Friday, March 27

Psalm 107
Jeremiah 23:1-8
Romans 8:28-39

John 6:51-59

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Lenten reflection March 24

Have you ever felt disappointed with yourself, doing what you intended not to do? Like, I did it again!
I think all of us, if we are honest with ourselves, will recognize that we are far from perfect and that there is a continuous struggle to do what we consider to be right.
We all have relationships or areas in life where we continually fail to do what we know we should do, and do what we know not to do.
The apostle Paul is writing about a similar experience in today’s scripture.
In verse 21 he says; so I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

It is one the miracles of Easter: You have victory over sin and death in Jesus. When He died and was raised from the dead, he gave you the possibility for a new life. And with that new life He gave you the power to overcome the daily struggle with your own weakness.

Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
When you ask Jesus in to your life, He gives you the hope of eternal life, but He also has given you the hope and strength of coping with the daily challenges of your own limitations and shortcomings. He even promises to forgive and restore you when you fail!

So enter into this season of Easter with joy!

Pastor Terje
Gardermoen Kristne Fellesskap


Romans 7:13-25
13Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.


John 6:16-27
Psalms 94 - 99*
Jeremiah 17:19-27

I am the good Shepherd

Monday, March 23

Psalm 89:1-18
Jeremiah 16:10-21
Romans 7:1-12

John 10: 1-21

It is interesting to drive throughout the countryside in Norway where I live during the summer.

The landscape is dotted with sheep with their lambs. When driving in a car, one can encounter silly sheep basking on the side of asphalt roads in the summer sun with their lambs. Norwegian sheep farmers are unusual, in that they do not actually shepherd their sheep. Instead, they set them out in nature to fend for themselves and hope for the best. Needless to say, there are considerably fewer sheep when they are to be gathered in. Many sheep and lambs become victims of wild animals and traffic because they have no-one to protect them. The sheep of Norway lack true shepherds that are willing to care and protect them. They merely seek to profit from what remains of them at the end of the summer. In some ways that is what Jesus is saying about the spiritual shepherds of Israel.

The image of the good Shepherd was familiar to all the Jews. We read in Psalm 23 that, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want". The same is said of God almighty in Psalm 80.

The Jews were waiting for a messianic shepherd to lead the people Israel. If one reads Ezekiel 34 we see that the leaders of Israel are judged by God for their failure to serve, protect and care for their people. Because of their neglect and exploitation of the flock the Lord speaks through his prophet saying:

Ez. 34:11

" 'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

Jesus pronounces the same judgment of the leaders of Israel in making a contrast between himself, the true shepherd and the thief and wolf (the evil one) or the hired help (the Pharisees).

Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd who is willing to lay his life down on behalf of the sheep. He contrasts himself with those who merely want to exploit the flock, and those who have no true interest in caring for it and leave it open to the attacks of vicious predators.

Jesus describes himself as the gate as well - He is the only way into the safety and shelter of the fold.

The flock recognizes the voice of the true Shepherd, who will lead them into safety and rich pasture. In Him is the only true source of life in all its fullness.

Jesus speaks of those who were not considered part of the flock of Israel - that he would gather them into the fold in order to create one people. Were are part of that group of sheep that he has sought out and drawn in under his saving care.

He is our good Shepherd. In him we find the source of abundant life. Life in its fullness.

Pastor Linda

The Shepherd and His Flock
1"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
19At these words the Jews were again divided. 20 Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"
21 But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!

Friday, March 20

Psalm 88*
Jeremiah 11: 1-8, 14-20
Romans 6:1-11

John 8:33-47

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."

39 "Abraham is our father," they answered.

"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the things your own father does."
"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."

The Children of the Devil
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

Before Abraham was born I am!

Thursday, March 19

Psalm 87
Jeremiah 13:1-11*
Romans 6:1-23

John 8:48-59

The Jews hurled accusations against Jesus -
You are a Samaritan! Demon posessed! Deranged! Blasphemer!

