Happy Easter! Come Lord Jesus

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-4

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.
Revelation 22:20-21 

Revelation is a confusing book, but, in the words of theologian Craig Hill, it can be summed up in two words: God Wins! Believers in Jesus Christ can look with joy and anticipation to the future, when our risen Lord joins heaven and earth together. We know, with the certainty of a promise from Jesus Himself, that the glorious, amazing day described in Revelation 21:1-4 will someday come true. Every tear will be wiped away and we will finally live as God created us to live, totally within His will, reaching our full potential. Our prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus!" is a cry that that day comes soon! 

But it is also a cry for today. Our work now is to bring glimmers of this future glory to our present reality. We can only do this with the help of our living, risen Lord. As Christians, our task is to cry out, "Come, Lord Jesus!" at the face of injustice, poverty, heartbreak and anguish, and together with Christ reach out to offer righteousness, relief, solace and grace. Jesus asks to be invited into every place where His kingdom has yet to be realized, even the depths of our hearts. Come, Lord Jesus! 

Prayer: Thank you for Easter! Thank you that you rose from the grave! Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven! Come, Lord Jesus! In Your precious name I pray, Amen

* This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 39) - Sacred Moments

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Luke 24:28-32 

These two disciples (Cleopas who was Jesus' uncle, the brother of Joseph, and another disciple) came so close to missing Jesus! As they traveled to an inconsequential town, they chanced upon a stranger. After a compelling conversation, the stranger began to hurry on His way. It was only because of their strong urging that He stayed behind with them. They had no idea that they were about to witness a sacred moment. As Jesus broke the bread, they were able to recognize Him for the first time that entire day. The stories were true! Jesus had risen from the dead!!! As quickly as they comprehended the miracle before them, Jesus vanished, leaving them astounded. 

Isn't that how we often encounter the risen Lord in our lives? Sacred moments come upon us in unexpected places and times. Epiphanies and revelations catch us unaware, and as quickly as we recognize the presence of the Lord, the commonplace closes in again. God's presence is real, but elusive, always at the edge of our vision. Yet as fleeting as that moment was for the disciples,they would never be the same. Whenever we encounter Jesus in our lives, it is our personal Easter experience. When we recognize the living Christ, we are compelled to cry out with the disciples, "The Lord is risen indeed!"

Prayer: Lord Jesus, bless me with Easter moments, when I encounter Your presence in my life. I can't imagine a life lived without You. You are my Lord, my Savior, my Best Friend. In Your name I pray, Amen. 

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Good Friday Devotion - His Great Love For Use

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,  for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was the Son of God.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Luke 23:44-49 

After examining Jesus' last words in the Gospel of Matthew, today we read the Gospel of Luke. At first glance, they seem very different. Matthew's account is a cry of despair and abandonment, whereas Luke's version shows us Jesus' great trust in God and submission to His will. Yet both of them contain quotes from Psalms, so each psalm should be examined in its entirety to understand fully what Jesus was saying. Luke's quote is from Psalm 31:5. Psalm 31, like Matthew's Psalm 22, is a cry for rescue from persecution that ultimately turns to praise. Like Matthew's account, Jesus' death cry holds the promise of hallelujahs to come. 

Yet Luke's story asks us to linger a moment at the foot of the cross. A soldier who had mocked Him realized at the moment of His death that Jesus was righteous - not just merely innocent but loved by God. Imagine the shock and fear he must have felt when he realized what he had just done! Where could one who had just murdered the Son of God find hope and mercy? The beautiful old hymn says it best. Beneath the cross of Jesus is where we are all confronted with "the wonder of redeeming love and my unworthiness." 

Prayer: Lord, keep me at the foot of Your cross, aware of the incredible gift of Your love to me, a sinner. Help me to see anew, this Good Friday, the awesome wonder of what You did for me. May I be eternally grateful and never ashamed of You. I love You Jesus. In Your name I pray, Amen.

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Easter Devotion (Maundy Thursday) - The Cry of His Son

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
Matthew 27:45-50 

What a horrible cry for the Father to hear from His Son!!! How it must have torn the very heart out of God! Yet during His time on the cross, Jesus was the only person who ever was or ever will be truly God-forsaken. Jesus took on all of humanity's sins and suffered execution at the hands of human beings in order to break the power of evil in the world. Because God is the very antithesis of sin, at that moment, God had to turn from the heartrending cry of His only Son.  

