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Devotionals

Strength in Joy

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Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

The much anticipated day had arrived after long preparation. Nehemiah had been back in Jerusalem for several months making repairs and restoring the government. People moved back home to inhabit the lands and houses of their ancestors after spending several decades as foreigners in Babylon. Finally the day came to assemble in the square to hear Ezra the priest read the precious words of God as recorded by Moses in the Book of the Law.

Ezra opened the book and praised the Lord, the great God. All the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. (Nehemiah 8:5-6).

But as the day progressed and the meaning of the words sank in, the people began to weep. How far they had strayed from these beautiful words of truth. Could they ever return to the harmonious way of life suggested in these commandments that welcomed the habitation of a holy God among them?

Then Nehemiah the governor spoke up. He told the people to celebrate, to share, and to find joy in the Lord. The joy is where their strength would come from. The joy would restore their souls and invite God’s presence among them.

In his book, Nearing Home, Billy Graham writes about the headline of an article that appeared in 2010 on a Tokyo website titled, “A robot suit that gives super strength to the elderly.” Included with the article was a picture of the power suit modeled not by a senior adult but by an athletic youth. The caption stated that the heavy-duty suit weighs sixty-six pounds and will be originally priced at 1 million yen (approximately $12,000). Billy writes that he asked himself, “How many people my age (he was 93 at the time) have the strength to carry around sixty-six pounds for an hour, much less all day, and who could possibly afford such an expense? He says that he was relieved that the article indicated that there were no plans to sell the suits overseas. Billy writes that he is content struggling to get his shoes on each morning.

Billy went on to say that he had to look carefully at the article to discern just how an exoskeleton suit made of metal and plastic could give any strength. The secret was not in the suit but in the eight electric motors and sensors responding to commands through a voice-recognition system, enabling the body to lift and bend without strain to the muscles. While this futuristic invention may never be seen in our department stores, the brainstorming behind it reveals man’s desire for strength and power beyond himself.

Nehemiah had a better idea for finding that strength beyond ourselves. Instead of wearing a heavy suit that costs too much money and relies on motors and sensors, why not look to the Lord for power?

He encourages the people to do this on the day of the reading of the Law. His words are, “This day is holy to the Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” The day of the reading of the Law was an occasion on which the people were especially to recall God’s past acts of grace and salvation. It deserved celebration, not because of the circumstances the people were in of remembering the wrongs of the past or rebuilding a destroyed hometown, but because of who God was. He gave them protection. He kept his promises. He stayed faithful.

God’s abundance and blessing are the source of true and lasting joy. Nehemiah encouraged the people to rejoice in him, to praise him, and to depend on him. We must do the same. This is the secret to keeping that flame of contentment and pleasure in who God is alive in our hearts.

Joy is a glorious, unending circle. We recognize our needs and weaknesses and look to God. He supplies graciously and generously until his provisions fill our lives and overflow into the lives of others. We can rest in his strength. He helps us when we are weak. He promises to uphold us, to strengthen and protect us.

Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:6-7

Devotions for the Church Year

The Fifth Sunday in Lent

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The season of Lent is a time to do some cleaning of our hearts. Life in the world and in our sinful flesh creates a build-up over time of actions, attitudes, and desires that need eliminated. The lent season is a gift to us of space to reflect on the ways we displease God and to acknowledge our need of a Savior. Awareness of these two truths leads us to do the cleansing work of confession so that our hearts are ready to receive the new life that comes through Christ’s resurrection.

When we clean out a closet in our houses, we get rid of the clothes that don’t fit any more. We throw away anything useless. We rearrange what is left. This work is done to create space for the new. Our spiritual lives function the same way. We admit where we are wrong. We give to God the places that are hurt. We get rid of the useless habits that weight us down. When we’ve done this work in confession and repentance, our hearts are clean and ready to replace the sinful with the new and the eternal.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse tells of new strength. New power. New insight. New life. All of these come after a period of confession.