When we really think about it, we have to agree that the things that Jesus claimed concerning himself would have probably received the same type of reaction today. We would think that anyone claiming to be the Son of God, existing from before all time, and the source of eternal life,
was either a heinous liar, or at best, deranged. Unfortunately, many people never pause to actually consider what he said, what he meant, and what that should mean for their lives. The claims of Jesus are met with the shrug of ambivalent blasé shoulders and the obnoxious reply "And??"
However, if we think of the consquences of actually believing what he said about himself, our lives would be changed forever.
Jesus' claims concerning himself should provoke a reaction. The patronizing undertones communicated by people who pat believers on the shoulders and assure us that they think it is great that we have found something that gives us comfort and meaning, should indicate to us that they haven't fully grasped the magnitude of what Jesus actually said and meant concerning himself. Fully grasping the magnitude of what He said must evoke a reaction.
The claims Jesus made should have enormous consequences for those who understand, believe, and receive what he said as truth. This would imply that he is in fact our Lord and God!
The glory that Jesus receives from his Father should be the glory that we ascribe to Him. It is the only logical consequence of our confession of faith in Him as our Savior.
This implies that we keep His word, because it is our actual obedience to the truth that reveals our belief.
Let His claims amaze you! Let them challenge you! Let them transform you! Let them lead you to the true source of Life and truth - Jesus the Son of God!


Pastor Linda


John 8:48-59
48The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"
49 "I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
52 At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"
54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"

58" I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

I am the Light of the World

Wednesday, March 18

Psalm 81
Jeremiah 8:18-9:6
Romans 5:1-11

The Feast of Tabernacles was the high point of the Jewish festival calender. It was a feast of rejoicing and was celebrated at the end of the harvest. It was a celebration of the provision, protection and care of God for the people of Israel in their time of wandering in the desert. The celebration was marked by a week long celebration where the Israelites were commanded to gather branches or boughs to wave before the Lord, and to build leafy"booths" in which to dwell for seven days. Meals were to be eaten in these booths, and it was to be a time of rest without any labour.
The Jewish people were required to go to Jerusalem every year for the Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot).
On each day of the feast there was a ceremony of water drawing which was related to the celebraton of the harvest, where rain was an important indication of the blessings of God.
The Levitical priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam in a special golden pitcher. He would be joined by a crowd of people who would return with him in joyful procession to the Temple - through the water gate.
As the priest arrived - shofars would sound and he would pour the water on the great altar accompanied by the shouts of celebration and waving of boughs of the people.
The ceremony of the water-drawing held a significance much deeper than the agricultural implications. The water drawing pointed to that day, when according to the prophet Joel, that the Lord would pour out His Spirit on Israel (Joel 2:28). This ceremony took on an even greater meaning when Jesus attended the feast in (John 7:37-39) and proclaimed that He would quench the thirsting of the soul.
At the end of the first day of the feast, the priests and Levites went down to the Court of the Women. Four golden candlesticks were set up in the court with four golden bowls placed on them - and would be lit. The light emanating from the candlesticks was so bright that the Mishna says; "There was no courtyard in Jerusalem that was not lit up with the light" (Sukkah 5:3). The mood was very festive, people would dance well into the night holding torches and singing songs of praise to the Lord. The meaning of the lights was to symbolize the Shkhinah Glory of God that had once filled the Temple. Again this whole ceremony took on a new and greater meaning when Jesus stood in the Temple (John 8:12) and declared that He was the Light of the world, for in Him dwelt all the fullness of the glory of God (Col 1:19). In Jesus we see the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles (John 1:14). Jesus is God dwelling (tabernacling) among men. It is interesting to note that the word "dwelt" implies a temporary dwelling - a sukkah booth.

