Tuesday, March 18 — Psalm 37:16-22, Exodus 23:27-25:9; Matthew 24:36-44

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S (Scripture): Exodus 24:8
Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”

O (Observation): This is the blood of the covenant.  A confirmation of promises exchanged.  "I will be your God and you will be my people....Yes Lord, we will do all that you commanded us."

A (Application): A young preacher once preached his first sermon after being called to take over as the pastor of a large prestigious congregation.  One of the most respected pastors and professors of preaching in the nation was in attendance.  Shortly after the service the respected pastor and professor was asked what he thought of the young preachers sermon.  He added "It didn't have enough blood on it." (meaning the sermon would qualify as a nice speech but didn't bring us into the cost of discipleship.

The image is a good one.  Lent often reminds us of the blood and sacrifice that comes in a covenant.  And that sacrifice and blood are a two way street.  Being in any kind of relationship will cost you something but how many times do you try and dress up your relationship and leave out the hard stuff?

P (Prayer): Lord, remind us of the cost in relationship, that ultimately you gave of yourself completely through Jesus' life, death and resurrection.  Move us to recognize the blood as a gift of the promised covenant of eternal life.

Monday, March 17 — Psalm 37:7-15, Exodus 22:25-23:26; Matthew 24:26-35

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S (Scripture): Exodus 23:19
19 “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.

O (Observation): God asks us to give back the first fruits, acknowledging not only that everything comes from God but the very best we have is from God as well.

A (Application):  First fruits giving is not the norm.  First fruits giving is setting aside the offerings and tithes (10%) to God first.  In other words, if you make $100 before doing anything with that money you set aside $10 and give it to the Lord.  We do this in recognition that all that we have been given comes from God and God is the first of our attentions in time, talent and resources.  In the same way, we do not withhold the very best that we have been given from God....giving God the leftovers.

When I was younger (and more foolish) in an attempt to strengthen my relationship with God, I decided to give Sunday morning the same that I spent on drinking at the bar the night before. Not the most mature decision but it was, as I said, an attempt.

In recent years, my giving practices have matured.  God has moved me to offer my best harvest back to God. Instead of God getting my leftovers I offer my very best in singing in worship, my very best in time (diligent in reading Scripture, prayer everyday), and giving the best of my resources.  It is not in accomplishing these things that I get gold stars (as if they are earned) but in enjoying the intimacy I feel in excavating a time with God.....first.

P (Prayer): Hey God, thanks for all that you give us.  Help us to be mindful of everything we have as a gift from you, and that you might move us in deeper intimacy to offer back the very best that you have given us.

Saturday, March 15 — Psalm 37:1-6, Exodus 21:28-22:24; Matthew 24:1-25

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S (SCRIPTURE): Matthew 24:1-2
As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

O (OBSERVATION): Jesus preaching in Jerusalem takes on a life of its own as he heads to the cross.  Here Jesus points to the most sacred of material possessions, the temple, and announces they will be demolished.

A (APPLICATION):  I was talking with a friend and colleague of mine as he spoke about a church he served in Colorado.  This started with some other colleagues who were discussing sanctuary renovations.  This particular church has a chapel that was the first sanctuary.  As they plan to redo the plans for everything not many people voiced opinions about the chapel.  Or at least they were diminishing in numbers. This is when my one friend spoke up and said he ran into this with the church in Colorado.  An elderly lady in his church stopped the discussion of redoing the sanctuary by pointing to the baptismal font and the old alter and recounting the history of her children being baptized and married in the chapel (tearfully).  It became such sacred space that no one dared to touch it after that, the church stopped its plans for redoing the sanctuary.  As he told this story, he then said a friend of his asked him, "how will that elderly woman feel when the chapel becomes a Mexican restaurant? How will she be celebrating the past history of those sacred acts then?"  Sure enough, the stopped progress of redoing the sanctuary held others in the church from moving forward, numbers dwindled, the church closed and the property sold to.....you guessed it, a Mexican restaurant.

Jesus insistence on the temples demolishing was a symbol of the sacredness attached to a building rather than the relationship announced in Jesus' coming.  He was telling his disciples that the largest symbol of God's presence won't matter if you miss it when God shows up (in him).

P (PRAYER):  Lord, help us see you constantly, remove the idols in our lives even and especially when they are attached to things and not our relationship with you!

Friday, March 14 — Psalm 36, Exodus 20:22-21:27; Matthew 23:33-39
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S (SCRIPTURE): Psalm 36:7-10
7    How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
    in the shadow of your wings.
8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
    letting them drink from your river of delights.
9 For you are the fountain of life,
    the light by which we see.
10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
    give justice to those with honest hearts.

O (OBSERVATION): The psalmist reminds us of God's covenant promise.  The Lord knows no limits in sharing God's abundance with God's people.