Lent is an important time of growth, and we must do our best to let it have its way with us. Over the next forty days, how will you clean house in your soul? What are some attitudes or habits that you need to get rid of? Below is an order of prayers and Scripture you can use as you spend time in confession and repentance.

Call to Prayer

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Prayer of Confession

God of compassion, in Jesus Christ you did not disdain the company of sinners but welcomed them with love. Look upon us in mercy, we pray. Our sins are more than we can bear; our pasts enslave us; our misdeeds are beyond correcting. Forgive the wrongs we cannot undo; free us from a past we cannot change; heal what we can no longer fix. Grace our lives with your love and turn the tears of our past into the joys of new life with you. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.  

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and show ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, “It is a people that err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways,” Of whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Psalm: Psalm 130

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament:  Ezekiel 37:1-14

New Testament: Romans 6:15-23

Gospel: John 11:1-44

Benedictus es, Domine

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; you are worthy of praise, glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you, beholding the depth; in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Intercession

For Those Who Suffer

Lord of all health, You are the source of our life and the fulfillment in our death. Now give comfort in the midst of pain. Strength to transform weakness, and light to brighten darkness. Through Christ our Lord, Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners. Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of this world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotions for the Church Year

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

admin

The season of Lent is a time to do some cleaning of our hearts. Life in the world and in our sinful flesh creates a build-up over time of actions, attitudes, and desires that need eliminated. The lent season is a gift to us of space to reflect on the ways we displease God and to acknowledge our need of a Savior. Awareness of these two truths leads us to do the cleansing work of confession so that our hearts are ready to receive the new life that comes through Christ’s resurrection.

When we clean out a closet in our houses, we get rid of the clothes that don’t fit any more. We throw away anything useless. We rearrange what is left. This work is done to create space for the new. Our spiritual lives function the same way. We admit where we are wrong. We give to God the places that are hurt. We get rid of the useless habits that weight us down. When we’ve done this work in confession and repentance, our hearts are clean and ready to replace the sinful with the new and the eternal.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse tells of new strength. New power. New insight. New life. All of these come after a period of confession.

Lent is an important time of growth, and we must do our best to let it have its way with us. Over the next forty days, how will you clean house in your soul? What are some attitudes or habits that you need to get rid of? Below is an order of prayers and Scripture you can use as you spend time in confession and repentance.

Call to Prayer

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Prayer of Confession

Jesus the Christ, you refused to turn stones into bread. Save us from using our power, however little, to satisfy the demands of selfishness in the face of the greater needs of others.

Jesus the Christ, you refused to leap from the temple top. Save us from displaying our skills, however modest, to win instant popularity in the face of nobler calls on our abilities.

Jesus the Christ, you refused to bend the knee to a false god. Save us from offering our devotion, however weak, to cheap or easy religion in the face of the harder path on which you bid us to follow you.

Jesus the Christ, give us wisdom to discern evil, and in the face of all that is deceptively attractive help us to choose the will of God. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.  

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and show ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, “It is a people that err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways,” Of whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Psalm: Psalm 23

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament:  I Samuel 16:1-13

New Testament: Ephesians 5:1-14

Gospel: John 9:1-41

Benedictus es, Domine

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; you are worthy of praise, glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you, beholding the depth; in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Intercession

For Those Who Suffer

Lord of all health, You are the source of our life and the fulfillment in our death. Now give comfort in the midst of pain. Strength to transform weakness, and light to brighten darkness. Through Christ our Lord, Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world, give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotionals

Shelter and Shield

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Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, or the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him. I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91:1-6; 14-16

I’ve been trying my best to avoid writing a devotional on the topic of the Coronavirus just because I’ve witnessed some overreaction to the threat and I didn’t want to risk adding to the fears. Neither did anything I was coming up with to say seem fitting. Scripture can start to sound trite in moments of crisis, and since I wanted to make sure and offer only helpful words in my weekly devotionals, I was intending to stay the course and focus only on Lent.