Jesus uses the "I am" statements throughout the gospel of John to indicate that he was the Messiah - the One that was to come, - the One that was sent. Each one of the I AM ‘s represents a particular relationship of Jesus to the spiritual needs of men and women
This is linked to the story of Moses in the desert where God revealed himself to him in the burning bush, and he was commissioned to lead the Jews out of slavery in Egypt into the promised land. When Moses asked who he was to say had sent him, God replied,"I am who I am". (Exodus 3:14)

1. I am the bread of Life which came down from heaven (6:35,41,51)
2. I am the light of the world (8:12; 9:5)
3. I am the door of the sheep (10:7,9)
4. I am the good shepherd (10:11,14)
5. I am the son of God (10:36)
6. I am the resurrection and the life (11:25)
7. I am the way, the truth, and the life (14:6)
8. I am the (true) vine (15:1,5)

God ordained a number of feasts that the Israelites were commanded to celebrate each year. They were celebrations of commemoration - in order to remember and to give thatnks for what God had done and continued to do. They were also prophetic in that they all pointed to their ultimate fulfillment in the One that was yet to come. Jesus arrived as a fullfillment of the promises inherent in the celebration of the Feast. His proclamation of Himself caused an outcry with the Pharisees,, but as we read in 8:30, many put their faith in Him because of His testimony and the testimony of His Father.
He extends the same invitation to us today - to walk with Him in the light of His presence and His truth and grace. If we follow Him we will never agin walk in darkness. He will be with us lighting the way.

Pastor Linda


John 8:12-20*

The Validity of Jesus' Testimony

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

13 The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."

14 Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

19 Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"

"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.

If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink!

Tuesday, March 17

Psalm 78:1-39
Jeremiah 7:21-34*
Romans 4:13-25

John 7:37-52

A billion dollar industry has developed in the last couple of decades in the western world. Consumers purchasing this product can be very particular about its quality, flavour, composition and origin. It comes in an endless variety of bottles, and advertisers for this product promise refreshment, longevity, youthful beauty, increased concentration and health with regular consumption. What am I talking about?
Water.
Bottled water.
Yes, it is flavoured, mineral, glacier water perhaps, but it is still water.
People tote their water bottles with them everywhere, seeking to gain its healthful benefits. Corporate businessmen, conference speakers, marathon runners, models and students alike guzzle down this precious liquid from designer bottles. Mothers encourage toddlers to drink it frequently from sippy cups and others carry their bottles everywhere in backpacks to be sipped at regular intervals throughout the day.
We believe the promises of health, refreshment and beauty that we read of in our magazines and see on TV commercials. We know that we need water for the essentials of life. We are willing to pay exorbitant prices for this source of life and happiness - the fountain of youth.
But what about our true source of life and happiness which Jesus promises to all who will receive it without cost.
"If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
Think if we could demonstrate the same dedication to drinking from the fountain of eternal life - drinking of the Spirit of Jesus. He gives it freely and generously to all who ask of Him. We can start the day with a huge tumbler of crystal clear refreshment. We can pause at intervals throughout the day to drink a cup or two. As we work at our desks we can sip it regularly throughout the working day. It is the purest, most delicious, refreshing drink imaginable. We need only to turn to the source of life, our Lord Jesus. What is also remarkable is that it then becomes not only a source of refreshment for ourselves. It becomes a source of refreshment for those that we meet and serve throughout the day.
Water is essential for our physical life and health.
The water of the Spirit is essential for our spiritual life and health.
Drink deeply. Drink regularly. Find refreshment and renewed strength. Find Jesus.

The Lord, the fountain of living waters. (Jeremiah 17:13)

I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. (Isaiah 43:20)

And the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make your bones fat : and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58:11)

John 7:37-52
37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as[c] the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

40On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet."

41Others said, "He is the Christ."

Still others asked, "How can the Christ come from Galilee? 42Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family[d] and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?" 43Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. 44Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
45Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?"

46"No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.

47"You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. 48"Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them."

50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51"Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?"

52They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet[e] does not come out of Galilee."

Is Jesus the Christ?

