Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Luke 22:19-20.

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Today we commemorate the Last Supper, the final gathering of Jesus and His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion. Jesus tells them of the New Covenant God makes with us through His sacrifice. They were stunned and confused as He reveals one of them will betray Him.

Jesus had taught them during their time together that He was sent as a sacrifice for our sin and that through this we are made new. We must accept His forgiveness and carry on the work He has given us, sharing the joy of our connection to Him with everyone. Jesus has a gift for us to use and a purpose for each of us.

Today I hope you are able to gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ to celebrate Holy Communion, remembering the promise Jesus gave and the commitment He requires of us. We have been redeemed by His death and resurrection. Now it is up to us to live new lives in Him.

Gracious God, thank You for loving us enough to give Yourself up that we might be saved. Strengthen our faith and send us to the world in Your name. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is  John 12:1-8.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Jesus had been telling His followers what was to happen to Him in the coming days. In each of the Gospels there are accounts of Him teaching about His arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 16, Mark 8, Luke 9). Mary accepts what Jesus has said, and in an act of worship, anoints Him with an expensive perfume. Judas objects and his outburst sounds as if he has the needs of others in mind, but it is a lie. 

He is seeing funds he could have stolen literally poured out. We read that “as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (v. 6). Some point to this as the moment that Judas decided to betray Jesus.

Jesus says “it was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial” (v. 7). He reminds them vividly of His prediction of the events that will occur over the next few days. The last verse of this passage confuses some as Jesus seems not to care anymore about the poor. Nothing could be further from the truth! This is a scriptural quote: “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:11). His only thought was to remind them that while their mission was about to begin, He would no longer be there with them physically. They must prepare themselves for what He is about to suffer for all people everywhere, and continue the work He began.

Gracious God, thank You for the gift of Your son, who gave Himself up for us. Help us to live in the light of Your love, and carry on the task Christ has given us. Amen.

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Jesus demonstrates the power of faith and prayer to His disciples in this passage. They have seen Jesus do amazing things during their time together but they still don’t understand that God can do the same things through us when we believe. Jesus tells them “if you have faith and do not doubt” that “you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”.

This story is also a warning to us if we take time to examine it. We have heard “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2). Jesus is showing them that if we do not produce “good fruit” by obeying God’s commandments and loving one another, we will wither and die. 

Jesus sacrificed Himself to free us from sin. He is the way, the truth and the life for all of us, bringing us back to the connection with God we knew at creation. When we accept the gift of salvation He gives, we can be made new and go in His name to share the Good News of our redemption.

Loving Lord, we are ashamed of our barren lives and our lack of fruitfulness. Help us to grow in faith, following the example Jesus taught. In Your name we pray, amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭15‬-‭18.

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

This familiar passage appears in all 4 Gospels (John 2, Luke 19, Matthew 21). We get a sense of how frustrated Jesus is with those who are making money off the required sacrifices at the temple. If there is a good example of righteous anger, this is it.

While Jesus was angry at those involved in this, He was more angry at the religious leaders for not only permitting this but profiting from it. This gives us a sense that sin occurs not only when we commit it but also when we allow it. Jesus wants us to see our responsibility to keep our worship focused on the praise of God.

When we are distracted from worship by outside things, it dilutes the experience of being close to God. It brings the world into our faith, rather than taking our faith to the world. Jesus wants us to clear our hearts and minds for worship in the same way, removing anything that keeps us from connecting to God.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we let worldly things interfere with our worship. Bless us to worship You in spirit and truth, and share Your love with the world. Amen.

Palm Sunday

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭16.

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

John’s gospel records Jesus entering Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd, fulfilling the prophecy spoken in Zechariah 9:9. It was the week before the Passover celebration and many visitors had come from far away. The Messiah came not as a human king with troops and weapons surrounding Him, but accompanied by children and families.

Those closest to Him were likely taken aback by this outpouring, concerned over the very real threats on His life from the religious leaders and His own pronouncements of His impending death. Perhaps they thought the tables had turned and this might be the triumph for which they had hoped. Only later “did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him”.

