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February 2005

Week 1	Week 2
Week 3	Week 4

Week 1 Matthew 20-27

Dear friends, God’s blessings be with you as we close our Epiphany Season begin our Lenten Journey. Next week on Ash Wednesday, our service will be the beginning of our Lenten journey. It is a somber service, which is a reminder of our sinful human nature. The symbolism of the distribution of the ashes will draw us once again to the gift of creation by God and his claim upon us as we close our lives in death. As we share the Lord’s Supper together, we not only received God’s promises of forgiveness and life, but we also remember his death and resurrection. The remembrance of his death and resurrection is the story of the Lenten Season. Our Lenten Season prepares us for the scenes of Good Friday and the celebration of Easter morning.

That is why I have moved our devotional texts from Matthew’s Gospel chapter 4 to chapter 20. (After the Easter Season, we will come back to chapter 5-19.) Beginning in chapter 20, we see Jesus’ final approach to the city of Jerusalem. Then in chapter 21, we begin to read the events of Holy Week. We will have the opportunity this Lenten Season, to read Matthew’s story of the events, (along with some of the other gospel’s as well). The primary source will be Matthew.

As we begin our journey, let us today, read these chapters (20-27). That gives us before we look at them individually, an opportunity to see the whole picture of events as Matthew sees them. Sometimes when we read a section at a time, we can picture the flow of the words in our minds, as Matthew shifts from one scene to the next. It gives us another perspective to the story as a whole.

So as we begin our journey together, we ask of ourselves, what does the Lenten season mean to me? What will be the shape of my journey this season, as I prepare myself for Holy Week and Easter? As I ask myself that question, I bring that thought to you. May the stories in Matthew’s gospel, known as the Passion Narratives, guide you in your journey this Lenten season.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letters “A & B”.

Psalm 51

Dear friends, may the message of grace from our Lord Jesus be with you this day. Our Psalm for today, which was written by King David, is the traditional psalm reading for our Ash Wednesday service. Next week we will hear the story of King David, as he is reminded of his sinfulness through the prophet Nathan. As he reflects upon his sinfulness, he writes this beautiful psalm. It is a prayer of confession and requests for renewal. It also shares the verses of our Offertory hymn, "Create in me" (vss.10-12). This psalm helps us begin our Lenten worship, as it calls us to recognize our human sin and need for forgiveness and renewal. During our Ash Wednesday worship service, we also receive ashes, which are placed, upon our foreheads. We are reminded of the declaration during the committal service, "earth to earth, ashes to ashes and dust to dust". It is a reminder of our cycle of life, from creation to death, from physical life to a new spiritual life. Today, we are reminded of these words and our life journey. The distribution of ashes also suggests cleansing and renewal. They were once used as a cleansing agent in absence of soap. On Ash Wednesday, the ashes have been understood as a reminder of our baptismal cleansing. Each day is a remembrance our baptism. It knows that we have been cleansed of our sin by the promise of Jesus through his life, his death and resurrection. Just as the baptismal waters wash and refreshes, drowns and makes alive, so the ashes also tell us this story on this Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, we also celebrate the Lord’s Supper as well. The rich symbolism of our worship is shown in the word proclaimed, "Your sins are forgiven". Through the ashes, this reminds us of the cleansing offered by our Lord. And through the bread and wine, the assuring elements and the power of our Lord’s words, "given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins". Through these gifts, God declares, "you are forgiven, you are loved and you are mine". God’s blessing to you this day and throughout our Lenten season.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “C”

Week 2 Matthew 20:1-16

Dear friends, may the gift of God’s love be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. This parable, which is recorded only in Matthew, shares the promises of grace given to all people. The reward of the gift of eternal life is equal amongst all people. The setting of the parable is in the market place, where laborers are waiting for work. During the harvest, laborers are sought depending upon the need, to go into the vineyard. So the setting is a very common event during Jesus’ day. So the words of Jesus are very familiar to his people.
In the parable, we find the landowner (God) going into the marketplace and he finds workers to go to the vineyard. Initially the first workers are met with a contract. They agree to work in the vineyard for the wage that he has set. Later, he asks others to work in the vineyard and they agree, but no contract has been set. When the time came for payment of the wage, everyone received the same wage. For some, they became angry. Notice the response of the landowner. This becomes the message Jesus offers to us today.