Monday, March 16

Psalm 77
Jeremiah 7:1-15
Romans 4:1-12
John 7:14-36

The opposition to Jesus is mounting among the Jewish authorities and people at large are whispering in speculation. Who is this man? Is he the Messiah, or is he demon posessed- a blasphemer?
If we read this chapter from the beginning verses we see that even his brothers did not believe in him, but were attempting to force him to present himself publicly in Jerusalem at the feast of Tabernacles in much the same way as his mother had expected him to at the wedding in Cana.
His answer to them was that his time had not yet come. He knew that in order to fullfill the purposes of God in his life that he must also be obedient in relationship to the time and nature of his choice to proceed to Jerusalem. He chooses to travel separately and doesn't arrive until halfway through the feast.
He challenges the reactions that he receives to his teaching, and the fact that they are seeking to take his life because of his breach of the sabbath laws in healing the invalid at the pool of Bethesda six months before.
Jesus addresses the true essence and content of the law in justifing his actions. His learning and insight came not from the Pharisaic study of the law, but from the source of the law, - from God himself.
His teaching and insight, indeed his claims concerning himself provoke a furor of reactions. "Is he the Christ?", or "is he demon posessed?" Perhaps the most puzzling to them was that this man who amazed them did not meet with their prior expectations as to whom the Christ would be.
It seems as thought the Jewish authorities were also at a loss as to what to do in relationship to the claims he made about himself, the depth of his teaching and insight, and the power revealed in his miracles.
We meet the same type of reactions to our own confession of Christ as Lord today. We can be met by people carrying assumptions concerning Jesus and the Christian faith that are not built on the truth. If we meet others with the embodied truth of Christ in our lives, and reveal a wisdom and grace not from ourselves but from He who sends us, we will be able to help others to find Him, because he can indeed be found. The time came for his journey to Jerusalem culminating in his crucifiction, death and burial. It also resulted in his resurrection and salvation for all who place their trust in him as their Lord and Savior. Let us live lives that challenge pre-conceived ideas of what it means to be followers of Christ. Let us live in the generosity of love and grace in the power of the Holy Spirit, obedient to the law written not on tablets of stone but on the flesh of our hearts. It will create a reaction!

Pastor Linda


Jesus Teaches at the Feast

14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such learning without having studied?"

16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?"
20"You are demon-possessed," the crowd answered. "Who is trying to kill you?"

21 Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

Is Jesus the Christ?
25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."

28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me."

30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?"

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

33 Jesus said, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come."
35 The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, 'You will look for me, but you will not find me,' and 'Where I am, you cannot come'?"

Lenten reflection March 14th


When we think of life and all the people we know, I often times think of how we admire some people and pity others, put some people up on a pedestal and feel resentful to yet others. Sometimes we feel proud of our selves and other times we have no self esteem at all.

When we read Romans 3:21-24 God puts our lives in a different perspective. We are all equal in His eyes. We are equally sinful and equally in need of His righteousness. The wonderful news is that He gave us all the same access to His righteousness, through faith in Jesus Christ.

The story of Easter, where Jesus both suffered and died for our sins is the story of Gods love for all humanity and our equal opportunity to a new life, not because of our own righteousness, but simply because He is righteous and he loves us.

It is comforting and fills me with joy, to look at people around me and recognize that I don’t have to judge people or appraise them, because in the eyes of God we are equally needy of his grace and righteousness. It is also reassuring to know that Gods intention for each one of us is only good. He is with us through all fazes of life, the easy and happy ones, but also the dark and challenging ones. When we read psalm 23 we see a picture of a God who is with us in all of life’s circumstances, both in the green pastures and in the vally of the shadow of death.
Remember that seen through His eyes we are equal and worthy of his love, because He did give his only begotten Son so that we should have eternal life.
All we have to do is to believe it and receive it!

Celebrate the preparation of Easter remembering all He has done and is doing for you!