Yet this cry is also the first line of Psalm 22. Take a moment to read through the psalm. It is an encapsulation of Jesus' execution, resurrection, and salvation of all of humanity (written hundreds of years before these events actually took place). Although God had turned away at the moment of Christ's cry, by calling out the beginning of the psalm, Jesus was letting all who would hear know that He knew the end of the psalm too. God would rescue Him from death itself!!! 

Through the cross, the world would undergo a radical transformation. Every human being, Jew and Gentile, born and unborn, would recognize the power and the grace of God. Hidden in Jesus' heartbreaking cry from the cross was the hope of all humanity. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach me to trust in the Father, even in the depths of despair. Father God, thank you for the incredible love that You have for us that would cause You to be willing to watch Your Son suffer and die for each of us. I praise You, thank You and love You with all my heart! In Your Son's name, Amen. 

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 36) - Total Forgiveness

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Luke 23:32-34

We've all struggled with forgiveness when we've been wronged. We know that God tells us to forgive, and we also know that forgiving others allows us to move forward and heal. But often our forgiveness is simply turning over the matter to God, trusting that God will hold them accountable for their sins. Even if we forgive, we sometimes take comfort believing that those who have hurt us will have to answer to God and be held accountable for what they have done.

But as Jesus hung on the cross in agony, He not only forgave those responsible for His execution, but asked that God forgive them too. His death on the cross was to be an atonement for all people, even those who had placed Him there to die. His forgiveness was not only personal, but cosmic. In the throes of excruciating death, Jesus asked that the biggest affront humanity had ever made to God be forgiven. 

This is the only reason we can dare to ask God for forgiveness for our sins. Forgiveness from God is a total cleansing, enabling us to stand as new creations, no longer accountable. Instead, our challenge is to live a new life of righteousness, dedicating ourselves to being true servants of Jesus Christ, the Savior who died for us. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me forgive others completely, as You have forgiven me. Help me to live a new life of righteousness, dedicating myself to being a true servant of Yours, Lord Jesus. Thank you for being my Savior. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 35) - The Horror of Gethsemane

Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
Luke 22:39-46 

Jesus' time in the garden is the most anguished description of prayer in all of Scripture. He was facing humiliation and an agonizing death, but there have been martyrs who have confidently gone to their executions, secure in God's love for them and in their eternity with Him in Heaven. Why then did Jesus suffer so much in Gethsemane? 

Jesus asked for "this cup" to be removed. Throughout Scripture, a cup has been the symbol of God's righteous anger against sin and rebellion. Because Jesus was about to take on the sins of all the world, He would feel the full force of God's wrath falling on Him. The one person who was the closest and most attuned to the will of God and who could feel God's wrath the most acutely would face it with more force and power than anyone had experienced or would ever experience it. The pain that Jesus feared was not physical, as horrible as that would be. It was not about what humans could do to Him, but about the intense pain of anger and alienation from the Father. 

This is the horror of Gethsemane that night. It is what Jesus suffered for you and me. We never will be forsaken by God, no matter what, because Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath for us. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I cannot even comprehend what You have done for me. Thank You for taking on God's wrath for my salvation. What I could never do, You did because You love me so much. I love you too, with all my heart! In Your Precious Name Lord Jesus, Amen. 

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 34) - Live By Grace

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 

Don't worry and be anxious. That sounds easy enough, but anxiety disorder is practically a natural addiction, affecting nearly one in eight adults in the United States. Anxiety is defined as worry about an unknown future event. When Paul wrote this passage, he was in prison facing a possible death sentence. While it would be natural to read about Paul's concerns over his own future, instead, his letters were full of concern for his fledgling churches. While he felt responsibility for them and cared deeply about them, he was positive and supportive, instead of allowing anxiety about them and about his own situation to cripple him. 

