Day 11 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 6:1-36

In these verses the disciples unlawfully picked heads of grain and ate the kernels on the Sabbath and Jesus unlawfully healed a man with a shriveled right hand. By Jesus’ example, we have hope that love and compassion, and what is good and right will always be above the letter of the law. Jesus went to the mountainside and prayed all night to God. In the morning Jesus chose 12 from all his disciples to be his designated apostles. This gives us hope that if we spend much time alone in prayer with God that He will guide us in making the right decisions.

For those who are in the Lord and remain strong in their faith, during their times of trouble whether physical, spiritual or emotional, there is much hope of promised rewards and blessing eternally with our Lord. God loves and is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Those who hear the word of God have hope that with God’s help and empowerment we will be able to love our enemies and be kind and unmerciful to the ungrateful and wicked as well. (Mary Lou Wood)

· Do you find that time in prayer helps you to make good decisions?

· Are there big decisions facing you now that you need to pray over?

Day 10 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 5:27-39

In 2003, the band Switchfoot released “The Beautiful Letdown”. In the title track we hear the lyrics: “We are a beautiful letdown, painfully uncool; the church of the dropouts, the losers, the sinners, the failures, and the fools”. This is a rather unique look at what it means to be the church and to follow Jesus. Disagree? Just look at Levi. Levi was a very well-known Old Testament Jewish name; Levi was one of the 12 tribes of Israel. But it says here that Levi was a tax collector. That meant he was working for the Roman government. Do you see the problem here? Here was a guy with a sterling Jewish name and background; working for the enemy—Rome. This was a huge problem because Levi had switched sides. To his own covenant people he was a letdown; he was painfully uncool. To his own people he was a dropout, a loser, a sinner, a failure, and a fool.

But here’s the thing: Jesus called Levi anyway. Jesus loved Levi anyway. Jesus wanted to include Levi anyway. Jesus calls all kinds of people to follow Him; even people like Levi. Maybe we should be glad that Jesus called people like Levi because that means Jesus calls people like us too. Where there is love, there is always hope. Jesus loves us so much that he came for all of us—the sick, the sinners, the lost, the lonely. And just like Levi the tax collector, we too can follow Jesus. All we have to do is take the first step. (Wade Arp, Mary Lou Wood)

· Were you at all like Levi when Jesus encountered you?

· What steps do you need to take today to follow where Jesus leads?

Day 9 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 5:1-26

Calling, healing, and forgiving. When Jesus told Peter to put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch, Peter did so. Peter took the first step of obedience, no matter how illogical it seemed to him at the time. Then when Peter was blessed with the extraordinary catch of fish, he told Jesus, “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.” Peter did not feel that he deserved, or was worthy, to be blessed by Jesus. We can all find great hope here, because all of us are sinful people. But if we take those first steps of obedience and choose to follow Jesus we too will be greatly blessed and live an abundant life. Right after the calling of Peter, Luke tells us that Jesus encountered a man with leprosy. And this man had strong faith and belief that Jesus could make him clean. And he also had a strong hope that Jesus would be willing to do so. Wherever there is faith, there is always hope. Then Luke tells us that Jesus encountered a paralyzed man. When his friends lowered the paralyzed man on the mat through the roof tiles, Jesus saw their faith and said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” and then Jesus said, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” When we have genuine faith our sins are forgiven and we can always have the hope that we will be healed physically as well, here on earth. God lovingly wants only the best for each of us. Where can we find hope? We find hope because Jesus calls, heals, and forgives. (Mary Lou Wood)

Day 8 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 4:31-44

The Holy One of God. The Gospel writer, goes to great lengths in chapters 3 and 4 to reveal to us just who this Jesus really is. We learn things like Jesus’ pedigree in His unique genealogy. We learn about his calling and credentials in His unique baptism. We learn about His role as the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies when He speaks in His hometown synagogue. And now in today’s reading we see Jesus demonstrate publically that he has the power & authority of God here on earth as he casts out demons and heals the sick. It’s almost like Luke was anticipating his readers asking the question of Jesus, “What’s your name and who’s your daddy?” And the simple one-phrase answer comes from a strange place; one of the demons confesses to Jesus, “You are the Holy One of God!”

All of us look to God for answers and help in our lives. And maybe we need to be reminded occasionally of just who Jesus really is. And we can take great hope in the presence and identity of Jesus. He is the fulfillment of a long-awaited promise. He is the only one set apart to be Lord, Master, Savior, and Redeemer. In a phrase, He is “the Holy One of God.”

· Who is Jesus to you?

· Is He “Holy” (set apart and special) in your life?

· What do you come seeking from Jesus today?

