Beyond Sunday

The Fourth Sunday Of Lent (Mar. 14)

Narrated by Pastor Roger Theimer

We Can’t, but Jesus Can

You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14

This commandment focuses on an area of our lives that is most sacred but most frequently abused. In commenting on this law, Jesus tells us (in Matthew 5:27-28) that even impure thoughts and desires are sinful. Who can plead “not guilty"?

Let’s face it: We do not become sinners because we sin: no, we sin because we are sinful by nature. Try as we may, we cannot rid ourselves of sinful desires and deeds. Our annual Lenten pilgrimage brings to mind how deep is our sin and guilt and how great is the salvation Jesus has won for us by his wounds!

When we realize that our best attempts at doing right are crippled by our sin, that is when we are drawn to the cross of Jesus. There we lay down our sins and are healed again by the wounds he suffered for us.

REFLECT: How can you rid yourself of impure thoughts?

PRAY: Thank you, my Savior, for coming to my rescue. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

Saturday, The Third Week Of Lent (Mar. 13)

Narrated by Suz Trusty

He Endured It All for Us

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:39

Most of us have trouble with this. It’s in our human DNA to get even with those who hurt us. This trait is one reason wars, conflicts, feuds and bad feelings never cease in our world and in our lives.

Jesus did what he recommends. He was reviled, ridiculed, beaten and crucified unjustly. He endured it all, taking all human sin upon himself so that by his wounds we might be healed.

Think about the people with whom you want to get even. Pray for healing and for the grace to forgive as you have been forgiven. It’s not “natural” —it is Christian.

REFLECT: How can you be more forgiving to others?

PRAY: I’m so grateful, Lord Jesus, that you are more than human. Please help me to be more godly. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

Friday, The Third Week Of Lent (Mar. 12)

Narrated by Anne White

Our True Messiah

[Pilate] released [Barabbas] who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will. Luke 23:25

Barabbas may have been the “messiah” the mob wanted, a hero who would lead a crusade against the hated Romans. At any rate, they rejected the true Messiah, the innocent Jesus, in favor of the guilty false messiah.

There is a bit of the mob in many of us, wanting the wrong kind of “salvation” from worldly ills, overlooking the salvation won for us by the true Messiah. Jesus was willing to take the place of all the guilty sinners on the center cross—truly the greatest rescue of all time.

In the midst of all the misfortunes of life, remember the true Messiah whose wounds heal you. Trust him and praise him for taking your place on the center cross.

REFLECT: What does your relationship with your true Messiah look like?

PRAY: Forgive me, Lord, for wishing for a false messiah. Thank you for saving me from my sinfulness. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

Thursday, The Third Week Of Lent (Mar. 11)

Narrated by Rod White

The Power of Grace

Jesus said to [Peter], “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Matthew 26:52

Jesus rejected the kind of power the world worships: think Super Bowl, huge corporations, national politics, international arms races. His is the power of forgiving love, of grace—the power to change hearts and lives and the future of the human race.

By his wounds we are healed! Not by weapons of war or by some magic wand but by his wounds. He accepted rejection and ridicule, suffering and death. He took our place under God's judgment, absorbing its punishment so that death would not be the end of our story.
In the face of death, we are completely powerless. But the power of the cross, the power of forgiving grace, sets us free to live now and forever in hope and joy.

REFLECT: How does knowing that the power of God is greater than all other powers help you from day to day?

PRAY: Enable me, gracious Lord, to live today in the reality of your life-changing love. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

Wednesday, The Third Week Of Lent (Mar. 10)

Narrated by Ben Lorenzen

Your Perfect Savior

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan!” Matthew 4:1, 10

When tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus exhibited total trust in his Father and complete commitment to his mission as Savior. He could not be swayed by any of the devil's half-truths.

Trust this truth: Jesus lived and died as your perfect Savior. Never ask yourself, “Am I good enough to go to heaven?” None of us is “good enough,’ but our Savior is perfectly good enough. He has done everything necessary for your future, and he holds you in his loving hands.

Satan tempts you to question your own goodness (or lack of it). God’s Spirit leads you to fix your faith on your perfect Savior by whose wounds you are healed.

REFLECT: What keeps you from listening to the devil’s lies?

