December 24 & 25: Micah 5:2, a Ruler from Bethlehem

Bethlehem, though small, plays an outsized role in the Bible.

In the Old Testament, we first come across Bethlehem in the book of Genesis. Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, died in giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. Jacob buried her at the site of Bethlehem and erected a memorial stone for her (Genesis 35:19-20).

We next encounter Bethlehem in the story of Ruth. It is the hometown of Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law. Naomi’s story is complicated, but Ruth, a non-Israelite woman from Moab, eventually comes to Bethlehem with Naomi and marries Boaz, a leading man in the town. This story is significant because Ruth and Boaz are in the family line of David, the future king of Israel (Ruth 4).

A third incident that involves Bethlehem involves Samuel, the prophet and judge of Israel. Samuel anoints Saul as the first king, but his reign is a disappointment to God. The Lord asks Samuel to designate a new king and directs him to go to the house of Jesse, a descendant of Boaz and an equally leading man in the town of Bethlehem. Here, the Lord shows Samuel that David is to be the next king and Samuel anoints him appropriately (1 Samuel 16). After this, Bethlehem becomes known as the town/city of David (1 Samuel 20:6, Luke 2:4).

The fourth significant biblical role for Bethlehem comes at the birth of Jesus. The two accounts we have of Jesus’ birth locate the event in this town, the city of David, because Joseph, his supposed father, was from David’s line. At the time of Jesus, the Jews of Palestine believed that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of God’s Messiah, their Savior, because it was David’s hometown. Jesus’ critics doubt his credentials because they think he was born in Nazareth, a city in the Galilee about 90 miles to the north of Bethlehem (see John 7:42).

Traditional Site of Jesus’ Birth underneath the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

The scriptural basis for this was a prediction from the prophet Micah, an eighth-century contemporary of Isaiah. Micah said:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times. (Micah 5:2)

The famous nineteenth-century preacher, Phillips Brooks, immortalized Bethlehem in our imagination when he wrote:

O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.

“Are met in thee tonight.” This is the promise of Christmas that we celebrate on this fourth Sunday of Advent. The long, long night is past. The morning breaks at last. Our Savior is born. God has taken on human form so that he might bring us reconciliation, redemption, forgiveness, justification, salvation, sanctification, and free us from the slavery of sin. May we all rejoice!

Mark Krause
Wildewood Christian Church

December 17: Isaiah 7:14, the Immanuel Prophecy

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:1, NIV)

Was Mary a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus? Those who study human anatomy will say this is physically impossible. A virgin could not become pregnant, and a non-pregnant woman could not give birth to a child. This is a vexing question for some Christians and a cause of rejection for some unbelievers. It is not new. In the third century, a great Christian scholar named Origen wrote a treatise called Contra Celsus. This was to counter the insulting claims of a Greek philosopher named Celsus who had written a scathing piece that attempted to debunk the claims of the church. In this, Celsus claimed that Mary had been impregnated by a Roman soldier named Panther (Panteras) and she had been convicted of adultery. (If this was true, the charge would now be statutory rape again Panther, I think.) Anti-Christian Jewish sources from this century and later picked up on Celsus’ tale, even referring slanderously to our Christ as “Yeshua ben Pantera” (Jesus the son of Panther).

For different reasons, the theologians of the church have gotten into this question, too. From at least the fourth century, they began to teach that it was necessary for Jesus to be born of a virgin so that he could escape the curse of original sin, inherited human depravity. Only then could he be the “new Adam,” the originator of a new humanity. This eventually led to doctrines that proclaimed Mary’s perpetual virginity. Part of this was based on the teachings of Augustine and others that depravity was transmitted to babies through intercourse, an act of sinful lust. Thus, we are “born in sin” (compare John 9:34).

In a way, Celsus was correct. There is no physical explanation other than Mary had been impregnated by a man. The physical signs of virginity would have been violated. Unless … something other than a physical cause was at play. This is what Matthew teaches when he says Mary was “pregnant through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18, see 1:20). This is not physical impregnation, but a miracle. It is also what Luke relates when he says the angel Gabriel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35).

