Lenten Devotionals from our DS's wife Robbie Craker

Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:

“My house was designated a house of prayer;
You have made it a hangout for thieves.”

Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.

When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, "Hosanna to David's Son!" they were up in arms and took him to task. "Do you hear what these children are saying?"

Jesus said, "Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, 'From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?"

Fed up, Jesus turned on his heel and left the city for Bethany, where he spent the night. –Matthew 21:12-17 (The Message)

Celebration-- Children and adults singing and shouting – waving palm branches – rolling out the red carpet - It’s Palm Sunday.

Following the celebration He heads straight to the Temple. I wonder if He was planning to spend time in prayer and worship. He often went away to pray following an intense time with the crowd. But He’s upset – let’s just say it truthfully – He’s angry. He’s not angry with the children, He’s not angry with the disciples, He’s not angry with the women, He’s not angry with the Gentiles – He’s angry with those who are to provide a place of worship and intercession for the people.

With their rituals and money-making schemes they’re keeping the people out. There’s no room for the women and children. There’s no room for the crippled and the blind. There’s no room for the Gentiles.

What would Jesus say to you if He arrived at your church on a Sunday morning? Would He find it a place for people of all ages? Would He find it a place for the unlovely? Would He find it a place for the broken – physically, spiritually, relationally? Would He find it a place for those who are different from you?

Or would He find it a place where we keep everything neat and tidy – no messy people please! No people with different opinions. No people with brokenness. No people of different color or socio-economic background.

And for a deeper look – how does He find your heart today? Does He see prejudice? Does He see fear of people who look, act, smell, vote, or worship differently?

Our hearts must be hearts of prayer. Our churches must be churches of prayer. Our hearts must be full of hospitality to all people. Our churches must be full of hospitality to all people.

So, today, as the cross looms closer and closer, what needs to be cleaned out, overturned, kicked over in your heart? In your church?

Father, once again we open the doors of our hearts to You. Turn over anything that needs to be turned over. Clean out anything that needs to be cleaned out. Kick over anything that needs to be kicked over. We want to have room for You and all those You’ve created. And we want the same in our churches. For Your Son’s glory. Amen

Lenten Devotionals from our DS's wife Robbie Craker

Yesterday on the Christian Calendar was Palm Sunday. Celebration-- Children and adults singing and shouting – waving palm branches – rolling out the red carpet. I wonder what Jesus was really thinking as he rode in humility among the crowds into the City. Was it a respite for him from the looming cross? He’s been talking about this trip to Jerusalem and telling the disciples what would happen to him there. I don’t remember Palm Sunday being on the agenda.

I wonder if He remembered the temptations in the desert three years prior. When He stopped along the road and looked over the City of Jerusalem and wept did He remember the promise of Satan?

“For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."

When He road through the streets to the Temple was He thinking of the promise of Satan?

For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."

He’d been explaining all along about what was going to happen when He got to Jerusalem – humiliation, beating, and death. I wonder if He was the least bit tempted to go Satan’s way. Don’t set aside the humanity of Jesus and think these were easy decisions for Him. He was fully human – he experienced pain and sorrow, hunger and thirst, happiness and contentment. He was tempted in every way the same as we are tempted.

So what does He do? He goes to the Temple. He clears the Temple – making way for the crippled and diseased – making way for the children – making way for the Gentiles.

The cross is looming closer and closer, but He doesn’t take the easy way out. He isn’t frozen with fear – He’s active. He isn’t complacent with praise – He’s active.

In this last week of Lent, 2009, with the cross looming closer and closer – let’s not take the easy way out. Let’s allow Him to clear out our hearts. Let’s allow Him to make a place in our hearts for healing, for joy, for openness. Will there be pain and suffering for this to happen? Possibly; but the reward of a pure heart open and ready for service to the King will be worth the pain and suffering.

“Father, You have been so go to us. We don’t want anything to bar Your entrance to any area of our hearts and lives. Clean us – purify us – make us ready for service. We cling to the cross. Amen.”

God is everywhere

My wife has been sick for a few days with a high fever and has barely gotten out of bed. I had to be at church early yesterday because I had a lot to do to be prepared for the day. The only one awake when I left was Stephanie. I reminded her that she would be staying home with Mom and asked her to take care of her mother and to have a church service of their own.

Between services I called home to check in and see if everything was alright. Stephanie answered and said all was okay but Mom wouldn't get out of bed. She told me that she had asked Mom to get up several times for church and each time she said she'd be down in a few minutes but then never showed up. I told her to let Mom sleep and to not bother her again.

