Today Daily Devotional

The master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He . . . said, “. . . You have saved the best [wine] till now.”

— John 2:9-10

Things seemed to be going fine at the wedding party until someone noticed there was no more wine. When Jesus’ mother found out, she urged him to help. Had she perhaps seen him do some extraordinary things before? Or did she somehow know that Jesus was about to reveal who he was?

We can imagine Jesus looking around and seeing some large jars that were used for ceremonial washing. Each of those jars held about 20-30 gallons (75-113 liters). So he had the jars filled with water, and quietly, by his power, Jesus transformed that water into wine.

Why did Jesus do this? It likely had something to do with keeping the celebration going. But there is more. In the writings of the Old Testament prophets, a sign of the coming of God’s kingdom (when God would make things right in the world) was an abundance of fine wine. (For example, see Isaiah 25:6-8.)

And when Jesus ate his final supper with his disciples, he suggested that whenever they had bread and wine in memory of him, that would be a foretaste of the great banquet at the end of time (see Matthew 26:28-29; Luke 22:30). That banquet will also be a kind of marriage feast in which heaven and earth are joined, as are Christ and his church (Revelation 19:9). And they will never be parted.

Lord, we look forward to the day when you will bring heaven and earth together and make all things right. Amen.

The Lord appeared to Abraham. . . . Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. . . .

— Genesis 18:1-2

Some stories in the Bible include mysterious details. For example, in Genesis 18 the narrator says that the Lord appeared to Abraham, and then when Abraham looked, he saw three men. Hmm, did these three men represent the Lord? We know that God does not have a body, let alone three bodies, for he is spirit. But apparently God could appear in the form of a person. And were the other two angels, or were they maybe some other heavenly beings?

We do not have definite answers to these questions. But Abraham recognized these visitors as important, bowing down to them. And he and his wife Sarah prepared a meal for them. At that meal God announced that Abraham and Sarah would have a child.

Through the centuries, some Chris­tians have suggested that perhaps the appearance of three visitors to Abraham and Sarah was meant to point forward to a revelation that is made clearer in the New Testament: that God is three persons, the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This story in Genesis, mysterious as it is, also provides a lesson to remember when we come to the Lord’s table. At the Lord’s Supper, God comes especially close. The Holy Spirit unites us with Jesus and the Father. And at this meal God promises again and again to give us life—abundant life with him that begins now and continues forever.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for drawing us close and promising the gift of life as we eat at your table. Amen.

The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

— Exodus 12:39

Perhaps you have read or heard of The Lord of the Rings stories by J.R.R. Tolkien. Maybe you have also seen the ­movies. In these stories, a group of friends takes a long journey to destroy a magic ring that is packed with evil power. Their journey is difficult and dangerous.

To sustain them on their journey, the friends are given a special food called lembas, also described as “waybread.” It is simple and compact, and it supplies more energy than the travelers would expect.

When the Israelites were about to leave Egypt, God told them to make unleavened bread. This bread was made without yeast so that the people would not have to wait for it to rise. It was flat and compact, and it would give them energy for their long journey ahead. The uniqueness of this bread would continue to remind the people that God would take care of them.

These stories remind me of the Lord’s Supper. The food and drink are very simple, but they remind us of God’s power, which is far greater than we might expect. Jesus told us to eat this meal in memory of him because we need spiritual sustenance for the journey of the Christian life, which can be difficult and dangerous. This meal strengthens us spiritually, reminding us that God is near and will see us through.

Lord, you know that our life journey can be dangerous. Thank you for drawing near to us and sustaining us. Amen.

“The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

— Exodus 12:13

One of the fun things about celebrating holidays is that we often enjoy special foods that we might not have at other times of the year.

What are some foods or drinks that you enjoy on special days?

When Jesus first gave his disciples the special meal that we call the Lord’s Supper, they were actually already celebrating a holiday called Passover.

