Lent

An Unforgettable Gift (Part One)

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And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 
Mark 14:3 ESV

No one saw the miracle of Easter coming, least of all His closest friends. Yet all along the pathway of His final days on earth, our Savior left them clues as to what lay ahead. Most of our churches begin the Easter story with Palm Sunday, but I would suggest that His final journey began a few days earlier at a supper table with friends. While everyone was arriving, Martha began serving the delicious meal she had prepared, and her brother Lazarus sat next to Jesus, but Mary was nowhere to be found. When, she did appear in the doorway with an alabaster jar in her hand, most likely, no one noticed. The room echoed with the clanking of plates and the hubbub that fills the air at every celebration. Now, though few were aware of her at first, when she stood directly in front of Jesus and broke open the alabaster jar that held her treasure, they began to pay attention. As the scent of the powerful fragrance filled the room, Mary began pouring the perfumed oil over the head of Jesus in the manner of anointing that was reserved for the coronation of kings and the ordination of priests. Though no one understood what she was doing, Mary’s demonstration of love was so unforgettable that we are still talking about it today!

(Today’s reading is from One Unexpected Morning (See link below)

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Devotions for Lent

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Here in the middle of winter, it is hard to believe, but we are just a little over a week away from beginning the season, commonly called Lent. Though the word, “Lent” doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible, it is nonetheless a good opportunity to refocus our thinking and our lives around the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ironically, this year, Lent begins on Valentine’s Day. Now don’t try the excuse, “Honey, I would have bought you chocolates, but I thought you had given them up for Lent!” Though we all have different customs concerning Easter, one thing all of us have in common with believers from the days of Jesus is that it comes unexpectedly. In fact, if we were to examine the scriptures carefully, it might appear that the Romans, who sealed the tomb and set a guard over it were more concerned about the resurrection than the disciples. After all, Mary and the other women did not come to the tomb to witness a miracle, their plan was to bring spices to complete their traditions for burial. Later, when they went back to report the visions of angels and an empty tomb, no one was more shocked and unbelieving than the disciples. Though Jesus had taught them over and over that He was to die, be buried and raised on the third day, not one of them understood or believed it to be possible. But on that “One Unexpected Morning” the story of the lives of every man, woman and child on earth was changed. Jesus died for our sins, and was buried in a rich man’s tomb, just as Isaiah 53 had foretold. He could not be kept in the grave and was raised, just as David prophetically tells us in Psalm 16:10. Yet, no one was waiting to see the miracle at the moment that the angel rolled back the stone. The Roman guards were terrified, and the rulers of the people remained unbelieving even after their reports. Peter and John ran to see what they had not even imagined in their wildest dreams and on resurrection morning Jesus came, unexpectedly for us all, but exactly as He had promised all along! If you are looking for a devotional resource this Easter, “One Unexpected Morning”, is a 40-day Lenten reader in both large and regular print as well as in eBook form. The link below is for the large print version, but you should be easily able to find the others from that page.

The Road That Lies Ahead

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And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. Luke 24:15 KJV

Sometimes we look at Easter as a single defining event of our faith. But the Good News of Easter morning is that, as we walk (or run in Peter’s case) from the tomb, Jesus comes and walks with us. If we believe that living for Jesus means we have to do everything just right, then we will often want to give up. You should be encouraged to know that on the first Easter, Jesus decided to walk with disciples who were far from perfect. Let’s listen in on their conversation a bit:

But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel…. Luke 24:21 ESV

In other words; they had given up hope. They just didn’t get it. Why had Jesus died? On those kinds of days Jesus draws near and asks:

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? Luke 24:26 ESV

Just like a doctor treating a wound Jesus pokes and prods with questions that can make us feel uncomfortable. But His examination is for the purpose of healing and focusing our thinking on Hs cross, His forgiveness and eternal life.

Prayer: Father my hope this morning is no longer that I have everything right, but that You will come along side today. Come Lord and walk alongside me to the cross that meant death for You and eternal life for me.

The above devotional comes from my 2022 Easter Devotional book, ‘The Joy of Easter” this is available in both large and standard print as well as in eBook format.