But the situation is changing quickly and affecting us right here at home with the cancellation of our church services, the closing of our schools, and the careful health screening taking place in the organization where I work. The time has come to interrupt our meditation on Lent and focus on the situation facing us.

Psalm 91 makes bold promises. It says God will cover, deliver, protect, answer, rescue, honor, and show salvation. This is a pretty exhaustive list. It affirms and builds on what we learned about God in Psalm 103. He is a good Father, attentive to his children and always at work on their behalf.

One of the reasons I chose Psalm 91 as the Scripture for this crisis-themed devotional is because of the use of the word pestilence. This is what we are dealing with in the spread of destructive disease. Verse 3 says he will deliver from the deadly pestilence. It is mentioned again in verse 6. The psalm says we will not fear the terror of night or the arrows that fly by day or the pestilence that stalks in darkness or the plague that destroys at midday.

This seems a rather outrageous thing to say. Anyone can get sick. Anyone can get shot down by a flying arrow of destruction. When disease seems to be everywhere and spreading out of control, who are we to claim any degree of safety and protection from it?

Look at the Psalm a little closer. It is written to a certain group of people. That group includes those who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, and who find refuge in God. These are the ones who are assured, as verse 15 states, that God will be with them in trouble.

If we look further, we discover that there is one more phrase on which all the deliverance and all the protection depends. It is in verse 4: His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. There it is. We can take refuge in God and trust in him because his faithfulness shields us. The verse uses the word rampart together with the word shield. A rampart is an elevated mound of land with a fortress built on it for the purpose of defense. God is our shield, and he is our defense. He is faithful. We can rest and be at peace behind these layers of protection.

If you are wondering today how to make sure you are living in the shelter of the Most High, and want to continue to remain in his shadow, here are some ways to enter in for the first time, or to stay in that place and not wander away from God’s care:

Spend time reading the psalms. If you are like me, this book of poetry has been bred into you from a young age through song and prayer. I find that the words that surface in times of anxiety are words from the Psalms. If you are new to the Psalms, it is never too late to learn to love them and find comfort in them. Here are some Psalms to consider reading over the next weeks: Psalm 23, Psalm 46, Psalm 84, Psalm 91, and Psalm 103.

Practice generosity. Find ways to share, to support others, and to give away. Those who find refuge in God are rich in so many ways that a frightened, anxious world needs. We can be examples of strength and peace, the very things so many others are searching for.

Continue with the Lenten practices of confession and prayer. This opens up greater capacity in our lives to trust God more deeply.

His faithfulness shields you. It sustains you in times of trouble, and it gives you a safe place to rest.

Prayer

Eternal God, your Son is the healer of our sickness. We pray for those who are ill or who are passing through difficult times, that they know the love of friends to support them. May we all live in the power of Christ that sustains us. Amen.

Devotions for the Church Year

The Third Sunday of Lent

admin

The season of Lent is a time to do some cleaning of our hearts. Life in the world and in our sinful flesh creates a build-up over time of actions, attitudes, and desires that need eliminated. The lent season is a gift to us of space to reflect on the ways we displease God and to acknowledge our need of a Savior. Awareness of these two truths leads us to do the cleansing work of confession so that our hearts are ready to receive the new life that comes through Christ’s resurrection.

When we clean out a closet in our houses, we get rid of the clothes that don’t fit any more. We throw away anything useless. We rearrange what is left. This work is done to create space for the new. Our spiritual lives function the same way. We admit where we are wrong. We give to God the places that are hurt. We get rid of the useless habits that weight us down. When we’ve done this work in confession and repentance, our hearts are clean and ready to replace the sinful with the new and the eternal.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse tells of new strength. New power. New insight. New life. All of these come after a period of confession.

Lent is an important time of growth, and we must do our best to let it have its way with us. Over the next forty days, how will you clean house in your soul? What are some attitudes or habits that you need to get rid of? Below is and order of prayers and Scripture you can use as you spend time in confession and repentance.