But the theologians, in their zeal to connect this to the doctrine of original sin, miss the point. Nowhere in the New Testament does it teach that the virgin birth was necessary to produce a man not born as a sinner. To the contrary, Hebrews teaches that Jesus was made like us, “fully human in every way” (Hebrews 2:17).

Matthew and Isaiah both give us the reason for the virgin birth. For Isaiah, this was a sign, a miracle to show “Immanuel,” that God is truly with us. To Matthew, it is the fulfillment of prophecy, a miracle that indicates the presence of the Lord. As John puts it, “the Son of God took on humanity and pitched his tent among us” (John 1:14, Krause paraphrase). The Christmas story tells us that God came down from his heaven to be with us in Jesus. And God has never left. He has never abandoned us. He is still with us. And when Christ comes again in glory, all will truly experience the presence of the Lord.

Prayer:

Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray.

Amen

Mark Krause, Wildewood Christian Church

December 10, Psalm 2:6-7, the King as Son

If truth be told, there was a very small window in the history of ancient Israel in which it could be said that the people were glad they had a king. This was during the first part of David’s kingship, a period of about 20 years. This is largely because God considered the people’s desire for a king to be a rejection of him as King. This image of the Lord as King is powerful and pervasive throughout the Old Testament. For example, Psalm 29 celebrates the power of the God of Israel over any and all natural forces such as oceans, mighty trees, as well as thunder and lightning. The psalmist punctuates this point by saying:

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever. (Psalm 29:10)

King forever. The clear teaching of the Bible is that the Lord God is King of the Universe. It doesn’t matter if you don’t recognize him. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want a King. God is still King forever and ever.

With King David, the Lord recognized a human regent as his legitimate representative. In Psalm 2, the psalmist pictures God as King on his throne in heaven laughing at the impotence and insignificance of human rulers. The psalmist guarantees that even the greatest human kings will be terrified at the wrath of God. Instead, the Lord promises:

“I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.” (Psalm 2:6)

The king ruling in Zion (Jerusalem) has been set there as part of God’s plan and with his blessing. He will be the Lord’s agent on earth. The psalmist goes on to say,

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father. (Psalm 2:7)

Four things come together here: God as Kingmaker, God as Father, a person as God’s king, and that person as God’s son. Kingmaker/King and Father/Son. David, the likely author of this psalm represented these realities. He is chosen to be king by the Kingmaker. He becomes “son” as God adopts him as Father.

As with last week’s meditation, an important typology is going on here. The ancient King of Israel (David) rules with God’s blessing and authority. He rules as the Lord’s “son.” But as good as David might have been (especially as compared to his predecessor, Saul) he was imperfect and failed several times.

The fulfillment of this typology is the descendant of David, the Lion of Judah, Jesus the Christ. He is the true Son of God, not adopted or created. He is the perfect, eternal King. The author of Hebrews expands on Psalm 2 to pose this significant question:

To which of the angels did God ever say,

“Sit at my right hand
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet”? (Hebrews 1:13, quoting Psalm 110:1)

This background of fulfillment of Scripture in Jesus Christ helps us understand the story of the magi in Matthew 2. They come from lands east of Jerusalem to locate the newborn “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). When they do find him, they bow down in worship and offer costly gifts fit for a king (Matthew 2:11). We don’t know how deep their understanding might have been, but their recognition of the infant Jesus as God’s King is remarkable and resonates with us today.

Jesus as King. Jesus as Son. These are inseparable roles and are at the very heart of our Christmas traditions. We realize that Jesus did not become a king in Bethlehem. He was already King, coming to earth as a Son to do the will of the Father. And how blessed we are for what he did. As the hymn writer said 150 years ago:

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee. (Emily Elizabeth Steele, 1866)

Mark Krause, Wildewood Christian Church

December 3: Genesis 3:15, the Protoevangelium

In studying the Bible, scholars identify the importance of “typology,” a method that spans the testaments and presents the plans of God from long ago. “Type” is a Greek word (τύπος, typos) that means “model” or “example.” We believe the Old Testament reveals things about God and his plans that reoccur and find fulfillment in the New Testament. The fulfillment of the Old Testament type is called the “antitype” (ἀντίτυπος). Moreover, the first appearance in the Old Testament is called the “prototype.”

