Isaiah 40:1-11 (NIV)

Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

Reflection

With the explosion of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, everybody is “trending” these days – there seems to always be a viral video you must see, a hip word you must use or an experience you must post. It takes a vigilant dedication to be a trendy hipster. Yet, like grass that withers and flowers that fall, these trends are here today and gone tomorrow. “But the word of our God endures forever.” Just like God Himself, His enduring word that brought us new life will never perish, spoil or fade. While everything else in the world holds our attention only for a quick moment, His word will captivate us for eternity. His word is good news. It is the very breath of the Lord. It came to us with mighty power through the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ. As our Shepherd, He carries us in the depths of His hearts and speaks tender words of compassion and mercy. His word is with us today and will be with us for eternity.

Response

Rather than letting our hearts be carried away with the fleeting trends of the day, let us be captivated by the enduring word of God. Not only the portions above, but read the rest of Isaiah 40. Allow the words to dwell deeply in our hearts and mind and let them flow out in love and life to those near us.

1 Peter 4:7-11 (NIV)

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflection

In this passage, Peter speaks again of loving each other with this deep love. He says that this deep love covers over sin – a multitude of them. What love covers a multitude of sins? It is the outstretched love of our savior, Jesus, who blood covers your sin and mine. It is with this kind of love that we love one another. And it is this kind of love that undergirds all else that Peter encourages his readers to do. With deep, out-stretched love, we can we genuinely offer hospitality without grumbling and serve others with deep humility. With this love, we can be stewards of God’s grace and speak the very words of God. Above all, we can bring joy to our Heavenly Father and shout out His glory and power.

Response

God’s love that covers over sin is the very undercurrent of power for all that we do for each other. Believing this above all else, let’s pray that we will open our lives to serve others – our family, neighbors, roommates, coworkers and strangers. May we be the stewards of God’s grace and be the speakers of His life-giving words.

1 Peter 1:13-25 (NIV)

13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.

Reflection

While walking on a sidewalk, a boy sees a sparkly object behind a picket fence. As he steps closer, it turns out to be a silver dollar – shiny, flashy and just waiting for a boy like him to come pick it up. The gaps between the pickets are just wide enough for his arm to squeeze through. In his first reach, his fingertips are within inches of the coin. For his next try, he extends his arm further and feels it, but it’s not enough to grab it. Determined and serious, he now flattens out his body on the sidewalk, presses his face up against the fence and stretches his arm as far as possible. With all of his might, he finally takes hold of the coin in triumph.

The word “deeply” originated from a verb “to stretch out the hand.” Just as the boy stretched out his hand to grab the shiny coin, we are to stretch out our hands and “love one another deeply from the heart.” To love deeply is to fervently and earnestly extend our lives beyond ourselves. To love from the heart is to stretch out with a pure heart for others.

Response

God spoke His enduring words and stretched out His arms to save us through His Son. Because of His deep love for us, we can have this kind of deep love for others. Today, let’s love deeply and stretch out with our hearts in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Ecclesia Paris and Ecclesia New York. Pray that they will love deeply and reach out to those who need to receive God’s enduring word.

1 Peter 1:1-8 (NIV)

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

Reflection

During the recent Olympics, many TV and radio stations warned “Spoiler Alert” before reporting on the live coverage of the Olympics. This was done so that those who wanted to watch later would not know of the medal winners. Here, Peter’s message is like a “spoiler alert.” It announces of things to come, but it is not one that we want to hold off hearing. Peter’s audience was the suffering churches struggling through harsh persecution. So, Peter boldly reminded them about the incredible inheritance they have received in Jesus Christ. Kept in heaven for them, it is an inheritance that will never perish, spoil or fade. As they continued to prove the genuineness of their faith, Peter urged them that they have a “living hope” and God’s power shields them until Jesus is fully revealed in the last times. In the same way, this incredible “living hope” has been given to us. While we too wait for Christ’s return, we can love Him, be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, and live for eternity in praise, glory and honor of Him.

Response

Let’s joyfully thank God for the living hope and inheritance we have received through Christ. Let’s worship Him for the cleansing work of the Spirit that saved us. As we go through the day, let’s ask the Spirit to fill us with the inexpressible and glorious joy, trusting that our lives are fully shielded by God’s power.

John 15:9-17 (NIV)

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Reflection

Did you ever play the “telephone” game, where the first person quietly whispers a message to the next person and the message gets passed down the line until it reaches the last person? Whether it’s an inability to hear, wrong pronunciation or memory lapse, the message usually gets so jumbled that the final message is a far cry from the original. It’s a good thing that God does not play “telephone” with us. Instead, the love that He has for His Son Jesus Christ is the very same love that the Son has for us. And that same love is the love we have for one another. Yes, sometime we jumble things, don’t listen each other, or even forget to love. But no matter, God’s love is God’s love. Its essence always remains the same – sacrificial, complete, life-giving and fruitful. For this reason, Jesus commands us to “remain in my love.” This is how we will love others as He has loved us - stay intimately close to His love and listen carefully to His word. Then we will know His heart and bear fruit that will last.

Response

Let’s reaffirm our calling to love one another, just as Christ has loved us. Let’s remain in His love, cling tight to His presence and treasure His passion for us. Let His enduring love compel us to love those in our missional groups and campus ministries.