The First Week in March
We Read…
Are you a rule follower, or do you like to break a rule as soon as you learn it? After God’s people were rescued from slavery, they were given the chance to restart and become a new community. They were no longer stuck under the Pharaoh’s rule and could establish themselves as whoever they wanted to be now! That sounds fun, but can you imagine how overwhelming it would feel? God brings them out of Egypt and wants to help them live into the people God has called them to be, so he gives them commandments on how to live now that they are free. These commandments weren’t just rules to make life hard; rather, they were put in place to help the Israelites learn how to be God’s people once again, live life together, and lean into the fullness of God’s community. God didn’t rescue them and then abandon them. Instead, God stayed close and helped them establish their new life together.
Exodus 20:1-17
Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 You must have no other gods before me.
4 Do not make an idol for yourself—no form whatsoever—of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 Do not bow down to them or worship them, because I, the LORD your God, am a passionate God. I punish children for their parents’ sins even to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. 6 But I am loyal and gracious to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 Do not use the LORD your God’s name as if it were of no significance; the LORD won’t forgive anyone who uses his name that way.
8 Remember the Sabbath day and treat it as holy. 9 Six days you may work and do all your tasks, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. Do not do any work on it—not you, your sons or daughters, your male or female servants, your animals, or the immigrant who is living with you. 11 Because the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them in six days, but rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 Honor your father and your mother so that your life will be long on the fertile land that the LORD your God is giving you.
13 Do not kill.
14 Do not commit adultery.
15 Do not steal.
16 Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
17 Do not desire and try to take your neighbor’s house. Do not desire and try to take your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox, donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.
Psalm 19
1 Heaven is declaring God’s glory;
the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.
2 One day gushes the news to the next,
and one night informs another
what needs to be known.
3 Of course, there’s no speech, no words—
their voices can’t be heard—
4 but their sound extends
throughout the world;
their words reach the ends
of the earth.
God has made a tent in heaven
for the sun.
5 The sun is like a groom
coming out of his honeymoon suite;
like a warrior,
it thrills at running its course.
6 It rises in one end of the sky;
its circuit is complete at the other.
Nothing escapes its heat.
7 The LORD’s Instruction is perfect,
reviving one’s very being.
The LORD’s laws are faithful,
making naive people wise.
8 The LORD’s regulations are right,
gladdening the heart.
The LORD’s commands are pure,
giving light to the eyes.
9 Honoring the LORD is correct,
lasting forever.
The LORD’s judgments are true.
All of these are righteous!
10 They are more desirable than gold—
than tons of pure gold!
They are sweeter than honey—
even dripping off the honeycomb!
11 No doubt about it:
your servant is enlightened by them;
there is great reward in keeping them.
12 But can anyone know
what they’ve accidentally done wrong?
Clear me of any unknown sin
13 and save your servant
from willful sins.
Don’t let them rule me.
Then I’ll be completely blameless;
I’ll be innocent of great wrongdoing.
14 Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you,
LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. 19 It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent.20 Where are the wise? Where are the legal experts? Where are today’s debaters? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 In God’s wisdom, he determined that the world wouldn’t come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. 22 Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. 24 But to those who are called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25 This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
John 2:13-22
13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 He found in the temple those who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as those involved in exchanging currency sitting there. 15 He made a whip from ropes and chased them all out of the temple, including the cattle and the sheep. He scattered the coins and overturned the tables of those who exchanged currency. 16 He said to the dove sellers, “Get these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written, Passion for your house consumes me.
18 Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? What miraculous sign will you show us?”
19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple and in three days I’ll raise it up.”
20 The Jewish leaders replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?” 21 But the temple Jesus was talking about was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered what he had said, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Later, we read about God’s power, the foolishness of the cross, and the temple being raised. All of these passages continue to point us to the fact that God has not abandoned us. Even when we choose the world’s power over God, even when the people misuse the temple, even when we forget that the whole earth proclaims God’s glory, God is still with us. God is still caring for us and guiding us. God has come close, and that is good news!
We Think…
What stands out to you in these verses?
Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or the church?
What are you considering?
What questions come to mind?
Why do you think the Israelites struggled to follow God, even after God rescued them from Egypt?
We Feel…
What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
Where have you seen God today or this week?
What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, maybe a friend or adult that cares for you)?
What has God made new in your life? In your heart?
How do you relate to God’s commandments? Are they difficult to follow, or do you find yourself drawn to their structure and guidance?
We Believe…
Understanding that the commandments weren’t given just for the sake of having rules helps us better understand what Jesus means when he says he is fulfilling the law. The commandments were given to help shape the Israelites into God’s holy people, into a community that reflects God’s love and grace. Jesus came so that we could have life to the fullest. He came so that we could be in a relationship with God. Jesus came so that we could truly live holy, sanctified lives through him. Jesus called us to the heart of the law, which doesn’t erase God’s commands. Instead, it deepens them and calls us to reflect on our hearts and the reasons behind our actions.
Are we living in God’s holiness and love? Or are we checking boxes because it’s what we’re supposed to do?
We Practice…
Practice listening to God this week. Reflect on where God is guiding you, how God is revealed around you, and what God has to say to you today. If you struggle with being too surrounded by people, try listening through silence. Take 2 minutes outside or in a quiet room and simply listen. If you struggle with being too busy during your day, try listening through stillness. Set a timer and find a posture that allows you to remain fully in God’s presence. If you struggle with processing your thoughts, try listening through reading Scripture. Reread our passages for this week or find another passage that jumps out, and take time to sit with the words.
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