The Miracles of Jesus

John 2:1-11

The writer of the Gospel of John is identified only as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and his purpose for writing is given in chapter 20:30-31.  Throughout the Gospel, the word translated “miracles” means signs and they revealed various aspects of the person or mission of Christ.

Now the occasion of the first miracle – the third day (after the calling of Nathanael) there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee; the mother of Jesus was there and Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  Mary possibly had something to do with the arrangements for she was aware when the wine gave out.  When she came to Jesus to tell Him they had no wine, He said, “Woman, what do I have to do with you?  My hour has not yet come.”  It is very evident that His mother, knowing His heart, was not disturbed over His answer to her.  She turns to the servants and says to them, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

There were six water pots set there that were used for Jewish ceremonial cleansings.  They were all empty.  In obedience to Jesus, the servants filled them with water, drew some out to take to the headwaiter who tasted the water which had become wine.

In verse 11, we find significance of this miracle.  “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory and His disciples believed in Him.”  In chapter 1:14, we read that our Lord Jesus “was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  He, by whom all things came into being, the One who upholds all things through His power, came down into this world to suffer for our sins that we might be saved and have everlasting life.

Written by Jean Eaker 

(Jean sends her love & gives permission for this reprint.)

Give thanks...

Adult coloring books are everywhere these days.  Take some time to color the image below.  Meditate on the verse and talk to God while you color.  Then, share the finished project with us on Facebook!

God's plan vs. my plan

Proverbs 3:5-6

Think back for a minute to your elementary school days.  Do you remember what your response was when asked:  “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  My response was “an airline stewardess”, as they were called in the early 60’s.    

I made a covenant with God in my senior year of college.  It went like this:  “God, you know that I want to work in the church, and if you give me some time to fly; I will spend the rest of my life serving you there.”  I had also given myself a deadline by the end of the summer to get that job.  So, I began to contact every airline about a stewardess job; then a ticket agent job.  Nothing happened.

At the end of the summer I made a trip to NC, then packed up and moved back to work in a church.  A month later, I received a few phone calls from the airlines, which I had to decline.  Doesn’t God have a sense of humor! 

I realized that He had a different path for me than the one I had planned.  The wisdom in Proverbs reminds us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”

As we turn to the scriptures, we can find many figures who trusted God when they didn’t know what the outcome would be.

· Noah trusted and built an ark when the sun was shining.

· Joseph trusted when his brothers sold him into slavery.

· Moses trusted when God called him to lead his people from a life of slavery to the Promised Land.

· Rahab the prostitute trusted when God told her to hide the spies during the Israelite’s battle in Jericho.

· Mary trusted God when He told her she would give birth to the Son of God.

It turned out that God’s plan was much better than mine - I never looked back at what could have been and I have been blessed beyond measure!

PRAYER:

Loving God, Thank you for showing me daily how wonderful my life can be when I put my trust in you. Amen.

Written by Jeannie Hamrick

Always

Philippians 4:13

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, encourages the new Christians by basically saying anything is possible with Christ. I know Paul’s words have been very important in my life. There have been times that I wanted to quit something, and give up, but thought of these words, and said to myself, “If other people can do this, then, by golly, with God’s help I know I can do it too!” Whether it has been in school, college, military service, or in my work, I know He is always with me, and with His help I can find a way to do whatever it is. Like the saying goes, “ if you can’t go thru it, then go around it, and if you can’t go around it, then go over it.

There was a time in College when I had had a critique by a professor on a design project, and he thoroughly gave me a hard time and told me exactly what he thought of my design, and it wasn’t good! This was a time when I was doubting myself anyway, and rather low in spirit. I left later, and went back to my dorm, and thought about whether I was doing the right thing in College. Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be an Architect! Well, my conclusion was, you know what….I’m just as smart as the other guys, and if they can get through this time with this professor, then I can do it too! I’m not going to let this one guy cause me to quit on something that I feel so strongly about! I’m going to, with God’s help, survive this, and move on to the next challenge, whatever it is.

