Lent: April 16

Isaiah 60:17-22

¹⁷ Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
   instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood, bronze,
   instead of stones, iron.
I will appoint Peace as your overseer
   and Righteousness as your taskmaster. 
¹⁸ Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
   devastation or destruction within your borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation,
   and your gates Praise.

God the Glory of Zion

¹⁹ The sun shall no longer be
   your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
   give light to you by night;
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,
   and your God will be your glory. 
²⁰ Your sun shall no more go down,
   or your moon withdraw itself;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
   and your days of mourning shall be ended. 
²¹ Your people shall all be righteous;
   they shall possess the land for ever.
They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands,
   so that I might be glorified. 
²² The least of them shall become a clan,
   and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the Lord;
   in its time I will accomplish it quickly. 

Psalm 146 Isaiah 60:17-22 Matthew 9:27-34

Lent: April 15

JOb 13:13-19

¹³ ‘Let me have silence, and I will speak,
   and let come on me what may. 
¹⁴ I will take my flesh in my teeth,
   and put my life in my hand. 
¹⁵ See, he will kill me; I have no hope;
   but I will defend my ways to his face. 
¹⁶ This will be my salvation,
   that the godless shall not come before him. 
¹⁷ Listen carefully to my words,
   and let my declaration be in your ears. 
¹⁸ I have indeed prepared my case;
   I know that I shall be vindicated. 
¹⁹ Who is there that will contend with me?
   For then I would be silent and die.

Psalm 31:9-16 Job 13:13-19 Philippians 1:21-30

Lent: April 14

Psalm 31:9-16

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
   my eye wastes away from grief,
   my soul and body also. 
¹⁰ For my life is spent with sorrow,
   and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
   and my bones waste away. 

¹¹ I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
   a horror to my neighbours,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
   those who see me in the street flee from me. 
¹² I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
   I have become like a broken vessel. 
¹³ For I hear the whispering of many—
   terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
   as they plot to take my life. 

¹⁴ But I trust in you, O Lord;
   I say, ‘You are my God.’ 
¹⁵ My times are in your hand;
   deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. 
¹⁶ Let your face shine upon your servant;
   save me in your steadfast love.

 1 Samuel 16:11-13 Philippians 1:1-11

Lent: April 13

Matthew 22:23-33

The Question about the Resurrection

23 The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, ²⁴‘Teacher, Moses said, “If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.” ²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. ²⁶The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. ²⁷Last of all, the woman herself died. ²⁸In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.’

29 Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. ³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ³¹And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ³²“I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.’³³And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

Psalm 143 Jeremiah 32:1-9, 36-41 

Lent: April 12

Ephesians 2:1-10

From Death to Life

2You were dead through the trespasses and sins ²in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. ³All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us ⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ⁹not the result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

 Psalm 143 2 Kings 4:18-37 

Lent April 11

Psalm 143

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

A Psalm of David.
¹ Hear my prayer, O Lord;
   give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
   answer me in your righteousness.
² Do not enter into judgement with your servant,
   for no one living is righteous before you. 

³ For the enemy has pursued me,
   crushing my life to the ground,
   making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
⁴ Therefore my spirit faints within me;
   my heart within me is appalled. 

⁵ I remember the days of old,
   I think about all your deeds,
   I meditate on the works of your hands.
⁶ I stretch out my hands to you;
   my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
          Selah 

⁷ Answer me quickly, O Lord;
   my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
   or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
⁸ Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
   for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
   for to you I lift up my soul. 

⁹ Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
   I have fled to you for refuge.
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
   for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
   on a level path. 

¹¹ For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
   In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
¹² In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,
   and destroy all my adversaries,
   for I am your servant.

Also: 1 Kings 17:17-24 Acts 20:7-12

Lent April 11

Psalm 143

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

A Psalm of David.
¹ Hear my prayer, O Lord;
   give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
   answer me in your righteousness.
² Do not enter into judgement with your servant,
   for no one living is righteous before you. 

³ For the enemy has pursued me,
   crushing my life to the ground,
   making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
⁴ Therefore my spirit faints within me;
   my heart within me is appalled. 

⁵ I remember the days of old,
   I think about all your deeds,
   I meditate on the works of your hands.
⁶ I stretch out my hands to you;
   my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
          Selah 

⁷ Answer me quickly, O Lord;
   my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
   or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
⁸ Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
   for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
   for to you I lift up my soul. 

⁹ Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
   I have fled to you for refuge.
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
   for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
   on a level path. 

¹¹ For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
   In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
¹² In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,
   and destroy all my adversaries,
   for I am your servant.

Also: 1 Kings 17:17-24 Acts 20:7-12

Lent April 10

Romans 8:6-11

⁶To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, ⁸and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also throughhis Spirit that dwells in you.

Also: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 11 John 11:1-45

Lent April 9

Luke 24:44-53

44 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

Also: Psalm 130 Ezekiel 36:8-15 Luke 24:44-49

Lent April 8

Revelation 11:15-19

The Seventh Trumpet

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
   and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever.’

