Category: Lent

Posted in Devotions, Lent

2020 Lent devotion #27 – Garments rolled in blood

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Waltersparr on Pixbay

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire. (Isaiah 9:2-5)

What a day that’s going to be! The yoke, staff and rod of oppression will be broken and no longer a threat. The boots and bloody uniforms of soldiers will be thrown on the fire to provide warmth and light. The conflict will be over, a new day dawns, and a new king will reign – forever. 

Wars and rumors of wars fill our news feeds. When will we no longer need uniforms for soldiers? When will we be able to lay all of our weapons aside? When will we feel joy, real joy? Joy like the harvest, joy like a payday? It seems like nothing more than a dream. It’s a utopia we don’t really think will happen in our lifetime. Or any lifetime. 

We read these words and go out and arm ourselves. We look forward to that day, but buy extra ammo, just in case. After all, we need to defend ourselves in our homes, right? We do not trust our neighbors, our local leaders, our government, or those from other nations. We prepare ourselves to live in dark times. 

What if we looked towards the light? What if we focused on the one who not only brings peace to our world, but reigns forever? What if we fixed our eyes on the increase of his government, which will have no end. What if our focus was on the light — Jesus?

Oh, and how about this: maybe they never found Jesus’ burial linens because someone took them and used them for fuel for a fire. After the resurrection and defeating death, he didn’t need that garment rolled in blood anymore… Just thinkin’.

Thank you, Lord, for always knowing how to bring light to the darkness. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

2020 Lent devotion #26 – Justice instead of blood

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Delphine Ducaruge on Unsplash


What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts;I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. (Isaiah 1:11)

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. (Isaiah 1:16-17)

Does it surprise you to hear God say, in effect, “I’ve had enough of your empty worship and meaningless sacrifices?” I’m sure it caught Isaiah’s audience off guard. They thought that they were on the right track. They thought they were doing all the right things, following the laws for making God-pleasing sacrifices of bulls, lambs and goats.

God’s not happy. If the sacrifices are nothing more than ritual and you worship is simply going through the motions, you’ve missed the whole point. If He is indeed your God and you really are his people, that reality will show up in every area of your life. You’ll seek God’s forgiveness, follow his paths of righteousness, and help the people around you, especially those who struggled to care for themselves, the orphans and widows. 

These continue to be convicting words for today’s Christian worshipers, including you and I. Do our Sunday morning gatherings around Word and Sacrament overflow into the rest of our week, relationships, work and family life? Does the blood of the sacrifice, the crucifixion of Jesus, really mean anything to you? The answer to the question should be obvious to any observer. 

The church season of Lent is always a good time to reevaluate, and see how we have let our faith deteriorate into empty ritual. To catch ourselves just going through the motions. Our Lenten disciplines include spending more time each week in scripture, prayer and worship. We seek God’s forgiveness for the sake of Christ, we learn what our Lord wants us to do, and we focus our energy on bringing His mercy and hope to the lives of those around us. 

God doesn’t need anything from us. But I’ll bet you know someone who does. Let’s make our worship mean something. 

Thank you, Lord, for filing my worship with your grace and leading me to love my neighbor as myself. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

2020 Lent devotion #25 – Hands that shed innocent blood

Posted on by William Douthwaite
by Brook Anderson on Unsplash

There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue,     and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans,     feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies,     and one who sows discord among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Want to get on God’s bad side? Be arrogant. Dishonest. Stir up trouble. Make wicked plans. Or, take the lives of innocent people. “Shed innocent blood.”

Nothing on this list is surprising. Most people would agree that a person shouldn’t live like that. Whether someone is a person of faith or not, they advocate honesty, getting along with each other, trying to make a positive difference and helping out your neighbor. Those who shed innocent blood ought to be locked up for life, or even executed.

Jesus was innocent. The Holy one of God, the righteous one, was like us in every way, yet without sin. They killed him. The Jewish crowds called for his execution. The Roman soldiers whipped him and hammered the nails into his hands and feet. Innocent blood was shed at Calvary. 

