Today Daily Devotional

Then [Jesus] said to [Peter], “Follow me!”

— John 21:19

Peter had made some hurtful mistakes. And our text for today shows how Jesus gently addressed them.Before Jesus was arrested and crucified, Peter had promised never to disown or abandon Jesus. He had even said, “I will lay down my life for you” (John 13:37; see Mark 14:31). But then, soon after Jesus was arrested, Peter denied three times that he even knew Jesus (Mark 14:66-72; John 18:15- 27). He was afraid to be connected with Jesus.After his death and resurrection, Jesus met with his disciples, including Peter, several times—and in our text for today he is with the disciples at the Sea of Galilee. Three times Jesus approaches Peter, the three-time denier, with this question: “Do you love me?” And each time Peter says yes. Then Jesus tells him, each time, to care for his sheep.Just like that, Peter’s denials are graciously forgiven, and Peter is powerfully recommissioned. Jesus even repeats to Peter what he had said to his disciples when he had first called them three years earlier: “Follow me!” (see Mark 1:17). It’s as if Peter’s denials had never happened.Peter’s restoration shows us that if anyone is in Christ, there is not only a new creation but also a new commission: to follow Jesus into whatever work he calls us to in our context, in our lives.The old has gone. The new has come!

Lord Jesus, give us eyes to see what you are calling us into today, and guide us to obey. In your name, and in the hope of the new creation, Amen.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tomorrow is Sunday, and many Christians throughout the world will attend a worship service at their church. Others may meet in homes or other private places, especially if public worship is not allowed.In North America, where I live, we are blessed to have many churches where the Word of God is preached and the good news of Jesus is central. These church communities help believers focus on loving the Lord and loving their neighbors in their everyday living.If you are part of a church like that, you probably see friends and family members there each week, along with others who have been there to support you in tough times and to celebrate with you in happy times.You may see clusters of older folks, middle-age parents, and teens interacting with each other. And you’ll probably see children running off steam in the hallways. There may also be a family group celebrating a baptism or an anniversary.There will also be some people you might not agree with—say, over a ministry program or the kind of music used in worship —and you’ve learned that in God’s family you can get along, despite such differences.In all of this you will see a collection of new creations, people whose faith, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, marks them as “in Christ.” And in them you will see that God is building a new creation, the remaking of his broken world.

Lord, all who are in your family are new creations in Christ. May we worship you together faithfully and see you at work, continually re-creating your world. Amen.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Chip had become an old man, and when he returned to the small town where he had grown up, hardly anyone recognized him.It wasn’t because he looked so different. No, he’d been back to visit throughout the years. He had kept up with people he’d known in high school, and they were familiar with each other’s aging appearance.What was different about Chip was that his character had changed. He had always been a “clever devil,” as some called him. He would come to town, hang out with the locals, wait for the right opportunity, and then say something political or religious or something else in a thorny way. Then he’d leave as people started bickering with one another. He seemed to enjoy stirring up disagreement.But now Chip was different. He’d learned that cancer was going to take his life soon. And he’d met Jesus through a local ministry in his neighborhood.So he came back to town a changed man. Though he was old, he was new. He was kind. Generous. Apologetic. He called himself a friend of Jesus. Everyone talked about it. What an amazing change!Chip was a new creation, even as his body was dying. He was “in Christ.”Chip was also an echo of Christ’s resurrection, the beginning of God’s big project of making a new creation where all who are “in Christ” can live with him forever!

God, we praise you for making us new in Christ and for making us a part of your new creation plan. Help us to live faithfully for you. Amen.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

When Jesus came back to life, the people who saw him required new eyes to see him clearly, truly.Mary saw only a gardener until Jesus spoke her name (John 20:16). The two disciples from Emmaus saw only a clueless traveler until Jesus broke bread with them (Luke 24:30-31).Later, Saul (Paul), a leading persecutor of Jesus’ followers, had his eyes opened too. He was stopped by a blinding light from heaven, and he heard the voice of Jesus saying, “Why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3-6). Saul received eyes of faith so that he could see Jesus truly as the Lord and Savior.In our text for today Paul, who became a missionary for Jesus, declares that we can see other people differently now too. Because of Jesus, we can see that all who are “in Christ” are a new creation. The rebirth of every believer echoes the miracle of Christ’s resurrection.And there’s more. When we see an “in Christ” person, a new creation, it’s a sign that God is up to something bigger— a glorious remaking of his whole creation. This is what other texts have described as the coming of a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1)!So when someone comes to faith in Christ, we see in that person a new creation. And this is a reminder of God’s continuing project of making a new creation, launched by the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection!