Hundreds of years earlier the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. But the Lord rescued them through a number of power­ful acts. On the day that God led them out of Egypt, the Israelites prepared a lamb as a sacrifice, and they spread the lamb’s blood on the doorframes of their houses as God had told them to. Then God allowed a plague of death to pass through Egypt, taking the firstborn of every household, but the plague “passed over” all the homes where the doorframes were covered with blood, and the firstborn in those families were spared.

Every year after that, God’s peo­ple celebrated a special Pass­over meal, and Jesus and his friends did the same. But on this particular Passover, things were different. God was again rescuing his people, and this time he was preparing Jesus to rescue them from sin, death, and evil. On this Passover, Jesus took the place of the lamb, once and for all, and he was the only firstborn who died. And today we, his followers, are marked by his blood so that we can escape death and have life in him.

Lord, thank you for rescuing us from sin, death, and evil. Help us to live for you. Amen.

After taking the cup, he gave thanks. . . . And he took bread, [and] gave thanks. . . .

— Luke 22:17-19

The simple but sacred meal that we call the Lord’s Supper has several different names.

Many people simply call this meal the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20). We do this because Jesus, our Lord, our God and King, gave us this meal. Many followers of Christ also call this meal “communion” because in this celebration they commune with the Lord and with each other, united in love, faith, and hope in Christ and all of God’s promises.

Many Christians also call this meal “the Eucharist,” which basically means “thanksgiving.” When Jesus celebrated this meal with his disciples, he gave thanks to God for it. And ever since then, the church has given thanks to God for providing this meal.

Early Christians had another name for this meal too, calling it the “love feast” or “agape feast” (see Jude 12). In some cases this may have included a larger fellowship meal along with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Why did they call it this? Because it showed that Jesus loved his followers so much that he was willing to die to defeat sin and death for them.

At this meal we have the oppor­tunity to say that we love God too. And as we pass the food and drink to each other, we acknowledge that we love (or are trying to love) the people in our church family too.

Lord, we thank you for this meal by which you not only remind us of your love but also call us to experience your love and share it with others. We love you too. Amen.

“This [bread] is my body, which is for you. . . . This cup is the new covenant in my blood. . . .”

— 1 Corinthians 11:24-25

If you have seen or participated in the Lord’s Supper (communion) in a church service, you’ll probably remember the pastor breaking bread and pouring wine or juice into a cup.

Take a moment to reflect on these images.

Some of the holiday meals we enjoy, or grand celebrations—such as weddings or anniversaries—might have different courses and many kinds of food. But the Lord’s Supper, the Jesus-meal, looks quite simple in comparison. Even if this meal takes place in a great ­cathedral, it has only two parts—bread (or wafers) and wine (or juice).

Even so, probably more ink has been used to explain this meal than almost any other topic in church history. And there is good reason for that. There are important questions worth asking—and perhaps ­answering, if we are able.

What did Jesus really mean when he said, “This [bread] is my body,” and, “This cup is . . . my blood”? How might Jesus be present with us when we eat this meal? Why did Jesus tell his followers to celebrate this meal regularly? Why does this meal matter at all?

You see, this meal is truly special. In the church we even call it “sacred.” Spend some time reflecting and talking with ­others about some of these questions.

Lord Jesus, your disciples were often puzzled by your words and actions. And, if we are honest, we are sometimes puzzled too. Still, we thank you for this sacred meal. In your name we pray. Amen.

“When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord. . . .’”

— Exodus 12:26-27

A few years ago at a Good Friday worship service, my wife and I enjoyed the whispers we overheard as the pastor broke a loaf of bread and poured juice from a pitcher into a cup.

A little girl stood on her seat near us, peeking over the heads of the people in front of her. Suddenly she turned to her mom and asked, “What is that?” as the juice was poured out. She was told, “That is Jesus’ blood. It helps us remember that Jesus died for us.” The little girl paused to consider this, and then, perhaps not entirely satisfied with the answer, she turned to her dad and asked the same question. This time she was told, “It is some grape juice.” She then turned back to her mom and said, “It’s just juice!”