A (APPLICATION): For many and various reasons, I was up late last night, continually and constantly crying out to God.  It is not as if I was on bended knee wailing in prayer but it is to say that in the midst of that time God was very present!  The words of the psalmist this day ring true for my experience earlier this morning. "How precious is your unfailing love." Trusting that God would reveal Godself is often hard but even harder in unseen circumstances.  BUT in all the uncertainty of my prayers last night, God was at the center.  A reminder that this covenant promise is not just a glimmer of an evening or even an afternoon but that it is a way of life. "For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."  This is the promise that all things belong to God, us included. When we rely on the Lord to do what the Lord will do in uncertain circumstances, God pours out God's unfailing love. Yet if we try and make our own way then we seem to be pushing a bolder up a mountain.  The covenant promise is for our mutual benefit.  Trust in the Lord for the Lord is good!

P (PRAYER): Feed us with your abundance Lord and remind us of your unfailing love.  Be mindful of your servant lord and continue to pour out your unfailing love on those you love.

Thursday, March 13 — Psalm 35:19-28, Exodus 19:10-20:21; Matthew 23:23-32

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S (SCRIPTURE): Exodus 20:1-3
1 Then God gave the people all these instructions: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me.

O (OBSERVATION): In the midst of applying boundaries within the covenant relationship...God set a clear boundary of approaching God's presence on the top of Mount Sinai.  God again establishes boundaries in the vertical relationship of us and God and the horizontal relationship between us and our neighbors.

A (APPLICATION):  I laughed years ago when Steven Colbert (the Colbert Report) went and interviewed congressional members who made a big hub bub about having the 10 commandments removed from the courthouse of some state.  In their frenzy to bash a disintegrating moral value of the country and state by removing the 10 commandments....Steven asked a simple question: "Congressmen, can you name the 10 commandments?" You know what came next was an absolute shock to no one.  The Congressional member was able to name 3 out of the 10. Hypocrisy at its best.  These commandments are not mere suggestions or political points to be scored they are to live in the hearts of the people God gives them.

Each command begins as a reminder that God is the Lord, in charge of our lives, we are not to follow anyone else because everyone else will lead us astray.  I am the Lord your God you shall have no other gods before you.  What does this mean "We are to love, fear, and trust God above all else."

Yet our lives are filled with other gods, be it the amount of time, money, resources, energy and passion we give to everything but God.  A friend of mine told me if you want me to help your relationship with god show me your calendar and your checkbook. He did so because those are two things that seem to be the ones that get in the way of our relationship that flows from God being in charge of our lives and setting boundaries for us to live long and prosperous lives in God's presence.

P (PRAYER): Lord remind us that you are our God, in subtle and grandiose ways, that our eyes seek first your kingdom before our own wants and desires. Because you O Lord know what is best for our lives....even if it means sacrificing our time, resources, money and ultimately giving our lives into your hands.

Wednesday, March 12 — Psalm 35:11-18, Exodus 18:7-19:9; Matthew 23:13-22

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S (SCRIPTURE): Exodus 19:3-7
3 Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”

7 So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the Lord had commanded him. 8 And all the people responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”



O (OBSERVATION): The covenant agreement of Mount Sinai is established and remembered often: I will be your God and you will be my people.  The promise of covenant is a two way street.

A (APPLICATION): God reminds God's people of His promise and covenant agreement....reminding the people God called to be God's own special treasure.  the thing about covenant is that it IS a two way street, God cannot just opt in and out as God pleases and break His promise.  And neither can the people. In this lenten journey to respond like the Israelites "we will do everything the Lord commands"....falls short almost all the time.  Sure finding obedience into this covenant is easy to say with our lips but God demands full obedience. God reminds us of God's part in the covenant....remember (THE #1 word in all of the Hebrew Scriptures) that I have delivered you from the egyptians, carried you on eagles wings, brought you to myself.  This covenant is all about relationship.  We certainly don't earn it but that is no escuse for lack of effort or even living into the response "we will do everything the Lord has commanded."  You get the feeling we are not quite sure what we are in for when these words come out of our lips.  Almost ready to catch them after they are said.  The Lenten journey of the Cross is a bit the same.  God establishes and reminds us of participating in this relationship...even and especially if we are not sure where it goes.  That is the pure trust of the covenant.  God is leading and we are trusting that God will lead us, not back into slavery but into freedom, not into temptation but into salvation/deliverance.

P (PRAYER): God, we trust that you are leading us on a journey not to return to the familiar places we just escaped but into the reality of the promised land and salvation you are pulling us into.

Tuesday, March 11 — Psalm 35:1-10, Exodus 17:1-18:6; Matthew 22:41-23:12


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S (Scripture): Exodus 16:5-7
5 The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6 I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai.b]">[b] Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

7 Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”

O (observation): God responds to the people with provision of water out of a place that does not carry water (a rock) - this is a miracle.

