Drawn to Jesus
Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws them.” Jesus is saying, “The reason you are coming to Me is not because of something you did; rather, it is solely because My Father has drawn you to Me.”
Season of Lent
Experiencing the Bread of Life
Luther writes concerning today’s Gospel Reading: “It is obvious that in this chapter the Lord is speaking of spiritual eating and drinking. For He Himself interprets this as a thirst and a hunger of the soul.”
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Food that Lasts
Jesus knows that everybody has a pervasive inner spiritual hunger. And Jesus says, “Don’t work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal Life.” What He simply means is this; We are all seeking to satisfy a hunger within us that’s very deep, and anything we put there other than Jesus never will satisfy us; only Jesus and believing in Him satisfies our deep inner hunger.
The Fruit of the Spirit is Patience
In Galatians 5:22-23 – the “Fruit of the Spirit” text – the NIV translates patience as forbearance and the KJV translates it as longsuffering. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus shows both longsuffering with respect to His imminent suffering and death as well as forbearance with His drowsy disciples.
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Safe in the Storms of Life
It is very interesting, and more than a little intriguing, that the disciples, in the midst of a raging storm, were not terrified until they saw Jesus walking on the water. Jesus says quite tersely, “I AM; don’t fear.” Realizing Jesus is the I AM LORD of the universe ultimately rescues us from the storms of life.
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The Fruit of the Spirit is Gentleness
By washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus gives us an example of gentleness in service. More than that, the meaning of Jesus’ symbolic action gives us the motivation to serve others in gentleness. And even more than that, Paul’s definition of what it means to walk by the Spirit, that is, to be led by the Spirit, gives us the ultimate power to serve others in gentleness.
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Service of Darkness
Lord Jesus, You bore the sins of all people in Your body on the tree of the cross that, through Your death, eternal life also might rise anew and that the ancient serpent who overcame us by the tree in the garden might likewise by the tree of Your cross be forever overcome; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God. Amen!
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Return to the Table
On this night known in the Church as Maundy Thursday, Jesus invites us to join Him once again at His Table. He knows our need for strengthening and reassurance. The place in which we gather is filled with the blessing of fellowship as we remember the new command of our Lord Jesus to love one another. Our Lord serves us in many ways, most singularly as the Host at His Table, where we receive His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Time and again we are invited to return to the Table, where truly we experience a foretaste of the feast to come.
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A Slave
Most merciful God, as the people of Jerusalem, with palms in their hands, gathered to greet Your dearly beloved Son when He came into His Holy City, grant that we may ever hail Him as our King and, when He comes again, may go forth to meet Him with trusting and steadfast hearts and follow Him in the way that leads to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!
Return to the Kingdom of God
Almighty God, Your kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. Instead of force, You reign by grace; instead of corruption, You reign by the truth; instead of favoritism, You reign by serving all. Help us not to fall into the ways of the kingdoms of this world, but to welcome Your gracious reign in our lives; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!
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