Genesis 3 relates what we might call the prototypical story of human sin. This does not deny its historical nature but sees that the experience of Adam and Eve is one that we all share. We are tempted to disobey and yield to our lusts. Then we involve others in our sinful actions. When we realize what we have done, we attempt to hide from God in shame. We are unsuccessful, for we cannot hide from God. When confronted with our sin, we attempt to shift the blame, the original “whataboutism.” But God is not mocked, and our sin has consequences. In Genesis, the most significant consequence is our loss of intimate fellowship with our Maker. We fulfill the “type” or example of Genesis 3 in our own lives, every one of us.

The Lord, when speaking to Adam, Eve, and the serpent, explains the dire results of this sinful episode. God knows that the human couple and their descendants will not be able to repair the damage they have done to themselves and their relationships. God knows that the serpent (Satan) will continue to tempt them and invite them to disobey. Rough times are ahead for humankind.

But the Lord offers a word of hope to the first couple. Speaking to the woman, God says,

And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

This is both prototypical and prophetic. The experience of the woman will be repeated many times, an “enmity” that continues to this day. But the Lord includes a word of hope. A future “offspring” of the woman will arise. The Satan Serpent will strike his heel. To be bitten by a snake on the foot would be painful, even disabling for a time. The offspring, however, would crush the serpent’s head, a death blow.

From ancient times, Christians have called this the “protoevangelium,” meaning the “first Gospel.” It is the first instance in the Bible of God revealing his plan for human redemption. An offspring of the woman would come to save humankind from the power of Satan and from the consequences of their sins. We believe this is looking forward to Jesus, who saves us from our sins. But Satan would have a temporary victory, the wounding of the Savior’s foot. We believe this refers to Jesus’ death on the cross, orchestrated by Satan (see Luke 22:3). This “victory” is an illusion, though, for Jesus rose from the dead to welcome us into God’s kingdom forever.

Paul plays on this ancient story when he tells King Agrippa that he sees his role like this:

To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. (Acts 26:18)

As we look forward in this month to the birth of Jesus, may we not forget that Christmas fulfills the ancient promise of one who would free us from the power of Satan himself and from the penalty for our sins. He comes to rescue us from the curse of sin and the reign of the tempter in our lives.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.

Mark S. Krause
Wildewood Christian Church

Advent 2023, November 28

Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25, although we don’t know what the exact day of Jesus’ birth was. Very early, the church felt it was of value to commemorate a day each year to remember this, for if Jesus had not been born as a human baby, he could not have died thirty-some years later as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

“Advent” is from a Latin word. The ad- part is the preposition that means “to” and the –vent part is from the Latin verb that means “to come.” An advent is a “coming to [a place]” or an arrival. In the season of Advent, Christians anticipate the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, who was born in Bethlehem.

The coming of the Messiah did not arise in a vacuum. Many Jewish people of the day were expecting the Lord to send a deliverer for their nation. This was based on the reading of their Scriptures, what we designate at the Old Testament in our Bibles. It is with this in mind that I offer these Advent meditations to you for the next four Sundays.

Our approach will be guided by seeking to answer these primary questions:

• Does the Old Testament look forward to a Messiah, an anointed servant of the Lord?
• If so, what kind of Messiah do we see in the Old Testament?

Let us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus.

This is He whom heav’n-taught singers sang of old with one accord,
whom the Scriptures of the prophets promised in their faithful word;
now He shines, the long-expected; let creation praise its Lord,
evermore and evermore!