In the parable, I think we can see the comfort of God. No matter when one enters into the kingdom, (various times of the day equals the time spans of life), they are equally dear and precious to God. I think there is also a sign of compassion from God in this parable as well. Throughout the stages of our lives, God seeks us out, employing us into service for his kingdom. The last significant picture of God here is the generosity of God. Not everyone performs the same amount of work. It varied in length of time and in the task. What is shown here is not the amount of service, but the willingness and love to serve. God justly rewards his worker.

For us, the parable is given to show all that God gives of his grace. We cannot earn what God gives to us. We cannot deserve it. We cannot put God into our debt. What God gives to us is out of the goodness of his heart, which we have come to know as his gift of grace. How precious is that gift. It is a parable that sets the tone for the work of our Lord as he journeys to the cross.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letters “D & E”

Matthew 20:17-28

Dear friends, May the peace, which comes to us from our Lord, be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the third prediction of our Lord about his death and resurrection. Also included in the passage is the request of James and John. The setting for the prediction story is Jesus and his disciples nearing the city of Jerusalem. Earlier, when he told them, they were still some distance and time from Jerusalem. Now the time for him to enter into Jerusalem was near. He tells them one last time. What makes the predictions of Jesus so powerful?

What is powerful about the passage is that Jesus is fully aware of the price he must pay for the sins of the world. He does not evade the journey to the cross. He faced it with confidence, knowing that he would be victorious over death through the miracle of the resurrection. Through it, he would proclaim to the world, that all people are and would be saved through this act. He purposefully tells his disciples (three times), so that they may be prepared and understand that which is to take place. With this passage, we see Jesus on the doorstep of Jerusalem. His ministry is now nearly complete. His total focus bears heavily upon the events, which are to take place. For three years, Jesus ministered amongst his people. All that he had said and done pointed to this event. What did all the parables share in their meanings? Everything pointed to the good news of salvation and the gift of being a part of God’s kingdom. What did his miracles teach his people and us? Through them, God indeed heals them and us. But the healing goes much deeper. The new healing comes to heal the broken hearted and to rebuild broken lives. To those who heard and understood the hidden meanings in the parables and miracles, they came to believe. Many had come to know him and accept him as the Messiah, their Lord and Savior. My friends, we are entering into our Lenten Season. Our journey begins via the cross.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “F & G”.

Matthew 20:29-34 Dear friends, may God’s gift of hope be with you this day. Our devotional for today is Jesus’ healing of two blind men by the city of Jericho. In Matthew’s story, we see Jesus making his final approach to Jerusalem. Here the men who call out to him for mercy stop him. Coming to them, he asked them what they would like for him to do. They responded, "We want to see". In compassion and recognizing their faith in him, he touches their eyes and they are healed. In Matthew’s gospel, this is the last healing story recorded. But what a powerful story it is. The setting of the healing finds Jesus with his disciples leaving the city of Jericho. A large crowd surrounds them. This is the same crowd that follows him into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. In the midst of all the excitement, the blind men inquired what was happening. When told that it was Jesus, they cried out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us." In recognition of who Jesus was, they acknowledged for us a confession of faith, "Lord, Son of David". They knew who Jesus was. Even with the rebuke of the crowds, they called out to him. Jesus stopped and healed them. We are told that as soon as they were healed, they followed him into the city, singing Hosannas with the crowd.

I am reminded of a verse in a favorite hymn, "Just as I am". “Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; Sight, riches, healing of the mind; Yea, all I need, in thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

Like the blind men at the city gates of Jericho, we come this Lenten season before the Lord, asking for mercy. In compassion, Jesus hears our plea and heals us of our infirmities. There are many miracles that we have read about throughout the Gospel of Matthew. Many of which we can identify with. Here, for us, Jesus opens up our eyes, so that we may see who he is. This Jesus is the Messiah, our Lord and Savior, who frees us from our sin of blindness and opens our eyes to the promises of life that he offers. Thanks be to God.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “H”.