Call to Prayer

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Prayer of Confession

O Lord, you desire truth in our inward being; teach us wisdom in our secret heart. Send out your light, send out your truth, and let them lead us to our home. Take from us the weight of our sin that room might be made for the spirit of truth. If we prepare a dwelling place, that spirit will abide within us, and the truth will set our spirits free. Then shall we love not only in word or in speech; then shall we love in deed and in truth, and by this know that our service is faithful. O Lord, you desire truth in our inward being; teach us wisdom in our secret heart. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Grant to your faithful people, merciful Lord, pardon and peace; that we may be cleansed from all our sins and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and show ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, “It is a people that err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways,” Of whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Psalm: Psalm 95

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Exodus 17:1-7

New Testament: Romans 1:16-32

Gospel: John 4:5-42

Benedictus es, Domine

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; you are worthy of praise, glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you, beholding the depth; in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

 Intercession

For The Discouraged and Downcast

O God, almighty and merciful, you heal the broken-hearted, and turn the sadness of the sorrowful to joy. Let your fatherly goodness be upon all whom you have made. Remember in pity all those who are this day destitute, homeless, elderly, infirm, or forgotten. Bless the multitude of your poor. Lift up those who are cast down. Mightily befriend innocent sufferers, and sanctify to them the endurance of their wrongs. Cheer with hope all who are discouraged and downcast, and by your heavenly grace preserve from falling those whose poverty tempts them to sin. Though they be troubled on every side, suffer them not to be distressed; though they are perplexed, save them from despair. Grant this, O Lord, for the love of him who for our sakes became poor, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

Heavenly Father, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Look with compassion upon the heartfelt desires of your servants, and purify our disordered affections, that we may behold your eternal glory in the face of Christ Jesus; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Benediction

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotionals

The Divine Exchange

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Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:2-5

Isn’t that a wonderful description of God? He forgives, he heals, he redeems, he crowns, and he satisfies. How good it feels to know we have such a Father. We can go to him with anything.

These qualities listed in Psalm 103 declare God’s abilities while also implying our needs. Our iniquities need forgiven. Our lives would slip into a pit of God didn’t rescue us and pull us out. We’d have no sense of our value if God didn’t crown us. Our lives would fill with chaos and cruelty if he didn’t anchor us in steadfast love and mercy. We’d never develop the taste for heavenly delicacies if God didn’t first prove himself satisfying. The energy and strength of our souls would waste away if God wasn’t there to sustain us over and over again.

In this season of Lent, we have the great privilege and honor to spend time with our Heavenly Father making these divine exchanges. If your life harbors sin, confess it to him. He will replace it with forgiveness. If you are sick and struggling with your health, surrender it to him and he will heal you. If you’ve slipped into a pit of despair, discouragement, or shame, call out to him and he will redeem you. If your life is filling up with chaos or mistreatment, stand before the throne and await your new identity. If you’ve looked everywhere and tried everything in your search for contentment, release those desires to the Lord and let him fill those places with good things.

Lent is a time of change. This season is a grace allowed to us for healing, redemption, and forgiveness. Take the step of faith today to give to the Father that one struggle or that great pain that weighs you down and hinders your ability to get ahead. The Lord may have allowed it into your life for just this kind of a moment. He wants you to see what he can give. He wants you to understand how much greater are his resources and love than your needs and limitations. Call out to him. Stand before him. He’s waiting for you.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I take the step of faith today to let you see into a deeper corner of my heart. I stand in need of your forgiveness, your healing, and your redemption. Help me to receive these things from you. Amen.

Devotions for the Church Year

The Second Sunday in Lent

admin

The season of Lent is a time to do some cleaning of our hearts. Life in the world and in our sinful flesh creates a build-up over time of actions, attitudes, and desires that need eliminated. The Lent season is a gift to us of space to reflect on the ways we displease God and to acknowledge our need of a Savior. Awareness of these two truths leads us to do the cleansing work of confession so that our hearts are ready to receive the new life that comes through Christ’s resurrection.