Mark S. Krause
Wildewood Christian Church

April 17: The End of Lent on Resurrection Sunday

Read: John 12:37-50

Meditation: As we come to our yearly celebration of the resurrection of Christ, we have arrived in Jerusalem in our Lenten meditations. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Yes, we are here, and we are witnesses of his love and of his glory.

In this reading there are three related statements I want to lift up and have you ponder.

1. John says, “Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him” (John 12:37). May we remember that even today, there are those who will refuse to believe no matter how much evidence is placed before them. On Easter especially, we mourn those we love who don’t believe.
   
2. John further says, “Therefore they could not believe” (John 12:39). I don’t know the full implications of this statement, but it makes me sad. Some people seem incapable of making the commitment faith requires. They don’t want to take any sort of risk. But, as Kierkegaard once wrote, “No risk, no faith” (my paraphrase). On Easter, we mourn those who cannot believe.
   
3. Finally, John quotes Jesus as saying, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me” (John 12:44). Our faith in Christ is a confirmation of the entire mission of Jesus, who came into this world to save it. And that means us. Our belief in his resurrection is the climax of our faith in him and his power to save us from destruction. On Easter, we celebrate those who believe with us.

Celebrating Jesus’ resurrection is the fruit of faith. We have risked and we have been rewarded. As John says near the end of the book:

These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31).

Prayer:

Christ is risen!

Alleluia!

Christ is risen!

Alleluia!

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Mark Krause
Wildewood Christian Church

April 13, the Seventh and Final Wednesday of Lent

Prepare: Read John 12:20-36

Meditation: This is one of the richest, densest texts in John. When I read it, I am hit with many familiar verses, many profound statements, and several verses that bring great sadness to my soul.

In John 2 we encounter the story of Jesus at a marriage feast in Cana of Galilee. Remember the interaction between Jesus and his mother, Mary? When she prods him to fix the wine situation, he says, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). In this text, Jesus says, “The hour has come” (John 12:23).

But what does that mean? What does it mean that Jesus’ hour has come? The fuller quotation is, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Jesus faces this hour squarely and talks about dying. His language is incredibly brave in this context when he says, “It was for this very reason I came to this hour.” He knows what is coming. He knows why he must go to the cross, so that his prayer might be answered, “Father, glorify your name” (John 12:28).

From the Getty Museum, Los Angeles

And this is where it gets very sad for me, because I remember one of John’s opening statements, “We beheld his glory, glory of the only begotten Son, come from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This is truly his hour. His great glory is in his dying. He is the seed that must die to produce many other seeds.

Another earlier theme is found here, the idea of Jesus being “lifted up.” Earlier Jesus told Nicodemus that the “Son of Man must be lifted up like the bronze serpent on the pole in the wilderness (John 3:14). Here he says that when he is lifted up, all people will be drawn to him. And we learn what his “lifting up” is. It is his manner of death, to be lifted up on a Roman cross to die.

All of these things are tied together, Jesus fulfilling his time, Jesus glorifying his Father, Jesus being lifted up to die. This is the essence of Holy Week, especially of Good Friday. We are almost at the end of our Lenten journey. Ponder these things. Let your soul be sad if that is what you feel. Meditate on the great plan of God for our salvation and the willing sacrifice of Jesus, the Son, to bring it to fruition.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are dumbfounded by your love and devotion. May we behold a glimpse of your glory this week as we await your resurrection celebration on Easter Sunday. Amen.

Mark Krause
Wildewood Christian Church

April 6: The Sixth Wednesday of Lent

Prepare: Read John 12:12-19

Meditation: John’s Gospel differs in details from Matthew, Mark, and Luke (called the “Synoptic Gospels). For example, the entire Lazarus story is found only in John. Beginning with these verses, however, John joins the Synoptics for the last week, the Passion Week of Jesus, relating many of the same events in similar fashion. By “passion” in this terminology, we are using an old meaning for the word passion, “suffering.” The Passion Week of Jesus is the “Suffering Week” of Jesus.