Little did this young child ­realize that she was stepping into a complex and intense conversation that has been going on for thousands of years.

I loved hearing her questions and seeing her curiosity. I hope we all can engage with questions and curiosity this month as we think about this beautiful, mysterious meal that Jesus gave us to remember him by. I like to call it “the Jesus-meal.”

What do you think? Is it real­ly “just juice” and “just bread” that we take in at the Lord’s Supper (communion)? Or is there more to this simple meal than meets the eye?

Heavenly Father, whether we are very young or very old, we are all your children. Stir in us a deep ­curiosity about all that you want to teach us. In Jesus, Amen.

Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

— Romans 2:4

Romans 2:4 reveals the path by which we and others come to repentance. It’s all because of God’s kindness.

But too often we assume that the threat of judgment is what leads to repentance. “If only we can show people how bad they are, then they will be sorry,” we think. Or perhaps if we can show them the consequences of their actions—like some negative life outcomes, or the ultimate punishment of going to hell—then they will repent, right?

But the path to repentance is quite different. Instead, God is kind with us. And God waits patiently for us to notice his kindness. And rather than showing us our consequences, God actually holds back our consequences—at least many of the worst ones. Holding back consequences is called forbearance. God forbears with us until we see his kindness.

It is God’s kindness that leads to our repentance. God’s example challenges us to somehow forbear with other people’s unrepentant attitudes. It’s not our place to judge them or bring about their conse­quences. In fact, perhaps, like Christ, we ought to help bear ­others’ consequences. We should show the kindness, ­patience, and forbearance that God has shown us.

Dear Jesus, this world is still full of vices. Help us to endure in forbearing with others, just as you have endured with us. Amen.

They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil.

— Romans 1:29-31

Ever since sin came into our world, we human beings have been thinking up new ways to do bad things or to do things badly. And if we think we are immune from this, we are only deceiving ourselves.

Creativity is part of the image of God given to human beings, and, sadly, we have put our creativity to use to destroy as much of the rest of God’s image in us as possible. That’s what our passage today in Romans warns about.

God has always been there for us to find, but until the Lord came into our lives, we refused to find him. We didn’t want to. Our sinful nature turned us away from God. We wanted to pursue bad things, or if we wanted to pursue anything good, we wanted to do it our way.

In the opening chapter of Romans, Paul is clearly angry about all the evil that people have done in the world, and then in chapter 2 he turns a corner. Every person has had some part in this creative sinfulness we’ve brought into the world, and if any of us thinks we can judge another, we are condemning ourselves.

Even so, God has been kind and merciful to forgive us and show us a better way. And since God has been kind to us, we can and must spread that kindness to everyone else as well.

Dear Jesus, remind us that your way is better than our old way. Show us all your kindness, forbearance, and patience, we pray. Amen.

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness . . . knowledge . . . self-control . . . perseverance . . . godliness . . . mutual affection . . . love.

— 2 Peter 1:5-7

Have you ever stopped to think about what “goodness” actually is? It was probably one of the earliest concepts we learned. Something was good if we felt positively about it. And later, as we grew, we learned to add descriptions such as beautiful, healthy, pleasant, and more.

The kind of goodness that Peter describes here was prized in the Greek culture. It pointed to a kind of excellence that could overcome a great difficulty. For example, this would describe a Greek athlete who gained a victory despite an injury that would have kept most others from competing.

Christ challenges us to make our best efforts in striving with excellence to live like him. By his Spirit, he has given us the power—and even the victory. And in line with our being made in God’s image, I believe, we can find great satisfaction in our productive efforts to live as we are called. The level of goodness described in this passage is about doing our very best to live for Christ, and at the end of the day we can look back with satisfaction on the spiritual challenges we have faced and thank God for helping us.

Lord, help us to strive for goodness/excellence as we seek to live for you each day. Amen.