Jesus is always there for us, and we can discuss our challenges with Him, and He will always help us climb our mountain. I know I have tried to do things on my own many times, and not succeeded, and then remembered to call on Christ to help me. He is always there…..always.

PRAYER:

Jesus, we thank you for being there for us, and helping us achieve our goals, whatever they may be, whether big or small. We love you ……Amen

Written by Jim Kunkle

Parables

Mark 4:21-25, 30-34

A Lamp on a Stand

We have all heard the song “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” which relates to this verse but has a deeper meaning. I think that the light is supposed to be a gift that God has given us. This can be a talent or skill or anything that makes you special and different, which can be easy or hard to find in yourself. God asks us not to hide whatever talent or skill we have, He asks us to put it on a stand so that everyone can see.  After all, if you hide your talent or skill and don’t show it to anyone, what’s the point in having it?  He has said that He will repay you for opening up what you have proportionally and you will be given more to show.  So, what do you have to lose?  Go out and show what you have in the name of the Lord. 

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

If I were a disciple of Jesus at the time, at some point I would wonder, what is Heaven like?  It must be great, but what is it really like?  Of course there is no straight forward answer; there is a parable instead. This is a great parable, but also a very confusing one to me because the disciple asked about heaven and the answer was about a mustard seed. But, what I do get out of this is that heaven might be somewhat like earth, except that the small and seemingly useless things (like the seed) can grow to be great and large. I also believe that heaven will be the greatest thing imaginable on earth times 1,000.

PRAYER:

God, thank you for giving us a “light” to show and help us to let it shine bright where ever we go for everyone in your name. Also, thank you for parables; help us to understand them better every time we read them. Amen.

Written by Hayes Mabry

Beneath and above and through

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Again. We are here. Again. It is not just the again because of the cyclical nature of our liturgical calendar.  It is not just the again because of the rotation and revolution of our planet.  It is not just again like our daily habit of brushing our teeth.  It is not just again like our commute to work or school.  It is not just again like the laundry, the vacuuming, or emptying the trash.  It is the beneath and the above and the through—all these agains where life is.

The over and over again give us opportunities to experience and embody the relationship God gives to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  We hear, we read, these words from 2 Corinthians, " So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.... All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ... that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself..."

This flourish of theological insight Paul writes to the church in Corinth is in the midst of troubles. He retells the Good News about God's gift of reconciliation,  perhaps the heartbeat of Paul's words to this community of faith and to us,  in the middle of relationship angst and hurt. This timbre drums through this letter, this rather challenging letter.  Since two millennia have passed since the lives of Paul and the Christians in Corinth, the details of this one-sided communication are often difficult to interpret, but what we read and infer is that they experienced some difficulties among and between them. We, too, are familiar with this, our life together, our sin and our brokenness. 

In the midst of our brokenness, we reflect. In the midst of our sin, we repent. In the midst of our life together, we worship.  We gather together again in the sanctuary in the midst of struggles. We stand together again on the wooden floor in the midst of angst.  We pray together again in the midst of waiting and wondering.  We sing the Doxology in the midst of being reconciled and being made new again.

Written by Marja Houston

Life is Good

Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world.”  That is the beginning of my scripture choice.  How often we hear the word “light” in conjunction with the Trinity?  Our Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the light that surrounds us, the light that warms us, the light that guides us, the light that shines on our path, the light at the end of the tunnel…

Light is generally a positive symbol.  Being positive is medication within itself.  Currently I am reading Life is Good: The Book, which is written by the two youngest Jacobs brothers, masterminds behind the brand “Life is Good.”  Their t-shirts, hats and other 558 items sport the cute Bohemian man named Jake and have positive slogans that exemplify optimism.  The book has put a punctuation mark on my need to be more optimistic and to extract the positive from life on a larger scale.

