Reaching Toward Easter. Derek Maul

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      REACHING TOWARD EASTER: DEVOTIONS FOR LENT

       Copyright © 2011 by Derek Maul

       All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, write Upper Room Books, 1908 Grand Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212.

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      Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version.

      Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

      Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

      Cover images: © Getty Images

       Cover design: Bruce Gore | Gore Studio, Inc.

       Interior design: PerfecType, Nashville, TN

       Printed in the United States of America

       Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Maul, Derek, 1956-

       Reaching toward Easter: devotions for Lent / by Derek Maul.

       p. cm.

       ISBN 978-0-8358-1061-6 ISBN 978-0-8358-1074-6 ISBN 978-0-8358-1158-3

       1. Lent—Prayers and devotions. I. Title.

       BV85.M3755 2011

       242'.34—dc23

      2011021260

      To Rebekah

      This life we have built together continues to teach me more about the gracious, openhearted, generous love of God than any resource I have ever come across. So I’m dedicating this book to you because you are my inspiration, my heart, and the most profound explanation of what it means to live faith—and love—out loud.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      The idea for this book first came up in a conversation with Robin Pippin at a book expo in Indianapolis on a cold January day; so thanks to Robin for blowing on the embers a few years later when my own, personal Reaching Toward Easter experience began to translate into a manuscript. Since that time the project has taken shape in response to the belief of many good people. So I acknowledge the spiritual gift of discernment via Robin, Eli Fisher, Anne Trudel, and Joanna Bradley at Upper Room Books; the gift of encouragement in my best friend Gerard and my co-teacher Charles Willard, and via the gifted and spiritually astute Praise Band at First Presbyterian Church of Brandon; and — most poignantly — the gift of inspirational via the amazing preaching of my wife and pastor, Rebekah Maul.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface
Days 1–5	Week One
Day 6	The First Sunday in Lent: Demolition and Renovation
Days 7–12	Week Two
Day 13	The Second Sunday in Lent: The Prince of This World
Days 14–19	Week Three
Day 20	The Third Sunday in Lent: Discovering What God Wants from Us
Days 21–26	Week Four
Day 27	The Fourth Sunday in Lent: Now This Is Eternal Life!
Day 28–33	Week Five
Day 34	The Fifth Sunday in Lent: Are You One of This Man’s Disciples?
Day 35–40	Week Six
Day 41	Palm Sunday: Riding High on a Dream
Days 42–47	Holy Week
Day 48	Easter Sunday: Emissaries of Hope
Day 49	Eighth-Day Believers: Jesus as Destination and Guide
Study Guide

      FRESH EYES ON EASTER

      John 12 opens with the words, “Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him” (verses 1-2).

      Martha served; Mary anointed; Judas got upset about the extravagance; Jesus hinted about his upcoming death; and the religious authorities plotted. The very next day Jesus arrived at the city of Jerusalem, and he entered as if the kingdom had already been established. Events rushed headlong toward crucifixion.

      That week, on a Thursday evening, Jesus shared one last, unforgettable dinner with his friends. There was a lot to talk about, a lot to get ready for, and a lot to digest. Jesus’ passion is loaded with life-charged meaning, lessons and ideas that it’s critical we think about if our observance of Easter is to have the life-charged, long-term impact for which Jesus gave everything to make possible.

      The season of Lent is about preparation, so that we can “Enter [God’s] gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise” (Ps. 100:4) with the quality of renewed spiritual energy that comes in response to the sacred rhythms of daily observance. Easter celebrates the victory of light over darkness and the reality of the kingdom Christ invites us to explore.

      But Easter, like Christmas, has fallen victim to our cultural penchant for sucking meaning from significant Christian holidays and replacing that meaning with tawdry values borrowed from the secular world, values rooted in consumerism and humanism and our incessant demand to be entertained.

      We routinely adapt our faith and practices to fit more neatly into the cultural norm, rather than inviting Jesus to be the catalyst for change both in and through our lives. As a result, we often arrive at Good Friday having missed the focused opportunity Lent provides to share in the original disciples’ experiences of sitting at table with Jesus; walking the dusty path from Bethany to the very gates of Jerusalem, observing Jesus; and listening closely to his words of grace and hope and challenge.

      This book offers a devotional pilgrimage through Lent, using the framework of John’s narrative as a daily guide. Together we’ll journey from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week, on to Resurrection Sunday, and then to the challenge for the rest of our lives—the challenge to live as “Easter People” in the real world.

      Try to read one day at a time. Pray with me at the end of each chapter; invite a friend or two to join you along the way. Let’s not miss the rich blessing that God has in store for us.

      Grace and peace—DEREK MAUL