Hartig, Richie 9

Scripture: John 1:1-5 (NIV) – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Message: We learn so much in so few words – it’s beautiful. This passage alone has given me much to think about over the years and it comes down to one key idea:

Christ is everywhere.

If you have never encountered this passage before, or if you need a quick refresher, orthodox belief says that the “Word” is a reference to Christ – the third part of the trinity that complements the Godhead and Holy Spirit.

“God created everything through Him [Christ], and nothing was created except through [Christ]… [Christ’s] life brought light to everyone… and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

That is POWERFUL. All creation is made through and with Christ. ALL creation has Christ’s light and the darkness can NEVER extinguish it. This means that regardless of what people do, say, or think, everyone already has Christ inside of them – even those who don’t recognize it! Yes, this even includes those we have chosen to label as “villains” and “others” – nothing we say changes that. This is beautiful because it’s a reminder that Christ has already won.

The darkness cannot extinguish light – but we can ignore the light. And this is dangerous. It allows us to dehumanize someone – to view them as less than, as impure, as “Godless”. It allows us to draw incorrect conclusions through blind arrogance in which we honestly believe that we have a say in where God is or is not. Ignoring the light in all of creation allows us to hate and exclude others under false pretenses while believing we are holy.

It comes down to one single question: “Is Christ everywhere?” Yes or no.

Prayer: May we open our eyes and see the evidence of Christ EVERYWHERE. May we humble ourselves by remembering that we are not the gatekeepers for Christ. The risen Christ has, is, and will always prevail and be forever present. Help us choose not to ignore or overlook Christ transcending time and space in all mankind. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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Scripture: John 11:1- 43 (NLT Extract v32) - "When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, 'Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.'" (Please read the entire text in your Bible)

Message: In this story Mary and Martha were scared and stressed. They were anxiously waiting for Jesus so that He could save their sick brother, Lazarus. But when Jesus didn't come "on time" according to their schedule, they fell into despair and Mary was upset with Jesus.

We need to be careful what we put our hope in. Last year's Lent was when many of our lives changed as pandemic mitigation protocols really kicked in. Many businesses closed, we were confined to our homes, and Zoom became a household name. Some of us experienced the horrors of COVID-19 first hand, either as healthcare workers, patients, or as kin of patients.

All of this began right before Easter of 2020. While we eagerly looked forward to Easter, I think deep down we were also anxiously waiting for our lives to immediately turn back to normal. I've heard many people expect and believe that the pandemic would only last about a month. So, when April 12 came around, many of us had a secret hope that Easter would be the beginning of the end of the pandemic. A time where the hope and power of Christ and resurrection should be unrivaled, it was in fact deeply rivaled by our hope in the end of the pandemic. As a result, Easter of 2020 was... disappointing and not what we expected. Easter 2020 arrived and many of us echoed Mary's sentiments from verse 32 - "If only...."

Prayer: Lord, may we not make the same mistake. May we gather in community and help carry each other's burdens. May we grieve with one another. May we support each other in loss. May we lift each other up when things get hard. Most importantly, let us not lose sight of You God. May we march into Easter this year with our eyes fixed on You. May we experience resurrection through Jesus the Christ and may our hope in Him be unrivaled by hope in anything else. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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Scripture: Jonah 4:1-2 (NLT) - "This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: 'Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord?'" (Please read Chapters 1 through 4 for context)

Message: Jonah is upset. To him, the people of Nineveh (the Assyrians) are unredeemable because they treated the Israelites really poorly. In fact, they even attempted conquering Jerusalem (You can read some of that in 2 Kings). Nineveh drew such hatred and ire from Jonah because he personally despised the Assyrians and everything about them. They were conquerors which had a history of violence against the Israelites. They were, in a very real sense, the enemy.

So the driving question of the Book of Jonah is: "Can Jonah overcome his own bitterness and choose love, grace, and mercy even for his enemies?" The application for us revolves around the same question. Are we willing to choose love in ALL situations? Are we willing to choose love for our literal enemies? To those we cannot stand? The liberals? The conservatives? Those that betrayed us? Those we feel are misguided? To those we openly and unlovingly mock within our friend groups?

In Chapter 3, you will find that Ninevehians were RECEPTIVE to the message. They were willing to receive God's love and grace! They completely surprised Jonah and that's why he got mad. He didn't want love / grace. He wanted them to reap what they sowed. He wanted to pridefully say "I told you" as they all burned... How awful is that?

The final takeaway is that the enemies, the bad guys, the "others" in this story... were more open to God's grace than the "God-loving protagonist". The questions for us are: Will your own pride and righteousness stand in between someone else and God's love? Will you be willing to let someone else experience God's love in a way that might be different? Will you choose inexplicable, incomprehensible love, for those that you deem irredeemable?