So God hates all those people? Nope. “God so loved the world…” God loves those who put his own son to death. 

Since it was my sin that brought Jesus here to this earth to suffer and die, I guess I would have to admit that I’m the reason for his death. And so are you. We are the reason he died. Our hands were complicit in his innocent death. We had a “hand” in his death.

Does God hate me? He should. But he doesn’t. God so loved me and you that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus’ innocent suffering and death turn God’s hate into love. 

Maybe he can turn my hate into love, too. 

Thank you, Lord, for your amazing love for me. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent, Ministry

2020 Lent Devotion #24 – Drink offerings of blood

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sam Moqadam on Unsplash

As for the saints in the land,
they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run
after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips. (Psalm 16:3-4)

“Drink offerings of blood” smack of pagan practices that were common in biblical times, but were absolutely excluded from Hebrew worship. Whether animal or human blood was involved, there is no way that David, the author of this poem, would even talk about this practice, much less engage in it. 

On the other hand he was a big fan of the “saints in the land,” those who trusted and followed the commands and promises of God. They were the ones who not only provided a good example, but encouraged David along “the path of life” (Psalm 16:11). 

How often does our attention wander to less than wholesome habits and pastimes in our culture? Much more often than we’d like to confess. Surrounded by those who run after the gods of success, power and possessions, we find ourselves jumping into the race. Those folks always look happier, like they are having more fun and lead more exciting lives than we do. At least they look like that on the outside. Or that’s what they put out on social media for everyone to see. 

Are there others in whom we should delight? Who are the saints in our land, the excellent ones surrounding us? They quietly and faithfully love the Lord with their worship and prayers. They just as quietly and faithful love their neighbors with friendship and mercy. Not very exciting. But they are essential in the fabric of our lives. 

Lives that bestow all honor and glory and blessing to the Lord will never be flashy, popular or even noticed. But those lives will draw us into the worship of myriads and thousands of thousands who know and worship the one on the throne. (Revelation 5:11-12). 

Thank you for the excellent saints who remind me of your power and presence, Lord. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

2020 Lent devotion #23 – Too much blood

Posted on by William Douthwaite

 [David said,] “But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.’” (1 Chronicles 22:8)

I wonder how David felt as he spoke these words to his son, Solomon? He had worked so hard to unify the kingdom of Israel, defeat their enemies and be a man after God’s own heart. His psalms still inspire our hymns and praise songs to this day. Yet, he never worshiped in a temple. He never even got to see the temple. And God wouldn’t let him build the temple. Too much blood. He was a shepherd, a warrior and a king. But he would not be a builder. At least not the builder of God’s temple. 

Before he was king, throngs of people would sing, ““Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” That’s what David was known for. He was a hero. But that is a lot of blood. Tens of thousands of enemies killed. And that was before he ascended to the throne. For better or worse, that is his legacy. 

It’s not like David had a choice. There were many battles he had to fight. Victories and defeats. It was a violent, bloody period of history. The enemy was ruthless. You either kill them or they kill you. Peaceful moments were few and far between. 

A thousand years later, the son of David, Jesus, would be hailed as king. He would not take a single life. In fact, he would heal and restore many lives. The only blood shed would be his own, on the cross. And he would build a temple. The temple he would build would be made of believers, built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, and he would be the cornerstone. 

Building projects often involve blood. I should know. Most of my projects mean cuts and blisters on my hands. Nothing as bloody as the wounds in Jesus’ hands and feet, though. Because he bled and died for me, I’ve been bought with a price and I not only belong to him, but my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. God dwells in me and in his people, the church!

Thank you, Lord, for coming to dwell in me and my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

2020 Lent devotion #22 – Blood on the wall

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. (2 Kings 9:30-33)

That’s a gruesome scene, isn’t it? You know you’re not popular when your own personal attendants throw you out the window! But if you know the whole story of Jezebel, she had it coming. A devout worshiper of Baal, she killed many prophets of the Lord and if she could have caught him, would have killed Elijah. She arranged for the death of Nabal so her husband Ahab could have his vineyard. In response to her horrendous behavior, God had actually said, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel” (1 Kings 21:23). She would die a horrible, bloody, dishonorable death. 

