Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The Daily Lectionary for WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020

https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/revised-common-lectionary-complementary/2020/04/15?version=NIV

The Daily Lectionary
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

On this day God has acted
1  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
     his love endures forever.

2  Let Israel say:
     “His love endures forever.”
[…]
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.

15 Shouts of joy and victory
     resound in the tents of the righteous:
   “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
16   The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
     the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die but live,
     and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
     but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
     I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
     through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
     you have become my salvation.

22 The stone the builders rejected
     has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
     and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
     let us rejoice today and be glad.

Israel crosses into the promised land
3:1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Proclaim the resurrection
28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Daily Lectionary is a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2020, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2019 was Year C. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Lectionary for WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Joshua 3:1-17; Matthew 28:1-10

The Daily Prayer for WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020

https://biblegateway.christianbook.com/common-prayer-liturgy-for-ordinary-radicals/shane-claiborne/9780310326199/pd/326199
The Daily Prayer
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020

A reading from the gospel according to Mark: “They came to him and said, ‘Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity.… Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?’… But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. ‘Why are you trying to trap me?’ he asked. ‘Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.’ They brought the coin, and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’” (Mark 12:13-17)

Lord, we long to be your -people in this world where other powers claim our allegiance. You have stamped your image on us. Guide us by your light that we might see clearly who we are and what it means to give ourselves to you. Amen.

Verse of the Day for WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020

https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/verse-of-the-day/2020/04/15?version=NIV

Romans 13:6-7
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Read all of Romans 13

Listen to Romans 13

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - Miércoles 15 de abril de 2020

https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/un-dia-vez/2020/04/15

El recuerdo sin dolor

Pero fiel es el Señor, que os afirmará y guardará del mal.

En días pasados, acompañé a mi princesa Niki a realizarse unos exámenes generales, pues no se había sentido muy bien. Así que estuvimos en el hospital Memorial, de Pembroke Pines y allí le hicieron un examen conocido como tomografía axial compute-rizada (TAC). Como Niki estaba un poco nerviosa, le explique de qué se trataba la prueba. No sé si todos lo saben, pero te meten en un aparato que gira en torno al cuerpo del paciente emitiendo un haz de rayos X que, mediante unos cristales, se reciben y registran una serie de datos que se envían a una computadora que convierte la información en una imagen sobre una pantalla. Este examen es tan completo que se detecta cualquier tipo de problema.

Estando allí, la tuve que esperar afuera y empecé a recordar la época de mi enfermedad. En mi caso, pasé por esa misma prueba durante momentos críticos al estar recién operada y cuando el cuadro médico no daba muchas esperanzas de vida. Así que todo era gris y misterioso. Entonces me puse a rememorar varios de esos momentos en que me llevaban en medio de tanto dolor y sintiendo la muerte a mi alrededor.

De pronto, sentí unos deseos enormes de llorar y le agradecí a Dios el milagro de mi sanidad. Nunca me cansaré de reconocer cómo me sanó Dios y de que hoy sea un testimonio viviente.

No es vivir en el pasado, pero nunca debemos olvidar lo que Dios hace por nosotros. Además, eso nos dará la fuerza para seguir adelante.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
En días pasados, acompañé a mi princesa Niki a realizarse unos exámenes generales, pues no se había sentido muy bien.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Wednesday, April 15, 2020

https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/standing-strong-through-the-storm/2020/04/15
DANGER CANNOT SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall…danger…?

The question asked is a personal one. Not “what” can separate us but “who”? The inference is our enemy, Satan, who tries every tactic he can garner to make us think we can be separated from Christ’s love. Today we look at his tactic of “danger.”

Dr. Paul Negrut pastored the largest Baptist church in Europe which is located in Oradea, Romania. He served the church faithfully under the cruel Ceaucescu regime and often suffered personal mistreatment.

He shared with our Open Doors leaders that the most difficult time he remembers was a night he returned home rejoicing after a very successful evangelistic crusade. But when he walked in the house, he saw his wife weeping and his nine-year-old daughter was trembling. Through her tears, his wife shared that when their daughter was coming home from school that day, the Securitate (Romanian secret police) tried to rape her to destroy her and the family.