Pastor Terje
Gardermoen Kristne Fellesskap

Romans 3:21-24
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Jeremiah 5:20-31*
Psalm 75
Romans 3:19-31
John 7:1-13

Lenten reflection March 13th

I have recently taken part in a nomination process, and not knowing the tradition of the election I thought I would have to present myself and what would serve best to promote my candidacy. I was surprised to discover that someone stood up to speak on my behalf and my experience was that his words had a far stronger impact than if it had been my own words.

Jesus points to this when He says that His own testimony is not valid. Jesus is Gods only begotten son and He has the testimony of His father in heaven as his witness.

The Holy Spirit testifies to us that He is our father. It says in Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children”.
So we can live in confidence knowing that we are His children and we can boldly proclaim it to the world. It is nice to be able to say with conviction that God is our Father and we are his children.
Jesus compares John to a lamp that gave light. Like John we have the privilege to be a light that testifies that Jesus was the Lamb of God. Those that have grown up by the coast know the function of a lighthouse, how it gives direction in the dark.
In this time of Lent it is profitable to consider this; do we enjoy being in His light? Do we ask the Holy Spirit to fill our lives so that He can speak His truth into our lives and through our lives?
If we do, we can testify to people of who Jesus is and what He has done. We can do it with the confidence that The Spirit testifies with our spirit.
You and I can be His witness!!!

I pray that we may all be able to experience a preparation for Easter where God can work both in us and through us and testify to our friends and families of His love and redemptive power.

Pastor Terje
Gardermoen Kristne Fellesskap


John 5:30-47
31"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 32There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.

33"You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

Psalm 69
Jeremiah 5:1-9*
Romans 2:25-3:18
John 5:30-47
31"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 32There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.

33"You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

36"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You diligently study[c] the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41"I do not accept praise from men, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God[d]?

45"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

Lenten reflection March 12th

John chapter 5:24 is a mind boggling statement of truth: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

It has followed me as one the most important and most liberating statements in my life.
Jesus is saying to you and me that if we believe in Him we already have eternal life.
Eternal has an added quality; everlasting means to last for ever, but eternal is also saying something about quality. It is an everlasting life in a divine setting, where God is present.

Think that we have been given the opportunity to taste heaven now and to have started on our heavenly journey. It really puts the rest of our lives in a totally new perspective!

The next statement is just as liberating; “you will not be condemned”.
Guilt and condemnation is the opposite of forgiveness and all of us are carrying a bag full of reasons and actions that burden us with both. For some it is what colours our lives with sadness and can make us sick, and it often is the reason for relational problems. To be forgiven is one of the most powerful things that can happen in a persons life and God has promised us a life in total forgiveness, because Jesus died for our sins.
You are free!!

The third statement of Jesus is equally remarkable: “you have crossed over from death to life”.
In our selves we are living a life that has a natural end, and we are spiritually dead without the redemptive work of Jesus in our lives.
It is a wonderful truth to carry around every day; to know that we walk a life of eternity that has already started. Because of what Jesus did in His suffering, death and resurrection through Easter you can truly say:
“I am alive”!!!

God bless you with true life
Pastor Terje
Gardermoen International Baptist Fellowship
Gardermoen Kristne Fellesskap

John 5:19-29
19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

24"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

Jeremiah 4:9-10, 19-28*
Romans 2:12-24

Lenten reflection March 11th

John 5:1-18 and Psalm 72:12-13

Yesterday I saw a film called “The bucket list”

It described a meeting between to men in a hospital, both of whom received the message that they were terminally ill with cancer. Cole was a rich, ruthless and lonely hospital owner and Carter who wasa black well read, and devoted husband and car mechanic anchored in true family vaules and faith in God. They decided to spend their last days together, crossing off items on their “bucket list” (a wish list of things they want to do before kicking the bucket).
In the pursuit of some of the things in life that they had not yet experienced, the significance of the story was two questions that were posed by Carter to Cole: "Have you experienced real joy in your life" and, "have you given real joy to somebody else"?

When I read the story of the healing at the pool called Bethesda, I am captured by how Jesus saw the lame man, listened to his story and healed him. His love for him is a revelation of the encounter with the supernatural Jesus and how His love and divine power totally transformed this man's life. He also demonstrated how God sees us and cares for those we might consider the least significant.
This lame man was lying by the pool and nobody helped him in the water and Jesus points to himself as the answer to his needs. Too often we don’t see the needs of others and don’t point them to the only answer to life’s big and small questions; the redeeming power and love of Christ that can heal and transform our lives and give us eternal joy.

The two questions posed to Cole in the “Bucket list” were; have you experienced real joy in your life and have you given real joy to somebody else?
These questions reminded me of the healing ministry of Jesus and the story of the lame man. Maybe the most important questions to contemplate in this preparation before Easter are; have you experienced the love and healing power of Jesus made possible through His suffering, death and resurrection. Have you experienced the true joy of knowing Jesus and what he has done for you?
Are we willing to see people’s real life issues and lead and point them to the One that can transform their lives and give them true joy and hope? Are we willing to challenge people to what real joy is and show them that Jesus can give this Joy to their lives?

I pray that God will bless you in this time of preparation to see the relevance of these important questions in your life.

Pastor
Terje
Gardermoen Kristne Fellesskap
Gardermoen International Baptist Fellowship

Psalm 72:12-13
For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.

John 5:1-18
The Healing at the Pool
1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.[b] 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
7"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "
12So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"
13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Jeremiah 3:6-18*
Romans 1:28-2:11

Sunday, March 8

Psalm 8,
Jeremiah 1:1-10
I Corinthians 3:11-23

Mark 8: 27- 38

Peter's Confession of Christ
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered, "You are the Christ."

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Predicts His Death

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said.
"You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

The call to discipleship is a call that challenges our comfort zones because it means the total relinquishment of our lives into the hands of our Lord and savior. It goes against the fiber of our sinful nature, because we seek to retain control of our lives and guard our individualistic freedom jealously.

We are first challenged to count the cost, before choosing to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and master. There is no turning back after we have made the commitment. The road may be rocky and filled with things that can threaten to casuse us to fall or to turn off the path. There can be countless distractions as well. However, we are invited to join him on this lifelong journey that leads us from darkness in to life. He will provide guidance and strength, and prevent us from falling if we rely on Him for whaat we need to complete the course.

Pastor Linda

Worship in Spirit and in truth

Saturday, March 7

Psalms 55
Deuteronomy 11:18-28
Hebrews 5:1-10


John 4:1-26
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

17 "I have no husband," she replied.

Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

What was it that made Jesus choose to travel the way that he did though Samaria to reach Galilee? It was a road that Jews rarely travelled on , because it was dangerous and as our scripture explains, Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

Jesus travelled with his disciples until they stopped in the heat of the day to draw water from the well of Jacob. It is there that this remarkable story takes place. Jesus stopped and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. He didn't have a cup or bowl to drink from, meaning that he would have to ask to drink from what the Samaritan woman had to offer him..

The fact that he was speaking to a woman, and in addition to that, a Samaritan woman, - and a Samaritan woman who was an outcast from her own community because she had a tainted past was unthinkable for a Jewish man at the time of Jesus. Jews considered Samritans unclean. They characterized Samaritan women as "swine" - as unclean as pork was for them to eat. They would avoid contact with them at any cost!

Yet here it seems as though Jesus goes out of his way to create contact with this woman.

She was at the well in the heat of the day by herself because she clearly wasn't welcome in the company of the other women in her community. She was probably stamped as a "whore", a woman of ill repute, because of the many relationships she had been though with so many men. Who knows the depth of pain and shame that led her through all of those relationships with so many men until she was finally found living unlawfully with her latest partner.

How it must have pierced her heart to have that question directed at her with its revelation of her life. Her life was laid bare for this stranger in this brief encounter, where all the shadows of her life were revealed in his all knowing gaze.

