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April 2022

LENT JOURNEY | EASTER

By |2022-04-09T07:15:30-05:00April 17th, 2022|GodConnect|

Philippians 3:10-11 | I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

EASTER SUNDAY

DAILY THOUGHT: RISING WITH CHRIST (PHILIPPIANS 3:10)
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! This Easter greeting reminds us that God’s action in raising Christ from the grave is the bottom line of our faith. This is staggering good news. No faith would be more tragic, no belief more futile, than Christianity without its risen Lord. The resurrection has many meanings for our lives today. Jesus is present with us as our living Friend. He is available to each one of us in our struggles with despair and hopelessness. Death has been defeated. Above all, we too can rise with him into new life if we are willing to die with him. May the words of Paul be our prayer today: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death…” (Philippians 3:10)

DAILY PRACTICE:
Begin with the daily prayer request. Commit the above verse above to memory. Spend today in as celebrative way as possible. The circumstances of your life may make this very difficult, especially if you have suffered loss recently. Still, as you are able, enter into the joy of the risen Lord. Wear bright clothes, greet others warmly, enjoy special meals, offer a toast to the power of God over the grave, make contact with family and friends and give thanks for them. Celebrate the mystery of our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! We are Easter people living in a Good Friday world.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | HOLY SATURDAY

By |2022-04-09T07:11:01-05:00April 16th, 2022|GodConnect|

Psalm 38 | LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away. Those who want to kill me set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they scheme and lie. I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, like the mute, who cannot speak; I have become like one who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. LORD, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God. For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.” For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. Many have become my enemies without cause; those who hate me without reason are numerous. Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good. LORD, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.

 

HOLY SATURDAY

DAILY THOUGHT: LAMENT
It is not easy for us to grasp the anguish of Jesus’ followers and family the day after his crucifixion. Holy Saturday must have been for them a day of painful lament. Lament is the prayer-language of those who bring their suffering to God. Lament cries out to God, asks God difficult questions and protests against the unjust suffering around us. However, lament is never an end in itself. Because our faith is in the living God, we lament always in the knowledge that God hears our cries and will act with goodness and mercy. We know this because we have read the Psalms, learnt the history of the people of God and listened to the God-forsaken cry of the Crucified One who now lives beyond crucifixion.

DAILY PRACTICE:
Pray the daily prayer request. Learn today for yourself the prayer-language of lament. Read today two Psalms of lament: Psalms 38 and 88. Notice the raw language, the integrity of the Psalmist and how praise and lament often come together in the same Psalm. Find one or two lines from either of these Psalms, sentences that put into words how you sometimes feel in moments of anguish and grief, and speak these lines to God. You may want to follow this up by sharing with God the particular pain you are carrying in your heart right now.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | GOOD FRIDAY

By |2022-04-09T07:06:41-05:00April 15th, 2022|GodConnect|

John 12:24 | Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

 

GOOD FRIDAY

DAILY THOUGHT: DYING WITH CHRIST (JOHN 12:24)
Though Jesus’ death is unique, he invites us to die as well. Like a seed that is planted in the ground and dies, Jesus invites us to die to ourselves in order to bear good fruit. We are asked to lay our lives down in love so that we may be raised into new life. The breath-taking good news of Good Friday and Easter Sunday is that life comes out of death. To embrace resurrection-life we need to learn how to die. The big question facing us today as we journey to the Cross and the Empty Tomb is: “What do we need to die to today in order to enter more fully into the new life that Christ wants to give us?”

DAILY PRACTICE:
Begin with the daily prayer request. Commit the verse above to memory. Write down your answer to the question above on a small piece of paper, tear it up and bury it into the ground. Speak with the living Christ about what you have done and listen to what he may say to you. In your own words, tell him that you want to die with him so you may rise with him into new life.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | GOOD FRIDAY

By |2022-04-09T07:01:24-05:00April 15th, 2022|GodConnect|

John 12:24 | Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

 

GOOD FRIDAY

DAILY THOUGHT: DYING WITH CHRIST (JOHN 12:24)
Though Jesus’ death is unique, he invites us to die as well. Like a seed that is planted in the ground and dies, Jesus invites us to die to ourselves in order to bear good fruit. We are asked to lay our lives down in love so that we may be raised into new life. The breath-taking good news of Good Friday and Easter Sunday is that life comes out of death. To embrace resurrection-life we need to learn how to die. The big question facing us today as we journey to the Cross and the Empty Tomb is: “What do we need to die to today in order to enter more fully into the new life that Christ wants to give us?”

DAILY PRACTICE:
Begin with the daily prayer request. Commit the verse above to memory. Write down your answer to the question above on a small piece of paper, tear it up and bury it into the ground. Speak with the living Christ about what you have done and listen to what he may say to you. In your own words, tell him that you want to die with him so you may rise with him into new life.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | HOLY WEEK – 5

By |2022-04-09T07:03:22-05:00April 14th, 2022|GodConnect|

Mark 14:17-26 | When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?” “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

DAILY PRAYER REQUEST: Lord, may we know you more clearly, love you more deeply and follow you more closely.

DAILY THOUGHT: BETRAYAL (MARK 14:17–26)
Few experiences can be more painful than betrayal. Many of us know this from our own experience. In this unholy week leading up to his crucifixion, Jesus also experiences betrayal. Peter denies him. Judas sells him out. His friends desert him. Because of these betrayals Jesus’ enemies capture him. From that moment Jesus enters his passion and faithfully fulfils his calling as the Servant-King who lays his life down for all. Could not our betrayals also become for us moments to live more passionately into our calling as Christ-followers? What would it mean for you and me to move beyond our anger and bitterness towards those who have betrayed us?

DAILY PRACTICE:
Pray the daily prayer request. Read the story of Jesus’ betrayal in Mark 14:17–26. What strikes you most about the way Jesus responds to his betrayals? Bring today the pain of your own betrayals to God. How is God calling you to live with them? Consider your own faithfulness to others. Have you ever betrayed someone else? Talk about this with God and listen to what God may be saying to you. Realign your life again with the vows and promises that you have made to others.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | HOLY WEEK – 4

By |2022-04-09T07:03:07-05:00April 13th, 2022|GodConnect|

Mark 14:1-9 | Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

 

DAILY PRAYER REQUEST: Lord, may we know you more clearly, love you more deeply and follow you more closely.

DAILY THOUGHT: EXTRAVAGANT LOVE (MARK 14:1–9)
The scene of this unnamed woman pouring expensive ointment over the head of Jesus is an expression of extravagant love. Even though she gets criticized by those looking on, Jesus comes to her defense. He tells those who are doing the grumbling that she is doing something very special for him, but they don’t listen. She was showing her love for him in an uninhibited and demonstrative way while he was still with them. There is an invitation here for us too. We are invited to become extravagant in our loving, both in our relationships with the Lord and with those loved ones with whom we share our lives right now. How extravagant are we in our loving?

DAILY PRACTICE:
Begin with the daily prayer request. Read the gospel story about this encounter between Jesus and this woman for yourself (Mark 14:1–9). What strikes you most about this woman in this story? How do you feel towards her? Think of one way in which you can express extravagant love in the next twelve hours, either towards the Lord or towards some loved one.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | HOLY WEEK – 2

By |2022-04-09T07:02:53-05:00April 12th, 2022|GodConnect|

Mark 11:15–18 | On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

 

DAILY PRAYER REQUEST: Lord, may we know you more clearly, love you more deeply and follow you more closely.

DAILY THOUGHT: RIGHTING WRONGS WITH CHRIST (MARK 11:15–18)
The Jesus we meet in the Gospels is not always gentle, accepting and self-effacing. Sometimes he got really angry, especially when confronted with evil. One such moment was when injustice was taking place in the temple courts. You can read of how he took a whip, upset the tables and drove out the moneychangers in today’s Gospel reading. The idea that we should be quiet and passive in the face of evil is not the way of Christ. Of course, we cannot take on all the evil around us. But we can look around our communities and places of work and ask God to guide us and to show us where to take action.