Prayer: May we open our eyes and realize that Your love, God, is bigger and more confusing than we ever realized. May you give us the courage to willingly choose love. May we always be open to grace and love... especially for the other. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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Scripture: Mark 6:45-47 (NLT) – “Jesus Walks on Water. Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land.”

Message: At this point, the disciples had already witnessed incredible miracles. They had some degree of faith, but had not yet identified Jesus as THE CHRIST. Brilliant rabbi? Yes. Capable of miracles? Yes. Close to God? Yes. The Messiah? The Christ? The living Son of God? Not quite yet.

The disciples are struggling on the lake, during a clear, yet windy night. Jesus believes the disciples are capable of handling this wind so He sets out across the lake with the intention of getting there before the disciples. We know that only a few days prior to this event, the disciples returned from their mission trips. I imagine that after such a trip Jesus was going to greet them excitedly.

However, that excitement was cut short when they learnt that John the Baptist had been executed by Herod. Talk about an unexpected turn! Jesus takes the disciples to a quiet place to rest and reflect. But they were followed by a large expectant crowd; so Jesus ends up spending the afternoon teaching and, with the help of the disciples, feeding over 5,000 people. It’s not until night had fallen that Jesus sends His disciples ahead of Him while he goes to a quiet place to pray.

That’s the context of Jesus walking on water. He is probably frustrated, sad and even angry at the injustice surrounding John the Baptist’s death; He needs time on His own with God. So He insists that the disciples go ahead to Bethsaida where He will meet them; He is concerned for their welfare.

Prayer: Lord help us to understand the challenges we face in our daily lives where we need Your guiding love. We ask You to come into our lives, provide direction, especially when we face times of trial. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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Scripture: Mark 6:48-55 (NLT) – “He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once, ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said, ‘Take courage! I am here!’ Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was.”

Message: When Jesus walks on water with the intention of going past them, I imagine that He is at peace. When the terrified disciples see Jesus walking on the water, they cry out to Him; He approaches and proclaims “I AM here!” (v 50).

I think about how often I find myself in the disciples’ shoes. I already know Jesus and have seen some of the cool things He has done in my life. I have taken steps to follow Him; YET when life gives me a bit of strong, yet manageable wind, my faith withers. I lose sight of Jesus as THE CHRIST - THE MESSIAH. I forget what that means for my life and suddenly I too am terrified and call out to God. The absolutely beautiful truth is that Christ responds. Christ is always there for me in my storms, despite my doubt.
Christ always walks alongside us; sometimes we conquer the challenge and at other times, we get scared, terrified, and cry out; then Christ shows up proclaiming “I AM here”!

Prayer: Christ, in the storms of our lives, hear our cry for we are sometimes terrified. Help us to turn to You and hear Your words of comfort and love so we may provide comfort and love to others when they are in need. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30 (NIV) – “Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away……'” (Please read the entire text in your Bible)

Message: With coronavirus, job losses, social distancing and staying at home, this passage, should provide encouragement.

Jesus explains how the wheat and the weeds are left to grow on their own; in charge of their own fates – competing for resources, doing their best to rise against adversity. This is the plight of every plant, both “good and bad”. So what does this parable tell us?

This global pandemic affects us all. But COVID-19 and all the implications – all of it – are just an empty field. It’s neither good, nor evil. It’s not a form of God’s vengeance. The situation demands that we show empathy for others. We are all "plants".

Some are mourning, some are afraid, some are worried about loved ones who are ill, some are frantically trying to survive lost jobs, some worry about the virus and its impact on our healthcare system. Others are working long hours in hospitals, with a sense of duty; others have a sense of stress and frustration.

We don’t have the answers. But we can have Christ-centered empathy. Let’s support each other with understanding. We are all in this “field” together.

How do we choose to react? Are we going to reflect Christ in what we do? Are we going to be like wheat, or weeds?

These are challenging questions – especially if we feel like we are being choked by the chaos all around us.

We have a God who won’t come in and tear up all the weeds and the wheat together. We have a God who will continue to be with us through all this and keep on nurturing us in the same way the farmer would have nurtured the wheat in the midst of that chaotic field. The wheat may be fighting for survival, it may feel choked out by everything else going on in the field. But God is still here in the midst of the chaos.

