FOREVER NOW A CROWN
Call to Worship:
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A THOUSAND SHORES
COME THOU FOUNT
Prayer for College Graduates
Sermon: Romans 5:12-21
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JESUS PAID IT ALL
GLORIOUS DAY
Benediction
Savior
13 February: Tuesday Refocus
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”- John 13:1-5
“…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
Jesus is both servant and savior. Not one or the other, but both at once. This has always been true of His identity even before he took on flesh and stepped into the world. We behold the servant savior with piercing clarity at the cross. But even in the waning hours before the cross, Jesus continues to serve His disciples - a meal, praying for them, sharing with them, and washing their feet. The One who empties himself by taking on the form of a servant performs the act of the lowliest servant - stooping to washing the feet of the cowardly and fearful, the deniers and the betrayer.
Father, on the eve of this Lenten season, may we behold the servant savior with piercing clarity. In Jesus name, amen.
Beholding,
AB
16 January: Tuesday Refocus
“Calm me, O Lord, as You still the storm. Still me, O Lord, keep me from harm. Let all the tumult within me cease. Enfold me, Lord, in Your peace.” - Celtic prayer
The rest and rescue we most desire cannot be found in created things. Both within and without the ground of our being and beneath our feet is sand. Shifting, sinking. No amount of interior exploration, or exterior distraction can level out the most unsettled places of our souls.
But there is good news, there is hope - Christ our Savior is a firm and fixed hope, an anchor for our souls (Psalm 18:1-2, Hebrews 6:19). Upon the throne of grace is seated a Savior who lives to make intercession - daily bearing us up at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 7:25, Psalm 68:19, Romans 8:34). Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne, and steadfast love and faithfulness go before Him (Psalm 89:14). Even in the chaos of the world and our hearts, no one can be snatched from the hand of the Savior (John 10:28).
Father, in the middle of storms within and without, may our gaze be fixed, my our lives be anchored, my our souls rest in the life, death, resurrection, and intercession of Your Son, Jesus. In His name, amen.
Wrestling and resting,
AB
February 22: Tuesday Refocus
‘For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.’ - Thomas Merton
Truth understood intellectually, becomes embodied through experience. We can cognitively understand and grasp truths with our mind, but our desire should be to declare like the Psalmist - ‘…Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.’ (Psalm 139:14). This is understanding not just at the level of the mind, but at the very center of our being.
Lent begins in two weeks. A season of introspection and reflection before the celebration and joy of Easter. The spiritual disciple of fasting has traditionally accompanied the season of Lent. And one of the things that fasting can do is expose the gaps between our intellectual understanding (God is good), and our lived reality (God is good, my soul knows it very well). With the Psalmist we may declare intellectually ‘…there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You (Psalm 73:25).’ But as we give up and go without our functional saviors - as Tim Keller has called them - are exposed. Those things that we desire to give us value, significance, comfort, and worth. Yet this too is a gift - the chance to confess, turn to God and move our intellectual, hearsay understanding of God, to embodied reality.
God, in your kindness, would You expose the areas of our lives where we grasp the truths of Your character intellectually but live as though we do not believe? Might we know Your goodness and Your kindness not by hearsay but by our everyday walk with You? In Christ’s name, amen.
Learning,
AB
April 21: Tuesday Refocus
‘The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.’ - Edward Shillito
Each of us bears wounds internally and externally. Wounds which take the shape of our own sin, and others which resemble the sin committed against us. Some wounds are in the shape of the refining, sanctifying, love and discipline of God (Heb 12:6). And still, other wounds are ‘…carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested… (2 Col 4:20).’
Your wounds may not cause delight, but they can cause wonder and worship. Because our Savior bears eternal scars.
He is the Suffering Servant (Is 53),
the High Priest able to empathize (Heb 4:15),
the One acquainted with all our ways and acquainted with grief (Ps 139:3, Is 53:3).
the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep, bearing the marks of His death and resurrection for all eternity (1 Cor 15:20, Jn 20:27)
‘Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.’ 2 Timothy 2:11-13
In light of the eternal weight of glory, our wounds will seem light and momentary (2 Cor 4:17). Because out of the perfection of beauty, God shines forth - bearing eternal scars (Ps 50:2).
Thank you, Jesus, that our suffering is never in vain, never for naught, and accomplishing our maturity. Thank you that we never suffer alone, we can place our wounds in the hands that have been wounded for us. We love you and are grateful, in Your name, amen.
Sharing,
AB