Paul said, “That night I was in a great struggle. For the first time, I was thinking to emigrate from Romania. I asked the Lord, ‘Should I leave the blessing of suffering or should I endure to see my girl like that?’

“I talked to my wife and after prayer, we chose to stay. Two days later they tried to rape our daughter again. And two days later they tried to rape my wife. But every time God was protecting them in a miraculous way.”

Today Dr. Paul Negrut is the pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Oradea and the Chancellor of Emmanuel Baptist University. Dr. Negrut weathered the days of communism in Romania and rose to great influence when the Iron Curtain came down. He was offered a job with the new democratic government in a free Romania but turned it down believing that serving the Lord was a higher calling. Emmanuel University and the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Oradea are known throughout Europe. The university trains people from all over Romania and many other parts of the world.

RESPONSE: I will live this day in the awareness that danger can never separate me from Christ’s love.

PRAYER: Help me remember, Lord, that You are there in the midst of all my troubles.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Daily Devotions - April 15, 2020 - "A Picture Bridegroom"

https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20200415

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"A Picture Bridegroom"

April 15, 2020

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ... Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

During the early 20th century, Japanese immigrants to America were mostly men. When they wanted to marry, they would send pictures of themselves to Japan, hoping that matchmakers would be able to convince some young woman to marry them in spite of the fact that they had never met. Surprising as it may seem, quite a few women did choose to marry in this way, and they founded families in America. These were called the "picture brides."

In some ways, this is very similar to the kind of relationship we have with Jesus right now. We have His "picture" to look at—the image of a holy, loving, gentle Savior who wants us to be His own, and who was willing to lay down His own life to make that happen. We can trace His features in the four Gospels, where we see Him serving, healing, teaching, suffering, dying, and rising. We see His power, majesty, and holiness reflected through the whole Bible—as well as His love and never-failing desire that we should live as people of God, reflecting His character. The Bible is our "picture" until we see Him face to face.

The Japanese picture brides ran a certain risk, because not every man was honest. Some lied about their circumstances or sent pictures that were touched up or taken a long time ago, when they were young and attractive. Since there was no real-time communication between Japan and America, the brides had no way to check up on their bridegrooms to see if they were really what they claimed to be.

But this is not true for us. Our picture-Bridegroom has given us many ways of being in touch with Him on a daily basis. We've got prayer, of course; we have Holy Communion, which allows us to "touch and handle things unseen," as the hymn puts it. We have other human beings to care for—as Jesus says, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40b). And we have the counsel and comfort of our fellow Christians, through whom the Holy Spirit speaks and encourages us: "For where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:20).

THE PRAYER: Lord, help us to get to know You better as we wait for You. Amen.

Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever known someone only through letters, emails, or over the internet?

2. If so, what was it like when you finally met face to face?

3. What do you look forward to most on the day you see Jesus face to face?
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Have you ever known someone only through letters, emails, or over the internet?

Devocional CPTLN del 15 de abril de 2020 - "Un novio de foto"


ALIMENTO DIARIO

Un novio de foto

15 de Abril de 2020

Bendito sea el Dios y Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que por su gran misericordia y mediante la resurrección de Jesucristo nos ha hecho nacer de nuevo a una esperanza viva... Ustedes aman a Jesucristo sin haberlo visto, y creen en él aunque ahora no lo ven, y se alegran con gozo inefable y glorioso, porque están alcanzando la meta de su fe, que es la salvación.

Los japoneses que emigraron a los Estados Unidos a principios del siglo XX, eran en su mayoría hombres. Cuando querían casarse enviaban fotos de sí mismos a Japón, con la esperanza de que los casamenteros pudieran convencer a alguna joven para que se casara con ellos, a pesar de que nunca se habían conocido. Por sorprendente que parezca, algunas mujeres decidieron casarse de esta manera estableciendo así familias en los Estados Unidos. A ellas se las conoció como las "novias de foto".

De algunas maneras, esto es similar a la relación que tenemos con Jesús en este momento. Podemos mirar su "foto": la imagen de un Salvador santo, amoroso y tierno que quiere que seamos suyos y que está dispuesto a dar su vida para que eso suceda. Podemos ver sus rasgos en los cuatro Evangelios, donde lo vemos sirviendo, sanando, enseñando, sufriendo, muriendo y resucitando. A través de toda la Biblia vemos reflejados su poder, majestad y santidad, así como su amor y su deseo inquebrantable de que vivamos como pueblo de Dios, reflejando su carácter. La Biblia es nuestra "foto" hasta que lo veamos cara a cara.

Las "novias de foto" japonesas corrían cierto riesgo, porque no todos los hombres eran honestos. Algunos mentían sobre sus circunstancias o enviaban fotos retocadas o tomadas hacía mucho tiempo, cuando eran jóvenes y atractivos. Como no había comunicación en tiempo real entre Japón y Estados Unidos, las novias no tenían forma de comprobar si ellos realmente eran lo que afirmaban ser.

Pero esto no es cierto para nosotros. Nuestro "novio de foto" nos ha dado muchas formas para estar en contacto con él cada día, ya sea a través de la oración o de la Santa Comunión. Tenemos otros seres humanos que cuidar, como dice Jesús: "De cierto les digo que todo lo que hicieron por uno de mis hermanos más pequeños, por mí lo hicieron" (Mateo 25:40b). Y tenemos el consejo y el consuelo de nuestros hermanos cristianos, a través de los cuales el Espíritu Santo nos habla y nos anima: "Porque donde dos o tres se reúnen en mi nombre, allí estoy yo, en medio de ellos" (Mateo 18:20).

ORACIÓN: Señor, ayúdanos a conocerte mejor mientras te esperamos. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:
* Si primero conociste a alguien solo a la distancia, ¿cómo fue cuando finalmente se conocieron cara a cara?

* ¿Qué es lo que más esperas del día en que veas cara a cara a Jesús?
© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
Si primero conociste a alguien solo a la distancia, ¿cómo fue cuando finalmente se conocieron cara a cara?

Ministérios Pão Diário - Razão para cantar

https://paodiario.org/2020/04/15/razao-para-cantar

Razão para cantar

Escritura de hoje: Salmo 98
Bíblia em um ano: 1 Samuel 27–29; Lucas 13:1-22

Cantem ao Senhor um cântico novo, porque ele fez maravilhas…
— Salmo 98:1

Quando eu tinha 13 anos, minha escola exigia que os alunos fizessem quatro cursos extras, incluindo economia doméstica, arte, coral e marcenaria. Em meu primeiro dia no coral, a professora chamou um aluno por vez ao piano para ouvi-lo individualmente e separar cada um de acordo com seu alcance vocal. Na minha vez, cantei as notas diversas vezes, mas não fui direcionada a um grupo. Em vez disso, depois de repetidas tentativas, ela me mandou para a coordenação para escolher outro curso. A partir daquele momento, senti que não devia cantar, que minha voz não deveria ser ouvida numa música.

Guardei esse sentimento por mais de uma década, até ler o Salmo 98. O escritor abre com um convite: “Cantem ao Senhor” (v.1). O motivo nada tem a ver com a qualidade de nossas vozes. Ele se alegra com todas as canções de gratidão e louvor dos Seus filhos. Somos convidados a cantar porque Deus “fez maravilhas” (v.1).

O salmista destaca duas razões maravilhosas para louvar alegremente a Deus em música e ações: Seu trabalho salvador em nossa vida e a contínua fidelidade dele para conosco. No coral de Deus, cada um tem um lugar para cantar as coisas maravilhosas que Ele tem feito.

Por:  Kirsten Holmberg

Refletir & Orar
Senhor, fizeste grandes coisas em minha vida. Mesmo que a minha voz não seja adequada para ser ouvida de um palco, quero me juntar ao coral dos Teus filhos para agradecer-te pelas maravilhosas coisas que tens feito.
Deus ama ouvir as vozes de Seus filhos.

© 2020 Ministérios Pão Diário
Senti que não devia cantar, que minha voz não deveria ser ouvida numa música.