Prayer: God, this current field we are in presents many challenges – some seen, others unseen. May we focus on You, God, and may we let Christ's love shine through our empathy. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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Scripture: John 9:1-41 (NLT Extract vv13-16) – “Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, ‘He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.’ Others said, ‘But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?’ So there was a deep division of opinion among them.” (Please read the entire text in your Bible)

Message: Why do we have a tendency of dismissing what God does through others just because it’s different from what we expected? The Pharisees are not unique, or alone. How many church goers throughout history rejected something, or someone new because they were different? How many times in your life, have you accidentally rejected Christ by being afraid of a new situation that was unlike anything you ever expected? It’s easy reading this passage while nodding our heads in agreement and say, “Yeah Jesus, showed those Pharisees how it’s done”. But I think we relate more with the Pharisees – even if we don’t want to admit it. This passage shows that God works in all sorts of ways – even if it’s not what we expect.

God can and will work through anyone, regardless of sex, skin-tone, wealth, sexual orientation, political orientation – even religious belief. Claiming that God does not, or cannot work through a certain group, or individual is nothing short of arrogance. It’s having the audacity to put limitations on God. The Pharisees did the same exact thing in this passage! They said that Jesus was not of God simply because Jesus was behaving and acting in ways that were different from the religious customs of the Pharisees. Let’s not make the same mistakes.

Prayer: God, we all fall short of Your standards and none of us have earned Your grace. Please forgive us for when we accidentally turn You away. Help us seek Christ everywhere so that we may be a united body of believers that worships You with all of our hearts and minds. It’s only through Your grace and love that we may bring the light and love of Jesus to our communities. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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Scripture: John 18:1-10 (NIV) - "When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and He and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, 'Who is it you want?', 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. 'I am he,' Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.).....Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)"

Message: What I love about this passage is how extreme the comparison is between Jesus and everyone else. Jesus took His disciples to a grove of olive trees that He visited often. This is how Judas knew exactly where Jesus would be (vs. 1-2).

The olive branch is a strong symbol of peace. It is given out to begin peace talks and to alleviate fear. A SINGLE olive branch carries a lot of significance and could help diffuse tense situations. Then in v 3 we see that Judas brought a "band" of Roman soldiers of the strongest military in the world at the time. They brought heavily trained soldiers, to take down Jesus.

The extreme juxtaposition in this story amazes me. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, hanging out in an olive grove surrounded by THOUSANDS of olive branches, when suddenly an armed team of special operations soldiers swoop down in metaphorical helicopters, to take Him down. Just think about how ridiculous that scene looked. And yet, it is in this extreme contrast that I find myself in often. I am like a Roman soldier, hardened by life, coming to Jesus ready to fight, and ready to argue with Him, when the inescapable reality is that Jesus knew I was coming and was waiting with wide open arms, SURROUNDED by olive branches. Jesus literally is calling me into peace when my life is so hectic, and I find myself resisting for no legitimate reason.

Prayer: This Lenten season, let us pray that God may continue to reveal Himself in us; that we have the clarity to see Jesus waiting and calling for us in the olive grove and that we have the wisdom to yield and grab hold of one of the many olive branches He extends to us. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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Scripture: Mark 2:23-28 (NLT) - "One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grain fields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, 'Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?' Then Jesus said to them, 'The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!'"

Message: Let's talk about Sabbath. Do you even take it? A modern Pharisee's Sabbath might be as follows: Make a BIG deal of church-going; attend weekly services and Sunday, school (dressed in their absolute best); making it abundantly clear how much they donated while looking down on those who missed service last week. Nothing gets in the way of their ritual.

Considering the Pharisees, I think about the state of the American church. It seems that many churches are focused on rules rather than following Christ. Churches are sometimes filled with "club members", who have a lackluster understanding of discipleship.

I sympathize with the Pharisees, I really do. They were doing their best to follow God, but became misguided, rule followers, not living out the life of a disciple.

Reading this passage hits me hard... the unfortunate reality is that my Sabbath often looks like the Pharisees' Sabbath; highly focused on Sunday, church "activities" and not much else. Jesus boldly challenges our understanding. Look at how Jesus spent the Sabbath. Not in church. Yes, he prayed and worshipped, but he also walked around with his disciples. They were a community and intentional Christ centered family that spent time together. What a beautiful image. Community, family, love, acceptance, food, prayer, and healing. They prioritized active discipleship instead of following rules blindly.

Is your Sabbath intentional? Is it Christ centered? Or is it just focused church routine?

Let's pray using the introduction below and extending with your own words and thoughts.

Prayer: God who made Sabbath for us, forgive us that we warped it from Your original intent. We need Jesus to show us our mistakes and set the record straight. Let's prepare our hearts for Christ this Advent and enter a time of personal or family prayer. Amen.

Richie Hartig

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