How did he do this? Simply put, Paul lived by grace. He turned all those things that could have worried him into a prayer list to bring before God, then he rested in the knowledge that the loving Creator of the universe knew his needs. He let go of unnecessary drama and petty difficulties that can consume people, instead, looking for opportunities to forgive and bless others. He didn't worry about pleasing other people, but focused on pleasing God. He recognized that God is the one in control of all future events and trusted in that knowledge. In so doing, he found that living by grace is living in a state of peace and joy, even in the most stressful situations. 

Prayer: Lord, calm me and teach me to live by grace. Help me to remember that You are in control of all future events and I can trust in that knowledge. May I have Your peace which passes all understanding. Thank You for being my God. In Jesus name, Amen

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink 

Happy Palm Sunday!

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, 
"Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 
"Blessed is the King of Israel!"
Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,
"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." 
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.  John 12:12-16

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  
Zechariah 9:9

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. 
They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice: 
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: 
"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!"  Revelation 7:9-12

Questions:
- Why was there a great crowd in Jerusalem? (they were celebrating the Feast of the Passover)
- What is Passover? (Passover is about how God had the Israelites put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts so that the Angel of Death would pass by them and not kill them)
- What part of Passover did Jesus represent?
- What part of the Old Testament did Jesus fulfill when He came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? (read Zechariah 9:9)
- What is this special day called by the Christian Church today? (Palm Sunday) Why?
- Read Revelation 7:9-12...What similarities do you see between when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and when we, some day in Heaven, will gather around Jesus and worship Him?
(great crowd/multitude, carrying palm branches, praising Jesus)
- How is the crowd different? (in Jerusalem - mostly Jews; in Heaven - people of every nation, tribe, people and language)

Thoughts:
As we celebrate Palm Sunday today, we should not only look back into the past, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem; but we should look forward to a day, in the future, when all those who have believed in Jesus as their Savior, throughout all of history, will stand around His throne and worship Him. But this time, there will be no Gethsemane or trials before Pilate or whippings or a cross waiting for Jesus. Instead, there will be year after year, century after century of enjoying life with our Lord and God. And praise God that there will be people in Heaven from every nation, tribe, language and people! What a joyous day that will be. May it come quickly!

Prayer:
We love you Jesus. Today, in our hearts, may we lift up palm branches and say to You:
"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

Song: Salvation Belongs to our God

Salvation belongs to our God
Who sits upon the throne
And unto the Lamb
Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks
Honor and power and strength

Be to our God forever and ever
Be to our God forever and ever
Be to our God forever and ever, Amen

And we, the redeemed shall be strong
In purpose and unity
Declaring aloud
Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks
Honor and power and strength

Here is a link with the music: Salvation Belongs to our God

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 32) - Unity of the Spirit

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6 

This passage comes toward the conclusion of the Letter to the Romans. One of Paul's great concerns in this letter was disagreements between the Jews and the Gentiles of the fledgling churches of Rome. This prayer is part of a longer passage appealing for understanding and unity, regardless of backgrounds. 

Often these verses are read as a call to ecumenicalism, or churches with different backgrounds worshiping together. While Paul would undoubtedly have encouraged this, it is only the surface of what he was requesting in this prayer. He is actually asking that believers learn to think about one another the way that Jesus thinks about them, a way entirely based in love. Every person on earth is loved by Jesus. He came to earth, died, and rose again for each individual person. If we look at everyone we meet as someone whom Jesus felt was worth dying for, then how can we treat them as anything but a brother or sister? Think how Jesus reached out to those on the edge of society, eating and drinking with sinners, healing lepers, and blessing the poor. There is no room for anything but a self-sacrificing, encouraging, and uplifting attitude among anyone claiming to have the thoughts of Jesus. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may I see others through Your eyes and learn to love them as You do. Help me to remember Your way of love, a way that brought You to the cross for the sins of every human being. Help me to reach out to every brother and sister in Christ, no matter what their background. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 31) - The Pathway to Eternity

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21 

In the first chapter of Genesis, God created the heavens, the earth, the animals, and, finally, human beings. As He rested, He pronounced all that He had made as supremely good. At that moment, before sin had entered the world, humanity made God happy.

We all know what happened next. After people learned to disobey God, both God and God's people have struggled to reach the peace and joy of Eden again. This was the reason that Jesus Christ came to earth - to guide humanity back to the joy of a full relationship with God. We're not there yet, but Jesus has shown us the pathway to the lives that we were created to live. 

