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Tuesday, March 21

Jeremiah 17:19-27

And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. 

Romans 7:13-25

Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to Go] through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am enslaved to the law of God, but with my flesh I am enslaved to the law of sin.

John 6:16-27

Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”

Devotion

Have you ever been hungry? Ravenously so? Driving through a Popeyes or MacDonald’s and having food on the run is hardly ever satisfying.  I and many others have been contributing to Jose Andres World Kitchen to help  the Ukrainian people in their hour of great need. There is real hunger, a product of war.

Jesus promises us food that nourishes body and soul. His spiritual gifts of songs and silence, contemplation and prayer are nourishment for our journey.

In this season of Lent we follow Jesus on his journey to the cross, a journey he had no knowledge of as he began his ministry. Gradually in his humanity and godliness he knew it was meant to occur. In his humanity he cried out to God to remove this cup— the ultimate separation from God. But LOVE won out.  The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that we too have stations of the cross in our life’s journey. Most importantly is the celebration of the sabbath— a holy pause to keep God at the center and to commemorate the crucifixion every Sunday, but also at various times throughout our weekly comings and goings; a recess if you will.  If we make this our intention, he will help us keep it, nourishing us with spiritual food.  The blessings are great if we put down our doing and give our time over to God to fill.

Prayer

Dear God, the author of our spiritual stories, touch my heart that I may boldly add sacred pauses as I journey with you.

Sarah Larson