Tag Archives: Jesus

Here He Comes

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John 12:12-16  (GNT)

The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the Passover Festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel!”

14 Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the scripture says,

15 “Do not be afraid, city of Zion!
Here comes your king,
    riding on a young donkey.”

16 His disciples did not understand this at the time; but when Jesus had been raised to glory, they remembered that the scripture said this about him and that they had done this for him.

Good News Translation (GNT)
Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Here he comes,
the one who will change everything.

Here he comes,
riding to bring freedom,
triumphing over fear.

I cheered
and shouted,
waved whatever I could find
in anticipation
and excitement.

He’s coming,
how different everything will be now.

But it never occurred to me
that he might change me.

I thought it was ‘them’
that needed changing.
The powers,
the rulers,
those who held our lives
so tightly.

But it was me
who would be challenged:
my ways questioned,
my commitment,
what I really was shouting for.

Cheering,
shouting ‘bring it on’,
wanting this to happen.

If I’d realised,
would I have been so keen?
Thrown in my all?
Shouted for more?

More than excitement,
today is about challenge.

Where do I stand?
Who do I support?
Am I with Jesus –
all the way to suffering?

Lord,
as I shout
may I be open to listen;

as I seek change
may I hear what you want of me,
what you want to be different.

May I not just make the noise
but take the journey
with you.

Born A Second Time? #Lent2

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John 3:1-17

I must be born Again?

Born a new way,
come to life God’s way.

Not a magic formula,
but letting God
create and form me.
As my parents genes
once dictated my make up,
how I look,
those family traits
– now I must allow God
to shape my life.

Lord,
may I allow myself
to become a product of your love
for me.

May I allow you to create,
mould,
form
and guide me.

May I become
all that you have planned for me,
may your breath
breathe in me,
your love
beat through me.

May I be born again,

this time in and through you.

John 3:1-17 Good News Translation (GNT)

Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. 2 One night he went to Jesus and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him.”

3 Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”[a]

4 “How can a grown man be born again?” Nicodemus asked. “He certainly cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time!”

5 “I am telling you the truth,” replied Jesus, “that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit. 7 Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again.[b] 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” asked Nicodemus.

10 Jesus answered, “You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don’t know this? 11 I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message. 12 You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven? 13 And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven.”[c]

14 As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.

Footnotes:

  1. John 3:3 again; or from above.
  2. John 3:7 again; or from above.
  3. John 3:13 The quotation may continue through verse 21.

Good News Translation (GNT)Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Alone With God

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Alone,
with God,
with myself,
with my demons.

Faced with the stark realities
of my life.

Where do I put my trust,
where do I look for nourishment,
where do I seek validation?

Do I try to live without God?
Filling my life with stuff
that fails to satisfy?

Do I think I can look after myself?
Or trust God to rescue me
when I have got myself into a mess?
Or do I seek him first,
before I jump?

Do I want to test God?
To see how far I can push him?
How far I can go?

Do I put my trust
in the wrong things?
Am I distracted by the shiny,
and lose my focus on God?

Lord,
this lent,
I want to walk with these questions,
to come again
to you.

Deepen my trust,
my faith,
my worship,
my service,
I pray

Matthew 4:1-11 (GNT)

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. 2 After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry. 3 Then the Devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.”

4 But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’”

5 Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the Holy City, set him on the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says,

‘God will give orders to his angels about you;
    they will hold you up with their hands,
    so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’”

7 Jesus answered, “But the scripture also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness. 9 “All this I will give you,” the Devil said, “if you kneel down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus answered, “Go away, Satan! The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’”

11 Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society