Read: Luke 18:9-14.
Vs. 13 – “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 

Reflect:
The first church I worked at for my Christian Service while at college was a small but growing congregation. This was Kitchener, ON and it was at the time of Octoberfest. As we approached the church building on a Sunday morning, we saw the brick church sign demolished. The story was that a drunk driver had missed the bend in the road, climbed the curb and smashed directly into the sign. A dear elderly saint whom I had grown to appreciate came up to me and told me the story. She then told me she was praying for the young men who had been hurt in the crash. Then she stated quite dramatically: “I prayed that they would get what they deserve.” I was pretty sure it was not grace she was thinking about.

We often look on those differently who are unlike us, especially if they are not Christians. The Pharisee in our text, at prayer, proclaimed his good deeds and then pointed his finger, saying, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people … —or even like this tax collector.” He was full of himself! By his way of thinking, he didn’t even need God’s mercy. Sometimes that is our attitude and often without really thinking about it.

Then Jesus described the vastly different prayer of a person who saw that he needed mercy. Tax collectors were seen as traitors, leeches on society, people to be avoided. And this was not someone claiming any self-earned righteousness! Without pretensions and with an aching heart, the man pleaded for God’s mercy.

Pride sees no room for mercy, no need for forgiveness. Grace has no place when we’re full of ourselves. Jesus declared the tax collector justified.

Jesus’ parables make us look at ourselves. With whom do we identify—the Pharisee or the tax collector? What does Jesus hear when we pray?

Pray:
Lord, thank you for making us look at ourselves. Help us also to see how we pretend to be better than some of our neighbours. We need your grace. Amen.

Authored by Mary Lucas

Bible verses and reflections:
Sometimes a speaker or teacher will say “If you don’t get anything else from this talk, then remember this ONE THING.” And then they will proceed to say what the most important point was that they wanted to get across.  These words stood out to me as I was thinking about all that we’ve lost lately….jobs, school, church, certain freedoms….and then I thought about the ONE THING that I have not lost…the presence of God in my life.  There is a song by Jesus Culture that emphasizes this ONE THING:
 
Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains
This one thing remains
Your love never fails, and never gives up
It never runs out on me
Because on and on and on and on it goes
Before it overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never, ever, have to be afraid
One thing remains
This one thing remains
 
I began to think about those words (ONE THING) and wondered if they were in the Bible as if God was saying, okay if you don’t get anything else from reading this, then remember this ONE THING.  So, I looked up those words I found different people had discovered one thing:

1. (David) ONE THING I ask:

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord   all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

2. (disciples) ONE THING I lack:

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21 

3. (Martha) ONE THING is necessary:

“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 (this is the story where Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus rather than busy herself like Martha)

4.  (blind man given sight) ONE THING I know: 

He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” John 9:25 (this was the man, blind since birth, healed by Jesus and the Pharisees were asking the blind man about the healing, trying to find out if Jesus had sinned by healing on the Sabbath)

5. (Paul) ONE THING I do:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
 
The focus of all these ONE THINGS was knowing God.
 
If you look back through these verses you will discover what these people discovered:
 
Knowing God is at the heart of prayer. (David)
Knowing God is at the heart of surrender. (disciples)
Knowing God is at the heart of service. (Martha)
Knowing God is at the heart of witness. (blind man)
Knowing God is at the heart of ambition. (Paul)
 
Quiet Time Suggestion:  
Perhaps you want to use some of these verses this week (and read the full passage where they come from) and think about the ONE THING that is important.

Read: John 13;21-32
vs. 21 – Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

Reflect:
Betrayal seems to be the most heinous of offences. Perhaps not so much for what was done, but rather, it always seems to be connected to someone you trust or someone you love. A promise broken, an action that crushes what you hold dear, a change of alliance with an opposition. There are many ways betrayal can occur.
 
Jesus handpicked his disciples for a three-year term of instruction on how God’s kingdom was coming through Christ. Judas Iscariot was among those whom he chose.  Loyalty to one’s rabbi (teacher) was expected without question. Yet Judas, who loved money, gave in to a temptation to betray Jesus to the religious leaders who wanted to kill him (Mark 14:1-11).
 
Midway through the Holy Week, as Jesus journeyed from Sunday’s “Hosannas” to the inhumanity of the cross, he hosted the last supper, the Passover Feast, and warned his disciples that one of them would betray him. Although the disciples looked at one another to see if they might learn who would do such a thing, no one knew except Judas himself and Jesus. Judas carried out his deed to betray Jesus as planned.
 
