Daily Devotions

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Dave Gohlke.

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:1-7

In the wilderness we call life, it’s not hard to see ourselves as one of the flock, one of the 99 sheep, who mill about, stay with the herd, and go along and get along. We work, we go to school, we live with our families or alone, but in community with others, we come to church and participate in activities as members of Faith.

Maybe we feel confident and assured, maybe we believe we have it together most of the time, or maybe we wander, we stray from the herd, and we are less attentive to others than God wants us to be.

This parable tells us directly of God’s great love for us, an everlasting love, a deep, caring, and protective love. A love that sent an only son to live with us and die for us and be our Good Shepherd. A son to search the wilderness for us, to find us, to carry us safely back to the fold, and to rejoice over us with all the host of heaven at our return.

No matter how far we wander, how thick are the brambles of life that ensnare us, Jesus is relentless in his search for us and his love for us.

I have a tendency to see myself as one of the 99, comfortable in the flock, doing OK. But really I am the lost sheep, wandering away, always in need of God’s searching, loving protection, always in need of being carried back over His shoulders to be rejoined with the Body of Christ.

Each of us is the lost sheep, straying away, becoming separated and lost, and needing to be searched for and found and carried back on the strong, loving shoulders of Jesus Christ, back to repentance, back to the fold, back into community with our sisters and brothers.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for always loving us, for searching for us until we are found, for leading us to repentance, and for rejoicing with all of heaven when we are restored to your kingdom. In the name of your Son, the Good Shepherd, Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Bridget Kennedy.

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

Jesus is in the middle of encouraging his disciples to confess even when they are under duress, when he is interrupted by someone in the crowd who wants Jesus to settle a financial dispute between siblings.

Jesus, however, refuses to enter into the family squabble and instead uses the situation as an opportunity to teach about the seduction of wealth.

Most of us have at some point bought into the belief that if we can just earn, make, or buy a little more, then we will be okay. Things will be good, but when the new car, or laptop, or sneakers fail to transform our circumstances it hurts.

Nevertheless, the false promise that we can meet our deepest needs materially has been embedded so deeply in our culture that all too often our response to disappointment with material goods is to shop some more.

Rarely have I spoken with friends after a mission-trip to a materially poorer part of the world and not heard testimony to the humbling generosity of their native hosts.

Money is often the cultural elephant in the room. So what are we to do?

All I know is that everything is a gift offered by God. It’s hard to find the balance in getting stuff and being generous, but it’s important. I hope that we place our relative wealth in perspective and be more generous with it toward others.

Let us pray: God, help us remember that life is not about the money we make or the things we own in the end. Help us be generous. Grant us peace with what we have. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Alexandria DeCuire.

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.

He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.

The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14-21

Do you know someone who enlisted into the Military, went off to boot camp, and came home a completely changed person? They may have sounded different, looked physically different, and even smelled different than before they left, but it’s still the same person. It may have taken a few seconds for you to adjust, but eventually you realized that the soldier standing in front of you has changed for the best.

I can only imagine how it felt for the people of Nazareth to see Jesus for the first time after such a transformation. They saw Jesus grow up right before their eyes and now he is Jesus Christ, the one who came to heal, deliver, and set the captives free. This is good news!

We may have been one way beforehand, but when we accepted Christ into our hearts, we transformed like Paul said “…by the renewing of our mind.” (Roman 12:2). Much like the act of a baptism, there should also be an outward reflection of an inward change in how we carry ourselves as we see from Jesus, through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

So as Christians, those around us should indeed see a change as we reflect Christ’s love for us every day.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, I thank you for transforming me today by the renewing of my mind. Continue to show me how to be a reflection of your Son and allow my change to bless those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Alexandria DeCuire.

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.

He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.

The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14-21

Do you know someone who enlisted into the Military, went off to boot camp, and came home a completely changed person? They may have sounded different, looked physically different, and even smelled different than before they left, but it’s still the same person. It may have taken a few seconds for you to adjust, but eventually you realized that the soldier standing in front of you has changed for the best.

I can only imagine how it felt for the people of Nazareth to see Jesus for the first time after such a transformation. They saw Jesus grow up right before their eyes and now he is Jesus Christ, the one who came to heal, deliver, and set the captives free. This is good news!

We may have been one way beforehand, but when we accepted Christ into our hearts, we transformed like Paul said “…by the renewing of our mind.” (Roman 12:2). Much like the act of a baptism, there should also be an outward reflection of an inward change in how we carry ourselves as we see from Jesus, through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

So as Christians, those around us should indeed see a change as we reflect Christ’s love for us every day.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, I thank you for transforming me today by the renewing of my mind. Continue to show me how to be a reflection of your Son and allow my change to bless those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Doug and Karen Elsen.

And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”

Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” Luke 3:10-14

We detect a sense of urgency in the questions put to John and no wonder. He has just issued a stern warning to the crowds that have come to hear him in the wilderness:  the judgment is at hand, “the ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10).

It is useless to claim their heritage as “Sons of Abraham,” they must produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

The crowds who have come to hear John include: common people, tax collectors, and soldiers. Where do we find ourselves in this group? And what does it mean to repent?

Clearly, John’s listeners understood that action was required. It was not enough to feel remorse for things they might have done in the past. A different way of living was required if they were to produce good fruit.

So are we among the common people? Those who have enough and maybe a little bit more who must share what we have with those who have less rather than cling to what we have and who we are with a sense of entitlement?

Are we among the tax collectors? Those who are in a position to enrich ourselves at the expense of others with no regard for their needs? Those who must not be greedy and take in as much as we can while we are able for fear the day will come when we will be unable to care for ourselves?