Week 3 Matthew 21:1-11

Dear friends, may God’s blessings be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. This passage marks the final journey of Jesus to the cross. His entry into the city begins with shouts of Hosannas by the pilgrims who walk with him into the city. In the Triumphant Entry of Jesus, he came as the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. Many in the crowd knew and accepted Jesus of Nazareth as that promised Messiah. These pilgrims proclaimed him as the King who comes in the name of the Lord. As Jesus entered into the city of Jerusalem, he declared that God’s kingdom had arrived. As Jesus entered the city Jerusalem, He openly declared who he was and is. His ministry of preparing his people for the coming of the kingdom is now complete. His glorious coronation through his journey to the cross was beginning to take place. For many, this was a glorious day. They waved their palm branches and sang, "Hosanna, Hosanna, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" For them, this was a time of celebration and their hearts were filled with joy. We are told that this event stirred the whole city and they asked, "Who is this?" And the crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee". On Palm Sunday, there was joy and celebration. But as the days progressed, the joy and celebration soon turned to sorrow. While he was in the city, Jesus was filled with sorrow. His desire for peace and acceptance of his message of salvation falls on deaf ears. In the chapters that follow the course of events in Matthew, the city and many within it turn to unbelief and chaos. This season is a time of preparation for us. In Jesus, we are the recipients of that promised kingdom. The events of Holy Week and the stories that follow now in the latter chapters of Matthew, describe these events. In the midst of this chaos, Jesus dies. For you. For me. For the world. For this reason, God sent his Son into the world. Thanks be to God.

Prayer Concern: Members Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “I & J”.

Matthew 21:12-22

Dear friends, may the gift of grace through our Lord be with you this day. For our devotional for today, we see Jesus in the city of Jerusalem. He had just successfully entered the city, triumphant as the King of kings. Matthew records this passage following his entry into Jerusalem. Here in Matthew, upon entering the city, Jesus moves to the area of the temple courtyard. There he witnesses first hand the abuse of the temple courtyard merchants. They had turned the very courtyard of the holy temple into a marketplace. In righteous anger, he turns over the money changers tables and cries out, "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. But you have made it a den of thieves".

Now the scene shifts. After spending the evening at Bethany (at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus), he journeys with his disciples to the city. Along the way, Jesus sees an empty fig tree. He curses it and leaves. His disciples question him how this could be. The response of Jesus quickly tells the story of what had taken place the day before. It was a harsh word of judgment upon the very leaders of the Jewish community. The time has come. Salvation and its gift are knocking at the door. During those three years, he continually called his people into repentance and called them into a direct relationship with God. For many, they heard the message; they repented and believed in him. However, there were many who did not hear the message, did not repent and did not believe. The many who rejected the message of Jesus, were the Jewish leaders. It is to these leaders, that the very words of Jesus are spoken.

We are in our Lenten Journey. As we understand our Lenten season to be a time of preparation for remembering our Lord final journey to the cross, these words of warning are also for us. We are taught to repent and believe in the gospel message of salvation. May the Spirit of God, draw unto faith in the One who came to save.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “K”.

Matthew 21:23-27

Dear friends, may the gift of love from our Lord be with you this day. Our devotional for today takes us into the city of Jerusalem and the temple courtyards. It is Monday of Holy Week. They had left Bethany and walked towards Jerusalem, upon which Jesus had cursed the fig tree. Now in the temple courtyards once again, Jesus is surrounded by the crowds of pilgrims who had assembled within the city for the celebration of the Passover. There, he once again takes the opportunity to teach about and preparing the people for the coming of God’s kingdom. As he was teaching, he was approached by the chief priests and scribes and questioned why he was teaching and by what authority he was doing so. Jesus recognizing their intent answers their question with a question. "John’s baptism, was it from heaven or from men? Tell me!" Before, they had questioned the authority of John the Baptist. During his ministry, they had disregarded the credentials that he had. They rejected his message, which directly pointed to Jesus as the Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. They in their denial of the ministry of John, which pointed to Jesus, owed the people an answer. Was John’s baptism, (which is commissioning) from heaven or from men? If they responded from heaven (from God), the people would ask, "Why didn’t you accept his message?" If from men, they would offend the people who believed that John was a great prophet. So they responded, "We do not know". Jesus responded, "Then neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things". The very curse of the fig tree now comes to bear its mark upon the shoulders of the Jewish leaders. When Jesus entered into the city of Jerusalem, many of the pilgrims and members of the Jewish community asked, who is this Jesus of Nazareth? Where does his authority to preach, teach and heal come from? These questions are also our questions this Lenten season. In faith, we ask who he is. In faith, as we search the scriptures, we discover his claim. Then, we ask, what is my relationship to him, he who calls himself the Son of God?

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “L”.

Matthew 21:28-32

Dear friends, may the peace of God be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the parable of two sons. This parable is recorded only in Matthew. In the previous passage, the scribes question Jesus. They ask him, by whose authority he teaches and heal. As we read yesterday, in response to their question, Jesus asks them a question. We see that the scribes were unable to answer the question that Jesus places before them. He then tells them, that he will not tell them by whose authority he teaches and heals. This becomes the setting of the parable that he shares with them.