When we clean out a closet in our houses, we get rid of the clothes that don’t fit any more. We throw away anything useless. We rearrange what is left. This work is done to create space for the new. Our spiritual lives function the same way. We admit where we are wrong. We give to God the places that are hurt. We get rid of the useless habits that weight us down. When we’ve done this work in confession and repentance, our hearts are clean and ready to replace the sinful with the new and the eternal.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse tells of new strength. New power. New insight. New life. All of these come after a period of confession.

Lent is an important time of growth, and we must do our best to let it have its way with us. Over the next forty days, how will you clean house in your soul? What are some attitudes or habits that you need to get rid of? Below is an order of prayers and Scripture you can use as you spend time in confession and repentance.

Call to Prayer

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Prayer of Confession

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Almighty God, our Redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope. Renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow your commands and proclaim your reign of love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Grant to your faithful people, merciful Lord, pardon and peace; that we may be cleansed from all our sins and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and show ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, “It is a people that err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways,” Of whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Psalm: Psalm33:12-21

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Genesis 12:1-9

New Testament: Romans 4:1-17

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-16

Benedictus es, Domine

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; you are worthy of praise, glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you, beholding the depth; in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Intercession

For Those Who Serve Others

O Lord our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served, but to serve: We ask you to bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others. Endue them with wisdom, patience, and courage, that they may strengthen the weak and raise up those who fall, and, being inspired by your love, may worthily minister to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the sake of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Benediction

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotions for the Church Year

Finding Freedom and Strength in Lent

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For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:11-13

A better commentary on the Lent season can’t be found beyond these verses in Titus. The Apostle Paul so completely captures in this brief statement what we hope to accomplish in the forty day leading up to Easter.

Changes in our hearts begin with grace. We can’t change on our own, or even desire to want to change. The Holy Spirit must do this work for us. The grace of God is a gift to us that not only transforms our hearts but also offers us salvation. The goal of this transformation is stated in verse 12. It gives us the strength to reject ungodliness and worldly passions. This happens gradually, in increments, freeing us to live self-controlled, upright lives.

This letter to Titus also captures the concept of waiting. Lent is a time to wait. In a way, we know what is coming with the celebration of Easter Sunday: resurrection, glory, and new life. And yet, it hasn’t happened yet. So we wait. While we wait, we do the work of confession and of making space in our lives for God.

The most common way this is done during the season of Lent is through fasting. Before you gag and walk away, let me make quick note of the benefits of fasting. First, fasting helps us set healthy limits on our compulsions and our appetites. These things can easily roam out of control so that whatever we consume starts to consume us, and whatever we possess starts to possess us. Fasting reintroduces increasing levels of strength and freedom into our lives.

Second, fasting refines our spiritual awareness. In the book Living the Church Year Bobbi Gross says, “Fasting is to deny ourselves food for a time in order to more vividly know Jesus as the source of our sustenance and being.”

There are a variety of ways to fast. The following list includes ideas from Bobbi Gross’s book I quoted, and also from Marjorie Thompson’s book Soul Feast:

For the season of Lent, consider abstaining from

  • Media by not going to movies, watching TV, or listening to the radio
  • Eating over packaged, over processed foods
  • Eating desserts, candy, and sweets
  • Shopping sprees
  • Overscheduling
  • Compulsive dieting
  • Judging others

In addition to the practices related to eating, this list includes a variety of ways to fast. These ways create space in our lives for prayer which leads to a greater capacity to receive God’s spirit.

The Lent season began only last Wednesday, so it isn’t too late to choose a spiritual practice to try for the next five weeks. Which type of fast will you choose?

Devotions for the Church Year

The First Sunday in Lent

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The season of Lent is a time to do some cleaning of our hearts. Life in the world and in our sinful flesh creates a build-up over time of actions, attitudes, and desires that need eliminated. The lent season is a gift to us of space to reflect on the ways we displease God and to acknowledge our need of a Savior. Awareness of these two truths leads us to do the cleansing work of confession so that our hearts are ready to receive the new life that comes through Christ’s resurrection.