Was he repulsed by her? Did he draw away in disgust? No! Instead he did the most unimaginable thing. He saw her in all of her vulnerability in stark naked truth, and he accepted her. He extended this graceful invitation to her. He offers her living water springing from the presence of the very Spirit of God in her life. He offered her salvation and eternal life. He offered it to a stranger, a foreigner, a woman, an outcast, a sinner.

He extends the same gracius invitation to all of us, regardless of race, gender, social standing and life history. What he desired from her was a response to the invitation that could transform her life. He desires the same for you. He desires the same for those who you know who you might have thought don't qualify. The Lord is seeking those who wil worship him in Spirit and in truth. We must turn to the source of truth and the Holy Spirit in order to find eternal life. Turn to Jesus in all of your naked vulnerability and naked truth. You will encounter the transforming power of grace and love. You will find life.

Pastor Linda

He must become greater, I must become less

Friday, March 6

Psalms 40 and 51
Deuteronomy 10:12-22
Hebrews 4:11-16

John 3:22-36 NIV
John the Baptist's Testimony About Jesus
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24 ( This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."

27 To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.

31 "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

The entire purpose of the life and ministry of John the Baptist was to point the way to Jesus - the one sent by the Father. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets who were anointed by the Holy Spirit to reveal the will of God to the people Israel. The Holy Spirit had come upon him even as he was in the womb when he leapt for joy at the encounter between his own mother Elizabeth and Mary the mother of Jesus. He called people to repentance as a fiery forerunner of the One that was to come.

The report of his disciples reveals that they had completely missed the point. They were loyal followers of John and were grumbling in resentment and envy concerning the increasing following they had witnessed in the ministry of Jesus. But John, true to his calling tells them, "He must become greater, I must become less". A best man at a wedding makes the practical preparations for the groom. The success of his role is revealed in how the groom is able to take his rightful place when he has arrived. This was so in the life of John. He saw the success and completion of his role and calling in leading people to Jesus.

He explained the dramatic difference between himself and "the One whom God had sent". He was earthly and spoke from an earthly perspective. This was in spite of the anointing of the Spirit on his life. The one whom God had sent came from heaven and testified to what he had seen and heard. He spoke the words of God because of the limitless presence of the Spirit in his person. He was the Messiah. the One who was to come, the One whom God had sent.

It was in this humility and prophetic insight that the greatness of John was revealed. This is why Jesus says in Matthew 11:10 "This is the one about whom it is written: I will send my messenger ahead of you, and will prepare your way before you." I tell you the truth. Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist" (Luke 7:26-28)

For God so loved the world

Thursday, March 5

Psalm 46
Deuteronomy 9:23-10:5
Hebrews 4:1-10

John 3:16-21
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Jesus continues his conversation with Nicodemus who is one of the elite of the party of the Pharisees. He continues to rock the world view of Nicodemus by what he is saying.

"For God so loved the world...". God's love is extended to all mankind. It wasn't exclusive to the Jews. Condemnation lay not in failing to observe the exact letter of the law in an attempt to achieve righteousness. It lay in failing to respond in faith to the ultimate expression of the love of God. God sent his only begotten son to perish on our behalf. God sent his only begotten son to reveal the wonders of his righteousness, mercy and love. He sent him, extending an invitation to all, regardless of race, gender or status to receive his salvation. It is a universal all- encompassing love that reaches all mankind in all its beauty and depravity. It is a love that shakes all of our human imaginations concerning our own self-righteousness and the nature and purpose of God. It turns our world upside down because it is counter to our human nature to live in this nearly incomprehensible dimension of grace and mercy.

We are called into the graceful embrace of the Father who reveals his love to us in His only begotten son. "Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we may be saved". Acts 4:12

Pastor Linda Aadne

No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again!

Wednesday, March 4

Psalm 119:49-72
Deuteronomy 9:13-21
Hebrews 3:12-19

We can imagine the shock of Nicodemus in being met in the seemingly abrupt manner by Jesus when he approached him at night. He was after all, "Israel's teacher"! He had risked his reputation and standing to come to speak personally with Jesus. He was just in the process of presenting his introduction to his conversation with this new Rabbi when he was cut off by Jesus saying this extraordinary thing - "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again".