I feel that I am a positive person, but life deals everyone some negativity at times.  It is my/our responsibility to shape negativity into positivity by relying more on our source of light, which is the positive symbol from our God, and to let the light become part of us so that we may be a beacon to others.  “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” (1 John 1:7)

When Alan and I were married in 1977, the soloist sang “You Light Up My Life” as part of our ceremony.  In choosing the song, we found special meaning in the words as it related to one another, and we also knew that the YOU in the song was indeed our God who does light up our lives in every way.  We count our daily blessings and strive to receive the light provided by God.  This passage ends:  “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  So lets all shine and share.

Written by Ginny Hughes

Through the gate

John 10:1

Growing up on a farm, we had many gates. I learned at a young age how important each gate was. Each of these gates was like the front door, the main entrance. We always had to make sure the gate worked properly: to let things in and out as needed, and to not only keep things in but to keep the unwanted out. Yes, we sometimes had problems of the unwanted getting in our pastures by other ways. Did this make them a thief? Unwanted? If you come in the side or back door does this make you a thief?

I have always been taught that Jesus is our shepherd, and we are his flock. So where is this gate that Jesus is in charge of? I see it as the doors of a church, the opportunity to help others, the challenge to step out of my comfort zone. Too many times, I look for the easy way to get in, sometimes trying to be unnoticed. We need to recognize that the gate of Christianity is there for us. It is to keep us in and to protect us from harm; it is there to be opened and to send us out to do good.

PRAYER:

Lord, help me to realize where my gate is, help me  to better understand which side of the gate I need to be on. Amen.

Written by Will Rucker

Choose to Believe

John 3:16-21

My first lesson from these verses is that I have to believe. This sounds easy, but we all know walking in faith is much easier said than done. However, with God's help I can actually choose to trust Him and believe in His Son. 

I am going to use this Lent to work on that choice and just practice believing. I can't stop doubts from coming into my head, but I can choose to turn them into reminders to believe and not to doubt. 

My second lesson is that Jesus gives me hope about myself. He doesn't condemn me for my sins nor lack of faith. If He came to build me up, then I need to get out of His way (and my own way) and believe I'm worthy enough for Him to work His miracles in and through me.

I'm going to use this Lent to think positively about myself and others because this practice reflects my faith in Him. I'm going to use this Lent as a time to build-up in strength based on these words.   

My third lesson brings to mind that commercial which says, "A body at rest, stays at rest; a body in motion stays in motion." The more I choose to believe, the more I'll want to believe, to seek His light, and to let it shine. The more I believe, the more I'll ask Him to forgive my sins. The more I believe, the more I'll want to thank Him for what He's done for me. The more I believe, the more I'll check my doubts and lack of faith at the door.  The more I believe, the more I'll ask Him to build me up and to remind me to live in confidence remembering these verses. The more I believe, the more I'll want to develop a deeper prayer life. The more I believe, the more I'll want to serve others, our church, and The Church. More positive thoughts (my believing!) create more positive action. It's self-fulfilling.  

I'm going to use this Lent to remember and put into practice all these positive and, yes, maybe even simple concepts. 

Let's choose to believe and practice that choice during this year's Lent. In doing so, maybe it will spread on after Easter into summer, fall, Christmas, and beyond.

Written by Charles Moore

Watch something glorious arise

Mark 4:39 and Mark 5:1-20

These scriptures are two examples of incidents where Jesus was called upon to assist with needy humans.  One was the windstorm that struck while Jesus and his disciples were in the boat.  We know how this fearful predicament turns out.  Jesus of course calms the storm!  All he had to say was “Peace, be still.”  He also asked why they had such little faith. 

The second struggle was the demon-possessed man who had never once been able to be contained, even by chains or shackles.  He calls out to the Son of God and immediately becomes clean. 

The purpose for each of these unfortunate events was to teach US how Jesus is our strength and can do anything we ask, if we believe He can. 