Are we in a position of power and authority like the soldiers who can make life difficult for others or even destroy them with our words and deeds?

Or are we all of them? Blessed with more than we deserve or need, capable of choosing to live with integrity or greed, able to build up or destroy?

John would say to us, “Bear good fruit.” Produce good fruit no matter who you are, where you find yourself, and in what circumstances. Look around you. Assess your blessings, be content with what you have, and share all that you are able.  In this way, we prepare the way of the Lord and make ready for his coming.

Let us pray: Lord, you have blessed us with all we have. Help us to use what you graciously bestow on us to bless others and to point the way to you, Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Michael Farner.

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:15-20

From my experience, forgiveness is the aspect of Jesus’ ministry that we humans have the most trouble following. It is part of our human nature; when someone wrongs us, we want to get them back, and make them feel how they made us feel.

There is a romanticized sense of righteousness about revenge, the feeling of a debt repaid, and a wrong made right.

We love stories about someone enacting revenge on a cheating spouse or the boss who wrongly fired them. Sports hypes up the revenge game, when a star athlete travels back to play the team that cut them.

We lift up revenge as a shining example of justice, and the people who forgive and turn the other cheek are often ignored or seen as weak or foolish. Yet, these are precisely the people Jesus wants us to be.

Jesus never asked for a revenge game or a chance to settle the score as he hung dying on the cross. Rather, he cried “father forgive them, they know not what they do.” Forgive them. It’s a thought that doesn’t come naturally, and something we would rather not follow or even think about. Yet, it is what Jesus calls us to do.

Forgiveness is righteous, and it takes far more strength to let go, than to get even. Your boss fired you? Pray for him and his company on the way out. You found your partner cheating on you? Pray that they find happiness and that this new person fulfills them.

It is ok to be hurt when someone wrongs you, but the only way you heal is if you let go. That takes forgiveness, which is why Jesus calls us to forgive, not just seven times, but as many as 70 times 7.

Let us pray: Dear God, Please help us learn to forgive, even when society tells us the best thing to do is get even. Grant us patience and understanding, and help us act out of love and kindness rather than hate and anger. Grant us peace, and give us more forgiveness then we think we need. In your name we pray, Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Susan Tallman.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? Matthew 16:21-26

Most of us love earthly things: delicious food, a well-appointed wardrobe, trips to places unseen, comfortable homes with helpful conveniences.

Do we love these so much that we go to great lengths to attain them?

To gain the world means to possess it as our own – all its riches, its honors, and its pleasures.

“To lose his own soul” means to be cast away, to be shut out from heaven, to be sent to hell.

Let us walk in the same way as Christ walked and be led by His spirit and follow in his steps. Let us be his disciples and seek to please Him in all that we do.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, gracious and loving God, send your Spirit to lead me in this earthly life. Help me to grow in discipline daily as I try to live in the model you have given us. Do continue to hold my hand and redirect me when I wander. I ask this in your name, Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writers are the Lerch family.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying:

“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” Matthew 13:1-9

As the crowds gathered to listen to Jesus, we can see his power to communicate the most profound spiritual messages using the most basic of everyday images. In the largely oral culture of 1st century Palestine, stories like this were a way of life stretching back for centuries as a means to pass down cultural values and beliefs from generation to generation. One did not need to be a farmer to understand the basics of plant life.

Yet, immediately following these words, Jesus’ disciples began to question him about what these figures meant.

We are the beneficiaries of the disciples’ slowness to catch on, for this is one of only a few parables in the Gospels where Jesus explains the meaning. While Jesus’ explanation of this parable has traditionally been read to refer to different types of people, perhaps it is instructive to see the various soils as different moments in each Christian’s faith journey.

We all have times where we hear the Word, but fail to respond to its call. We all have instances where our good intentions fall to pieces in the blinding face of reality. We all follow dead ends seeking the vain riches of this world. Despite these many failures, God still uses us, the broken sinners, to make a difference in the lives of our fellow pilgrims. Some efforts bear more fruit than others, but faith gives us the assurance that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”

What can we do to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive God’s Word so that it brings forth a bountiful crop? Jesus begins and ends the parable with same word: Listen! May we open our ears to hear what opportunities God has to share His love with others today.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the blessings of your Word that you sow upon our hearts. Cultivate in us the spirit that will allow these seeds to bear fruit in the lives of those you have called us to serve. In your Son’s holy name, Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writers are Jon and Nancy Holmes.

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” Matthew 9:14-17

This verse made us think a lot. What did it actually mean? And more importantly, what did it mean to us? We think it was about thinking differently.

The old covenant from God was about following the law. John the Baptist’s message was focused on the law. When you look at God’s law, you realize how far short you fall from it and how badly you need to repent. That is the way we were raised. “It is never wrong to do the right thing!” We would go to church, and that is what we were supposed to do.

When we got married and were ready to start a family, we joined Faith Lutheran Church. That seemed like the right thing to do. Then with life’s experiences and maturity, we realized there was more to it than just doing the right thing. That is what this verse is about.

Trusting in the new covenant and realizing the prophecy was the “truth”. Jesus did not come to patch up the old religious system and get everyone back on track to follow the law. His purpose was to bring something new.

This new message, the gospel, was to offer all people forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. The Gospel did not just follow the rituals. It was a fresh start.

When we follow Christ, we must be prepared for new ways to live, new ways to look at people, and new ways to serve. Now it is not about just going to church on Sunday and trying “to do the right thing”. It is about trying to follow Jesus and serve him. In following, we do the right thing.

Let us pray: Thank you God for sending your Son to give us a fresh start. Help us to keep our heart open to listening to new things that honor your name. Help us to do the right thing by following you and your word. In your name, In Jesus’ name. Amen.