O God, give us eyes of faith to see your ongoing work of new creation as Paul did. May we see, rejoice, give you praise, and live in that confidence. Amen.

He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

— John 20:22

Dead people don’t breathe. And they surely don’t breathe life that flows into others!Just a few days earlier, Jesus had “breathed his last” (Luke 23:46), and everyone around him had assumed that was the end of him. But here, in John 20, we read about Jesus coming back to life, early on Sunday morning, and in the evening of that day he was breathing the life of his Holy Spirit into his disciples.Have you heard of the geyser “Old Faithful” in Yellowstone National Park (U.S.)? The water shoots 130 feet (40 meters) into the air! We can think of Jesus’ breath too as something like a geyser, a geyser of life.Have you seen pictures or watched videos of young bamboo plants in a tropical forest? In the searing heat they grow so fast that you can almost hear them stretch. As the earth provides nutrients, the bamboo plant pushes out vegetation. In some ways like that, Jesus’ breath pushes out life.Have you been to a worship service that honors the Lord and God of the universe—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Followers of Jesus, striving to live for the Savior in a fallen, broken world, come to worship the King of creation and to share Jesus’ breath with one another. He gives it, and they receive life. Renewal. Revival.The resurrection of Jesus keeps echoing as he inspires God’s people to share his love and bring hope everywhere in God’s world.

Breathe on us, Lord Jesus. Send us your Spirit. Enliven, awaken, and commission us, as you did with your disciples. Amen.

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

— Luke 24:31

I often wish I could see better.I wish I could see Jesus face-to-face.I wish I could see God’s will for a decision I have to make.I wish I could see God’s power so clearly that I have courage to do what is right even when the risks seem immense.The two followers of Jesus in our text for today received the gift of seeing how the Old Testament Scriptures pointed to Jesus and his resurrection—and they even saw the resurrected Jesus himself! What an amazing day for them!Ironically, just as they began to see that the person breaking the bread before them was actually the Lord himself, Jesus disappeared. So they had to continue to believe and act faithfully even when they didn’t see Jesus face to face. It’s a joy to see those two disciples respond by making a faithfilled run back to Jerusalem to report to the other disciples what they had seen and heard.Truth be told, Jesus invites all of us who don’t see him to live in his presence anyway, as if he is with us, breaking the bread. He does promise, after all, that he is with us always (Matthew 28:20). And as we live in his presence, by the power of God’s Spirit, we can testify to the reality of God’s new creation in us, launched with Jesus’ resurrection.

Without your Spirit, Lord, the news of the resurrection is just words. So pour out your Spirit on us, that we may understand the meaning of your resurrection and live with faith in you today and always. Amen.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

— John 20:15

In Isaiah 35 God gives his people a vision of a fully restored creation. His glory will appear, and a desert will turn into a lush, blossoming garden. A “Way of Holiness” will stretch through it—a roadway for God’s people to travel into his presence. In the singing crowd of God’s people on that road, the lame are leaping, the mute tongue shouts with joy, the deaf can hear clearly, and the blind are able to see.Could those details about people’s senses and disabilities relate also to understanding and seeing the Lord in a new way—especially when the Lord gives us new life through his resurrection? I think so. When we encounter God, when we meet Jesus in an unexpected way, our eyes and ears of faith can see and hear in ways we haven’t experienced before.Notice that on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, although Mary can see and hear, her eyes are opened in a new way as Jesus speaks her name. She receives a clear, personal visit from Jesus that helps her understand what God is up to. Mary is able to see the living Jesus, and it’s like a desert blooming.When the resurrected Christ comes again, all of God’s people will be given complete sight. In the meantime, we see portions and glimpses of what God is up to—enough to have faith, hope, and love. Thank you, God!