PRAY: Focus my faith, O Holy Spirit, firmly on my perfect Savior, Jesus.
Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

Tuesday, The Third Week Of Lent (Mar. 9)

Narrated by Tim Riley

Not to Condemn, but to Save

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:17

This verse speaks to everyone who has been guilty of breaking God’s commandments, in thought, word or deed. We've all been unfaithful, hurtful, greedy, selfish, more than once. At the foot of the cross, we see what we deserve as people declared guilty by God’s holy Law.

God's Son did not come to punish our guilt; he came to be wounded for our transgressions. At the cross we see how God, who created the world in love, still loved the world gone wrong—loved us enough to give his Son into death to give us new life.

If you can say, "He died for me," then live not in fear of judgment but in the joy of God’s unconditional, eternal forgiveness and grace.

REFLECT: What does it mean for my life that I am declared “not guilty”?

PRAY: Immerse me, gracious Father, in the love your Son offers me from his cross. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

Monday, The Third Week Of Lent (Mar. 8)

Narrated by Kayla Marty   

One Should Die for All

Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people...” John 11:49-§0

Israel’s leaders were worried, afraid that Jesus followers would start a revolt that would bring the wrath of Rome on their nation. “Better that one should die for all, the high priest said. How profound! Caiaphas echoed God the Father's mind and Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth.

Here is God's plan of salvation for all of us in a nutshell: Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, was sacrificed in place of all the guilty sheep who deserved to die. That was God's idea all along. By his wounds we are healed! Praise God for his incredible love for us.

REFLECT: What can keep you trusting in God’s one and only plan of salvation?

PRAY: Thank you, Father, for your Son’s wounds. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

The Third Sunday Of Lent (Mar. 7)

Narrated by Pastor Mark Zehnder

Help, Don’t Harm

You shall not murder. Exodus 20:13

On the surface it seems so simple. Most of us have never murdered anyone. There’s more to it, however. Jesus said if you are angry with someone, you are guilty. Luther said if you have harmed anyone or failed to help anyone in need, you are guilty. There is nothing we can say, no excuse or alibi to cover up our guilt. We are doomed.

Except... there is one way to satisfy God's judgment. Jesus has done what we cannot do: he kept this commandment perfectly, even dying in love for the worst of sinners. His perfect life and sacrificial wounds cover our sins with life-giving grace and mercy. What a gift!

Accept his gracious gift and honor him with hymns of grateful praise. Honor him, too, by loving (that means helping, not harming) others as Christ has loved us. Keep your eyes open today for a target for your love.

REFLECT: What are specific things you can do to help others?

PRAY: Open my heart, Jesus, to your healing love and show me how to share it with my neighbors. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

Saturday, The Second Week of Lent (Mar. 6)

Narrated by Jodie Swafford

The Power of His Word

When Jesus said to them, "l am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. John 18:6

The arresting soldiers had the power of fearsome weapons. Jesus trumped them with the power of his word. He had the power to escape, but that was not the Father’s plan. His purpose was to lose his own life in order to save the lives of dying sinners. He used his power for us, not for himself.

Jesus now has power and authority over death. The sound of his voice will raise the dead to eternal life. We can trust his word and promise, guaranteed by his own death and resurrection. The process of dying may be agonizing, but Jesus will awaken us from the sleep of death with a word that will usher in an eternity of glory. Trust his word and know his peace.

REFLECT: Think of times when you felt the power of God at work in your life.

PRAY: Strengthen my faith by the power of your word, O Lord of life. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.

Friday, The Second Week of Lent (Mar. 5)

Narrated by Matt Marty

Jesus Tasted Death

We see him... namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9

Because Jesus tasted death for us, the taste of death is not as bitter for us. By his suffering and death, Jesus defeated our archenemy and became a perfect Savior and was honored with a crown of glory. He defeated death by enduring it—and by rising from the grave. The same path to glory is now open for all who believe in him.

We honor Jesus because he tasted death, draining the cup of suffering, to end its power over us. We still may dread the thought of death, but we now see it as the doorway to eternal life where we will share in his kingdom of glory.

REFLECT: How can you honor Christ for his suffering for you?

PRAY: Lord Jesus, replace my fear of dying with the joy of salvation. Amen.

Devotional content provided by Creative Communications for the Parish.