What can we do to make God happy? Hebrews 11:6 says that it is impossible to please God without faith. The faith described in Hebrews is gutsy, demanding mercy, courage, and the risks that come from loving others and truly serving God. This intercessory prayers asks that God would use the power of Jesus Christ to bless the readers with exactly that kind of faith. With that blessing, both God and humanity will come a little closer to entering Eden again. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, equip me and my fellow believers with a courageous faith so that we may be pleasing to God. Thank you that You are leading me back to the joy of a full relationship with You. Help me Holy Spirit to follow the pathway that has been set out for my life. In Your Name Lord Jesus, Amen.

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 30) - Faithful Friends

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:3-8 

A friend writes "Phil 1:3" on the envelope of every letter she sends me. We have both grown in Christ as a result of our relationship. What a wonderful gift to know that I am being prayed for with thanksgiving! 

If Christians are the hands and feet of Christ, then those who help us grow in our faith are ambassadors that Christ Himself has sent to us. Think back to those people who have helped you understand the love and grace of Jesus Christ. How has God changed your life through their Christian actions? Paul's prayer is a reminder to not only thank those who have been significant in our spiritual growth, but to thank God for putting these people in our lives. So often when we pray for others, we petition God to fulfill specific needs for them. Paul's joyful prayer is one of gratitude for the deep blessings of Christian community. 

Because Christians are a community of believers, we have the chance to be blessings for others too. If we follow the will of God by encouraging others in faith, we are truly gifts from Jesus Christ to others on their own faith journeys. How wonderful to think that others may thank God for your impact in their lives! 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for those who have encouraged and strengthened my faith in You, whom I name before You now... In Jesus' name, Amen. 

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 29) - My Heart, Christ's Home

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21 

My husband and I recently moved to a new house. We had stayed in it several times before we moved, but it wasn't until we unpacked our belongings and added our personal touches that it became our home. Only then was it a place of comfort, where we truly belonged. In this prayer, Paul prayed that Christ would not just stay in the hearts of His followers, but that Christ would make a home in their hearts. Jesus would, in effect, redecorate their inner being so that it was a place where He would truly belong, built on a foundation of love. When one's heart is grounded in God's love - a love so overwhelming that it is incomprehensible - it is welcoming to Jesus. 

What could be more intimate than Jesus at home in your heart? These verses do not speak of a quick visit by Jesus. Instead, Paul prays for the Ephesians to commit to a deep, ongoing relationship with Christ. It means that they would allow Jesus to be at the very center of their personality, trusting Jesus as He guides them toward perfection. With Christ living in your heart, every day is a step closer to holiness. Every moment brings you closer to a sanctified life in Jesus Christ. 

Prayer: Lord, ground me in Your love and make my heart Your home! Help me to commit to a deep, ongoing relationship with Christ. May I allow Jesus to be at the very center of my personality, trusting Him as He guides me toward perfection. In His name I pray, Amen. 

* This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 28) - The Glory of God

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
John 17:24-26 

Jesus' death and resurrection did not end His engagement in the world. The final verse of His prayer says that Jesus' mission to reveal the love of God to humanity stretches forward and backward throughout time. The Word, or Logos, introduced in the first chapter of John, is the ultimate plan of God for the salvation of all people. Jesus, as the incarnation of this salvation plan, has been and will always be engaged with humankind. After His resurrection, His impact will be felt most profoundly through those who love and serve Him in the world. 

Just as Jesus came to the world to serve God, believers are called to live as Christ in service to the world. This is the nature of the glory that Jesus prays about. God glorified Jesus throughout His life on earth by entrusting Him to make God known. Now this job falls to Jesus' followers. They have the opportunity to experience the same glory that Christ experienced through service to God. Of course, that glory came with a heavy cost. But just as Jesus bore His cross for the sake of salvation, we, as followers of Jesus, are asked to carry our crosses for the sake of the Kingdom too. It is our honor and glory as servants of God. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me reflect Your glory in the world today. May I live as Christ in service to the world. Help me to carry my cross for the sake of Your Kingdom, just as Jesus did. In His name I pray, Amen

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (5th Sunday in Lent)

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." 
John 17:20-23

After praying for Himself and His disciples, Jesus expands His prayer to include all people who will come to know God through His story. Thus, we can read these verses as a direct personal intercession from the Son to the Father for you and for me! 

Jesus' deepest request for us is unity. He prays not only for the unity of the Kingdom people of God on earth, but for our unity with Jesus and God the Father. Jesus asks that we stand as a united front against the sin of the world, perfectly in tune with the desires of God, just as Jesus was a perfect reflection of God.

If we look at the church in the world, it seems that this unity is yet to happen. Christianity is splintered into at least forty major divisions and as many as forty-two thousand denominations. Only when Jesus comes again in glory to claim His kingdom will this prayer of one church be fully answered. But, if we look past denominations and at the heart of the people, the church becomes united every time it stands against evil. Every time Christians come together united in prayer and action for the lost, the orphan, those caught in sex trafficking or the slave trade, those sick and dying or in prison for their faith...then Jesus' prayer is seen in action.  

If we strive to be united with Jesus, then each of us will grow in His likeness. Our personal unity with Jesus Christ will expand to our community of believers. While theological divisions may continue to exist, if our hearts are all striving to be like Jesus, we will grow together into a powerful community for God.

Prayer: Jesus, teach us to grow together in faith, with You as our model. Help us to stand with our brothers and sisters in our communities and around the world as we speak up for the defenseless and as we fight tyranny and evil. May we be in You Lord Jesus so that the world may know that You love them. In Your name we pray, Amen. 

* This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 27) - Prayers for His Friends

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.  For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.  I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.  All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
John 17: 6-19

Early in Jesus' ministry, God entrusted twelve disciples to Jesus; and in this passage, Jesus prayed for their spiritual strength and safety and also for the community that they had created together. Jesus taught them about God, and they listened. They learned that Jesus had been sent to them from God. They came to understand God's desire for them in the world and started to adopt a new vision for their lives. They became unique and were about to be deeply challenged by living without Jesus in a world that did not understand them. Just as Jesus was about to suffer as one who challenged a worldly system that was not based on the kingdom of God, He knew that His followers would struggle living as God's people among those who still followed the dictates of human sin. 

Jesus prayed both for their protection and for their sanctification. He was deeply concerned that they remain "set aside" from corrupting influences while still remaining in the world to do God's work. He did not depend on the community that He built but trusted God to guard their future. Still today, the work of Jesus' community on earth depends on God's care, not on what we say or do. We exist today as the church because of the never-ending grace of God. 

Prayer: O Lord, strengthen and uphold Your kingdom people! Help us to adopt Your vision for our lives. Keep us set aside from corrupting influences while we do Your work in this world. We know that our future depends on you Lord God. In the name of Your Son Jesus, Amen

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink 

Preparing for Easter (Day 26) - The Glory of the Son

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

John 17:1-5 

This prayer is the theological climax of the Gospel of John. Jesus has said good-bye to His disciples and now turns to God, praying for Himself, His disciples, and the church as He prepares for His death and resurrection. Jesus will experience betrayal, humiliation, scorn, a painful execution, all God's wrath for the sin of the world piled on Him and lastly, rejection by God for a time. Yet in John's Gospel, His prayers are all about glory. In this prayer, Jesus is not focused on His death, but instead, looks to His resurrection as God's victory over sin and death. His resurrection will be glorious because it will prove His place as God's holy Son and will offer eternal life to all who know God through Him. He will return to His Father to live in the glory that He had to abandon by coming to earth. 

God tasked Jesus with nothing less than showing humanity the purpose of their creation. Jesus was incarnated to turn people's eyes back to God and to teach them how to live within the blessings of their Creator. At the evening of His betrayal, Jesus takes the cup that God had poured for Him - a cup full of bitterness and pain, but even more so, a cup of glory and salvation for the world. 

Prayer - Lord Jesus, thank You for the work You did on earth to glorify the Father, so that we may all know the one true God. Thank You that You showed us the purpose for our creation and how to live within God's blessings. You are amazing and I am so eager for Your return. I love you Jesus! In Your name, Amen 

*Devotions taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink