Lent Devotional 2021 - Pittsburg - Flipbook - Page 12
along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second
sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
DEVOTIONAL
In many of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ healings, Jesus
heals face to face, taking the hand of a sick girl, or telling
a paralytic to pick up his mat and walk. But our passage
today is different. Jesus assures the royal official, whom he
meets in Cana, that his sick son, who is in Capernaum, “will
live.” Although the official wants Jesus to come with him to
Capernaum and heal his son in person, Jesus doesn’t offer to
take the detour. Instead, he offers a word of promise, and the
official is left to “walk by faith and not by sight” and journey
home alone. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to
him and started on his way. Upon returning to Capernaum,
the official discovers that, sure enough, his son was healed
the previous day right when Jesus proclaimed it would be so.
The life of faith is often lived in the interim between promise
and fulfillment. When we see God’s promises fulfilled, we
celebrate and give thanks, as we should. Yet we don’t always
reflect on how long we waited to see the promise fulfilled.
And when we are in the midst of waiting on a promise, we
don’t always reflect on the times we’ve seen God fulfill other
promises. There’s no escaping it: faith is a waiting game.
The good news is that many who have gone before us have
“started on their way” trusting that God’s word would be
fulfilled. May we join that great cloud of witnesses this day—
and continue on our way with the hope that God is faithful
still.
PRAYER
Faithful God, we give you thanks that your word does not
return to you empty. Give us patience and faith to wait upon
you, trusting that your promises are sure, even when the best
is yet to come. We pray in Christ’s name, Amen.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021
The Rev. Minh Towner ’13
SCRIPTURE
Jeremiah 3:6-18
6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: Have you
seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went
up on every high hill and under every green tree, and played
the whore there? 7 And I thought, “After she has done all
this she will return to me”; but she did not return, and her
false sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries
of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a
decree of divorce; yet her false sister Judah did not fear, but
12 Lent Devotional 2021
she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took
her whoredom so lightly, she polluted the land, committing
adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her false
sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but
only in pretense, says the LORD. 11 Then the LORD said to
me: Faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false
Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north,
and say: Return, faithless Israel, says the LORD. I will not look
on you in anger, for I am merciful, says the LORD; I will not
be angry for ever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt, that you
have rebelled against the LORD your God, and scattered your
favors among strangers under every green tree, and have
not obeyed my voice, says the LORD. 14 Return, O faithless
children, says the LORD, for I am your master; I will take you,
one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to
Zion. 15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who
will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And
when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those
days, says the LORD, they shall no longer say, “The ark of
the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind, or be
remembered, or missed; nor shall another one be made.
17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the
LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of
the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly
follow their own evil will. 18 In those days the house of
Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall
come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your
ancestors for a heritage.
DEVOTIONAL
We live in a world that encourages us to be independent,
self-reliant. With an attitude of entitlement, we work hard
to pursue the world’ view of happiness to meet our fleshly
desires. No matter how hard we try, failure is inevitable, and
disappointment follows. We question God when things don’t
turn out favorably for us. We even question God’s existence,
or we live wearing a mask pretending who we are not.
God knows our imperfection. God knows us more than we
know ourselves. We are “faithless Israel . . . false Judah.”
We are sinners, but God still loves us unconditionally. God
is calling us “return” to him no matter what. The desire of
God’s heart is to care for us, even though we are sinners,
as long we truly repent. If we do so, his promise will be
delivered as he has said : “I will give you shepherds after my
own heart.” In Isaiah 40 God says to his people, “I will save
you. I have called you by name—you are mine”—a promise
that today also holds true for us.
PRAYER
God of love, God of mercy, you know our weaknesses and
our sinful nature more than we know ourselves. We run after
our heart’s desire instead of being obedient and following
your will. We live our lives for this world and not for you. We
ask you for your forgiveness. Thank you for your unfailing