In the story, there are two sons. The father asked each of them to work in the vineyard. The first refused, but later changed his mind and went into the vineyard. The second son said yes, but did not go. Jesus asked, which one was obedient to the father? They said the first. Then Jesus places the parable against them, by disclosing the truth of the message, which had come before them through John the Baptist. Many members of the Jewish community had come to hear the message John presented. Among them were tax collectors and prostitutes. They are the ones who said that they would go their own way and they in the end took God’s way. They repented and believed. And many of the Jewish leaders came and also heard John’s message. They were the ones who had promised to obey God and did not. They did not believe John’s message, even when they saw the crowds believe. The parable before us, places a heavy emphasis on doing the will of God. What we profess to believe has no value if it is not translated into obedience. The parable teaches us that making the confession of faith is an important part of our lives. Yet, if we fail to act upon our confession in obedience to our Lord, then we simply fall short of obedience. Through this parable, we see that the Christian way is in performance and not promise. The mark of a Christian is obedience graciously and courteously given. May his Spirit guide us.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter "M".

Matthew 21:33-46

Dear friends, may the message of hope from God be with you this day. Our passage for today is the parable of the tenants. The setting remains the same. Jesus remains in the temple courtyard. In the last two devotions, members of the Jewish council had come to Jesus and questioned his authority to teach and heal. First, he told them the parable of the two sons. Now he tells them the parable of the tenants. Both of these parables are spoken against them and they begin to seek ways to arrest him. As we have read the parable, it speaks about the owner of the vineyard, who had provided caretakers to tend the vineyard. As he discovered, they were abusive and did not tend to the vineyard properly. When the owner sent his servants to collect the fruit, they seized them and killed them. The same with the son, even though the owner thought they would honor him. They plotted against him and killed him. Throughout Israel’s history, God had provided leaders to care for his people. They were in charge of the spiritual life of the people. Because of their abusive ways, God sent to them prophets (servants), which they rejected and killed. Jesus in his parable prophesied that they in turn would shortly do the same. This time it was not one of the prophets, but the Son himself. In the sadness of the parable, the vineyard is taken away from the tenants. Now the vineyard is given to a new spiritual nation, the Gentile community.

This parable calls for us to listen to the Son. He calls us to repentance and faith. He calls us in the midst of this faith, to live a life filled with fruitfulness, readily available to be harvested for the kingdom. At the same time, he calls us to be witnesses of the good news of salvation. He also calls us to be caretakers of those entrusted to our care. As members of his church, (his vineyard), this is our Lord’s call to us. Let us pray, that we may be faithful members of his vineyard, in our reception of the good news and in our witness to our neighbor.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter "N & O".

Week 4 Matthew 22:1-14

Dear friends, may the blessings from our Lord Jesus, be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the parable of the Wedding Banquet. In the latter part of Matthew’s gospel, we find a number of passages in which Jesus describes the end of times. Jesus shares these passages to his disciples and the crowds during the final days of his ministry. Jesus, we remember is in the temple courtyard in the city of Jerusalem and it is still Monday of Holy Week. There is a series of confrontations between Jesus and the leaders of the Jewish community. The last verses of the chapter 21, finds these leaders plotting a way to arrest him. Our passage today, finds Jesus addressing them about the great invitation that was extended to them.

In explaining the invitation to be a part of the heavenly banquet in God’s kingdom, and how all the previous invitations had been received, Jesus uses the parable of the Wedding Banquet. As we read through the parable, we see that many were invited. The king (God) sent servants (prophets) out with the invitations. We see that there were rejections; there was abuse and death. And the city was burned and destroyed. This was the case. We read in the latter part of 2 Kings, that indeed, Jerusalem was destroyed. Now the invitation is once again extended. Jesus (the servant) comes and extends the invitation. However, this time is it given to the poor, the outcast and the Gentile community. The banquet hall is filled. The dinner is served. Yet there is one who is not properly clothed. He is cast out.

As we continue in our Lenten season, once again we hear the invitation. Are we prepared to be receptive to the invitation? In accepting the invitation, one must be clothed properly. This "clothing" is the righteousness, which comes to us from our Lord Jesus and is acceptable to God. It is a gift of grace and is put on by faith. We are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. We are made pure and holy. Clothed with his grace, we are adorned for his heavenly banquet. Lent "clothes" us. Are we ready to dine at his banquet?

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter "P".

Matthew 22:15-22

Dear friends, may the assurance of our Lord’s gift of grace be with you this day. Our devotional for today shares the question of the loyalty between God and Caesar. The Pharisees and the Herodians place it before Jesus. They ask the question, "is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" hoping to trap Jesus by his response. Either way, they felt the response would either place a charge of blasphemy or treason. It was again, a desperate attempt on their part. Jesus’ response, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s", left them speechless and without grounds of either blasphemy or treason. What does this share with us today? Perhaps these thoughts come to mind. As members of the Christian community, we hold an unique place in this world. We are citizens of God’s world (kingdom) and we are citizens of this nation. As Christians, we hold loyalty and honor to God and to his creative world, which is governed by the people and those who are duly elected to serve in that governing position. As a Christian, we hold our love and honor to our Lord, because he is the King of kings and Lord of lords. As we love and honor him, we also uphold our love and honor to those who serve us. Surely then, as citizens we obey its laws that are set before us. We support our government with our prayers and our taxes. We assume the responsibility and obligations that help maintain the nation for the good of all people. By doing so, we honor our Lord Jesus. As Christian citizens of our Lord’s kingdom, we worship and adore him as Lord and Savior. We are obedient to his holy Word and we support his Church with our prayers and our gifts. Through him, we walk as members of the Christian community in his world order. That is why it is important for us as members of the Christian community to walk as Christians. As we serve our community in our work place, in our home and amongst our neighbors, we are in essence serving our Lord. How well we serve, is reflective of who we are and is also reflective of our relationship to our Lord.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “R”.

Matthew 22:23-33

Dear friends, may the promises of love be with you this day. For our devotional for today, the Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection, come to Jesus with false pretense and ask a question about resurrected life. In understanding this passage, we recognize the hypocrisy of the Sadducees and in reality, how desperate the leaders of the Jewish community are in trying to trap Jesus. They are weighing every comment, waiting perhaps for a slip of the tongue, so they could bring charges against him. That is what makes the question of resurrected life so out of line.

The Sadducees are members of the community who only follow the first five books of the Bible. They believe firmly in the Law of Moses, which also includes the provisions of brothers who marry their brother’s wife in order to provide a child for her (Deut. 25). This becomes the basis of the question. Now they propose this situation within the realm of resurrected life. Jesus sees through their pretense. How can they raise the issue of resurrected life, if it was not a part of their belief? Jesus moves to the heart of the matter, by asking them, "if you are experts of the Law of Moses, how can you say there is no resurrection? Have you not read what God said to Moses, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?" The question is not of marriage in resurrected life as much as it is about resurrected life itself. That becomes the question for us as well. Resurrected theology is an acknowledgment of new life. This new life is through and with the living God. He is the God who is distinctive above other gods. He is the God of the living. This is what makes the Lenten season so powerful. Here, we explore the God who comes to be with his people. His journey to the cross enables us to receive the gift of forgiveness and in his resurrection, the promise of new life. That is resurrected life. It is an eternal life. It is a new identity and a new eternal relationship with him in his kingdom. Thanks be to God.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “S”.

Matthew 22:34-46

Dear friends, may the peace of God be with you this day. Our devotional for today brings yet another question by the Pharisees. This time they ask, of all the commandments, which of them is the greatest? As we have read these passages, we recognize that the Pharisees are structured in their faith and in their practice. The law codes are broken down into various forms of faith and practice. In fact, there are 613 individual law codes. In their practice, they divided the law codes into different groups. Through this background, they attempt to test and trap Jesus once again. Jesus responds to the question. His response is known as the Shema, which is taken from Deuteronomy 6:4. In the Hebrew, it means to "hear". This Shema became the Jewish confession of faith. Look at their confession of faith. "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength". This passage is the center of Jewish faith. It acknowledges who God is and the response to God. To answer in this manner, is to make confession of one’s total being. Jesus then added the commandment to love one’s neighbor. This passage quote is from Leviticus 19:18. It shows that love for neighbor is a natural and logical outgrowth of love for God. Loving God also loves one’s neighbor. During this Lenten season, we are drawn into that love relationship with our God. In his great love, he recognized that to heal the broken relationship with his people and to draw them back into a new and right relationship, he would have to come and live amongst his people. He recognized, that there would need to be a Savior to destroy all the forces of evil and Satan himself. This act would bring the relationship with his people back together once again. He also recognized that this would need a supreme sacrifice. In that plan, he would send his Son. Our Lenten confession of faith, that this Jesus is our Savior, God’s Son. Therefore, we too confess our love to God, with heart, soul, mind and strength for this great gift.

Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last names begin with the letter “T & W”.