DAILY PRACTICE:
Pray the daily prayer request. Read slowly Mark 11:15–18. What strikes you most about Jesus in this encounter? How do you respond to him here? What would it mean for you to resemble your Master where you live and work? Think about one area of evil that concerns you very much. It may be a personal vice that concerns you greatly, a corrupt situation at work, an injustice in the community that demands action. Talk with the Lord about it and ask him to show you how you can offer a faithful gospel response.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | HOLY WEEK – 3

By |2022-04-09T06:52:22-05:00April 11th, 2022|GodConnect|

Mark 12:13-17 | Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.

DAILY PRAYER REQUEST: Lord, may we know you more clearly, love you more deeply and follow you more closely.

DAILY THOUGHT: GIVING TO GOD WHAT BELONGS TO GOD
(MARK 12:13–17)
“Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” What does this verse mean for us? Surely, it cannot mean that we must split our lives into two parts – the “religious” part and the “social” part. This would mean that Christ-followers can never critique any political or economic policy, however oppressive or corrupt they may be. Certainly this verse about giving to God what belongs to God opens up many questions. Did Jesus mean that because we are made in the image of God, we owe all of our lives to God and we need to surrender them totally and completely to God in the same way that we need to pay taxes to the government because that is what is due to them? This could certainly be part of what Jesus meant. Let us pray that God will help us to understand what is at the heart of this command that we may give ourselves fully to our true Servant-King.

DAILY PRACTICE:
Begin with the daily prayer request. Read the full story in which this command by Jesus is placed. (Mark 12:13–17) Reflect on your life today: What “parts” of your life do you tend to keep from God? How may God be inviting you into a fuller surrender of your life at this moment? Cup your hands, as if you were holding your whole life in them, and abandon yourself to God with these words: “Into your hand, Lord, I commit my life.” Throughout the day, especially in challenging situations, repeat this prayer again.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | HOLY WEEK – 1

By |2022-04-09T06:46:36-05:00April 10th, 2022|GodConnect|

Mark 11:1-11 | As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ” They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

DAILY PRAYER REQUEST: Lord, may we know you more clearly, love you more deeply and follow you more closely.

PALM SUNDAY

Daily Thought: Taking A Stand (Mark 11:1–11)
There will come moments for us as Christ-followers that we will need to take a stand. This is what Jesus did that first Palm Sunday. He makes a decision to enter Jerusalem. He offers his witness to God’s Kingdom in the Holy City. He enters the city in such a way that no one can ignore him. He takes on the messianic role, the role foretold by the ancient prophet Zechariah in the Old Testament. He comes humbly and vulnerably, riding on a donkey. This is how Jesus takes his stand. He does this because he knows that he is not alone. Lent is a good time for us, as his disciples, to identify where we need to take a stand. We too can know that we are not alone as we do this.

DAILY PRACTICE:
Begin with the daily prayer request. Read the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem in Mark 11:1–11. What strikes you most about the way Jesus takes his stand? How do you respond to him? Consider today where God is calling you to take your stand for your deepest convictions. Perhaps you can practice for this moment by doing something courageous today. Know that you are not alone, so lean into the reality of God’s presence with you. Courage and faith are always needed if we are going to follow in our Master’s footsteps.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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LENT JOURNEY | LENT IS FOR SHARING – 7

By |2022-03-26T05:04:40-05:00April 9th, 2022|GodConnect|

John 3:16 | For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Matthew 6:1-4 | “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

DAILY PRAYER REQUEST: Lord, help me become more generous.

DAILY THOUGHT: A GENEROUS GOD
Has it ever struck you how generous God is? To begin with, God has given you and me the unrepeatable gift of our lives. In addition, not only has God created us, God has also given us all the gifts of this world to enjoy and to share. But God’s generosity does not stop here. God has also poured his love out to us in and through Jesus Christ. This is the staggering extravagance of the broken-open heart of God. As gospel writer John puts it: “For God so loved this world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Will you today allow your heart also to be broken open by this generous God?

DAILY PRACTICE:
Pray the daily prayer request. Today take time to meditate on the generosity of God. One simple way in which to do this is to look at the cross. As you do this, open your closed heart to receive the generous love of God. Here is a prayer you can say aloud: “Lord God, thank you for all your gifts. Thank you for the gift of my life and the lives of my loved ones. Thank you for all the gifts of creation that come to me freely each day. Most especially, thank you for the gift of your love shown on the cross. Please break open my closed heart that your generosity may flow through me.”

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics. W
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