John’s account of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus begins here, about 550 verses deep into John (879 verse total). John devotes nearly 30% of his space to talking about this last week of Jesus. In some ways, everything before this has pointed to this week. This is the story John truly wants to tell.

In the ancient world, “triumphs” were often celebrated as a civic event. A king or general who had won a great victory would return to his home city and receive a joyous, celebratory parade. The parade train of the victor might include wagons loaded with the plunder of war and even some of the captives taken during the battle. A special prize was the king of the losing army, a war prize like no other. He might be displayed in chains near the end of the parade. The Romans were renowned for their triumphal processions in the city of Rome. Victorious generals such as Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Caesar Augustus received multiple triumphs in Rome to mark their successes on the battlefield.

There are antecedents to this practice in the Old Testament (usually called “processions”) that would echo this later Roman practice. Psalm 118 seems to be such a source, chronicling the boasting of the victorious army while giving thanks to the Lord for the triumph. The warrior king proceeds to the temple gates and roars,

                Open for me the gates of justice
                I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. (Ps 118:19)

This is all while the joyous crowd shouts “Lord, save us!” which in Hebrew is “Hosanna” (Ps 118:25). The multitude adds its approval by saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Ps 118:26).

Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey. We might think this to be unsuitable, almost comic, not fit for a king. We might remember the triumphal procession scene from Ben Hur, where Charlton Heston rides alongside General Arrius in a golden chariot to the throne of Emperor Tiberius (link for YouTube). No humility there!

But in the traditions of the nation of Israel, for a king to ride a donkey or mule was appropriate and kingly. It exemplified receiving acclaim with humility, what the people of Israel expected from their kings. By riding this donkey, Jesus is claiming his kingship as the rightful heir of David from the tribe of Judah. But he does it with humility. His humility does not strike a pleasant note with his critics, the Pharisees, though. They mutter, “Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

In this Lenten season as we have been travelling to Jerusalem with Jesus, we are now at the gates. We are part of the world that has gone after Jesus. We would long to line the highway for this procession, eagerly throwing our hoodies and sweaters onto the roadway as the pavement of the people. We, too, would shout, “Hosanna!” for we look for the salvation of the Lord. We anticipate Jesus opening for us the gates of justice, the gates of the righteous, so that we may enter in. We’re almost to the end. May we ready our hearts for what is to come in the next few days, for the triumph will turn into a betrayal, the acclaim into call for Jesus’ death, all according to God’s plan.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, how easily the joy of the crowd could have turned you face from your task. You knew their hearts as you know ours. Humble our hearts this week as we turn to you as our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Mark Krause
Wildewood Christian Church

March 30: the Fifth Wednesday of Lent

Prepare: Read John 12:1-11

Meditation: The plot thickens and accelerates for John. Jesus and his disciples defy danger and return to Bethany six days before the Passover Sabbath. For Jews, the new day begins at sundown (because the old day ends when the sun goes down), so they likely arrived on Friday and sat down to a meal at the house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus that evening. This would make it the Sabbath dinner before Passover.

John says the dinner was given “in Jesus’ honor.” Remember that John, the author was there, so we have an eyewitness account. Several groups are identified. There are the men at the table (including the remarkable Lazarus). There is Martha serving them, likely with other women servers. And then there is Mary, who is not serving food, but serving Jesus in a different way.

Mary breaks open a precious family treasure to lavish its contents on Jesus. It is a pint of nard, a costly, pungent oil. Some believe this may have come from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal where the best nard is produced. Judas later claims this pot of nard would have been worth 300 silver denarii, a year’s worth of pay for a common laborer. Today that would be equivalent to $30,000 or more. This might have been a family heirloom, perhaps saved for years.

Mary acts with familiarity and devotion, pouring the nard on Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her long hair. The room is filled with the richly pungent aroma, a smell that might have been unknown to some of those assembled.

John presents a contrast between the willing extravagance of Mary and the miserly complaining of Judas. Feigning piety, Judas decries what he sees as the waste of this costly nard. He claims that its value could have been realized when sold and given for relief of the poor. Lest we begin to think of Judas as dutiful and generous, the author points out that he was a thief who stole from the common purse of the disciples.

