Advent 9 - Wash Behind Your Ears!
DAY 9 - Wash Behind Your Ears!
John 13:3-11
Did your parents ever tell you, “Wash behind your ears!” Dirt mysteriously works its way into every nook and cranny of the human body. Kids are understandably ignorant of this. Some would-be Pigpens don’t mind all that much. To top it all off, kids must learn how to thoroughly wash.
Maturity brings awareness. We learn as adults the importance of cleaning our bodies. We look in the mirror to assess ourselves and see what needs changed. Next we wash up - take a shower and scrub our face. We’re purifying our bodies.
In like manner, God intends us to be spiritually clean. God wants to makes us holy. God wants our attitudes, desires, and habits to be free of the self-centeredness that poisons our relationship with God and one another. Our inner selves need bathed just as much as our bodies.
John the Baptist offered baptism, a physical washing symbolizing the turn from sin and readiness for God. Jesus himself received and endorsed baptism as mandatory for all his followers. For us, baptism shows outside what the Holy Spirit does inside: he washes away our sins. Only Jesus can wash away our sins. That’s why John says, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus washes away the guilt of past sin. Over time, he even washes away sin’s power, so that we want sin less and actually sin less.
But we fall down and get dirty again, even after baptism. Christians still sin! I know, you’re shocked. We need to clean up. We need our attitudes, desires, and habits purified.
We don’t need to be baptized again. Unlike the Lord’s Supper, baptism is “one and one.” We just need a little scrubbing up. In John 13, Jesus teaches his disciples that he and he alone can spiritually purify us. He also reminds us that we pick up some dirt along the way and need it washed off again. In other words, we need to keep looking in the mirror. Self-examination under the eye of Jesus should be a daily habit. We then repent - turn from, turn to - as the Lord reveals smudges and stains we’ve missed. We can be clean, we can be changed, we can be better with God’s help. That’s good news!
REFLECT
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “no desire” and 10 being “max desire,” how intense is you desire to be holy (spiritually pure)?
PRAY
Merciful God, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation. Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.
John 13:3-11
Did your parents ever tell you, “Wash behind your ears!” Dirt mysteriously works its way into every nook and cranny of the human body. Kids are understandably ignorant of this. Some would-be Pigpens don’t mind all that much. To top it all off, kids must learn how to thoroughly wash.
Maturity brings awareness. We learn as adults the importance of cleaning our bodies. We look in the mirror to assess ourselves and see what needs changed. Next we wash up - take a shower and scrub our face. We’re purifying our bodies.
In like manner, God intends us to be spiritually clean. God wants to makes us holy. God wants our attitudes, desires, and habits to be free of the self-centeredness that poisons our relationship with God and one another. Our inner selves need bathed just as much as our bodies.
John the Baptist offered baptism, a physical washing symbolizing the turn from sin and readiness for God. Jesus himself received and endorsed baptism as mandatory for all his followers. For us, baptism shows outside what the Holy Spirit does inside: he washes away our sins. Only Jesus can wash away our sins. That’s why John says, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus washes away the guilt of past sin. Over time, he even washes away sin’s power, so that we want sin less and actually sin less.
But we fall down and get dirty again, even after baptism. Christians still sin! I know, you’re shocked. We need to clean up. We need our attitudes, desires, and habits purified.
We don’t need to be baptized again. Unlike the Lord’s Supper, baptism is “one and one.” We just need a little scrubbing up. In John 13, Jesus teaches his disciples that he and he alone can spiritually purify us. He also reminds us that we pick up some dirt along the way and need it washed off again. In other words, we need to keep looking in the mirror. Self-examination under the eye of Jesus should be a daily habit. We then repent - turn from, turn to - as the Lord reveals smudges and stains we’ve missed. We can be clean, we can be changed, we can be better with God’s help. That’s good news!
REFLECT
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “no desire” and 10 being “max desire,” how intense is you desire to be holy (spiritually pure)?
PRAY
Merciful God, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation. Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.
