A.R. - Day 6

Be Still:  Dear Father, please forgive us when we get so focused on our tasks, jobs, or possessions, that we do not recognize You.  Increase in us the ability to see You.  In the name of the risen Savior, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  John 21:1-10

¹Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: ²Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. ⁵He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered.  ⁶He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

⁷Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. ⁹When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

¹⁰Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."

Be Stretched:  Why do you suppose the disciples were out fishing?  By this time they knew that Jesus was alive, and He had appeared to them at least once, if not more than that.  For some reason, though, they did not recognize Him on the shore.  Why might that be?  Do you ever get so caught up in doing your own thing that you get ‘tunnel vision’ and cannot see anything else?  Pray for eyes to recognize the Savior as He calls to you.

How Are You Doing?

“How are you doing?”  The words make me pause.  How am I doing? 

I feel as if my feet are on flimsy pieces of wood, floating in two separate rivers which are running in opposite directions.  And not nice, gently bubbling ones, but ones that are rain-swollen, churning.  My balance is precarious at best, and each passing day, the currents are carrying my left and right sides further apart.   

The flurry of activity and busyness is draining and necessary, but I’m not handling it well.  I seem to start doing a dozen things at once, but never quite complete any of them.  I’m trying to type up procedures for the various things I do at First Pres.  I’ve got unfinished lists of tasks by committee and by month.  I feel as if I am giving glancing attention to really big stuff.  Every day another question, another issue, another task.

Worse, I feel like I’m not making time for those I love and will miss here.  The sense of urgency about everything else is seeping into this, too, and I hate it.  I want time to just spend hanging out.  To sit and talk and laugh and just be together.  To savor being with those who have become so very dear to me.  I don’t want to leave feeling as if I missed letting my friends know how much I love them.  As hard as it’s going to be, I want to have time to say goodbye.

And all the while, my feet move further apart.  At any second now I’m going to completely lose my balance and topple into the water.

I think about Jesus during His final days of earthly ministry.  How did He prioritize what mattered most?  Did He feel pulled in all kinds of different directions – wanting to rush around and heal as many hurting people as possible? 

Reading the Gospels, Jesus seemed to withdraw more from the crowds to spend more time with His disciples.  No doubt He left people who were sick and needy.  Jesus didn’t fix everything in Galilee or Jerusalem.  It’s interesting to me that He did take time to go to the temple and clear it out! 

How did He handle the fact that He was leaving His disciples for the cross?  Even though He told them time after time after time that He was going to be killed and then rise again, He knew they did not understand.  He knew that He would be led away and they would need to take care of themselves while He was tried, convicted and crucified.  Jesus knew that they were going to be terrified and huddled locked in a room. 

I think of the beautiful prayers of Jesus in the Gospel of John.  Prayers for the disciples then, for all of us now.  For Himself, for His Father’s glory.  Instead of a flurry of activity, Jesus spent those last hours before His arrest eating a meal, serving His friends, and praying.  First in the Upper Room, and then in the Garden.  Jesus did all He could to encourage them, but in the end, He had to leave.  He had to be obedient to His Father’s purpose.

Obviously, I am not Jesus, and what I am about to experience is not what He did!  I never want anyone to think I am comparing my small trifling transition to His all-in sacrifice!  But, I do find parallels, and I take comfort in the fact that even Jesus could not spare His disciples – or Himself! – from the pain. 

I cannot keep my leaving from being a major disruption to my staff, my church, my friends.  As I wrote earlier this week, I have a wonderful community of sisters and brothers in Christ.  The fact that they matter to me means that this is going to hurt.  It means things will be different, for them, for me.

So, what to do?  I’m still not sure how I’m going to keep my balance.  The water is there, threatening to drown me.  Maybe part of it is just admitting I’m feeling this way.  Acknowledging that I can’t do it all.  Looking to Jesus, leaning on His strength.  Allowing the beauty of His prayers to give me hope. 

May my life in some small way bring You glory, Father!  I’m tired and anxious and I am sad.  I don’t know how I’m going to get done all that needs to be done.  Today I choose once again to give this all to You.  Tomorrow I'll probably try to take it back!  But, for today, here it is - here I am.

Father, You love my friends, You know what they need, too.  Thank you.  May we all be one, just as You are one with Jesus.  Thank you for His example, for His prayers for us, so long ago.  Thank you that although we most surely have trouble in this world, through Jesus we can overcome it.  May we continue to put all our trust in Him alone. 

A.R. - Day 5

Be Still:  Dear Father, thank you that You have always had a plan for reaching all nations.  Please help us to join in this exciting work.  May Your kingdom come!  In the name of our risen Savior, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  Luke 24:37-49

37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.  38He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?  39Look at my hands and my feet.  It is I myself!  Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 

40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.  41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”  42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.  44He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 

45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  46He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  48You are witnesses of these things.  49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Be Stretched:  The Good News of Jesus will be preached to all nations.  We are a part of that promise.  Spend time today thanking God for faithful witnesses and believers throughout history.  At this time, there are approximately 10,000 unreached people groups, many in areas which are hostile to the Gospel.  Pray for missionaries who are reaching into these places.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would open your heart to where He may lead you to share, whether here at home, or in the world.  Pray for God to open your mind to understand the majesty of His revelation through His scripture.

A.R. - Day 4

Be Still:  Dear Father, thank you for the Bible.  Thank you that all of it, both Old Testament and New, point us to Your redeeming work in the world.  May we read Your word today and every day.  In the name of our risen Savior, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  Luke 24:25-36

²⁵He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" ²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

²⁸As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.  ³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³²They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

³³They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." ³⁵Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. ³⁶While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

Be Stretched:  “How foolish you are!”  Jesus chided the two, and then opened their eyes so that they could see the truth.  Today, ask our loving Father to point out areas where you are foolish, and do not understand.  Then, pray that your heart, too, will burn within you, as your eyes are opened to the truth of His holy, inspired words.  And, don’t keep it to yourself!  Like the two, get up, get out, and tell others how the Lord has met you!