We all have or will have struggles and hardships that sometimes seem unbearable.  We have been promised that nothing will come our way that we cannot handle.  However, part of that promise requires us to be fully trusting of our Father.  I believe there is some purpose to the challenges we face and push through.  God had an ultimate purpose for Jesus’ death.  That purpose was for us to be saved from sin.  Jesus rose from the grave to bring us grace and it was glorious! 

The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us!  Take your struggles and bury them.  Let them go to the tomb and WATCH something glorious arise!

Written by Holli Goforth

Prayer for Repentance

Psalm 51:1-2

Today’s devotional is a “Prayer for Repentance,” or basically asking for forgiveness.  We need forgiveness during the Lenten season because Jesus is here to take away all of our sins at the cross. He just needs us to give them to him. God will have mercy on you, for he is kind and forgiving. He will wash away iniquity and sin. Iniquity is immoral or grossly unfair behavior. For example, when a child isn’t kind to another, or when an adult gets cheated out of their full salary by someone else. These are all iniquities. Psalm 51 goes on later to say, ”Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Hyssop is a wild bush of uncertain identity whose twigs were used for sprinkling in ancient Jewish rites of purification. It makes sense that they would use hyssop, because it was used for purification. Once that is done, we will be as white as snow. So, today, pray for forgiveness, and God will cleanse you.

PRAYER:

Dear God, during this season of Lent we give all of our sins to God. Please cleanse me, take my sins, and leave me as white as snow. Amen.

Written by Emma Buckner

The Mind of Christ

1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15

1 Corinthians is a letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth to help the members identify and correct problems in the church, and to help them understand the right way to live.  Paul told the Corinthians:  “I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly…since there is jealousy and quarreling among you…So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow…No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Although Paul wrote this passage to the church in Corinth around 55 A.D., his words are as relevant to us today as they were to the Corinthians almost 2000 years ago.  Human nature has changed little in the past 2000 years. 

Just like the Corinthians, we are often more worldly than spiritual.  We are frequently self-centered and immature, and care more about advancing our own personal agenda than advancing the will of Christ.  Too often, our selfish actions cause divisions where none should exist.  

To guard against these perils, Paul encourages us to fill ourselves with the “mind of Christ” that we might know God’s thoughts and His will for our lives.  How do we begin to know the “mind of Christ”?   We must spend time with God through study and prayer, and we must listen to and follow the directions that we receive.  Only then can we begin to discern God’s will and purpose for our lives, the foundation of which must surely be built on Jesus Christ. 

Written by Lynn Carter

Amazing Grace

Ephesians 2:13

Since Adam and Eve, ALL have sinned. Those sins have made us unworthy of being in God's Holy presence and therefore had separated, or made us all "far off," from God. We became dead in our transgressions both spiritually and physically. However, God in his infinite mercy and love for us was not going to allow this to remain. From God's stopping of the death of Abraham's son by substituting the sacrifice with a ram (Genesis 22:12-13), to preventing the death of his people in Egypt with the sacrifice of an unblemished lamb (Exodus12:5), it was predestined that God had a plan for us not to remain separated and not to suffer the consequences of our sins, which is death.

In the fullness of time "His Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). His plan was to bring us "near," or to reconcile us, to Him by substituting our much deserved death with the undeserved sacrifice and blood of Christ. A plan that was immediately corroborated by the tearing of the veil which led to the Holy of Holies. God's plan for us all is 'JESUS' and this plan is called 'GRACE'. 

A grace that was and is still intended to apply to EVERYONE. That's why it may be that at the birth of Jesus, at the birth of this Grace, those who were brought the Good News first were both the uneducated and low status, the shepherds, as well as the educated and high status, the Magi. This grace applies to us All, to Everyone who has faith in GOD'S plan. A plan, when realized, may best be described by John Newton, the musically unschooled but wonderful hymn writer, who wrote:

"How precious did that GRACE appear The hour I first believed".

So this Easter, and everyday, remind yourselves, remind your neighbors, to wake up rejoicing in it's never ending and overflowing abundance because as written by John Newton it is an "AMAZING Grace".