Do you suppose that Jesus treated Judas any less lovingly while he was with him for those three years?  Jesus knew that Judas would betray him and yet he loved him along with the other disciples. When I look at my own shortcomings and I realize that I too have betrayed my Lord, breaking his commands even while knowing to do better, I shudder at the thought. But I know that grace has been granted to me and I bow humbly before the cross with gratitude and thanks, while I ask for forgiveness.
 
Jesus was betrayed, but he never betrayed his Father or his people or his calling. What a beautiful Saviour is Jesus my Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for your love, compassion and forgiveness.
 
Pray:
Dear Lord, we bow at your table, at the foot of your cross, and before your empty tomb, asking forgiveness and grace when we have been disloyal, and we pray for more strength to be more loyal disciples. Amen.

Authored by Martha Dodd

Read: John 4:4-30, 39-42, John 7:37-39
“Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” John 7:37-39 

Reflect:
Next to my home is a field, and where our property ends, a public foot path begins and extends the length of the field.  While foot traffic is usually light on the path, during stay-at-home orders, the path was more frequently travelled, as people were looking to get some exercise and fresh air.  

One day back in January, as I headed out for a walk, I needed a break from the beaten path, so I started a new trail through the snow.  I made my way through a thicket of trees to where I knew there was a stream. And the scene I discovered was remarkable!  As the stream meandered along its way, the sound of the water trickling over the rocks in its path was so restorative.   I stood on the bank of the stream, and wondered how I could have overlooked such beauty for so many years – not 500 feet from my front door. 

On my next visit to the stream, I dressed warmly, took a lawn chair and stayed a little longer, observing things I hadn’t seen the first time.  Some days later, I noticed something interesting.  Others were finding their way to the stream along the trail, off the beaten path.       

In John 4, we learn about Jesus’ encounter with a woman at a well.  He recognized the thirst underlying everything in her life and made an astonishing offer – to place within her, a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Tim Keller puts it this way: “Jesus is saying ‘I have what every human soul longs for, and I will not just satisfy you with it, but I will change you so much on the inside, that your very heart and soul will be new.  You will have a whole new purpose, a whole new joy, a whole new dynamic in your inner being.’”*  

And we know she accepted Jesus’ offer because she left her water jar behind and went back into town to invite people to come and see Jesus…and they did…and many believed. 

This magnificent promise of Living Water is for us too, that as we surrender our lives and quench our thirst in Jesus Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit, who flows like a mighty river, into and through us to thirsty people.

Prayer:
Thank You Lord, that Your Holy Spirit lives in me, a deposit guaranteeing my inheritance. (Ephesians 1:13-14) Thank You that Your “mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23) and You are always ready to be for me, what I need today.   I ask You to show me any areas in my life where I am looking to other things to quench my thirst. I pray that as people meet Jesus in me, their thirst will be awakened to seek You. And if I am not feeling very thirsty for You today, please increase my thirst.   Amen!

*Tim Keller – Gospel in Life Podcast-Episode 539: The Gospel and the Outsider

Read: Colossians 3:12-17
vs. 13 – Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

Reflect:
Sin is an ugly task master. When it presents itself, it is appealing and looks so enticing. Yet when it has been uncovered it is full of shame and pain. Often the pain is not just to me alone but to those around me as well. In all honesty I have known the pain of sin in my own failures and by those that are near to me and sometimes the pain is excruciating.

How did Jesus ever manage to take the sin of the world on his being in order to offer us forgiveness? Jesus, in the ultimate act of selfless love, took all the hurt and pain of sin and death in this world and carried it to the cross. This was an extremely heavy burden to bear. Yet God’s glory and power overcame this burden, conquering death and offering restoration, healing, and forgiveness to all who desire it.

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God extends to creation this amazing gift of forgiveness that truly sets us free. Yet the gift of forgiveness is sometimes hard to accept, and oftentimes we do not want to give it freely. Sometimes the wounds of past hurts are deep, and the pain we must endure from them is overwhelming. Have you ever been there? Been at the place where you know you must forgive but just cannot find the strength to actually forgive? Will we ever be free of the pain?

Forgiveness is not easy, but it is powerful and beautiful. Forgiveness does not condone the hurt against you. Forgiveness acknowledges the very real hurt you have experienced and then seeks to let go of the feelings of anger and desires for revenge. Holding on to anger, harboring grudges, and wanting an offender to feel our hurt—or even more—can quickly consume our lives and trap us in bitterness and resentment. God wants so much more for us! Forgiveness opens up the door to fully live and experience all the joy, power, and freedom that God lovingly offers us. We can be set free. May God’s love free you to forgive today.

Pray: 
Forgiving God, you offer to us the beautiful gift of forgiveness. Work in us so that we can freely offer this gift to others. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.