Dear Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear so that we may have faith in you and serve as you call us to. May we see your glory and share about all you are doing to bring renewal. Amen.

“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you. . . .”

— Luke 24:6

I remember walking up to the Grand Canyon in Arizona for the very first time. I thought I knew what to expect since I had heard so much about the Grand Canyon. But then I stepped out of the national park trolley, walked over to the edge of the canyon, and leaned up against the safety railing. The vastness, the colors, and the distance to the river below took my breath away! I realized that while I had heard about the Grand Canyon, I had not really understood what “Grand Canyon” actually meant.Similarly, the disciples and the women who had followed Jesus had heard him talk about rising from the dead on the third day, but they had not understood what he had actually meant. So when they saw the empty tomb after the crucifixion, and when they eventually saw Jesus alive again, he took their breath away! Here was the living Jesus, walking and talking, eating food, and holding his damaged hands out for them to see.Today the church remembers that breathtaking surprise: Jesus’ resurrection. We talk about it as, among other things, the beginning of a new creation, with Jesus being the firstborn from among the dead. It’s enough to take our breath away—the miracle itself, and then all of the many other miracles that it set in motion.

Dear God, today we read and remember the truth about Jesus’ miraculous return to life. Help us to understand it also as a launch of your new creation, and to know the hope and joy that it brings. Amen.

There was a man named Joseph . . . and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.

— Luke 23:50-51

There seems to be a lot of waiting in Scripture. Abraham and Sarah waited for a promised child (Genesis 12-18).The Israelites waited for many years to be freed from slavery (Exodus 1-12). Simeon, Anna, and others waited for the Messiah to come (Luke 2:25-38). The Hebrews had many words and phrases for “wait,” just as some Indigenous languages spoken in northern Canada have many ways to describe snow. Snow is a large part of life there. Waiting, it turns out, is a large part of life for God’s people.As we read in our text, Joseph of Arimathea was waiting for the kingdom of God. But here, surprisingly, he was taking the dead body of Jesus down from a cross. Joseph had thought Jesus was bringing in God’s kingdom, but now he was dead. If Joseph could bring himself to pick up the work of waiting again, it would likely have been a defeated, hopeless sort of waiting.Think of the women there as well. They probably assumed that Jesus’ work and teaching had come to nothing, that there was just a body to bury.But as Joseph laid Jesus’ body in a tomb and the women prepared spices for Jesus’ burial, God was preparing something new that would change hopeless waiting into joy and peace.

We know that you ended the waiting, Father. But before we go there and rejoice, let us taste the waiting and recognize something familiar in it—our own experiences of longing and waiting. Thank you that, in Christ, we do not wait without hope. Amen.

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.

— Luke 23:44-45

What do you think of when you hear the word “darkness”?Children often think of darkness as scary, and when they grow up most of them still prefer the light. From Genesis to Revelation, darkness is whatever space, time, or reality is separate from God. Before creation there was darkness “over the surface of the deep” (Genesis 1:2). In the last days, as described in Revelation, darkness is one of the signs of separation from God.When Jesus hung on the cross, darkness came over the land in the middle of the day, when the sun should have been at its brightest. God had abandoned his Son, who was taking on himself all of the corruption and ugliness of the world’s sin and God’s awful judgment on it. As God separated himself from his beloved Son, darkness descended and Jesus died.Luke’s account of that day notes another amazing occurrence as well. The curtain in the temple, which had long symbolized the separation of the holy God from his unholy people, was torn in two, miraculously, from top to bottom. Our sin-generated separation from God was coming to an end. That was good! But it took an awful darkness to make that happen.Light was conquering darkness. God and his people would be together again. A new creation was forming!

O Christ, thank you for making yourself unworthy of God’s presence so that we, who truly are unworthy, can be counted worthy to live with him. What a gift we receive in you! Amen.