Written by Rocky Lutz

Not only for ourselves, but for us all

Daniel 9:3-10

DANIEL’S PRAYER

Daniel, in a foreshadowing of the season of Lent, spent time in prayer and fasting begging God to forgive the nation of Judah for their sin and rebelliousness. Daniel says they are covered with shame for their actions.

I have often felt shame for my own actions, the times I have rebelled against God and not lived up to the standard Christ has set for me. While shame for our own actions may come easy, Daniel was praying and feeling shame for his entire nation. This reminded me of something I read once that resonated strongly with me and has stuck with me long after specific memories of the story have faded away. Dostoevsky, in his novel, The Brothers Karamazov, gives us the story of the Elder Zosima. Zosima’s life turns toward piousness after he has an epiphany in which he realizes that each of us is responsible for everyone else. 

Taking responsibility for all of humanities sins keeps us from separating ourselves from others, we have all sinned and come up short of God’s glory; we are all guilty, we are all culpable, we are all deserving of the shame Daniel felt. This would be bleak, but in verse 9 Daniel gives us hope when he says, “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving…”, God showed us his grace, mercy, and forgiveness in the passion and resurrection of Jesus. In this time of Lent let us, like Daniel, pray for God’s mercy and forgiveness, not only for ourselves but for us all.

Written by Chad Spurling

Buried in the tall shoots of HIS love

Hebrews 12:1

The author of Hebrews compares the Christian life to a race.  Thinking about a long race especially, it is easy to forget that our goal is to finish the race, not to be the winner.  In a long race we get tired, and instead of walking we want to quit altogether.  Giving our burden to Jesus, asking Him to walk beside us, allowing ourselves to rest, and relying on people that Jesus has put in our life is what Jesus asks us to do; but instead we want to run the race ourselves.  Therefore, we stumble and often fall.  The way that we can finish the race is to keep our eyes on the goal:  Jesus.  He has great works to complete in us.

In Max Lucado’s book “Traveling Light” he says, “In a world rocky with human failure, there is a land lush with divine mercy.  Your Shepherd invites you there.  He wants you to lie down.  Nestle deeply until you are hidden and buried in the tall shoots of his love, and there you will find rest.”

PRAYER: 

Thank you for surrounding us with your witnesses, people that love us and show us your mighty love.  Strengthen us to run the race that you have marked for us.  Help us to keep our eyes on your Son.  Thank you for giving Him the endurance to run His race.  Because He finished the race set out for Him, we will be able to finish our race. In Your Son’s name we pray, Amen. 

Written by Julianne McDowell

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

Philippians 4:10-20

Dear Friends,

I am writing to thank you for the many gifts that I have received from you.  I have been blessed by your generosity although I have not asked for nor been in need of anything.  You see, I have already been given the greatest of all gifts from our Heavenly Father—the gift of contentment.

Yours truly,

Paul wrote a similar letter from prison to the Philippians thanking them for their gifts, but explaining that they were not really needed since he had learned to be content in plenty and in want, through his relationship with Christ.

Instead of bemoaning his difficult circumstances, he turned them into opportunities for spiritual growth by depending on Christ for the strength to rise above whatever came his way, and Christ had sustained him.  He closed his letter by thanking them for sharing his troubles and by assuring them that the Lord is pleased with their gifts and will reward them.

These verses have given me much to think about.  Previously I had not considered that by being content I was honoring God.  Though I have known all along that all I have and all I am is because of God's grace, I have often forgotten that my ultimate goal should be to bring glory and honor to his name by my faithfulness.

During this season of Lent it will be my constant prayer that I can honor God by depending on him in all circumstances.  And every Sunday when I sing the Doxology, let me truly be praising "God from whom ALL blessings flow."

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, help us to focus on your unfailing love. May we find joy in knowing that only by trusting you can we be brought  to a place of complete contentment. Thank you for your many blessings and for your son.  Amen

Written by Debbie Powell