A (application): I usually shy away from the Christian testimony of 'testing.'  I think the reason is because it is so over used anytime something troubling happens to someone they might use this as a time when 'The Lord was testing me.'  However, given the Biblical witness in exodus of testing, it is not God testing us but us testing God.  The Israelites again question and grumble against God for this journey they are on....They ask for food and God provides food, they complain of no water and yet God provides water....OUT OF A ROCK NO LESS! In the long journey to freedom, the Israelites question God's presence time and time again. "Is the Lord here with us or not?” Thus the testing/arguing and God's response of provision.  As we journey together as a congregation, this question may not come out so simply or so bluntly...yet it is implied.  Mistakenly, we might think that God is testing us...as to prove our worth or commitment when actually the opposite is happening.  I love that Moses named the place test and arguing.  He didn't escape the tension that was being observed in the relationship between God and God's people.  As a leader, Moses named it not to have control over the situation but to place it in memory of the journey in exodus.  That remembering this time might help us live into the future God has placed on our lives...though we might not yet see its reality.

P (Prayer):  God of the Journey, forgive us when we grumble and complain against you.  Remind us that you are leading this journey and providing food and drink along the way.

Monday, March 10 — Psalm 34:19-22, Exodus 15:22-16:36; Matthew 22:23-40

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S (Scripture): Exodus 16:2-5
2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. 3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”

O (Observation): The Israelites are willing to sacrifice their unknown future of promised land for a known life of slavery.

A (Application): As the people complain against God, they want to see what God is leading them into because it appears their unknown future might look worse than the already known slavery. Heck they even wished the Lord would have killed them.  It is difficult to trust God sometimes.  Yesterday, St. Mark's had a difficult discussion of changing our Sunday morning worship times in order that we might combine our two worship services for future growth. Since that growth is unknown, many people expressed their anxiety and want and desire to stay with the known rather than trust that God is leading this process.  Much like the Israelites before them it is human nature to prefer the known over the unknown. But trust in God is not always seeing for the sake a believing but believing for the sake of seeing.  If God is truly leading God will provide vision for our future together.  It just might not be what we think it should or how we might get there (40 years?...really?).

P (Prayer): Lord, we trust in your word of promise. Continue to lead us even through our mistrust and inability to see our future that you are providing.

Saturday, March 8 — Psalm 34:8-18, Exodus 14:19-15:21; Matthew 22:15-22

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+34%3A8-18%2C+Exodus+14%3A19-15%3A21%3B+Matthew+22%3A15-22&version=NLT

S (Scripture): Psalm 34:11-14
11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
    and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
    that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
    and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

O (Observation): The Psalmist invites the hearers of the psalm to the wisdom of the Lord.  Desiring a long life of prosperity begins with not speaking ill of others, turning away from doing evil and working toward peace.

A (Application): This wisdom is repeated throughout Scripture both in the Hebrew and the Greek
Scriptures.  The 8th commandment teaches us to not bear false witness against our neighbor and yet our cable news stations are filled with violent rhetoric pinning people against one another.  Jesus preached that 'blessed are the peacemakers" yet we constantly attempt to solve problems through violence.

God gave us two ears and one mouth.  Maybe this is that we should be listening to God's wisdom before speaking. Lent is a perfect time to remember this wisdom. Seeking the wisdom of God in discipline of reading scripture is one way to accomplish this.

P (Prayer): Lord, speak to us in your wisdom and make us slow to speak.

Friday, March 7 — Psalm 34:1-7, Exodus 13:1-14:18; Matthew 22:1-14

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+34%3A1-7%2C+Exodus+13%3A1-14%3A18%3B+Matthew+22%3A1-14&version=NIV

S (Scripture): Exodus 13:1-2, 8-10
The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”
On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’  This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.

O (Observation): The consecration of the 1st born is one of the earliest traditions of Israel.  God, as the provider of life, was entitled to the first fruits of the harvest and the first fruits of creation (both human and animal).

A (Application): We are far removed from understanding first fruits giving (a biblical principle) but we do understand the link between the consecration of 1st born and Baptism.  This tradition of consecration is witnessed throughout the lives of Hannah's song of praise that is repeated by Jesus' mother Mary. We apply this to the Sacrament of Baptism as a handing over of our children to God....much like consecration of the first born.  In both consecration and Baptism, we recognize that life and all of life belongs to God.  These rites and rituals mean something to us in remembering that God truly is in charge.  For our family, we celebrate this, commemorating baptismal anniversaries to acknowledge and observe that we belong to God.

P (Prayer): Thank you Lord for the life that we have been given and blessed.  Encourage us to remember your great work in our lives and the history of your people.