Christian Reflection and Prayer

The Light Blazes in Fury

March 12, 2011

Read John 2:13-22.

TEXT: "Making a whip of cords, He drove
them all out of the temple, with the sheep
and oxen ..." (John 2:15a).

If you picture Jesus as a meek, gentle
man you might be surprised at what He
does here in the temple. But you shouldn't
be-the thicker the darkness, the brighter
the Light must shine. Our Savior knows
animals must be sold for sacrifice, and
foreign currency needs to be exchanged
for temple currency. But His problem is
where this is all taking place.

This trading is being done in the Court
of the Gentiles, i.e. in the back of the
church. The Jewish worshipers aren't
bothered, they can move up front closer
to the temple. But what infuriates Jesus
is the way the Gentile believers are being
forced to worship and pray in all this noise
and commotion.

When Jesus shouts "Take these things
away; do not make My Father's house a
house of trade," the Jewish authorities are
filled with a dark rage of their own. The
darkness tries to overcome the Light as
they demand Jesus perform a miracle
proving His authority to cleanse the temple.

Jesus will provide that sign in His coming
death and resurrection. On the cross His
enemies will destroy His body-the true
temple and dwelling place of God. But on
the third day Jesus will raise it to life again.

Today the darkness still challenges Jesus.
When we gather at the Lord's house to
worship, pray and receive Christ's gifts in
Word and Sacrament, the darkness fills
our minds with all sorts of trade and
business concerns, as well as other
worries, fears and distractions. But the
light shines in the darkness and draws
our thoughts back to our Savior.

Lutheran Hour Ministries

God protects His people

How has God protected us in the past?

Before the mountains were created, before
you made the earth and the world, you are
God, without beginning or end.

You turn people back to dust, saying,
"Return to dust!"
Psalm 90:3-4 NLT

Our help in ages past

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
O God, Our Help in Ages Past
ISAAC WATTS (1674-1748)

In 1714, the people of England were anxious.
Queen Anne lay dying, and she had no son
or daughter to succeed her. Who would be
the new monarch, and what changes would
that make? Isaac Watts had reason to worry.
His father had been imprisoned under the
previous regime because his views did not
please the ruling family. As a young child,
Isaac has been carried by his mother to visit
his father in jail. But Queen Anne had brought
a new tolerance, and freedom for the elder
Watts. Now that she was dying, what would
happen?

Isaac Watts turned to Psalm 90 on this
occasion and penned what may be the greatest
of his more than six hundred hymns. In essence,
it is a poem about time. God stands above human
time, and in Him all our anxieties can be laid to
rest. The greatness of our eternal God was a
favorite theme of Watts. When the events of the
day bring worry, the God of all ages remains our
eternal home.

adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by
Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House
Publishers (1995), entry for January 29
A person can respond to suffering like an egg,
or like a potato. A potato goes into the boiling
water hard, but comes out pliable. An egg goes
into the boiling water soft and comes out hard.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Read John 1:1-18. TEXT: "The light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it"
(John 1:5).
   
All of us struggle with the power of darkness in
our lives, the darkness of fear, doubt, dread
and anxiety. We see it in our health problems,
financial struggles and our strained relationships.
We see it in the darkness of our own struggles
within.

On this Ash Wednesday the Holy Spirit calls
you to gather with His people in church where
He will shine His glorious light into the darkest
corners of our sin-filled hearts and minds. The
ashes of Ash Wednesday remind us of the death
that darkness has brought to all. But it also
reminds us our Savior took our death upon
Himself, giving us His life and forgiveness.

THE PRAYER:
Light of the world, shine in my heart and bring
me peace. Amen.

(In part from
"Shining in the Darkness Ash Wednesday "
By Rev. Wayne Palmer )

 Lutheran Hour Ministries