Day 7 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 4:1-30

To test this potential Messiahship the devil himself tempts him in the wilderness. Like two kids using their memory skills, they spar back and forth. With help from the Word of God, Jesus does not succumb to temptation, the devil departs, and an angel comes to bring Jesus a cup of cold water and sings to Him “Whispering Hope”. (This part could have happened!) Any doubt of Jesus’ Messiahship is cleared up when he goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Luke 4:16 says that Jesus is handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He turns to a particular passage and fills the synagogue and the entire world with hope as he reads:

¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Jesus closes the book, returns it to the attendant, sits down and notices that everybody is staring at Him. So He adds: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing!” The Word of God came…and hope came with Him. (Sarah James)

Day 6 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 3:21-38

Genealogies—these are not the most fun to read. In fact we often skip right over them and move on. However Pastor John Ed Mathison shares a neat take on genealogy passages in the Bible; in his book Treasures of the Transformed Life, he shares the following illustration:

Some boys went to visit an old man who was blind and they asked if there was something from the bible they could read for him. He said, “Yes, please read my favorite part of the Christmas Story: Matthew 1.” Now usually we think of the Christmas story as coming a little later in Matthew because most of Matthew 1 is the genealogy of Jesus—just one name after the other: Abraham was the father of Isaac who was the father of Jacob who was the father of Judah, and on and on and on. Honestly, most of us skip that part of the story. And the boys really weren’t too excited about reading this part of Matthew, especially when they kept running across all of those names that they couldn’t pronounce. Finally the boys said, “Sir we are just going to skip over all these names and get to the good stuff.” And the man said, “Oh no! This is the good stuff! Don’t skip over the names because they are the most important part. They might just look like a list of names to you, but to God each of them was important. He put ever name in that book, and that means He put my name in that book, too.” (pages 117-118)

· Do you really comprehend that God loves each of us as if we were the only one?

· Do you celebrate that God gives you His name, calls you His own, and wants you to be a part of His family?

Day 5 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 3:1-20

Caesars. Governors. Tetrarchs. High Priests. Luke 3:1 lists men who held powerful positions. But then we read in Luke 3:2 “…and the word of God came” and somehow now we feel like falling on our knees, expecting something truly powerful to happen. And it does. A wild-eyed prophet badly in need of a haircut and a bath starts preaching in the wilderness and boldly proclaims from the Word of God that “…soon all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Sarah James)

· Jesus was born into a world where people had high hopes for change.

· What changes are you hoping for: in your life, community, church, and world?

Day 4 Reaing & Reflection

Read Luke 2:21-52

I was not churched as a young person. I did not know Christ until I was in my mid-thirties. When I sit among my Tuesday Small Group I feel like I am at the Temple with Jesus, because I have been touched by so many people in both classes and have learned so much from everyone in those groups. There was a lot about the Bible and Jesus that did not know, and still don’t, until I started attending Sunday School several years ago and now the Tuesday Small Group brings a lot more to the table for me. If Jesus had not been born where would we be today?

For those who did not grow up in church and get to know Christ in their younger years, there is hope of still learning and knowing who God and Jesus are just by hearing the Good News that Jesus was born for us. (Debbie Cochis)

· How long have you been following Jesus? Do you wish you started earlier?

· How many major changes has your life undergone since becoming a follower?

Day 3 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 2:1-20

Luke Chapter 2 introduces us to Simeon and Anna in the temple. Simeon was an old man who knew he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. The Holy Spirit had promised him this. Simeon lived in hope and anticipation. Anna was an old woman and a prophetess who also lived in hope to see Israel’s Deliverer. Both saw their expectations met in the temple. They saw Jesus.

During this season of Lent, pause and consider who in your life is living in hope. Who are the Simeon’s and Anna’s in your family or circle of friends who live in anticipation and waiting? Do you know someone who has received incredible, seemingly impossible news, like Elizabeth and Mary? What are you hoping for? Regardless of the situation, rest in the comfort that our trials will be accomplished through God. Jesus Christ was born to bring a moral foundation to humankind. Living in His word gives believers a path to an intimate relationship with God. We will do nothing this season to earn God’s love. But we can dare to hope because we have God’s promise. (Cindy Wilson)

· Who in your life is living hope?

· Is there someone that you know of who needs living hope in their life? Can you be that living hope for them?

Day 2 Reading & Reflection

Read Luke 1:26-80

Many years ago my uncle (who was also up in his years) had a brain tumor. He and his wife could not have children. While my uncle was in the hospital recovering from having the tumor removed, my aunt found out that she was pregnant. They had always wanted children, but my aunt medically could not have them. We do not know why God provided them with this child at this time in their lives. My uncle was forced to retire at this time, so we believe that this child was a gift from God to help him with his recovery and to remember that with prayer everything is possible with God, and that God will provide as he promises. (Debbie Cochis)

· Have you discovered first-hand that God answers prayer?