Posted in Winter 2022
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2024
January
February
The Way DAY 9 - Full of the Holy SpiritThe Way DAY 10 - Defeating Your DefeatersThe Way DAY 11 - The Year of JubileeThe Way DAY 12 - FreedomThe Way DAY 13 - Freedom to LoveThe Way DAY 14 - Ditch "What About Me"The Way DAY 15 - The Way of LoveThe Way DAY 16 - The TeacherThe Way DAY 17 - What is the Kingdom of God?The Way DAY 18 - Trust and ObeyThe Way DAY 19 - Follow MeThe Way DAY 20 - Differences and DisagreementsThe Way DAY 21 - Jesus and Mr. RogersThe Way DAY 22 - Respond Like JesusThe Way DAY 23 - Bend Toward MercyThe Way DAY 24 - Burden or Bless?The Way DAY 25 - BONUS: The TwelveThe Way DAY 26 - Happy?The Way DAY 27 - Excessive GenerosityThe Way DAY 28 - What is Love?The Way DAY 29 - Give What God Gives
March
The Way DAY 30 - Follow the LeaderThe Way DAY 31 - Dinner with a PhariseeThe Way DAY 32 - Don't Be the HeroThe Way DAY 33 - God's GraceThe Way DAY 34 - The Grace You ShowThe Way DAY 35 - Our Sin and Our SaviorThe Way DAY 36 - Jesus and ParablesThe Way DAY 37 - The Farmer and the SeedsThe Way DAY 38 - The Seed and The SoilThe Way DAY 39 - The Good HeartThe Way DAY 40 - Who is Jesus, Pt 1The Way DAY 41 - Who is Jesus, Pt 2The Way DAY 42 - They Saw His GloryThe Way DAY 43 - Your Next StepThe Way DAY 44 - His DevotionThe Way DAY 45 - The Leadership of JesusThe Way DAY 46 - Pick Up Your CrossThe Way DAY 47 - Daily DenialThe Way DAY 48 - Forgive Like Jesus
2023
June
COMING SOON! RevelationRevelation Day 1 - TAKE IT TO HEARTRevelation Day 2 - IN THE SPIRITRevelation Day 3 - Learning to SeeRevelation Day 4 - The VoiceRevelation Day 5 - A Faithful WitnessRevelation DAY 6 - Past, Present, or Future?Revelation Day 7 - PRESS ONRevelation 8 - Comfort and ChallengeRevelation Day 9 - Compromised CommitmentRevelation Day 10 - I'm Fine, ThanksRevelation Day 11 - Holy, Holy, HolyRevelation Day 12 - Who is Worthy?Revelation Day 13 - Don't Give Up!Revelation Day 14 - No ContestRevelation Day 15 - Worship WellRevelation Day 16 - The Problem of EvilRevelation Day 17 - When You Don't Know WhyRevelation Day 18 - The Limits of SufferingRevelation Day 19 - Is God Angry?Revelation Day 20 - Saved Through Suffering
July
Revelation Day 21 - The Cry for JusticeRevelation Day 22 - The Judgments of GodRevelation 23 - They Still Did Not RepentRevelation Day 24 - Don't Curse CorrectionRevelation Day 25 - Search Me, O GodRevelation Day 26 - You Shall ProphesyRevelation Day 27 - Eat This BookRevelation Day 28 - Fight!Revelation 29 - Let the Truth TalkRevelation Day 30 - Worship and WitnessRevelation Day 31 - Our EnemiesRevelation Day 32 - The Enemy's WeaponRevelation Day 33 - The Enemy's FallRevelation Day 34 - Our ChampionRevelation Day 35 - Our BattleRevelation Day 36 - Where the Wild Things AreRevelation Day 37 - The Sea MonsterRevelation Day 38 - The Antichrist?Revelation Day 39 - Ordinary FaithRevelation Day 40 - The Heart of Ordinary FaithRevelation Day 41 - God's Guarantee
August
Revelation Day 42 - The Ugliness of EvilRevelation Day 43 - God's WrathRevelation Day 44 - God's DelightRevelation Day 45 - God's Just-nessRevelation Day 46 - The Wild Woman on a DragonRevelation Day 47 - Why a Wild Woman?Revelation Day 48 - Why is Babylon So Bad?Revelation Day 49 - Get OutRevelation Day 50 - Renew Your VowsRevelation Day 51 - He Shall Come Again