Return to Me: A Pause for Lent, Week 2

Day 1:

This week in Return to Me: A Pause for Lent, our scripture for reflection comes from the prophet Jeremiah. Each day this week, we’ll reflect on this passage in a different way, but for today, simply read the passage and take it in. If you like, read it in more than one translation and see if anything sticks out to you.

Jeremiah 24:6-7

I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

Day 2:

Re-read Jeremiah 24:6-7.

The Israelites have a colorful history as God’s Chosen People. Throughout the Old Testament, we see this group of people—given the blessing of being identified as God’s own people— squander away that designation by turning away from God and going their own way, time and time again. Jeremiah, one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, was witness to one of those seasons of wandering.

The Lord declares, in Jeremiah 5:11, “the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me” and in Jeremiah 9:3 that “they do not know me.” His words are not ambiguous. But our God is a God of mercy, grace and steadfast love; He is not done with them yet. Later in Jeremiah, in verse 7 of our passage, the Lord relents, saying, “I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God.”

Jeremiah shows us that God’s strong words of judgement are surpassed only by his promises of mercy. He won’t give up on his people. He miraculously offers—to those who did not know him—a heart to know him as Lord, to call them his own, and to be called upon by them as their God. Why? Because they would return to him with their whole heart.

In my pride, I so often want to look down upon the Israelites for their wandering, but if I search my heart, I know I am no better. May we have hearts softened to his conviction, to turn away from our sin and turn to him with our whole hearts. Thanks be to God— He won’t give up on his people. He won’t give up on us.

Continue to reflect on that which separates you from the Lord and his great invitation to return to him.

Day 3:

Re-read Jeremiah 24:6-7.

There are great benefits to hand copying scripture. It increases your focus on the words and aids in memorization. Today, pick a verse from Jeremiah 24:6-7 (or both!) to copy down in your own hand or to memorize. If neither of those fit with your personality, draw a picture that comes to mind while reading it or read the passage over multiple times, maybe in a different translation. The idea is to pause over the Word and let it sink in.

Day 4: 

Re-read Jeremiah 24:6-7.

Today in our Pause, we invite you to pray over this week’s passage. Using the scripture, your own personal study, and anything you may have learned on Day 2, spend some time in prayer. Is there something that you want God to make clear to you, some sin you need to turn over to him? He wants to hear from you. If you need some help, we’ve provided a prayer below.

Father,

Like the Israelites, I let the circumstances of life and counterfeit gods get in between us. Instead of holding tight to you, I wander. Search my heart and help me to see where there might be distance between us and put that sin in me to death. And thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your invitation. Thank you for your promise, that if I recognize that I have turned away from you and turn back, you will welcome me home.

Amen

Day 5:

Re-read Jeremiah 24:6-7.

Reflect and Apply:

• Spend time in quiet. Take a few moments of silence to let God bring anything to mind that may be putting distance between you. Which broken places and through which means is he inviting you back? Welcome him into those places.

• Reflect on the building and planting metaphors in verse 6. Where would you like to see God build new works or grow new life in you moving forward? Be specific!

• Think back through the Israelites’ history and your own past, remember God’s mercy to redeem and restore us when we turn back to him. Again, be specific. Remembering is vital to building our faith deeper and stronger.

Based on this week’s passage, take some time to think through an application that you can begin to carry out moving forward.

 Come back next Monday morning for the post on Week 3.

What Mercy Looks Like

Mathew Schmalz, an Associate Professor of Religion, defines “mercy" as a “love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way.”*

And as soon as I heard that definition, I asked myself, "what do I need?" As a human, I need the essentials, of course: water, shelter, and food.  But I think that God's mercy reaches beyond what I can even comprehend that I need.  He knew me and you before we even took our first breath.  His mercy extends to places of the unseen that go further and deeper than we realize.  His mercy towards us meets our needs before we know we need them.  That makes me feel seen and safe. 

As we have been recipients of such deep, rich mercies, how are we mirroring the mercy we receive towards the people in our inner circle?  How can we make our people feel seen and safe today, right now?  Is there a need that I can see with my human eyes and respond with the supernatural love that God has poured into my life? It doesn't have to be complicated. But I do believe a little forethought goes a long way.

