Amazing God of grace, pour out Your love and mercy on the needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Dear friends, today through Thursday, we will study the Lectionary texts. Friday through Sunday I will share my adaptation of the 50 Days of Prayer. If you want to do the 50 Day Prayer as written for the church, please visit this web link: http://50daysofprayer.upperroom.org/.
Our text for today is John 12: 20 There were some Greeks in town who had come up to worship at the Feast. 21 They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?" 22 Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered, "Time's up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 "Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. 25 In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal. 26 "If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me. 27 "Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say? 'Father, get me out of this'? No, this is why I came in the first place. 28 I'll say, 'Father, put your glory on display.'" A voice came out of the sky: "I have glorified it, and I'll glorify it again." 29 The listening crowd said, "Thunder!" Others said, "An angel spoke to him!" 30 Jesus said, "The voice didn't come for me but for you. 31 At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out. 32 And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me." 33 He put it this way to show how he was going to be put to death. (The Message)
When word of His ministry reached outside of Jewish circles, Jesus knew it was time to begin to prepare the disciples for what was coming in his life, namely His death. Jesus explains the coming Passion as a glorification of God and Himself. He tries to explain the need and purpose of His death with an illustration about life and something with which they were familiar, wheat. He said, "You're familiar with how wheat grows. It grows upon the death of the grain. Yet this death of the grain produces much." Jesus then went on to share how we should not try to hold on to our lives, but to let it go "reckless in your love," and in that way we'll "have it forever, real and eternal." And even though they had responded to Jesus' initial call, He offered them again the challenge, "If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me." Great honor and reward from God will follow. Then boom, the voice from Heaven, "I have glorified Myself and I will glorify it again." All heard a sound, the disciples heard the words.
In our sharing and listening with God, always offer to serve God in whatever way God chooses. And when God speaks in return, we will hear exactly what we need to hear. Stand ready to serve. Stand ready in obedience. Then go, do what God expects, and God will be glorified in your life.
PRAYER: Loving God, how difficult it must have been for the disciples to hear of Your Son's death. How even more difficult for You to know that He would suffer in that way, but as I and this dear reader who makes this prayer their own pray, may we be ready to serve and to listen to You. Guide us and use us, instruments of Your loving hands. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
