Lenten Devotion 2023

REFLECTION:

Mercy is the act of God; peace becomes the encountered response in the heart of man. In Life Together, Bonhoeffer states:

When God was merciful, when He revealed Jesus Christ to us as our Brother, when He won our hearts by His love, this was the beginning of our instruction in divine love. When God was merciful to us, we learned to be merciful with our brethren. When we received forgiveness, instead of judgment, we, too, were made ready to forgive our brethren.

Having mercy for His people led to the ultimate sacrifice for each of us. From the core of love, God made a way for us. God sacrificed out of His kind mercy, and love made a way for us to know, believe, and live in such love. This wasn’t for the sake of ritual or law. This was for the sake of Love.

“Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, what counts is the new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule-” Galatians 6:15-16

RESPOND:

1. How have you been met with God’s mercy?
2. Is there anything that hinders you from receiving or giving mercy?
3. How does receiving His mercy for you, lead you to be merciful towards others?

PRAYER:

“Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.’
I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord,
as you know.
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.” (Psalm 40:4-11)

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist

“For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”

RESPOND:

1. How does this image evoke the mercy of Jesus?
2. Rest in the grace of His mercy.

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist

REFLECT AND PRAY:
PSALM 40:1-8

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
⁴ Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
⁵ Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire
but my ears you have opened
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come
it is written about me in the scroll.
⁸ I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist

MERCIFUL:

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:10-13

REFLECTION:

Where does one go to learn such a meaning?

I have been instructed by the greatest Teachers in all of Jerusalem, yet now He calls me to go and study again.

I’m well aware of this reference, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” It was first used in the prophetic writings of Hosea, chapter 6 verse 6. Of this reference I was taught:

“God had revealed through Hosea that the apostates of his day had lost the heart of temple worship even though they continued to practice its rituals.”

Is Jesus now implying that we Pharisees have done the same thing?

Am I to understand Jesus is saying that we are preserving the external practices of worship, to the letter of the law, yet are failing to maintain its essential heart?

Ah, it is true that the attitudes of my brothers toward the tax collectors and the sinners prove Jesus’ words. There are times when my own attitudes of the heart betray me.

Does God, on the other hand, care more for the spiritual wholeness of people than He does about flawless worship?

It’s apparent I have much to learn.

RESPOND:

• 1. Where do you find yourself learning what this means, “I desire mercy not ”
  2. How might you partner with Jesus in teaching others His measure of mercy over sacrifice?

PRAYER:

Guide me God back to you, the only One who can give the truest gift of mercy. I have become so fractured by sacrifice. I’m desperate for mercy. I’ve lost the ability to discern the difference.

Guide me back to a true understanding of what the gift of your mercy beholds. Allow me to experience the intensity and commitment of your love. Guide me back to your people, those made of flesh and blood, to live out this gift of mercy.

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist