Radio Zimbabwe
Read: Mark 13:10
My grandmother's radio, sitting on top of her refrigerator in Fort
Wayne, Indiana, was tuned every Sunday morning to The Lutheran Hour. Her
church worship was enriched by the Gospel message she heard over the
early-hour airwaves. My father continues the radio tradition, tuning in
to The Lutheran Hour at daybreak, and so do I, with a twist: I read the
Lutheran Hour sermon by e-mail.
In church on Sundays, I worship with another Lutheran Hour listener:
my friend and her son from Zimbabwe. She tells of visiting her German
neighbors in Harare, whose powerful radio picked up stations in South
Africa. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice; she was listening to The
Lutheran Hour. She had listened while studying in the United States, but
her own radio was not strong enough to pick up the broadcast when she
returned home. "I was so excited, I told them, 'Don't turn the
dial,'" she said. "Every week, I would go to their house to
listen."
A half-world away, we tuned together to The Lutheran Hour. The Gospel
we heard there and from the pew shaped our hearts and lives to follow
Christ to this same ministry in Selma. Today we together worship our
Savior, under whose cross we sit, and in whose name salvation is
preached mightily around the world to generations of listeners.
Prayer: Risen Lord, You tell us to "go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit." Thank You for those who follow Your call.
Amen.
Response: Tune in and turn someone else on to The Lutheran
Hour. 
Troubles
Read: John 16:33
A faith-filled Christian in our Mississippi neighborhood talked about
always going to God in troubles. He had seen many: his arms bore scars
from burns, his heart was weak, and he had experienced terrible racism.
"All of us know troubles," he said. "We are either in
trouble right now, we just got out of trouble, or we are heading toward
it."
At first I thought he was a pessimist or that I, as a Christian, was
exempt. But God's Word tells me my neighbor was right. David writes
"a righteous man may have many troubles" (Psalm 34:19). Jesus,
perfect Son of God, knew there would be troubles in this world.
Sickness, job loss, wayward children, disloyal friends, natural
disasters are just some of the troubles we face in this sinful world. So
He promised peace—His peace.
Troubles hit hard and seem impossible when we try to handle them on
our own. My neighbor knew that we need God's Spirit-filled strength to
tackle tough times. Through the Sacraments, we are filled with the power
to face the world's troubles. Martin Luther recognized the
trouble-quotient of life: "We should be happy in the present in
such a way that you remember also the day of adversity."
Trouble is part of this world; but during Lent, we take heart as we
remember that Christ in resurrection has overcome the world.
Prayer: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort
others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. Amen.
Response: Claim Christ's peace (see John 14:27) in the midst
of trouble.
Candy Christian
Read: 1 Peter 2:2-3
I was taking some children home from Bible Club when one of them asked
for another piece of candy. I knew she had lots of snack foods at home and
did not need more candy; I said no. "You're not a very good
Christian," she replied.
I'm not sure exactly how I responded. Maybe I explained that Christian
love is not demonstrated by candy distribution. Perhaps I told her that
"being a Christian" is a faith-gift from God in Jesus, not found
in bubble gum wrappers. Maybe I said that what you want isn't always good
for you.
However, since then, I have caught myself in her dilemma. I want what
tastes good, not necessarily God's good. I want to decide what is best for
me and when I don't get it, I blame God for not loving me. God's will for me—
forgiving wrong, loving enemies, sharing the Gospel, helping the helpless—
requires a selflessness that runs flat up against my inherent selfishness.
God gives perfect gifts to His children, as He gave His Son to us for
forgiveness of sins and eternal life. During my Lenten fast of sweets, I
remember that my cravings are not always—or ever—healthy. Denying these
small desires is a way to relinquish other substantive desires and remain
squarely within God's good will. Help me, Lord, to echo the psalmist's cry:
"How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my
mouth" (Psalm 119:103).
Prayer: Sweet Savior, fill me up with a desire to serve only You!
In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Response: Put a piece of candy on your table to remember God's
sweetness.
Worship on Wednesdays
Read: Psalm 5:7
Every Lent I look forward to worship on Wednesdays. Midweek services help
me focus on Christ and His Lenten journey in the midst of business and
busy-ness. An hour's worship half-way through the week is an important
interruption: a spiritual boost.
However, I notice by the third week, I am no longer so keen about
Wednesday worship. It becomes inconvenient; if I work late, I get to church
hungry and tired. If I go home first, I have to rush. Yes, the special
service throws off my whole week.
While making a mad dash from work to church one Wednesday, I realized how
skewed my perspective had become. Less than half-way through the 40 days of
Lent, I was already whining about one extra hour I spend at church. Clearly
it was time for change. In the silent sanctuary, I confessed my hurried
impatience and half-hearted intentions. I released my world weariness,
seeking God's quiet peace. As darkness curtained the windows, I reflected on
the cross and Christ's sacrifice for my sin.