Do you know that neighbor with 4 kids who always seems to be reversing out the driveway in her minivan with sports equipment and smudged windows?  Mercy might look like a gift card to Starbucks. 

Maybe to that friend from high school who you haven't seen in a long time but heard they received some hard news, sending a card with heartfelt words looks like mercy.

And when we are all out of ideas for the day on to whom and how to show the mercy we have received towards others—maybe that's the perfect time to fall to our knees and give thanks to God for the mercies He makes new every morning.

*Schmalz, Matthew. Mercy Matters: Opening Yourself to the Life-Changing Gift. Huntington, IN, Our Sunday Visitor, 2016.

Lent 2022: God's Pursuit

Editor’s Note: Lent is a season of personal reflection. As Advent provides a time to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Lent offers us time to reflect on our sin, and the need for our Savior’s death and resurrection on the cross.

This year, our weekly reflections will focus on the mercy of God. In His goodness, God has displayed mercy towards us from the start. He knew sin would enter the world and created a means to have right-standing with Him. In the coming weeks, it is our hope that we each spend time remembering God’s mercy and His pursuit of us—from our sinfulness and need, to the institution of sacrifices for the Israelites, culminating with the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God has been always kind, always just, always loving, always merciful. 

This week, we make a turn from Old Testament to New. We have recognized our sin and need for repentance and mercy through the Old Testament institution of sacrifice— a temporary act that must be oft repeated. Now, as we move into the New Testament, we begin to see God set the stage for the ultimate sacrifice through Jesus Christ, but first, we will spend some time reflecting on God’s heart for us and what great lengths he would go to pursue us.

 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”

Matthew 18: 10-14

Reflect:

God’s mercy is not passive, waiting for us to come to our senses, working to find him and finally experience his mercy. In his mercy, he relentlessly pursues us, even when we are far from the sheepfold. Matthew 18 seems to be about God’s measuring of greatness and humility and the valuing children.

1. If you are a parent, have you ever had a child wander away from you?  How did it feel to realize the child was missing?  How did it feel to be reunited?
2. Think back, do you ever remember being lost?  Compare the lost feelings with the feelings that raced through your body once you were back in a familiar safe place with safe people. How do those memories bring new understanding to God’s pursuit of us?
3. What feelings might you need to examine if you find yourself feeling like one of the ninety-nine obedient sheep?
4. In prayer to God, name one or two people whom you don’t want to perish. Ask Him to relentlessly pursue them.

In Ezekiel 37, God demonstrates that He is a source of life and hope for people who are exhausted and scattered.

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God…I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’”

Ezekiel 37: 21-23, 26-28

Reflect:

1. What meaning does God’s Old Testament pronouncement and fulfilment of unification and salvation for Israel mean to you today in the 21st century in the United States, especially if you are non-Jewish?
2. Just as God has the power to cleanse Israel, God has the power to cleanse each of us. From what “idols” and “vile images or other offenses” do you need to be cleansed?
3. These scriptures highlight God’s pursuit of his chosen people Israel. Given this glimpse of his character, what thoughts do you have about his pursuit of people in other countries and his capacity to bring peace when nations put him in the center of their plans? (John 12:32; Revelation 7: 9-11)

Prayer:

Dear God, as I reflect on your unrelenting pursuit of me and of other humans, made in your image, loved by you from before the beginning of time, I am overcome with gratitude. But I am also humbled.  Sometimes I continue to turn away or ignore you rather than falling into your arms of care.  Teach me more clearly how to get in step with you. Give me a relentless concern for others around me, especially those who may have been forgotten by the world because they are not part of the 99 who are seen and safe. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Additional scriptures: Isaiah 59:16-21 and Jeremiah 31:20, 31-34.

*New International Version of the Bible was used for scriptures in this piece.

Lent 2022: Repentance

Editor’s Note: Lent is a season of personal reflection. As Advent provides a time to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Lent offers us time to reflect on our sin, and the need for our Savior’s death and resurrection on the cross.

This year, our weekly reflections will focus on the mercy of God. In His goodness, God has displayed mercy towards us from the start. He knew sin would enter the world and created a means to have right-standing with Him. In the coming weeks, it is our hope that we each spend time remembering God’s mercy and His pursuit of us—from our sinfulness and need, to the institution of sacrifices for the Israelites, culminating with the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God has been always kind, always just, always loving, always merciful.

Previously we focused on our sin, which necessitates our need for mercy from God. This week we turn our focus to repentance. Repentance acts as a bridge—after we have recognized our sin, it is important that we turn back to God in repentance to receive the full measure of his mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,

    but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy

Psalm 32:1-5

1 Blessed is the one

    whose transgressions are forgiven,

    whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the one

    whose sin the Lord does not count against them

    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,

    my bones wasted away

    through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night

    your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was sapped

    as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you

    and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess

    my transgressions to the Lord.”

And you forgave

    the guilt of my sin.

Isaiah 1:16-20

16 Wash and make yourselves clean.

    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;

    stop doing wrong.

17 Learn to do right; seek justice.

    Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

    plead the case of the widow.

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”

    says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

    they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

    they shall be like wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient,

    you will eat the good things of the land;

20 but if you resist and rebel,

    you will be devoured by the sword.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

    according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

    blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity

    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

    and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,

    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    so that sinners will turn back to you.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

    you who are God my Savior,

    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 Open my lips, Lord,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,

    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,

    in burnt offerings offered whole;

    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Reflect:

1. In these passages, sin refers to rebellion or violations of God's law. What sin currently has a grip on you? Can you acknowledge your sin to the Lord? Can you share your struggle with a trusted friend? Our Lord promises us forgiveness and release from sin’s grip if we will just acknowledge it and turn from it.

2. Have you felt the forgiveness of your Savior? Can you relate to David in Psalms 32 when he talks about the weight he felt from his sin and the contrast of that weight lifted once he repented?

Prayer:

Father, thank you that you are a God of mercy—a God of forgiveness.  Thank you for sending your Son to take on the weight and price of our sin so that we can be forgiven.  Father, you know us intimately and you know our struggles.  Praise the Lord that you call us into your presence, even in the midst of sin and shame.  Father, we ask that you would remind us of our sin; that you would push us to repentance.  Provide a trusted friend, spouse, or pastor that we can confide in.  We know that once sin is exposed it no longer has a hold on us.  It is exposed to the light (Ephesians 5:12-14).  Forgive us Lord for our failures.  Help us to strive toward holiness.  In your name we pray, Amen.

Lent 2022: Sacrifice

Editor’s Note: Lent is a season of personal reflection. As Advent provides a time to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Lent offers us time to reflect on our sin, and the need for our Savior’s death and resurrection on the cross.

This year, our weekly reflections will focus on the mercy of God. In His goodness, God has displayed mercy towards us from the start. He knew sin would enter the world and created a means to have right-standing with Him. In the coming weeks, it is our hope that we each spend time remembering God’s mercy and His pursuit of us—from our sinfulness and need, to the institution of sacrifices for the Israelites, culminating with the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God has been always kind, always just, always loving, always merciful. 

This week, we spend time reflecting on the institution of sacrifices. God, in His mercy, prescribed various sacrifices to allow His people to atone for their sins.

 Sacrifice

Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. This is how you are to deal with those who sin unintentionally by doing anything that violates one of the Lord’s commands.

3 “If the high priest sins, bringing guilt upon the entire community, he must give a sin offering for the sin he has committed. He must present to the Lord a young bull with no defects. 4 He must bring the bull to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the Lord. 

5 The high priest will then take some of the bull’s blood into the Tabernacle, 6 dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the inner curtain of the sanctuary. 7 The priest will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense that stands in the Lord’s presence inside the Tabernacle. He will pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 

8 Then the priest must remove all the fat of the bull to be offered as a sin offering. This includes all the fat around the internal organs, 9 the two kidneys and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. He must remove these along with the kidneys, 10 just as he does with cattle offered as a peace offering and burn them on the altar of burnt offerings. 11 But he must take whatever is left of the bull—its hide, meat, head, legs, internal organs, and dung— 12 and carry it away to a place outside the camp that is ceremonially clean, the place where the ashes are dumped. There, on the ash heap, he will burn it on a wood fire.

13 “If the entire Israelite community sins by violating one of the Lord’s commands, but the people don’t realize it, they are still guilty. 14 When they become aware of their sin, the people must bring a young bull as an offering for their sin and present it before the Tabernacle. 15 The elders of the community must then lay their hands on the bull’s head and slaughter it before the Lord. 16 The high priest will then take some of the bull’s blood into the Tabernacle, 17 dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the inner curtain. 

