“So that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).

Division is of the devil.  Our Savior prayed that we would be one even as He is One.  Be guided by this principle and not the principles of the world which segregate and divide.  We are all called in the one baptism to the One Lord for His sake and purpose.  Be guided by this always knowing that He who is in You has already overcome the world.  Be lifted up in His presence.

Lord, where I fight against the truth of Your kingdom, bring me to the place where I see others through Your eyes.  Lead me in Your goodness that I would not act as those who are worldly, but as You do towards all people.  Teach me these principles that I may grow in Your likeness and learn to love as You love.  You know what is needed; help me accept all that You give.

Lord Jesus, though the world was made through You, You did not come into the world demanding the respect You are due.  Instead, You came humbly to accomplish all that needed to be done for our salvation.  Guide me, O Lord, in the way of salvation that I would hold fast to Your promises and not settle for anything less.  Help me live through every temptation to be Yours always.  Amen.

“And those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,  whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked” (1 Corinthians 12:23-24).

We are affected one by the other.  There is the mutual building up of the body which the Lord is doing by holding us together.  Therefore, do not flee from those who are different, but embrace all whom the Lord brings into your midst knowing that you too have groups who might look down upon you in a worldly way.  The Lord leads and teaches us along the way as we live out our life of faith in community.

Lord, convict me where I am not living as You would have me live.  Convict my attitude of superiority that I may love all whom I meet and accept all with whom I worship.  You have a reason for everything.  Guide me in Your goodness that I may now and always abide in the truth of Your presence amongst all the groups with whom I deal.  Guide me to be gracious as You are gracious.

Lord, help me to be content with where You have placed me in Your body.  Help me to always be humble, knowing that You are Lord and in humility You walked upon the earth as One who had nothing.  In Your example, lead me always to see through this world’s way of seeing things that I may become more like You.  In all things, grant that I would have a heart of charity, loving others as You love them.  Amen.

“And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of
you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  On the contrary, it is much truer that the
members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary” (1 Corinthians
12:21-22).

Who are we
that any of us would say to the Lord that we have no need for whom the Lord
brings into our midst.  We are a people
under orders to love our neighbor.  Our
neighbor is whom the Lord brings into our presence.  Therefore, accept what the Lord is doing,
love your neighbor and marvel at what the Lord does in the midst of all of His
church.  The Lord is the One doing the
building up of the body.

Lord, every part of Your body is necessary.  There are those who act as though there are
more important members.  Teach me that
You are the One who is making Your body. 
Lead me in Your goodness to see that all who are present are necessary,
for You alone must be the One who builds the church.  Guide me to see things through Your eyes and
know that all parts are according to Your plan.

Holy Spirit,
change my heart that I would see things as You see them.  Lead me in Your goodness to know that in You
is our hope.  You know what You are
doing.  Guide me, O Lord, according to
Your goodness that I would live into the life to which You call me.  Help me now and always to accept those around
me knowing that You have a purpose for all who come into our midst.  Amen.

“If they were all one member, where would the body be?  But now there are many members, but one body”
(1 Corinthians 12:19-20).

Are you able
to see that the diversity of the Lord is intentional?  Do struggle against this world’s idea that we
are all to be the same.  Even in our
practice, there are many varieties of practice. 
Be whom the Lord has made you to be and live in harmony with those who
follow the Lord, but are different.  The
Lord is the One who is building His body. So keep your focus on following what
the Lord is doing.

Lord, help me to be gracious as You are gracious.  Guide me according to Your goodness to see that
in You alone is the hope for all.  Help
me to live faithfully, but not to insist that the way You have given me must be
followed by others.  Faithfulness, yes,
but conformity only to Christ.  In that,
You alone know what this means.  So, help
me to be pliable in Your hands so that You are the One forming me.

Lord Jesus,
You came as the model of the godly life. 
You did not dictate the specifics of our worship life, only that we live
lives of worship.  Help me to follow Your
lead and be whom You are making me to be. 
Guide me according to Your goodness that I would live graciously, loving
my neighbor and living as You direct me to live.  May I be a faithful follower as You lead.  Amen.  

“If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?  But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (1 Corinthians 12:17-18).

Do not worry
about whom the Lord is making you to be. 
Rest in the truth that He is conforming you to be like Him, a child of
God.  Do not worry about who is
what.  Rejoice that the Lord in knitting
together His one church according to His eternal and perfect plan.  Know that in Him, all people are redeemed by
the same grace.  He has placed you in His
fellowship, there to live and grow.

Lord, help me to not get caught up in this world’s idea of
being conformed to the ways of the world. 
Help me realize that You are making me to be whom You have always
intended.  Guide me in Your goodness to
see that in You alone is all hope.  Grant
discernment to see and understand that we each have our part and You will
perfect in each one of us exactly what You have always intended.

Lead me, O
Lord, in the way of truth.  You are the
way, the truth and the life. Help me to keep my eyes focused upon You and not
those around me.  To be caring and
loving, yes, but not distracted from You. 
Help me to learn to rejoice in all the good gifts you give to everyone,
each according to Your grace.  In and
through all things, may I arrive at the place where I can see things through
Your eyes and rejoice in all of Your creation. 
Amen. 

“If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part
of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.  And if the ear says, “Because I am not an
eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part
of the body” (1Corithians 12:15-16).

Why do we
look at one another and want conformity? 
“Unless you see things as I do, you are wrong?”  Look at the Lord’s creation and what do you
see?  A great variety and diversity.  Live with what the Lord has given you and do
all you can, for you stand only before Him. 
He is the One who is creating all things for His pleasure.  Abide in the Lord and seek Him above all
things.

Lord, I do judge all day long.  Help me to let go of the desire to take Your
place and rest in the truth that You are the author and finisher of my
faith.  Guide me in Your goodness that I
would now and always turn to You knowing that You are doing for all what needs
to be done.  Let me rejoice in the fact
that there will be only one of me in eternity. 
Let me rejoice in this truth for others.

Lord Jesus,
You have come to lead the way and You have sent Your Spirit to be in me to
guide me.  Help me now and always to
trust in what You are doing.  Teach me to
rejoice in the gifts of others and to not covet.  Guide me in Your goodness to know that You
are authoring my faith and will lead me all the days of my life.  Keep my eyes focused upon You, dear Lord, now
and always.  Amen.

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  For the body is not one member, but many” (1 Corinthians 12:13-14).

All who are in the grace of Christ are the bride of Christ. Yes, we have our denominations, fellowships, and groups, but in the Lord, there is only one. Let this sit upon your heart, for often we are too quick to criticize our brothers and sisters. Let it not be so with you. We are partaking of the one hope and promise which is common to us all. Live in the fellowship of the one holy Church to which you have been called.

Lord, help me to not see my brand as the brand, but as a part of Your church. Guide me according to the Holy Spirit to grow in faith and love knowing that You hold us all accountable to the cross. Guide me in my own life so that I look to You more and more and do not give into the wickedness of this world. Lead me Lord in the way You would have me go that I may now and always abide in Your steadfast love.

Lord Jesus, You have always modeled the role of being a dutiful Son.  Guide me to learn what it means to be a child of God. Help me to recognize that it is You who is building the church. Lead me according to Your goodness to see that in You alone is all hope. May I now and always come to You amidst the troubles of this world and receive Your guidance that what I do may be pleasing to the Father. Amen.

Dear Friends in the Risen Lord:

Every morning – when I turn on my computer – I wonder, “How much worse is the news going to be today than it was yesterday?”  How many more confirmed corona virus cases will there be?  How many more people will have died?  What kind of greater precautions will we need to take, and what kind of greater restrictions will be placed upon us?  How much more will the stock market plunge?

In the midst of all this, we need encouragement, a source of strength, and hope.  What greater source of encouragement, strength, and hope could we have – and could we be able to share – than the good news that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead?  He is with us in our struggles, and He has defeated our greatest enemies – sin, death, and the power of the devil.

I would like to share with you four sources of strength and hope from the account of the Israelites’ crossing the Jordan River on their way to the Promised Land, as recorded in the early chapters of the book of Joshua. 

First, in Joshua 1: 2 the Lord said to Joshua, “My servant Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan.”  The Lord did not say, “Moses is dead; you might as well give up.”  Nor did He say, “Moses is dead; so why not go back to Egypt.”  “Moses is dead; it will never be the same again.” Or “Moses is dead; what hope do you have now?”  Rather the Lord said, “Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan.” 

We have heard it said over and over again.  We are living in unprecedented times.  We were not prepared for this, nor did we see it coming.  We do not know how long it will last or what life will be like after it is over.  We know it will be different, but we do not know how it will be different.  In many ways Moses is dead.  The realities, resources, and support systems that we had been counting on no longer exist.  And they disappeared so quickly.  But just as God said, “Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan,” so God is saying to us, “Life will be different, but it is not over.”  With God’s presence and power – with the hope of the resurrection – we will be able to get through this.  One year from now we will be able to look back and say, “God is good, and He saw us through.”  Moses may be dead, but we still need to and we still can cross the Jordan. 

Second, three times in the first nine verses of Joshua 1 God says, “Be strong and courageous.”  In verse 6, verse 7, and verse 9.  “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

It would be very easy today to be frightened and dismayed.  We have many, very valid reasons to be frightened and dismayed.  Just like the disciples of Jesus, on the evening of Good Friday, had many, very valid reasons to be frightened and dismayed. 