Waiting for the first chords of the organ, I saw my family of faith
around me, a smaller, more intimate group, in work clothes, uniforms. I
welcomed their quiet camaraderie. The deeply reflective hymns mirrored my
feelings. The special liturgy awakened my spirit. Worship on Wednesdays is
like coming home, reminding me of the values I learned in childhood, when
church was not optional. Midweek services give me the opportunity to follow
Jesus out of commitment, not convenience.
Prayer: I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the
house of the Lord." Amen
Response: Give an extra hour back to God this week.
Breathing Lessons
Read: Job 33:4
Jawund is an active nine-year-old who loves sports and 'xplorin',
something easy to do with woods and cousins all around. But Jawund's lungs
cannot keep up with his energy. Often he is forced to bed with medicine and
a breathing machine. Jawund has asthma.
Watching his small body struggle for air, I am reminded of a prayer we
often hear in the rural South: "Thank You, Lord, for waking me up this
morning and giving me the breath of life." At first I was unimpressed
with this simple, familiar prayer. Then I listened to a little boy wheezing
and gasping for air.
The prayer, I realized, is a great way to start the day. In it God leads
me to recognize the one who is the author of life, from the first breath He
breathed into Adam (see Genesis 2:7). God's breath sustains us through His
Word, which is God-breathed (see 2 Timothy 3:16), and through the Holy
Spirit, which Christ breathed on the disciples (see John 20:22).
During Lent, we remember the suffering Savior, who for our sakes
"breathed His last" (Mark 15:37). His victory over death means
that He will be with us even after our last breath leaves our body.
Just for today, I will practice a new Lent tradition. Each hour, I will
pause. As I breathe in and out, I will remember: Every minute of every day I
am sustained by the very breath of God.
Prayer: Thank You for waking us up this morning, Lord, and
allowing us to see a new day. Thank You for the breath of life that sustains
us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Response: Listen to someone breathing for five minutes and praise
God!
As You Grow Older …
Read: Psalm 71:17-18
One way to know you are growing older is the number of conversations that
begin with, "As you grow older ..." These are not happy talks!
"As you grow older" is usually followed with a recitation of
troubles—failing eyesight, weight gain, muscle aches, dental troubles, and
so on. All yours, it seems, as you grow older.
Despite our culture's obsession with youth, growing older doesn't have to
depress us. We can see it as an opportunity to grow deeper in our faith.
"As you grow older," you can grow in your appreciation for
worship, morning devotions, prayer, the fellowship of believers. "As
you grow older," you can reflect on the years of God's steady hand in
your life and recite His saving grace.
Our Lenten journey begins with ashes, a reminder of our mortality due to
sin, a sure conviction that we are growing older, every one of us. But from
this beginning, we can grow through Lent into people who more deeply love
and revere our Lord, whose suffering and sacrifice we remember.
I may not like the discovery of another gray hair or wrinkle any more
than the next person, but I know that as I grow older, with God's grace, He
will help me grow wiser and kinder, more able to show others His timeless
love. I can echo David: "I was young and now I am old yet I have never
seen the righteous forsaken" (Psalm 37:25).
Prayer: Jesus, You are the same yesterday, today, and always. I
praise You! Amen.
Response: Count the ways you are growing better.
Gentle Hands
Read: Mark 10:16
I remember visiting my grandmother as a child. We would sit on her
couch, leaning into each other, and she would gently rub my arm while
telling me stories of her childhood. I remember many of her stories, but
even stronger is the memory of her gentle touch.
Our world is too often marked with violence: in our homes,
communities, and war-torn countries. Men's hands bruise, beat, and
pierce today and every day, as they did to our Savior. Yet Jesus gave
this world His gentle, loving touch, beginning with the youngest, most
vulnerable. The little children others tried to shoo away, Jesus reached
out to embrace, to touch, to bless.
Every Sunday I see Jesus' love for children re-enacted. Our pastor
reaches out to bless the children when they come forward with their
families during communion or when they leave after the benediction. His
affirming handshake and soft words of greeting offer a "gentle
touch" to us all, children of God.
Too often in my impatience, I neglect to give a "gentle
touch" to those around me. Sometimes my words bite, my look
rejects, my hands stay immobile, unused. How I need to recall my Lord's
love for others. I recall my grandmother's touch—love wearing skin.
During Lent, I see my bruised and beaten Savior, still reaching out,
offering love and forgiveness. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He touches
and heals the servant's ear (see Luke 22: 51). In Jesus, I find the
power to gently touch those around me.
Prayer: Wonderful Counselor, help me be completely humble and
gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love. Amen.
Response: How can you be gentle to someone today?
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