The tables did turn, exactly the way Jesus had said, and a week that began so well ended with Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb and His frightened followers in hiding. Our savior knew full well what was in store for Him, but He went willingly in our place to die for our sins. As we mark the days of Holy Week leading up to the Crucifixion, may we keep the lessons and the hope He gave us alive in our hearts.

Gracious God, while we were lost to evil, You sent Your only Son to save us. Bless us to share in His sacrifice, that we may die to sin and rise to new life in Him. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭31‬-‭33.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

This passage teaches us “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”. Our lives are given as a gift from God and we show our gratitude by living for Him. This means following the path Jesus showed us, loving God and our brothers and sisters.

While Paul says he tries “to please everyone in everything I do”, it doesn’t extend to things outside God’s law. He wants everyone to know Christ came to save us and when we accept the sacrifice He made, we become part of the plan of salvation. Through this we “do what is best for others so that many may be saved”.

Paul encountered many things in his missionary travels that didn’t “fit” with the religious customs of Judaism, but were not prohibited by God. In Acts 10 we read of Peter being given a vision regarding food that was “unclean” under Jewish law. He is told “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭15‬). God calls us to live together under His commandments, even if our customs and culture are different.

Loving Lord, we are amazed at the diversity You have created. Help us to see our differences as gifts that strengthen our faith and love one another as You first loved us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭68‬:‭19‬-‭20‬.

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.

This psalm expresses our joy and gratitude that God is willing to act on our behalf. Even in our fallen state, the One who created us does not abandon us. We hear the blessing that “our God is a God who saves” and we rejoice in our redemption.

God could have turned His back on us, as we have Him, but His love will not let us go. We are told that God rescues us from death and He has a place for us with Him. These promises are given to all who will accept the new life He sent in Jesus Christ.

We must be ready to serve Him by caring for the creation we have been given. God expects us to love one another as part of His family. His saving grace is offered to us and He calls us to share it with all the world.

Gracious God, we are grateful for the love You send, and we want to go in Your name to bless others. Strengthen us in faith and send us to use the gifts You give for the good of Your kingdom. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭17.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.

This is a very convicting passage for me. I have failed to do the right thing many times in my life. Thankfully, we worship a forgiving God, who rather than punishment for sinners, desires them to return to be made whole again.

James tells us “Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin”. We can know right from wrong by accepting Jesus as our savior, studying the word of God, being in fellowship with other Christians, and following the example we have been given. We can then go in His name to share the joy of redemption with all the world.

God wants all of us as part of His loving family. He refuses no one, but we can exclude ourselves by our thoughts, words and actions. If we turn to Him in repentance, earnestly wanting to change our lives, we can be free from the sin that is sadly so abundant in our world.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for our selfish and often thoughtless actions. Help us to see what You want for us and what we are called to do in Your kingdom. Amen.

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Jesus was an unconventional teacher, showing us the way to be saved by serving one another. While others did things to be seen and applauded, Jesus taught that humble service was the best way to be connected to God and each other. He demonstrated this in many ways, perhaps none as meaningful as when He washed the feet of His disciples.

Jesus wants us to see that we are closest to Him when we are helping others. In Matthew 25:40 we hear Him say “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me”. We need to remember that we are all brothers and sisters of Christ.

We see in this lesson that even small things matter in the work of the kingdom He sends us to accomplish. We are called to serve one another as He did. Our place with Him will come through our faith and simple acts of love to others.

Heavenly Father, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to be our savior and example. Help us to go in Your name to serve with love as He taught us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

While this psalm is probably the most familiar of all, it is important that we read it with understanding and not just fond memories of Sunday School. In six short verses it tells us of God’s love, protection and provision for us. I often read this passage from a variety of different translations to hear it in different words and hopefully find more meaning in this wonderful promise from God. 

Several things jump out right away. God leads us in the right direction because of His goodness. He is always with us. He wants to provide for us and wants us to be in a relationship with Him. We read “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”, an indication that we are invited to His table, even when things may seem dire.

God is always there for us but we have to ask Him into our lives. He doesn’t force the connection between us but gently invites us to be part of what He is doing in creation. If we are faithful, we can dwell in His house in peace and safety forever.

Loving Lord, help us to live into these familiar words. May we not just recite them but through You make them real for all Your children. Amen.