UPWARD MOBILITY

The First Sunday in Lent

ISAIAH 29:19 (MSG)
The castoffs of society will be laughing and dancing in God,
the down-and-outs shouting praise to The Holy of Israel.

2 CORINTHIANS 8:9 (NLT)
You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

THE ESSENCE
Christ is in the business of enriching us. And he does it by setting aside his riches. 

DAILY FODDER
A paradox is a statement or sentiment that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet true. What is the paradox in 2 Corinthians 8:9? Why are paradoxes so powerful?

PRAYER
Generous Lord, we're grateful that you set aside your riches so that you could through your poverty raise us up. Forgive me for assuming that when you enrich us you're going to make me rich in the things of the world. Teach me how to become poor so that I can realize the riches you've given to us. I'm glad to be a part of your new Christ-driven system of upward mobility. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

THE NEW THING

ISAIAH 43:18-19 (GNT)
But the LORD says,
“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already—you can see it now!

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 (CEB)
So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!

THE ESSENCE
Christ inagurates God's new creation; so if we are living in solidarity with him we are new beings — participants in the new thing God is doing.

DAILY FODDER
When we are "born again" we start new lives that are united with the new life Christ established through his resurrection. But it's not just you; Christ is in the process of reNEWing all of creation. We're part of a cosmic do-over and we draw on the emerging new creation to define how we live, even when we're surrounded by people stuck in the old creation. 

PRAYER
Creator God, thank you for including me in your new creation. What an undeserved privelege. Forgive me for looking toward the old order as a means to guide my life. Help me to live into the new creation, even now as the old continues to tug me back. But I’m going to live as a new person, and invite those around me to transfer their allegiances to the new creation under the leadership of our Savior Christ Jesus. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

MERCY

PSALM 40:11 (NRSVUE)
Do not, O LORD, withhold
your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
keep me safe forever.

JUDE 2 (NLT)
May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

THE ESSENCE
We are mercy-dependent beings.

DAILY FODDER
How have you experienced God's mercy in your life? In the last day?

PRAYER
Faithful God, your mercy is beyond measure. I confess, though, that I'm still at times trying to repair my situation on my own. It feels futile. Reveal, again, your mercy to me, and all the peace and love that flows with it. I'm going to allow your steadfast love, faithfulness, peace, and compassion to become the load-bearing walls in my life. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

UNITE IN PRAISE

PSALM 66:8-9 (MSG)
Bless our God, O peoples!
Give him a thunderous welcome!
Didn’t he set us on the road to life?
Didn’t he keep us out of the ditch?

ROMANS 15:5-6 (MSG)
May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!

THE ESSENCE
Unite in harmoniously praising God for his faithfulness.

DAILY FODDER
Is it possible for believers to unite in praise if they sing different styles of music? That is, (I'm talking in metaphors here), how can so many different kinds of people get on the same page and sing the same kind of praise? What would that take?

PRAYER
Bless the Lord, O my soul, for together we bless your holy name. Father, forgive me when I forget that being together with Jesus means together with his people. Change me, Lord, so that my voice will harmonize with the community you are creating. Show me new ways for togetherness so that in your name life may abound. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.