, and with her tears and expensive perfume expressed gratitude in response to grace.  You see, the Pharisee identified the woman as less valuable than himself or other “good and righteous” people.  What made Jesus so dangerous, in both cases, was that he valued the person, not their strengths, weaknesses, or affiliations.  Matthew and the woman in Luke 7 were welcomed by Jesus, and extended hospitality to Jesus, because each treasured the other.

 

The way of the cross isn’t a privileged path for those deemed good enough.  It is a humble path of service and selflessness that values what and who Jesus valued.  All are welcome…regardless. 

 

Prayer: Lord, as you welcome me, may I welcome others, not because they agree with me, or look like me, or even believe like me, but because they, like me, also need your touch of grace. Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

Lenten Devotional...Ash Wednesday

Luke 5:1-11

 

“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’  Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’”

(Luke 5:4-5 NRSV)

 

Life can change with the turn of a calendar page.  Simon, James, and John had spent a miserable night fishing, catching nothing.  They returned to shore to mend and clean their nets, and most likely, share their stories of misfortune.  Jesus got into Simon’s boat and told him to move to deeper water and cast his nets again.  Simon’s response indicated a reluctance to let go of the previous day’s experience, yet with certain resignation he did as he was told.  A new day brought new opportunity, so much so that it was hard to take it all in.

 

In turning the calendar page from Fat Tuesday to Ash Wednesday, we move from our often self-centered ways to the quiet reflection of Lent.  Christ calls us to cast our nets again and in doing so, find the immeasurable depths of God’s grace.  Weariness and cynicism make us question the call, but faith leads us anew to God’s provision.

 

Today is February 18…a new day.  As you begin this Lenten journey, trust the One who calls you to cast yourself again into the waters of repentance, finding there mercy and grace beyond what you deserve.

 

Prayer:   Dear Lord, I confess my sin before you and cast myself upon your mercy. Through Jesus, the Christ, I pray, amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

Welcoming All in Jesus' Name

One of the blessings of Hypothermia Week at Westwood is the interaction between guests and volunteers.  As our guests check in each night they are welcomed, fed, and encouraged by folks who have chosen to give of themselves in service to others.  Some might argue that this small act of hospitality does little to change the plight of folks whose struggle each day most of us cannot begin to understand.   Perhaps on a larger scale, there is truth in that argument.  Opening our facility to house the homeless one week out of the year is not a heroic act on our part, nor does this week fully define our efforts to reach out to our community with the love of Christ.  There are, however, in these brief moments in time, encounters that touch and shape the lives of guests and volunteers alike.  To share a meal and conversation with someone whose life circumstances and perspectives are different than your own could easily seem to reinforce differences.  But often, it has just the opposite effect, for the more you share…the more you listen, the more you recognize what you have in common.  The need for community, love, respect, and basic human dignity should not be limited by human condition.  Taking time to acknowledge this truth by intentional interaction, particularly in the context of Christ-like love and service, even for a moment, does make a difference: the hungry are fed, the homeless find shelter, and isolation finds community.   And those who serve…they find Christ in the face, voice, and story of one thought different, who is actually yet another child of God.  I am grateful for the privilege of such a reminder and compelled by these experiences and the call of Christ to more intentionally welcome all in Jesus’ name, every single day.

Andre Towner is preaching Sunday and I know you will be blessed to hear him.  A report from Hypothermia Week will be shared, including a word from Pastor Rafael Santamaria.  Please be aware that with the brutal temperatures and wind chills forecasted for Sunday morning, our hypothermia guests may stay with us for part of the day before moving on to their next church.  Welcome them warmly and share the love of Christ with them.

Jim Abernathy  

Welcoming Others

We have been told to expect more than forty guests next week as we host hypothermia prevention week at Westwood.  Spaces will be lined out in the narthex and in the hallway of the newer educational wing for mats and sleeping bags to fill.  Now, one might think the sanctuary would be a more fitting place for our guests to sleep since some folks find it quite conducive to sleep on Sunday mornings.  Warm meals, a safe place to rest from the cold, and an atmosphere of welcome are gifts we seek to share with our guests in the coming week.  New friends will be made, perhaps greater understanding will be achieved in overcoming barriers that too often separate us, and maybe, just maybe, as we share together, we and our guests will see Christ in one another.  Offering someone shelter in Jesus' name is an ancient tradition of faith.  So too is the blessing of service and acts of hospitality. Together, let us follow in the steps of generations gone before whose open hearts and generous spirits mirrored the words of the One who said, "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."  

 

God is at work all around us.  Let us join together with God in welcoming others in His name. I look forward to seeing you Sunday and throughout next week!

 

Jim Abernathy