When we clean out a closet in our houses, we get rid of the clothes that don’t fit any more. We throw away anything useless. We rearrange what is left. This work is done to create space for the new. Our spiritual lives function the same way. We admit where we are wrong. We give to God the places that are hurt. We get rid of the useless habits that weight us down. When we’ve done this work in confession and repentance, our hearts are clean and ready to replace the sinful with the new and the eternal.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse tells of new strength. New power. New insight. New life. All of these come after a period of confession.

Lent is an important time of growth, and we must do our best to let it have its way with us. Over the next forty days, how will you clean house in your soul? What are some attitudes or habits that you need to get rid of? Below is an order of prayers and Scripture you can use as you spend time in confession and repentance.

Call to Prayer

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Prayer of Confession

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Grant to your faithful people, merciful Lord, pardon and peace; that we may be cleansed from all our sins and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

Venite

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and show ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the depths of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, “It is a people that err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways,” Of whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Psalm: Psalm 51

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Scripture Readings

Old Testament: Genesis 2:4-9; 15-17, 25-3:7

New Testament: Romans 5:12-21

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

Benedictus es, Domine

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; you are worthy of praise, glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Glory to you, beholding the depth; in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we will praise you and highly exalt you forever.

Intercession

For Those we Love

Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us to your never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come, knowing that you are doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

Collect

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan, come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations, and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sources

The Book of Common Prayer. (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019).

The Worship Sourcebook. (Kalamazoo, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2004).

Worship the Lord, The Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America. (Reformed Church Press, 2005).

Devotions for the Church Year

The Dust of Renewal

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“In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor. Now is the day of salvation. I Corinthians 6:2

According to the church calendar, as of yesterday, we have entered a new time of year. It begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts through the forty days of the lent season, ending at Easter Sunday. This season is a time to do some cleaning of our hearts. Life in the world and in our sinful flesh creates a build-up over time of actions, attitudes, and desires that need eliminated. The lent season is a gift to us of space to reflect on the ways we displease God and to acknowledge our need of a Savior. Awareness of these two truths leads us to do the cleansing work of confession so that our hearts are ready to receive the new life that comes through Christ’s resurrection.

When we clean out a closet in our houses, we get rid of the clothes that don’t fit any more. We throw away anything useless. We rearrange what is left. This work is done to create space for the new. Our spiritual lives function the same way. We admit where we are wrong. We give to God the places that are hurt. We get rid of the useless habits that weight us down. When we’ve done this work in confession and repentance, our hearts are clean and ready to replace the sinful with the new and the eternal.

If anyone is in Christ the new creation has come: The old is gone and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse tells of new strength. New power. New insight. New life. All of these come after a period of confession.

If you had the chance to attend an Ash Wednesday service, you may have received a black cross on your forehead made of ash while someone said to you, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

This doesn’t seem like a very uplifting message, and yet it helps us keep in mind the fact that we will someday die. Our bodies are mortal, intended to last for the span of our lives, and then they die. We were made from the dust and our bodies go back to being dust.

But that isn’t the end of the story. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4 that even though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. This is what lent is about. We accept our frail and mortal human frames, the limitations they have, and the redemption they stand in need of while doing the work of repentance that brings renewal.

In the end, eternal life wins. We share with Jesus the sufferings and afflictions of our flesh so that we can stand with him in the victory and the glory of new life.

Lent is an important time of growth, and we must do our best to let it have its way with us. Over the next forty days, how will you clean house in your soul? What are some attitudes or habits that you need to get rid of? Below are some prayers you can use as you spend time in confession and repentance.

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made, and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our sinfulness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Most holy and merciful Father, we confess that we have sinned, through our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven. We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit. Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have sinned against you. Amen.

Prayers are taken from the Book of Common Prayer, Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019.