Jesus’ response encapsulates the contrast between Mary and Judas. To Judas he says, there will always be poor people to serve. This is not a prophetic word to insist there is no cure for poverty. He is telling Judas that this is not a lost or last opportunity to do relief work. There will be many more in the future.

To Mary he says, you will not always have me. She has understood the shadow of impending death hangs heavy over Jesus. This is her final chance to show heroic love, almost like a kiss goodbye. We are reminded of Jesus’ words about Mary in the Gospel of Luke, “Mary has chosen what is better.”

As we begin the last leg of the journey to Jerusalem with Jesus on this, the fifth Wednesday of Lent, let us ask ourselves if we are following like Mary or like Judas. Are we willing to give everything, or do we expect to get everything for following Jesus? Sometimes our thinking must be short-term, serve now while you can. Let us surrender even more of our hearts in service this week as we look forward to Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may we serve you by serving others, not ourselves. Give us opportunities and resolve to do so this week. May our devotion for you grow stronger each day, to the point there would be nothing we would not give you. Amen.

Mark Krause
Wildewood Christian Church

March 23: the Fourth Wednesday of Lent

Prepare: Read John 11:54-57

Meditation: The mortal danger of the Sanhedrin has not gone unnoticed by Jesus, so he withdraws from Bethany to a village “near the wilderness” called Ephraim. The location of this village is uncertain today, but it is often associated with a town about 12 miles NE of Jerusalem. This is not done out of cowardice or fear. As one author says, “Jesus does not retreat to escape his death, … but to control its time.”^[1]

Indeed, this is a threatening time for Jesus. John tells us that “the chief priests and Pharisees” (i.e., the Sanhedrin) had given the command that anyone who knew Jesus’ whereabouts must report to them. This gives an Orwellian tone to the story at this point, government commanding citizens to inform on their friends under threat of punishment. It is always a sad time when the greatest concern of government leaders is their own survival and power.

Thus, in John, it becomes clear that Jesus’ objective is clear. He is to be in Jerusalem for Passover, perhaps the greatest of all the Jewish festivals of that day. Theologically, John presents Jesus as the ultimate sacrificial lamb, and the connections to the thousands of Passover lambs of Jerusalem are clear and important. Over a millennium earlier, the blood of the Passover lamb painted on the doorposts of the homes of the people of Israel in Egypt caused the angel of death to “pass over” those homes and spare them from the death of their firstborn (Exodus 12:12-13). John says in Revelation 1:5 that it is the blood of Jesus that “frees us from our sins” and their penalty of death. The blood of the lamb/Lamb is a consistent part of God’s plan, separated by many centuries but connected to human salvation.

Therefore, many of the pilgrims who have come to Jerusalem for Passover must wait for him. They don’t know where he is. They even begin to wonder, “Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” They are impatient waiters. They don’t realize that God’s plan sometimes requires that we wait.

Part of Lent, I think, is learning to wait. Forty days is a long time to wait in our current culture. Things move quickly, and what is vitally important today can be forgotten a week later. We want results and we want them now. For example, even if inflation has been ramping up for months, we expect government officials to stop it within 24 hours, or at least before we need to gas up the car again. We don’t like to wait.

As we journey to Jerusalem with Jesus this year, let us be content to wait. Admittedly, this is hard for me. I’m not a natural waiter, not a patient person, and it takes great self-control for me to be patient. (My family could tell many stories of me walking out of restaurants and other embarrassing events caused by my impatience.)

But this year, I want to wait. I want to be ready when Easter comes, and that requires preparation. I look forward to celebrating the resurrection of my Lord with my church. It will be worth the wait, I think.Prayer: Lord, we wait for you. Give us peace in our hearts and anticipation of celebration. Amen.

Mark Krause
Wildewood Christian Church

---

^[1] Gail R. O’Day, “The Gospel of John,” in New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E. Keck (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994–2004), 698.