Twenty-first Day of Lent

 Friday, March 12, 2021

Hallelujah!  He is risen!

A Lenten Devotional Guide

By Jan Wise

Christ Jesus…who being in very nature God…made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness…. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

Philippians 2:6-7; John 1:11

Callie, our Persian cat, has long hair requiring daily combing. She hates the grooming and, although she stays on my lap while I comb out the day’s snarls, she continuously growls her displeasure. One day as I hit a particularly tough tangle, she let out a yowl and tried to scratch her way off my lap. Grabbing her, I reinforced my intentions by administering a sharp rap of the comb to her fuzzy bottom. 

Holding her close, feeling sorry my efforts had hurt her, I lamented, “Callie, don’t you know I wouldn’t intentionally make you mad – that the combing I do may hurt at times but it’s for your own good? If only I could become a cat and speak your language so that you’d understand what this is all about.”

Looking at Callie’s angry eyes, I acknowledge, “But even if I became a cat and told you, you probably wouldn’t believe me.” As I sat there holding my angry cat, I realized anew what God in Jesus Christ did for the human race. He became one of us, sharing our pain and experiencing all our temptations. And, in our language, he explained the Father’s good plan for us. When Jesus went to Calvary, graphically portraying God’s love for mankind, most looked on with unbelieving hearts.

Through the life of Jesus, the cross and the resurrection spoke his love in our language. The Easter season is a time for considering our response. Are we really hearing? Are we really believing?

Father, thank you for sending Jesus so I could hear you speak in my own language. Give me ears to hear and a heart to believe your love for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Hallelujah! He is Risen!
prepared for First United Methodist Church of Homosassa, Florida
Spring 2011
compiled by Patience Nave, Christian Education Coordinator
reproduced and edited by Patience Fort