But the angel told the women who came early on Easter Sunday morning to the tomb, “Do not be afraid.  I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here.  He has been raised.  Come, see the place where He lay.  Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has been raised from the dead.”  (Matthew 28: 5-7)  So we, too, need to see the place where He lay.  We, too, need to see that the tomb is empty.  Then we, too, need to go quickly and tell people that He has been raised from the dead.  This year – during the upcoming Holy Week season – may God give you even more strength of conviction and mountain-moving faith, so that you will be able to believe with power and with boldness, “Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.”

Third, in Joshua 3: 2-4 we read that the leaders of Israel went through the camp and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord our God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place.  Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before.” 

What do we need the most as we go through a national and global crisis unlike any we have experienced before?  We need to know that God is with us and that He goes before us, “for (we) have not passed this way before.”  I remember a poster I had on my wall in my dorm room in college.  It showed a mushroom cloud from an atomic explosion.  It asked the question, “Is there a future?”  It gave an answer from God.  “Yes, I am already there.”

Paul describes Jesus as “the first born from the dead.”  Jesus has already gone through the experience of death ahead of us.  And He has broken the power of death over us.  Therefore, “nothing in all of creation” – and that includes the corona virus – “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8: 39)

Fourth, Joshua 3: 15-16 tell us that “when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still . . . while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off,” so the people were able to cross over on dry ground. 

There was a miraculous crossing of a body of water at the beginning of the time of leadership of Moses (the Red Sea), and there was a miraculous crossing of a body of water at the beginning of the time of leadership of Joshua (the Jordan River).  But there is a significant difference between the two.  In the case of Moses and the Red Sea, God sent a strong east wind that blew all night.  In the morning there was a dry path. The people did not need to step into the sea until they had a dry path.  In the case of Joshua and the Jordan River, somebody had to step into the water first before the flow of the river stopped and a dry path became available.

I know that I, for one, would like to have a dry path before I have to step in.  But that is not the way it always goes.  It sure would be good to know how this pandemic will end and how long it will last, but at this point we do not know.  But still we need to step in, take necessary precautions, help those who are most vulnerable, and see this time as an opportune time to show the kind of courage and compassion that Christ can give. 

I remember several years ago a woman who was very close to dying from cancer read the lessons on Easter Sunday.  Never before had those Scriptures passages spoken so strongly to me as they did that day as they were being read by someone who would soon be dying and who believed with all her heart that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

This Easter season may your faith in Jesus be even bolder, your hope in Jesus be even greater, and your love for Jesus be even stronger.

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com
909-274-8591

P.S.

Our prayers are with all confessional Lutheran pastors as you find and develop ways to stay connected with your congregations, give your people hope, courage, and strength, and reach out to your communities during these most unusual times.  On our website you can find a list of some congregations that are livestreaming and/or posting recordings of their worship services.  A link to that list can be found here.  Please let me know if you would like to be added to that list.

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually just as He wills.  For even as the body is one and yet has many
members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body,
so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:11-12).

It is the
Lord who is the Savior.  It is the Lord
who works all things together.  Do not
envy what the Lord grants to another, but rejoice that the Lord is working
through those whom He has graced.  We are
called out of the nonsense of this world to the goodness of the Lord.  Wait upon the Lord and He will work through
you that which is pleasing in His sight according to His goodness.

Lord, lead me to turn to You and not the the world.  You have come that we might have life and
have it abundantly.  Be the One who
guides that no other would come puffed up and stir Your sheep in the wrong
direction.  Help each of us to see that
it is You who does all things and that only through You and according to Your
will can any good things come.  Keep our
eyes upon You.

Lord Jesus,
You have sent the Spirit to guide us from the inside out.  Lead me, O Lord, that I may be directed by
You and no other.  Renew my mind and help
me to have the attitude You would have in every situation.  Guide me according to Your purpose.  Help me see that I am gifted for the time and
place according to the Father’s good pleasure. 
In all things, teach me to rejoice that You have overcome the world.  Amen.

“To another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts
of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to
another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another
various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues” (1
Corinthians 12:10-11).

The Spirit
of God moves where He will and does what needs to be done for the
faithful.  The Spirit works in and
through those who are willing to come into the Christ-life that is granted by
grace.  Come then into the life to which
you were initiated through your baptism that the Spirit may work in you that
which is well pleasing in the Father’s sight.

Holy Spirit, You are with me to guide me in all of my
ways.  Let me not focus upon what You do
but upon the truth that You are working in me. 
Guide me according to Your goodness to see that in You alone is all the
hope we need.  Do as You will, for You
are God and I am called as Your servant. 
Guide me and keep me from the temptation to think that it is the other
way round.

Holy Spirit,
You know what is needed not only for me, but for those who are around me.  Lead me in Your goodness to see that in You
alone is the hope for guiding me and those who live by faith.  Teach me to be willing to submit to Your
prompting that no matter what You choose to do through me I would rejoice and
be glad to be a part of Your kingdom. 
Guide me as I need to be guided and let me give thanks for Your
influence in my life.  Amen.