18 He will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense that stands in the Lord’s presence inside the Tabernacle. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 

19 Then the priest must remove all the animal’s fat and burn it on the altar, 20 just as he does with the bull offered as a sin offering for the high priest. Through this process, the priest will purify the people, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven. 21 Then the priest must take what is left of the bull and carry it outside the camp and burn it there, just as is done with the sin offering for the high priest. This offering is for the sin of the entire congregation of Israel.

22 “If one of Israel’s leaders sins by violating one of the commands of the Lord his God but doesn’t realize it, he is still guilty. 23 When he becomes aware of his sin, he must bring as his offering a male goat with no defects. 

24 He must lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where burnt offerings are slaughtered before the Lord. This is an offering for his sin. 25 Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood of the sin offering and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 

26 Then he must burn all the goat’s fat on the altar, just as he does with the peace offering. Through this process, the priest will purify the leader from his sin, making him right with the Lord, and he will be forgiven.

27 “If any of the common people sin by violating one of the Lord’s commands, but they don’t realize it, they are still guilty. 28 When they become aware of their sin, they must bring as an offering for their sin a female goat with no defects. 29 They must lay a hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place where burnt offerings are slaughtered. 

30 Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 Then he must remove all the goat’s fat, just as he does with the fat of the peace offering. He will burn the fat on the altar, and it will be a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Through this process, the priest will purify the people, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven.

32 “If the people bring a sheep as their sin offering, it must be a female with no defects. 33 They must lay a hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place where burnt offerings are slaughtered. 34 Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood of the sin offering and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 

35 Then he must remove all the sheep’s fat, just as he does with the fat of a sheep presented as a peace offering. He will burn the fat on the altar on top of the special gifts presented to the Lord. Through this process, the priest will purify the people from their sin, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven.

Leviticus 4, emphasis added

Reflect:

1.     Why was such a violent, painful, and bloody offering required by God to make atonement for sin?

2.     Why didn’t God have his people perform another ritual or ceremony that didn’t require death?

3.     How do these requirements reveal how pure and holy He is?

4.     How does the sacrifices required by God show how He views our sin?

5.     How do these sacrifice requirements foreshadow the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross?

Psalm 139:24 says,

    “Search me, O God and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting.”

Additional scripture: Leviticus 5:17-19, 6:1-7; Psalm 51:16-19

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

   You are pure and holy.  Search my heart and know my thoughts.  Open my eyes to the sin in my life.  Help me to turn from it and respond to Your love.  Each day, make me the living sacrifice You’ve called me to be, so that all may see Jesus in me and know how much You love them. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lent 2022: Mercy

Editor’s Note: Lent is a season of personal reflection. As Advent provides a time to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Lent offers us time to reflect on our sin, and the need for our Savior’s death and resurrection on the cross.

This year, our weekly reflections will focus on the mercy of God. In His goodness, God has displayed mercy towards us from the start. He knew sin would enter the world and created a means to have right-standing with Him. In the coming weeks, it is our hope that we each spend time remembering God’s mercy and His pursuit of us—from our sinfulness and need, to the institution of sacrifices for the Israelites, culminating with the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God has been always kind, always just, always loving, always merciful. 

Mercy

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Reflect: “Mercy” is defined* as “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.” When we talk about God's mercy, it is easy to focus on the high standards of a holy God that require mercy to be extended, and that is necessary and right, but we cannot neglect to reflect on what we are given instead because of the kindness of God and His love for us. God’s mercy never runs out on us.

How have you seen His steadfast love and mercies renewed each morning for you?

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But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:4-7

Reflect: Have you ever tried to save yourself by “works done in righteousness?” When did you come to realize that your salvation comes from God’s mercy? How does that change how you view your sin and your thoughts towards God?  

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But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7

Reflect: Why do you think mercy and love seem to go hand-in-hand in each of these passages? In what ways has God shown His rich mercy—throughout the Bible, history, and your own life? What can you do in response to His rich mercy throughout this Lenten season?

Additional reading: Psalm 51:1

*Definition taken from the Oxford Languages Dictionary on Google.

All verses quoted are from the English Standard Version (ESV) translation of the Bible.