I asked her about her church service she was going to have and she filled me in on all the details. She had brought in a lectern we have in our entryway to use as a pulpit and had already made a bulletin (that's the picture up above on this post). Pretty good start to getting ready for a service I thought. But she had more to share. She had picked out a few Psalms to sing from a Psalter we have at home and informed me that it would all end with a sermon. I asked her who was preaching and she said she was. I asked her what her text was for her sermon and she told me she had picked a passage from Luke because it was Palm Sunday and then another passage from 1 Samuel. My heart swelled with pride.

I returned home to find my wife asleep on the couch. (I have pictures but I'm a kind husband) surrounded by the piano bench that was the refreshment table. Stephie had prepared hot spiced cider along with a tray of strawberry fig newtons and bit-o-honey's.

The girls played quietly all day without any fighting or arguing while Sue continued her slumber. I couldn't have been any prouder of them. Love you punkin and half-pint!!

Lenten Devotionals from our DS's wife Robbie Craker

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,” –Mark 10:32-33

We are on our way to Jerusalem in our Lenten Journey. I love this picture of Jesus – He’s leading the way, He’s striding out. This isn’t a walk in the park, people. This is a man striding out to meet His future and that future isn’t pretty. In fact the disciples are confused and astonished and the others following are afraid.

Jesus has just been debating with the Pharisees over divorce. He’s had to rebuke the disciples for not allowing the children to come close. He has spent some time blessing the children. The encounter with the rich man has just occurred and this is what has astonished the disciples and why the crowd is afraid. Here is a man who has kept the law since his youth and Jesus says it’s not enough. “You must give up everything and follow me. “ And where will we end up if we follow Him? At the cross. He knows where He’s going.

And in the midst of this you have Peter wondering if he’s given up enough and James and John wanting to be the most important. And Jesus, single-mindedly striding out, no one really understands like He does, but He’s leading the way. It’s uncharted territory for all of them, but Jesus is leading the way.

Father, we want to be on the WAY with Your Son. Forgive us for our fear and uncertainty. Forgive us for trying to out-perform each other. We want to allow Your Spirit to have full reign to lead us. Amen

Lenten devotionals from our DS's wife Robbie Craker

"Here is your king, "Pilate said to the Jews.
But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.
--John 19:14b-15

I was reading through all the scriptures that point to the cross this morning and these words jumped out at me – “we have no king but Caesar.”

Wow, what a turn around. The Israelites were to have no king but God. They demanded an earthly king, which only caused them trouble. Now they have no Israelite king and they are willing to give lip-service to Caesar. Talk about a long journey in the wrong direction!

Here they are standing in the presence of the king of Kings and they have no king but Caesar?!? They are not only denying Jesus, they are denying God and their entire religious belief system. I don’t feel I need to write another thing…

Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What could you give to get back your soul? –Mark 8:34-37 (CEV)

Father, forgive us when we give even lip-service to anyone but You. You are our salvation and our sustenance. Forgive us when we are tempted to deny You to avoid the crucifixion of our attitudes, behaviors, and preferences. You are our KING. Amen

Lenten devotionals from our DS's wife Robbie Craker

There is so much debate in the church right now –

Music, dress, food in the sanctuary, chairs or pews, politics, and the list goes on and on.

What does any of this have to do with the Cross? Am I hiding behind these issues that deal with personal preferences so I don’t deal with the real issues of my own heart? Have I forgotten that all of those things must be nailed to the Cross? And I’m not talking just about my personal preferences, but yours as well. No one’s personal preferences are more holy than anyone else’s.

We look back at the debates and misunderstandings amongst Jesus’ disciples and we laugh a little bit. How could Peter have been so mistaken? What were James and John thinking about – vying for position in the Kingdom? Why did the money-changers think they had a right to be in the Temple?

Are our debates and misunderstandings any less silly? No. When seen in the light of eternity they are insignificant. People of God let’s allow the Holy Spirit to work. Let’s allow anything that is hindering our “cross-walk” to be crucified.

I sometimes wonder if we forget that the church belongs to Jesus. It doesn’t belong to the pastor or the staff or the church board. The church belongs to Jesus. He was crucified for the church. Let’s allow Him first place – the central position. Let’s lay down our preferences and our lives for one another. This then will be the way of showing our love for God and for each other.

Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to point out what needs to be crucified in our lives. Let’s not hide behind the debates, let’s allow the cross of Christ to do its work. Let’s be washed by the Word.

Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, "The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life." Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.

Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. But when Jesus turned and saw the disciples, he corrected Peter. He said to him, "Satan, get away from me! You are thinking like everyone else and not like God."

Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What could you give to get back your soul?

Don't be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. –Mark 8:31-38 (CEV)

Father, our hearts and minds are taken up with so many debates and issues. We need to hear from You. Please give us open hearts and minds to allow Your Word to purify us. Don’t let us lose sight of the cross as we journey. Amen

I love animal shows

I was up late tonight and happened to catch a fascinating BBC documentary. They've discovered a never before seen colony of penguins with unique abilities. Check out the clip below.