16 Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshipped God, ¹⁷singing,
‘We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty,
   who are and who were,
for you have taken your great power
   and begun to reign. 
¹⁸ The nations raged,
   but your wrath has come,
   and the time for judging the dead,
for rewarding your servants, the prophets
   and saints and all who fear your name,
   both small and great,
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.’

19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. 

Psalm 130 Ezekiel 33:10-16 Revelation 11:15-19

Lent April 7

Psalm 130

Waiting for Divine Redemption

A Song of Ascents.
¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. 
²   Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
   to the voice of my supplications! 

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
   Lord, who could stand? 
⁴ But there is forgiveness with you,
   so that you may be revered. 

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
   and in his word I hope; 
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
   more than those who watch for the morning,
   more than those who watch for the morning. 

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord!
   For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
   and with him is great power to redeem. 
⁸ It is he who will redeem Israel
   from all its iniquities.

Psalm 130 Ezekiel 1:1-3; 2:8—3:3 Revelation 10:1-11

Lent April 6

Matthew 9:27-34

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’ And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, ‘See that no one knows of this.’ But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district.

Jesus Heals One Who Was Mute

 After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.’ 

Psalm 146 Isaiah 60:17-22 Matthew 9:27-34

Lent: April 5

Colossians 1:9-14

 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Also: Psalm 146 Isaiah 42:14-21 Colossians 1:9-14

Lent:

Psalm 146

Praise for God’s Help

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
² I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
   I will sing praises to my God all my life long. 

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
   in mortals, in whom there is no help.
⁴ When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
   on that very day their plans perish. 

⁵ Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the Lord their God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
   the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
⁷   who executes justice for the oppressed;
   who gives food to the hungry. 

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
⁸   the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
   the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the strangers;
   he upholds the orphan and the widow,
   but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 

¹⁰ The Lord will reign for ever,
   your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Also: Isaiah 59:9-19 Acts 9:1-20

Lent: Sunday April 3rd

When I was growing up we called this Psalm 23 our family Psalm.  We often recited it as a family especially during our family devotion on Sunday mornings.  My father would explain to us what it all meas.  I remember loving this Psalm even as a child.  As I became an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), I realize that most of the time people use this Psalm at funerals and memorial services and I also remember protesting by saying , "this is not a funeral Psalm! It is a Psalm for all occasions!!!" Please do read on and think about it for your selves.  It is not a funeral Psalm!

Psalm 23

The Divine Shepherd

A Psalm of David.
¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 
²   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters; 
³   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake. 

⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me. 

⁵ You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows. 
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

Also: 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41

Lent:

John 1:1-9

The Word Became Flesh

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

Also: Psalm 23 1 Samuel 15:32-34 

Lent: Friday April 1st

Ephesians 5:1-9

5¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ²and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Renounce Pagan Ways

3 But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. ⁵Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷Therefore do not be associated with them. ⁸For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— ⁹for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.

Also: Psalm 23 1 Samuel 15:22-31

Lent: Thursday the 31st

Be kind to one another... says part of today's scripture reading.  How do I practice that today? I drove my husband to his very first Colonoscopy appointment.  I started reading this book called "The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith" during his procedure and prayed a few times.  And then I brought him home.  And then I fed him plain rice mixed with butter and sugar. Put him to take a good long nap while I cook what he requested, "chicken stew with dicon radish".  See the picture below.  

Will ate very well.  After he took a shower, together we visited Elizabeth, a good friend and shared the stew with her.  She is a later eater.  In turn, she offered us her home made waffles which we ate with tea as she ate the stew we brought to her with noodles. It feels good that I could be kind to my husband and my friend, today.

 Prayer: Great God, thank you for you love and kindness to me today and every day.  Help me to be kind to others whom you put in my life.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

Ephesians 4

4

25 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another. ²⁶Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷and do not make room for the devil. ²⁸Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. ²⁹Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up,^* as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. ³¹Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, ³²and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.^*

Also Psalm 23 1 Samuel 15:10-21

Lent: living water

John 7:14-39

14 About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. ¹⁵The Jews were astonished at it, saying, ‘How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?’ ¹⁶Then Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. ¹⁷Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. ¹⁸Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.

19 ‘Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?’ ²⁰The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?’ ²¹Jesus answered them, ‘I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. ²²Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. ²³If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? ²⁴Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement.’

Is This the Christ?

25 Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? ²⁶And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? ²⁷Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’ ²⁸Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. ²⁹I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.’ ³⁰Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. ³¹Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?’

Rivers of Living Water

37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, ³⁸and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” ’ ³⁹Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Psalm 81 Jeremiah 2:4-13 John 7:14-31, 37-39

Lent: Drinking from the spiritual rock, Christ.

I Corinthians 10:1-4

Warnings from Israel’s History

10I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, ²and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³and all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

Also: Genesis 29:1-14