Today’s Reflection:
A SERIOUS REFLECTION on the scripture references for Palm Sunday remind us that Jesus did not take a leisurely ride to town along a path strewn with palm branches. That first Palm Sunday saw the final ride on the high road of principle, obedience, and faith that would lead to the death of Jesus. The disciples may have wished otherwise, but deep in their hearts they must have known that this ride was unlike no other Jesus had taken and would bring the end of the life they knew as his followers.
We can be sure that Jesus knew that the shouts of “Hosanna” would give way to the cry of “Crucify.” He knew because he was fully human and was well acquainted with the temptation to follow the path of political correctness and the easiest way out.
He also knew the shouts would change from “Hosanna” to “Crucify” because he was fully divine and could see clearly that his journey of incarnation was near the end. The coming humiliation and execution were now undeniable.
Jesus’ desire to be faithful was so overwhelmingly strong that he rode on in confidence and ultimate trust in God whom he knew intimately as Abba. There was no looking back with the question “What if?” His focus remained on God and God’s will as he moved forward, propelled and sustained by his deep faith in God’s goodness and love.[Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job, A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God]
From page 161 of A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God by Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job. Copyright © 2006 by Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books.http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
How do you answer God’s question, “Where are you?”
Today’s Scripture:
As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”[Luke 19:37-38, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.
The Upper Room Daily Reflections of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Where Are You?" for Saturday, 19 March 2016
Today’s Reflection:
THE FIRST QUESTION in the Bible draws us powerfully into God’s passionate longing for friendship with us. We see it in the second creation story in Genesis 2:4–3:24. After creating Adam and Eve, God gives them everything they need for a flourishing life – air to breathe, food to eat, work to do, and someone to love. God only forbids one thing: They must not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, for then they will enter into rivalry with God.Today’s Reflection:
We all know how the story goes from there. Adam and Eve refuse to take God’s warning seriously. They eat the fruit that they have been told not to eat to tragic consequence. Their intimate connection with God and each other is broken. Closeness is replaced by distance, intimacy by distrust, and love by fear.
Adam and Eve sew fig leaves together to hide their nakedness from each other, and they hide from God behind some bushes in the garden. Then we read those haunting words that take us right into the loving heart of God: “But the Lord God called…’Where are you?’ ” (Genesis 3:9).
God could have asked different questions that would have revealed a very different picture of God. If God were an angry parent, God would have asked, “How could you have done this after all I have done for you?” But God does not.
If God wanted Adam and Eve to feel really bad about their actions, God would have asked, “Why did you do this when I gave so much to you?” But God does not.
Instead of these guilt-producing, conscience-pricking questions, God simply asks, “Where are you?”
As we consider this question, does it help us realize how dearly God wants to be our friend? Certainly, God’s question shows us that even when we mess up, when we let ourselves down, when we fail to obey God, God does not reject us. Nor does God give up on us. Rather, God comes looking for us. God continues to pursue our companionship.
God knows the worst about us, but that knowledge does not prevent God from taking the initiative in reaching out to us.
Here’s the bottom line of God’s good news: Nothing can ever extinguish the flame of God’s passionate longing to be our friend.[Trevor Hudson, Beyond Loneliness]
From pages 36-37 of Beyond Loneliness: The Gift of God’s Friendship by Trevor Hudson. Copyright © 2016 by Trevor Hudson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
How do you answer God’s question, “Where are you?”
Today’s Scripture:
When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.
He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”[Luke 22:14-16, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.
to serve as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labor and not to ask for any reward,
except that of knowing that we do your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556), Richard L. Morgan, Fire in the Soul]
From page 36 of Fire in the Soul: A Prayer Book for the Later Years by Richard L. Morgan. Copyright © 2000 by Richard Lyon Morgan. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Pray today’s prayer. TEACH US, good Lord,
to serve as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labor and not to ask for any reward,
except that of knowing that we do your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Today’s Scripture:
But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”[Psalm 31:14, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.
Doubting, asking questions, struggling to believe – these are not signs of human failings, but are human experiences. The challenge for us is, perhaps, to continue to engage our struggles, to face our fears, to wrestle through the night – and, during those dark nights when we cannot feel or believe that God is present with us, to continue the work that was set before us.[Alive Now]
From the Editor’s Note by Beth A. Richardson, page 5 in Alive Now March/April 2016. Copyright © 2016 by The Upper Room. All rights reserved. Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
How has doubt played a role in your spiritual formation?
Today’s Scripture:
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.[Psalm 31:9, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.
Patrick of Ireland
March 17
British-born Patrick was captured by Irish pirates when he was sixteen and taken to Ireland as a slave. During this difficult time of his life when he was forced to herd livestock in the mountains, the youth drew strength from his Christian faith. When he was able to escape six years later he somehow found his way home to England. The young Patrick, much-changed by his years as a captive, decided to study for the priesthood.
In a series of dreams, Patrick heard Irish voices imploring him to return to Ireland. For the next thirty years he wandered around Ireland. In his ministry as an Irish bishop Patrick established a large network of churches and monasteries, trained Irish clergy, and baptized countless people as Christians.
Did he really drive all snakes from Ireland? Or explain the concept of the Trinity with a shamrock? We'll never be able to separate truth from legend, but the evidence of what he actually accomplished is in the centuries of a strong Irish Catholic Church that endures today. He died around 461.
If Patrick of Ireland had taken the Spiritual Types Test, he probably would have been a Prophet. Patrick of Ireland is remembered on March 17.
Image by Andreas F. Borchert from Goleen Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, and St. Patrick North Wall Fourth Window Saint Patrick Detail.Lectionary Readings
This Week: those who serve communion.
The Upper Room Daily Reflections of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "What We Have Is Enough" for Friday, 18 March 2016
Today’s Reflection:
Today’s Reflection:
WHAT WE HAVE is enough for Jesus.
We sometimes fail to respond to God’s call on our lives because we feel inadequate to the task—as if what we have to offer God will not suffice. I often hear stories of people’s call to ministry, of people believing that God wants them to be instruments of hope and love to others. Many list all sorts of reasons for their unworthiness of such a calling: not smart enough, inadequate experience, or no trust of people. They feel they don’t have what it takes. [Mark 8:1-9] stresses that Jesus can take what we have and make it enough.
We may walk this Lenten road with excuses in our heart, reasons God cannot use us. Our self-inflicted reasons try to counter God’s power of transformation. Let us step out in faith and take the risk. Hungry multitudes await, and what we offer will be enough to reveal God’s love in God’s power and grace.[Wessel Bentley, The Miracles of Jesus]
From page 48 of The Miracles of Jesus by Wessel Bentley. Copyright © 2012 by Wessel Bentley. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
What gifts do you bring to God’s kingdom?
Today’s Scripture:
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[Philippians 2:9-11, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.The Upper Room Daily Reflections of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "A Prayer for St. Patrick’s Day" for Thursday, 17 March 2916
Today’s Reflection:
We sometimes fail to respond to God’s call on our lives because we feel inadequate to the task—as if what we have to offer God will not suffice. I often hear stories of people’s call to ministry, of people believing that God wants them to be instruments of hope and love to others. Many list all sorts of reasons for their unworthiness of such a calling: not smart enough, inadequate experience, or no trust of people. They feel they don’t have what it takes. [Mark 8:1-9] stresses that Jesus can take what we have and make it enough.
We may walk this Lenten road with excuses in our heart, reasons God cannot use us. Our self-inflicted reasons try to counter God’s power of transformation. Let us step out in faith and take the risk. Hungry multitudes await, and what we offer will be enough to reveal God’s love in God’s power and grace.[Wessel Bentley, The Miracles of Jesus]
From page 48 of The Miracles of Jesus by Wessel Bentley. Copyright © 2012 by Wessel Bentley. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
What gifts do you bring to God’s kingdom?
Today’s Scripture:
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[Philippians 2:9-11, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.The Upper Room Daily Reflections of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "A Prayer for St. Patrick’s Day" for Thursday, 17 March 2916
Today’s Reflection:
CHRIST WITH ME, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me. Amen! [Attributed to Saint Patrick (387–c. 461), Christ Beside Me, Christ Within Me]
From page 13 of Christ Beside Me, Christ Within Me: Celtic Blessings by Beth A. Richardson. Copyright © 2016 by Beth A. Richardson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Pray today’s prayer. CHRIST WITH ME, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me. Amen!
Today’s Scripture:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus….[Philippians 2:5, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.The Upper Room Daily Reflections of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Prayer of a Saint" for Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Today’s Reflection:
TEACH US, good Lord,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me. Amen! [Attributed to Saint Patrick (387–c. 461), Christ Beside Me, Christ Within Me]
From page 13 of Christ Beside Me, Christ Within Me: Celtic Blessings by Beth A. Richardson. Copyright © 2016 by Beth A. Richardson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Pray today’s prayer. CHRIST WITH ME, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me. Amen!
Today’s Scripture:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus….[Philippians 2:5, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.The Upper Room Daily Reflections of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Prayer of a Saint" for Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Today’s Reflection:
to serve as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labor and not to ask for any reward,
except that of knowing that we do your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556), Richard L. Morgan, Fire in the Soul]
From page 36 of Fire in the Soul: A Prayer Book for the Later Years by Richard L. Morgan. Copyright © 2000 by Richard Lyon Morgan. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Pray today’s prayer. TEACH US, good Lord,
to serve as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labor and not to ask for any reward,
except that of knowing that we do your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Today’s Scripture:
But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”[Psalm 31:14, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.
The Upper Room Daily Reflections of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Doubt" for Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Today’s Reflection:
SOMETIMES WE THINK of doubt as a failure in a person’s faith. I believe, rather, that doubt is a human condition. The scriptures tell us the story of people with amazing faith – Abram and Sarai, Moses, Esther, Job, Mary and Joseph. And they tell us about faithful folks who struggled with faith – the disciples, who hid behind locked doors after the resurrection (John 20:19-23); Thomas, who needed more proof to believe (John 20: 24-29); and even Jesus, who asked whether the cup of suffering could pass from him (Matthew 26:39).Today’s Reflection:
Doubting, asking questions, struggling to believe – these are not signs of human failings, but are human experiences. The challenge for us is, perhaps, to continue to engage our struggles, to face our fears, to wrestle through the night – and, during those dark nights when we cannot feel or believe that God is present with us, to continue the work that was set before us.[Alive Now]
From the Editor’s Note by Beth A. Richardson, page 5 in Alive Now March/April 2016. Copyright © 2016 by The Upper Room. All rights reserved. Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
How has doubt played a role in your spiritual formation?
Today’s Scripture:
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.[Psalm 31:9, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.
The Upper Room Daily Reflections of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Christ, Who Sees the Little and the Lost" for Monday, 14 March 2016
Today’s Reflection:
O CHRIST who sees the little and the lost:
the child,
the lamb,
the lost coin.
Widen my eyes with your compassion;
clear my vision with your justice;
soften my gaze with your tears
for all who need my prayers today.Amen.
PRAY
Today’s Question:
Pray today’s prayer. O CHRIST who sees the little and the lost:
the child,
the lamb,
the lost coin.
Widen my eyes with your compassion;
clear my vision with your justice;
soften my gaze with your tears
for all who need my prayers today.Amen.
PRAY
The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame….[Isaiah 50:7, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.Did You Know?
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center web site.
Saints, Inc.:
This week we remember: Patrick of Ireland (March 17).
Today’s Reflection:
O CHRIST who sees the little and the lost:
the child,
the lamb,
the lost coin.
Widen my eyes with your compassion;
clear my vision with your justice;
soften my gaze with your tears
for all who need my prayers today.Amen.
PRAY
- For those in prison who watch for a visitor
- For artists, writers, and dancers who bring beauty to life
- For leaders of nations, cities, and communities
- For someone you know who is searching for an answer this day[Pamela C. Hawkins, The Awkward Season]
Today’s Question:
Pray today’s prayer. O CHRIST who sees the little and the lost:
the child,
the lamb,
the lost coin.
Widen my eyes with your compassion;
clear my vision with your justice;
soften my gaze with your tears
for all who need my prayers today.Amen.
PRAY
- For those in prison who watch for a visitor
- For artists, writers, and dancers who bring beauty to life
- For leaders of nations, cities, and communities
- For someone you know who is searching for an answer this day
The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame….[Isaiah 50:7, NRSV]
This Week: those who serve communion.Did You Know?
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center web site.
Saints, Inc.:
This week we remember: Patrick of Ireland (March 17).
Patrick of IrelandMarch 17
British-born Patrick was captured by Irish pirates when he was sixteen and taken to Ireland as a slave. During this difficult time of his life when he was forced to herd livestock in the mountains, the youth drew strength from his Christian faith. When he was able to escape six years later he somehow found his way home to England. The young Patrick, much-changed by his years as a captive, decided to study for the priesthood.
In a series of dreams, Patrick heard Irish voices imploring him to return to Ireland. For the next thirty years he wandered around Ireland. In his ministry as an Irish bishop Patrick established a large network of churches and monasteries, trained Irish clergy, and baptized countless people as Christians.
Did he really drive all snakes from Ireland? Or explain the concept of the Trinity with a shamrock? We'll never be able to separate truth from legend, but the evidence of what he actually accomplished is in the centuries of a strong Irish Catholic Church that endures today. He died around 461.
If Patrick of Ireland had taken the Spiritual Types Test, he probably would have been a Prophet. Patrick of Ireland is remembered on March 17.
Image by Andreas F. Borchert from Goleen Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, and St. Patrick North Wall Fourth Window Saint Patrick Detail.Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56
"This Sunday March 13, 2016"
Fifth Sunday in Lent: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8
Fifth Sunday in Lent: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8
Isaiah 43:16 Here is what Adonai says,
who made a way in the sea,
a path through the raging waves;
17 who led out chariot and horse,
the army in its strength —
they lay down, never to rise again,
snuffed out and quenched like a wick:
18 “Stop dwelling on past events
and brooding over times gone by;
19 I am doing something new;
it’s springing up — can’t you see it?
I am making a road in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
because I put water in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland,
for my chosen people to drink,
21 the people I formed for myself,
so that they would proclaim my praise.
Psalm 126:(0) A song of ascents:
(1) When Adonai restored Tziyon’s fortunes,
we thought we were dreaming.
2 Our mouths were full of laughter,
and our tongues shouted for joy.
Among the nations it was said,
“Adonai has done great things for them!”
3 Adonai did do great things with us;
and we are overjoyed.
4 Return our people from exile, Adonai,
as streams fill vadis in the Negev.
5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with cries of joy.
6 He who goes out weeping
as he carries his sack of seed
will come home with cries of joy
as he carries his sheaves of grain.
Philippians 3:4 even though I certainly have grounds for putting confidence in such things. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for putting confidence in human qualifications, I have better grounds:
a. 5 b’rit-milah on the eighth day,
b. by birth belonging to the people of Isra’el,
c. from the tribe of Binyamin,
d. a Hebrew-speaker, with Hebrew-speaking parents,
e. in regard to the Torah, a Parush,
f. 6 in regard to zeal, a persecutor of the Messianic Community,
g. in regard to the righteousness demanded by legalism, blameless.
7 But the things that used to be advantages for me, I have, because of the Messiah, come to consider a disadvantage. 8 Not only that, but I consider everything a disadvantage in comparison with the supreme value of knowing the Messiah Yeshua as my Lord. It was because of him that I gave up everything and regard it all as garbage, in order to gain the Messiah 9 and be found in union with him, not having any righteousness of my own based on legalism, but having that righteousness which comes through the Messiah’s faithfulness, the righteousness from God based on trust. 10 Yes, I gave it all up in order to know him, that is, to know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings as I am being conformed to his death, 11 so that somehow I might arrive at being resurrected from the dead. 12 It is not that I have already obtained it or already reached the goal — no, I keep pursuing it in the hope of taking hold of that for which the Messiah Yeshua took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I, for my part, do not think of myself as having yet gotten hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind me and straining forward toward what lies ahead, 14 I keep pursuing the goal in order to win the prize offered by God’s upward calling in the Messiah Yeshua.
John 12:1 Six days before Pesach, Yeshua came to Beit-Anyah, where El‘azar lived, the man Yeshua had raised from the dead; 2 so they gave a dinner there in his honor. Marta served the meal, and El‘azar was among those at the table with him. 3 Miryam took a whole pint of pure oil of spikenard, which is very expensive, poured it on Yeshua’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair, so that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of the talmidim, Y’hudah from K’riot, the one who was about to betray him, said, 5 “This perfume is worth a year’s wages! Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” 6 Now he said this not out of concern for the poor, but because he was a thief — he was in charge of the common purse and used to steal from it. 7 Yeshua said, “Leave her alone! She kept this for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Isaiah 43:16-21
Verse 17
[17] Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
The chariot — Pharaoh and his chariots and horses, and army.
Lay down — In the bottom of the sea. They never rose again to molest the Israelites.
Quenched — As the wick of a candle when it is put into the water, is extinguished.
Verse 18
[18] Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Remember not — Tho' your former deliverance out of Egypt was glorious: yet in comparison of that inestimable mercy of sending the Messiah, all your former deliverances are scarce worthy of your remembrance and consideration.
Verse 19
[19] Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
A new thing — Such a work as was never yet done in the world.
Now — The scripture often speaks of things at a great distance of time, as if they were now at hand; to make us sensible of the inconsiderableness of time, and all temporal things, in comparison of God, and eternal things; upon which account it is said, that a thousand years are in God's sight but as one day.
Verse 20
[20] The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
The beast — Shall have cause, if they had abilities, to praise me for their share in this mercy.
Dragons — Which live in dry and barren deserts.
Psalm 126
Verse 1
[1] When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
Turned — Brought the captive Israelites out of Babylon into their own land.
Dream — We were so surprized and astonished.
Verse 4
[4] Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.
Turn — As thou hast brought us home, bring also the rest of our brethren.
As — As thou art pleased sometimes to send floods of water into dry and barren grounds, such as the southern parts of Canaan were.
Philippians 3:4b-14
Verse 4
[4] Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Though I — He subjoins this in the singular number, because the Philippians could not say thus.
Verse 5
[5] Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Circumcised the eighth day — Not at ripe age, as a proselyte.
Of the tribe of Benjamin — Sprung from the wife, not the handmaid.
An Hebrew of Hebrews — By both my parents; in everything, nation, religion, language.
Touching the law, a pharisee — One of that sect who most accurately observe it.
Verse 6
[6] Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Having such a zeal for it as to persecute to the death those who did not observe it. Touching the righteousness which is described and enjoined by the Law - That is, external observances, blameless.
Verse 7
[7] But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
But all these things, which I then accounted gain, which were once my confidence, my glory, and joy, those, ever since I have believed, I have accounted loss, nothing worth in comparison of Christ.
Verse 8
[8] Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Yea, I still account both all these and all things else to be mere loss, compared to the inward, experimental knowledge of Christ, as my Lord, as my prophet, priest, and king, as teaching me wisdom, atoning for my sins, and reigning in my heart. To refer this to justification only, is miserably to pervert the whole scope of the words. They manifestly relate to sanctification also; yea, to that chiefly. For whom I have actually suffered the loss of all things - Which the world loves, esteems, or admires; of which I am so far from repenting, that I still account them but dung - The discourse rises. Loss is sustained with patience, but dung is cast away with abhorrence. The Greek word signifies any, the vilest refuse of things, the dross of metals, the dregs of liquors, the excrements of animals, the most worthless scraps of meat, the basest offals, fit only for dogs.
That I may gain Christ — He that loses all things, not excepting himself, gains Christ, and is gained by Christ. And still there is more; which even St. Paul speaks of his having not yet gained.
Verse 9
[9] And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
And be found by God ingrafted in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law - That merely outward righteousness prescribed by the law, and performed by my own strength. But that inward righteousness which is through faith - Which can flow from no other fountain.
The righteousness which is from God — From his almighty Spirit, not by my own strength, but by faith alone. Here also the apostle is far from speaking of justification only.
Verse 10
[10] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
The knowledge of Christ, mentioned in the eighth verse, is here more largely explained.
That I may know him — As my complete Saviour.
And the power of his resurrection — Raising me from the death of sin, into all the life of love.
And the fellowship of his sufferings — Being crucified with him.
And made conformable to his death — So as to be dead to all things here below.
Verse 11
[11] If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
The resurrection of the dead — That is, the resurrection to glory.
Verse 12
[12] Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Not that I have already attained — The prize. He here enters on a new set of metaphors, taken from a race. But observe how, in the utmost fervour, he retains his sobriety of spirit.
Or am already perfected — There is a difference between one that is perfect, and one that is perfected. The one is fitted for the race, Philippians 3:15; the other, ready to receive the prize.
But I pursue, if I may apprehend that — Perfect holiness, preparatory to glory. For, in order to which I was apprehended by Christ Jesus - Appearing to me in the way, Acts 26:14. The speaking conditionally both here and in the preceding verse, implies no uncertainty, but only the difficulty of attaining.