I can imagine his inner turmoil, when all of his rehearsed objections and arguments evaporated in the face of what Jesus had to say. His reply revealed his insight. Could the established system of religion that he represented as a Pharisee be totally renewed? Could he as a person enter into a completely new way of understanding his life and his ministry?

Of course what Jesus was saying wasn't new! Rather, He was cutting to the essence of what it meant to live in the fulfillment of the prophetic promises of God revealed throughout the Old Testament concerning the kingdom of God. The Messiah would usher in a newness of life that entailed a life in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was a dimension of life that would be extended to all who would respond to him in faith as their Lord and savior. The Old Testament offices of priest, prophet, and king were all to be revealed in the person of the Messiah. He would be the first fruits of the new creation.

Jesus was to be lifted up on the cross to bring life to those who looked to Him in faith just as the snake had been lifted in the desert to spare the lives of the Israelites.

This Nicodemus knew. What he had difficulty in understanding was that this newness of life was actually appearing before him in the person amd teaching of Jesus. His life and heart were being changed forever. This was the Nicodemus who later had the courage to defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin, (John 7 50-52) and who prepared his body for burial (John 19: 38-42)

This was truly a man who came in the night, but who was met by the light.

Pastor Linda

John 2:23-3:15

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again".

4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Zeal for your house will consume me!

Tuesday, March 3

Isaiah 58

Hebrews 3:1-11

Zeal and passion are characteristics that are very foreign to our Scandinavian cultural context. They make us uncomfortable because it seems that anyone expressing passion in word or deed is out of control, or even on the fringes of what is considered to be acceptable. We generally strive to express ourselves in measured, polite, and considerate terms. We frequently veil our opinions in inuendo because we rarely want to take the full brunt of consequences for opinions that seem to be confrontational or radical. We don't want to make waves.

Jesus appeared at the temple in Jerusalem consumed with zeal for his Father's house. He confronted a system that held the people of Israel captive to the usary of the temple sacrificial system. The temple coffers were filled as a result of milking money from the people that were compelled to travel from afar to offer their yearly sacrifices and temple taxes.

Diaspora Jews were victims of the money changers, and sacrificial animals were sold at extremely high prices leaving many familes in poverty.

It is not surprising that Jesus reacted with such passionate zeal in cleansing the temple. He was confronting the perversion of a sustem which originally had been created to minister to the needs of the very people that they were robbing.

Holy wrath is vented against the systematic abuse and neglect of the poor and marginalized in society. Read the prophet Isaiah and you will see over and over again that the righteousness of God's people is revealed in their care for the poor, the orphaned, widows, and the stranger.

The house of the Father is not only the temple - it is the household of men and women and children who worship him. Jesus reacted to the profanation of the holy temple, but it was because of the abuses practiced there in relationship to those coming to worship. The legal tax system had ceased to be a practical expression of the care and mercy of the Father. It had becme a massive oppressive machine in the hands of the Jewish elite.

If Jesus appeared on the scene today in the midst of our highly technological and streamlined churches how would he react? Would he be capable of waking us up from our complacent slumber so that we remember what the true essence of worship is? Or do we prefer the "nice" Jesus we remember from Sunday school who gives us a feel good experience occasionaly when we make it to church?? Do we enter the house(hold) of the Lord with a zeal and a passion for what is on his heart? Is our worship on Sundays the culmination of a life in daily worship, expressed in our stewardship of our time, energy and means, our relationships to our family collegues and friends, and the extension of ourselves to those in need?

Can we say with Jesus "Zeal for your house has consumed me"?

Pastor Linda

John 2:13-22 NIV
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

18 Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"

19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

A merciful and faithful High Priest

Monday, March 2

Psalms 41, 44, and 52,
Deuteronomy 8:11-18

Hebrews 2:10-18 NIV
10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." 13 And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.