Daily Prayer
Holy God,
Unsearchable ‘I AM’,
Hidden within a bush aflame
And revealed within the dark storm cloud,
We turn aside to meet with you today.
Show us your glory.
Amen
Daily Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Find the above scripture in your bible and read slowly – you might want to read it out loud. You can read it here.
Lenten Reflection
In this passage Paul says that the cross of Christ is to be understood as revealing both the wisdom and the power of God at work in the world. Please don’t rush on from this, please don’t assume you know what this means.
How on earth does the crucifixion of Jesus reveal the power of God? How on earth does it reveal the wisdom of God?
Take some time now and just sit before the horror of the cross and delve a bit deeper than you may have done in the past. Allow the paradox here to draw you deeper into the mystery and reflect on the truths found here and their implications for us today.
Please do share your thoughts in the comments section below and help us to learn together!
Lenten Quotes
“When Jesus began teaching he made it clear that his new empire would be unlike any empire the world had ever seen. It came on a donkey’s back. it’s imperial council was comprised of a handful of unemployed fishermen, a couple of IRS agents, a prostitute and some hangers on. Jesus demonstrated how to wield his imperial power by washing feet, telling stories and playing with kids.
Jesus’ empire is based on the absurd values that the last should be first, losers are winners, and the most influential in the empire should clean the toilets. Members of the empire are instructed to love their enemies, forgive their friends, always give twice as much as people ask of them and never pursue power or position. Jesus insisted that those who are part of his empire shouldn’t worry about finances, but simply trust god. The resources to run this empire were basins, towels, and leftover lunches.
This empire also developed a reputation for constant partying – almost always with the wrong kind of people. “Seriously is this any way to run an empire? Imagine what would happen if you ran a political, economic or religious institution with these bizarre values. Clearly it wouldn’t have much of a future. These values might even get the leader assassinated…
| Tom Sine – The New Conspirators
Lenten Song: Our Father (In Aramaic)
Closing Blessing
Having been liberated from the shackles of sin,
set free from satanic slave masters,
and bypassed by the forces of Death,
may you now be held fast
by the unbreakable bonds of God’s faithfulness.
May you know the guidance of his Spirit
during both the brightness of the day
and the darkness of the night,
Until you arrive safely at the borders
of the Promised Land.
Amen
Evening Zoom Reflection at 9pm
We will be meeting tonight on Zoom to reflect on this together. You would be most welcome to join us. We start at 9pm and finish at 9:20pm. Maybe bring a Bible and a journal if you have them.
We are usually on a few moments before for a chat. Click here to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84743926286
We would love to make this a shared learning experience as much as possible so therefore please consider adding any thoughts, questions and insights that might arise for you in the comments section below. We would love to hear what God is up to in this time!
11 Comments on “Lent Week 3 | THURSDAY”
God was prepared to do something I am not prepared to do, allow His son to be killed. To any reasonable human being that is foolishness. It is criminal. He did it as an act of love for me, so that I don’t have to experience the finality of death. And the He demonstrated that I can trust Him, that death is not final, by raising His son from the dead. It is foolishness, a mystery, and the most loving thing anyone has ever done for me.
It’s love. The cross is love. Behind Gods power and wisdom is the root of love.
Had God used his wisdom to outsmart us or his power to subdue us then we’d have had no chance. But by using his wisdom and his power to die, to take on our sin and overcome death by rising again, he made a way for us to eternally access his love. There was no other way so beautiful, so kind and so outrageous.
I love this Naomi, so helpful. He uses His power and wisdom to love, rather than to control and manipulate. We so often associate power with negative things but I found this definition: “The ability or capacity to act or do something effectively.” It feels like power and wisdom can be used for good or evil, love or hate. God’s way is always love because He is love. So different than the world’s way so it often seems upside down to us.
I was also thinking about when Jesus said that no one takes his life from him but he lays it down of his own accord. This is power – he had the choice to fight back and I’m sure he could have smashed his enemies for sure but instead he looked suffering in the eye (he definitely saw what was ahead) and chose the way of the cross. It’s a powerful thing to choose the way of suffering for the sake of love.
Lord give us grace to choose the way of the cross, the way of love, today.
Soooo good Nay! Xxx
Soooo good Nay! Uses his power to Love Xxx
Awhhhh yeah…..Thanks for serving us so many times
Awhhhh Kat Love…..ThanX for serving us and choosing to do so many times over Kat!
The cross so simple, just two bits of rough hewn wood fixed together. A simple symbol of something so profound, dramatic and life changing. Other symbols, the crocked cross of Hitler’s domination the same as the one found in Hindu religion, also used by the Finns in WW2 when allied with Germany. Symbols send a message, put a stamp on something, what does the cross of Jesus say to us?
As I thought about the power I reflected on the upside down nature of God’s way of doing things.
Jesus revealed Himself to ordinary people and it would be through His ordinary friends that the kingdom would spread.
Satan tried to tempt Him to reveal His power in spectacular ways.
As for wisdom, God knew that using the humble was safer than using the proud – the humility of dying on the cross would eventually have more effect than an armed uprising.
May I not demand miraculous signs nor search for the wisdom of the world but be captivated by the foolishness, the power and glory of the cross …
It seems so challenging to me and not that I’m there yet….
to be kind and loving to those who…..don’t have a “cooking clue” of the impact of their ways….(yet where would I be without it)….
Yet to love, Im learning…..slowly …by his Grace by forgiving …. is to be .like Christ ….eventually free …. working through pain …eventually free of the ultimate impact of harm done (by me and others)…for because of Christ….eventually all things will work together for Good…Romans 8 v 28 .as Joseph said to his Brothers….’you meant to harm me’ but God works it for good”.
But Oh how God lives like this daily…oh what Grace and what a wonderful God!! Soo high yet goes soo low!!
Amazed!
Lost in Wonder,
Love n Praise!
Next time I wonder why…..I see God taking my place