Verse 13
[13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I do not account myself to have apprehended this already; to be already possessed of perfect holiness.
Verse 14
[14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Forgetting the things that are behind — Even that part of the race which is already run.
And reaching forth unto — Literally, stretched out over the things that are before - Pursuing with the whole bent and vigour of my soul, perfect holiness and eternal glory.
In Christ Jesus — The author and finisher of every good thing.
John 12:1-8
Verse 2
[2] There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
It seems Martha was a person of some figure, from the great respect which was paid to her and her sister, in visits and condolences on Lazarus's death, as well as from the costly ointment mentioned in the next verse. And probably it was at their house our Lord and his disciples lodged, when he returned from Jerusalem to Bethany, every evening of the last week of his life, upon which he was now entered.
Verse 3
[3] Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
Then Mary, taking a pound of ointment — There were two persons who poured ointment on Christ. One toward the beginning of his ministry, at or near Nain, Luke 7:37, etc. The other six days before his last passover, at Bethany; the account of whom is given here, as well as by St. Matthew and Mark.
Verse 7
[7] Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
Against the day of my burial — Which now draws nigh.
Sermon Story "Listening" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 13 March 2016 with Scripture Isaiah 43:16 Here is what Adonai says,
who made a way in the sea,
a path through the raging waves;
17 who led out chariot and horse,
the army in its strength —
they lay down, never to rise again,
snuffed out and quenched like a wick:
18 “Stop dwelling on past events
and brooding over times gone by;
19 I am doing something new;
it’s springing up — can’t you see it?
I am making a road in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
because I put water in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland,
for my chosen people to drink,
21 the people I formed for myself,
so that they would proclaim my praise.
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As we have read these passages of Scripture, but especially Isaiah we realize that listening to the teachings of Jesus is important. Too often, we do not listen whether the words in Isaiah about God doing a new thing or the anointing of the feet of Jesus in preparation for His burial. We do not realize that this new thing God is saying is going to happen, but we get a glimpse of this in the form of Jesus. He shared about what is going to happen to Him for the sake not only of the Jewish nation, but the whole people of the world. Then, we see from the Apostle Paul that He was proud of His family heritage to the point of keeping the worship of God the way it always has been until he encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus at which time he considered everything in his life as garbage except to know Jesus. In this day and age with the divisions within Christendom, we have a tendency to be proud of our heritage given to us through our segment of the church until we come in contact with the living Jesus. We begin to see that main thing is to love the Lord God with our whole heart, mind, soul, body and spirit and to love lother people as God loves us showing the same Grace, Mercy, and Love that God gives us. How are we doing in our lives? Our Church? Our community? With people who are different than us especially people who are differently able or different cultures or different races or different sexual orientation? How are we being God Love and Grace to all people? We come to realize that we need to repent of our sins against God as we come to receive and eat the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood through our participation in the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We come to receive from God singing the Hymn "REMIND ME"
I. THE THINGS THAT I LOVE, AND HOLD DEAR TO MY HEART.
ARE JUST BORROWED, THEY'RE NOT MINE AT ALL.
JESUS ONLY LET ME USE THEM, TO BRIGHTEN MY WAY.
SO REMIND ME, REMIND ME, DEAR LORD.
CHORUS:
ROLL BACK THE CURTAIN, OF MEMORY NOW AND THEN.
SHOW ME WHERE YOU BROUGHT ME FROM, AND WHERE I COULD HAVE BEEN.
REMEMBER I'M HUMAN, AND HUMANS FORGET.
SO REMIND ME, REMIND ME, DEAR LORD.
II. NOTHING GOOD HAVE I DONE, TO DESERVE GOD'S OWN SON.
I'M NOT WORTHY, OF THE SCARES IN HIS HANDS.
YET HE CHOSE THE ROAD TO CALVARY, TO DIE IN MY STEAD.
WHY HE LOVED ME I CAN'T UNDERSTAND.
CHORUS:
ROLL BACK THE CURTAIN, OF MEMORY NOW AND THEN.
SHOW ME WHERE YOU BROUGHT ME FROM, AND WHERE I COULD HAVE BEEN.
REMEMBER I'M HUMAN, AND HUMANS FORGET.
SO REMIND ME, REMIND ME, DEAR LORD.
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