· God is the God-of-the-impossible. Are you facing something that seems impossible? If so, you are not facing it alone. God is even bigger than your obstacle; and God is on your side.

Day 1 Reading & Reflection

What is HOPE? By definition, hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Hope is also looking forward to something with desire and reasonable confidence. Finally, hope can be a person or thing in which expectations are centered.

In Luke Chapter 1, we find Zechariah and Elizabeth. They had reached on old age, Elizabeth was barren and they had stopped hoping for a child. However, the angel Gabriel announced that a son would be born to them. Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary, a young unmarried girl, was also visited by an angel. Mary, too, would bear a son. Elizabeth’s son would grow up to become John the Baptist, bringing his message of the coming hope. The Christ! The nation of Israel had waited and hoped for their Savior for so long….now the wait was almost over. Mary’s son was that Christ. He was born to bring hope. He was born to bring salvation and eternal life to all who believed in Him. (Cindy Wilson)

· When have you had to wait in hope on God to move?

· Are you waiting in hope right now for something from God? If so, take heart and remember that God always keeps His word.

The Invitation

(Basic Instructions for the Journey)

Intentional Time with God

Set aside some time every day to be intentional with God. Plan to spend some time, reading, reflecting and praying. As a community of believers, we are inviting you to join us over these 40 days of Lent in reading through the Gospel of Luke. Each day, we’ll suggest a short scripture reading, along with a reflection or question authored by someone from within the congregation. Then allow yourself some time to apply the message into your own life. You can also participate online. Just go to our website at http://www.london1umc.org/ and click on either the Facebook or Blogger links. From Facebook you can click on the Notes tab and follow along with each day’s reading. From Blogger you can follow along with each day’s reading and post questions and comments. But if you are just not that into being online, you can pick up each week’s reading at Sunday worship.

Actively Pray for & Share Hope with 3 People

Write down the names of 3 people that you want God to impact and give hope to. This Season of Hope doesn’t have to be just about us! We believe that God wants to do something in the lives of people around us. So over the next 40 days, ask God to give you greater passion for people. And ask God to give you opportunities to show 3 people the hope that is only found in God. So pray for 3 people each day; then look for opportunities to meet, listen and share with them. May others discover the hope through your words, attitudes, and your actions!

Seek Hope for Our World and Our Church

Join us in dreaming for the world around us and our church. And dream BIG. But not only dreaming about how big our church can be, or what the next new thing for us is going to be. Instead, dream about how our church can be a place where the lonely feel encouraged, and the lost feel found, and the broken can find a safe place to put the pieces back together again. Pray that our church can become a place that makes a change in our community. Let’s put our hope in Christ - for with God nothing is impossible.

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full..."

(John 10:10)

It’s a strange word—Hope. In a world full of disillusionment we wonder if hope still exists. Many of us have become discouraged because we live with disappointment daily. Maybe we have given up dreaming. Maybe we have given up trying to change things. Maybe we have become convinced that nothing in our world can ever really change. Maybe we have lost hope.

Pause, then rewind. Back when Jesus came into our world he encountered a generation who had lost hope as well. God’s covenant people, the Jews, were expectantly clinging to His ancient promises of people, land, and blessing. But they found themselves living under Roman rule. Their land occupied and controlled by the Roman military machine. Caesar proclaimed himself to be god. Roman politics, military, culture and religion cast a growing shadow of doubt over God’s people and His promises. What hope did God’s people have living under Rome? They had waited so long for God to move. They had waited so long for messiah. But now, was it too late? What difference could one person make?

Then Jesus came. “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son…” (Galatians 4:4). That changed everything. No longer were people bound by their past or stuck in their present. In Jesus, people found hope and a future. Jesus invited people into a new reality; a new way of relating to God. Jesus offered people a way to be transformed, forgiven, healed, and redeemed. Jesus brought hope.

Push play. In our lives today it is arduous to recover hope once we have lost it. Many people simply give in to the false perception that life is noting but a series of disappointments and let downs, with a few happy moments sprinkled in to ease their discontent. But it doesn’t have to be like this. Following Jesus offers us a much brighter alternative. In Jesus we encounter hope from disappointment, redemption from failure, and freedom from captivity.

I want to invite you on a journey. In these next 40 days that lead up to Easter join with me and many others as we seek and hold onto hope in Jesus. We hold onto hope that God’s light will shine light in the dark areas of our lives. We hold onto hope that God will give us direction where we feel confused. We hold onto God for hope that broken areas of our lives will be healed. We hold onto God for hope that He will find us if we are lost. We hold onto God for hope that Jesus will burst into our lives in an undeniable and overwhelming way.