Fodder for an inspirational devotion? Perhaps. The northern kingdom of Israel never did have any good, faithful kings. All abandoned God for the worship of Baal, until the entire nation was destroyed and scattered by Assyria. Only a remnant, the southern kingdom of Judah, remained. God preserved that small portion of his chosen people through a Babylonian invasion and exile. Upon their return, God preserved them as a people until generations later, a new king, Jesus, would be born. Finally, a faithful, righteous and just king!

Yet he would die a horrible, bloody and dishonorable death on a cross! How could that be? 

It was part of the plan. Someone born of a woman would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3), but not till he had first been bitten. Only in death and then resurrection would there be an answer to death and it’s sting, sin (1 Cor. 15). In both cases, a little blood had to flow to get rid of some evil. 

Thank you for going through all that for me, Lord. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

2020 Lent devotion #21 – Blood on the water

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border. And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!” But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, till they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they went. (2 Kings 3:21-24)

What a great story! All of Moab, every available soldier, is ready to fight against Israel. Then get up in the morning and the water they see before them looks like blood. What could have happened? Obviously their enemies have turned against each other. This is our chance. Let’s go in and plunder whatever is left. 

Nope. It’s just an illusion. It’s a trap to draw Moab in. Israel is ready, waiting for them. God’s people win a great victory!

Here’s the thing. God said he would do this. He said he would give them both water and victory. And he did! 

So what do you and I have? We’ve got the water of baptism. We’ve got his blood in the sacrament. We’ve got the victory. So when the odds seem against us, we should be confident. We are more than conquerors through him who him who loved us!

Thank you, Lord, for the water, the blood and the victory!

Posted in Devotions, Lent

2020 Lent devotion #20 – Blood flowing from the chariot

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.” (1 Kings 22:35)

Ahab, the king of the northern kingdom of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of the southern kingdom of Judah, have forged a rare alliance to go to battle against the Syrians, to help Ahab retake the town of Ramoth-gilead. All the Syrians want is to kill Ahab, so he wears ordinary clothes, while Jehoshaphat wears his royal robes to distract the enemy. Their scheme works until a random arrow finds a way through Ahab’s armor, and he is mortally wounded. Ahab is propped up in his chariot to inspire his troops. But eventually, he bleeds out and dies. 

I don’t remember learning that story in Sunday School! And I know why. The horrors of war are horrible. We want to keep them from our children as long as possible. The thing is, God’s people are often at war in the pages of scripture. ln those wars, thousands of lives are lost. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose. But battle is never pretty. And it is always bloody. 

Later, Jesus would speak about war, violence, persecution, famine and pestilence. His depiction of the world before his return is terrifying. But if you think of the cross as Jesus’ chariot, where he does battle with sin, death and the devil, it all comes together. The blood flows from that chariot until the battle is done. The king is willing to give it all up for us, so we can win this battle. 

Thank you, Lord, for the blood and the victory! Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

2020 Lent devotion #19 – The prophets of Baal

Posted on by William Douthwaite
photo by SoFuego on pixabay

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. (1 Kings 18:25-28)

The contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal is a bloody affair. Apparently, according to their custom, the way to get your pagan god’s attention was to cut yourself again and again. What a mess! And it was all for nothing. No one answered. No one paid attention.

We all do things to get someone to pay attention to us. Little kids call out, “Watch me!” Or they’ll act out. Just to be noticed. We’ll raise our voices, do silly and outrageous things, pick a fight or reach out to touch someone so they’ll pay attention to us. 

We don’t have to do that with God. We’re never off his radar. He never slumber or sleeps. He’s keenly aware of our desires, needs, wants and fears. He knows our thoughts, hears our cries, listens to our prayers and goes to search for us when we wander off and get lost. 

Christ’s mission to seek and save the lost meant that his blood would be poured out for us on the cross. A soldier would shove a spear into his side to make sure he was dead. Blood and water poured out. That’s the one true God!

Lord, you made me, you saved me, you hear me. You are my God. Amen.