A.R. - Day 3

Be Still:  Dear Father, sometimes people share things about You that seem too amazing to believe.  Please forgive us and help us never to forget You can do more than we ask or even imagine.  In the name of our risen Savior, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  Luke 24:13-24

¹³Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶but they were kept from recognizing him.  ¹⁷He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" ¹⁹"What things?" he asked.

"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²²In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

Be Stretched:  The two followers of Jesus told the stranger that some of the women had seen angels who told them Jesus was alive.  But, since they were walking away from Jerusalem, it seems obvious they did not believe it.  When things are difficult to believe or when things seem to be falling apart, do you tend to walk (or run!) away?  Be comforted that even if we do, Jesus, in His great love, can and will meet us where we are.  If you are feeling 'downcast' today, ask Jesus to come and reveal Himself to you.

Home

When I moved from Greenville, North Carolina up to Harrisonburg, Virginia, back in 2003, I moved for my job.  At that point, I basically had no friends who were not work colleagues, I was not walking with Jesus, my husband had left.  My life consisted of working, working out, and… that was pretty much it.  

All in all, that move was pretty painless.  In fact, my company had movers come in and pack up all my stuff.  They came, I went to Target, two hours later I returned, and all my things were on the moving van.  They even individually wrapped each plastic container and lid!  I drove away without much emotion.  I wasn’t leaving ‘home’, I was leaving a place.

This move is going to be very different.  I’m leaving a community of brothers and sisters in Christ.  I'm leaving friends and my church family.  I’m leaving a place where when I walk into Gold’s Gym, I always know one or two people.  In fact, some days, I don’t get much of a work-out in because I’m too busy chatting!   

I’m leaving the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley, where I can go on a walk in my neighborhood, up and down hills, past pretty flowers and lawns, with the Blue Ridge mountains a constant presence, strong and beautiful.

 

Here are friends with whom I have shared some of my deepest moments of pain, my most jubilant celebrations.  Here Jesus drew me back to Him, and everything began to change.

 

Here I have been gifted with acceptance – on my good days, and even more so, on those not-so-good ones.  In other words, here I am home.  Home for me is not tied to a house or the spot where I have my stuff.  Home is that feeling of belonging, and that’s what I have here.

 

The funny thing is, if I didn’t have this amazing home, these wonderful friends and family to leave behind, I wouldn’t be able to go.  Not only because of their financial support – which has been beyond my wildest expectations!  What a blessing to be partnering with so many!!  Not only because of their prayer support – which has also been incredible!  It is a fact that I could not be heading into missions without these things.

But, more than that, the simple fact that I have people here who love me, and who I love, makes it possible.  Through my family in Christ, I have been able to see more of Jesus.  I have learned more about who He is as He has shown Himself to me in them.  I have been cherished and loved in my joys and happy times, and in my icky stuff, too.  Learning to love others in their good and bad has helped expand my ability to love more like Jesus.  

Being treated with grace has allowed me to be more gracious with others – and with myself!  Knowing others are cheering me on, ready to step in if (when!) I fall spectacularly on my face, has given me the courage to take these first faltering steps into the unknown.

I’m sure going to miss so many things about my life here!  I’m going to miss the chats and silly times and laughter and sharing my heart.  I'm going to miss times of tears and difficult things I’ve been privileged to walk through with my friends here.  I’m going to miss looking out at the beauty of this place.  The seasons and pace and place I have here.  

This time, I am not leaving a place, I am leaving my home.  I am leaving home and I am filled with emotion and pain, but you know what?  I’m also leaving with peace and even joy. Because as difficult as this move is going to be, I am able to go.  I am able to go because I have so much to leave behind.  The very things that draw me and hold me here are the ones giving me the strength and faith to move away. 

Thank you, Father, for the home you have provided for me in Harrisonburg.  Thank you for these years of growing in friendships, and in You.  Please continue Your work in the lives of those I love here so very much.  Thank you that I can go, and that You go with me.  

May I take the blessings you have given me here, and move out from this place in love to be a blessing to others. May I help show those desperate to belong to more than just a place, the promise of Home we have in You.  

A.R. - Day 2

Be Still:  Dear Father, thank you that You know each one of us, that You love us, and that You call us by name.  May we respond to You in love.  In the name of our risen Savior, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  John 20:10-18

¹⁰Then the disciples went back to their homes, ¹¹but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹²and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. ¹³They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." ¹⁴At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 

¹⁵"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." ¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

¹⁷Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Be Stretched:  Mary did not recognize Jesus at first.  Why do you suppose that was?  What finally made her recognize Him?  Think of how you feel when someone you dearly love calls you by your name.  Notice that, just as in the other two versions, Jesus sends Mary to the disciples to let them know.  What does that tell us about what we need to do with the Good News of Jesus?

After the Resurrection - Day 1

Be Still:  Dear Father, thank you for the Gospels and their accounts of Jesus’ resurrection.  May we share the stories of our risen Lord with others.  In the name of our risen Savior, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  Luke 24:1-12

¹On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

⁵In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"  ⁸Then they remembered his words.

⁹When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹²Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Be Stretched:  In Luke’s account of the Resurrection, the women remembered Jesus’ words after the angels remind them.  Have you ever remembered something in this way?  This is why re-reading and re-telling the stories of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is so important.  Help someone remember today by reading to them of God’s glory as revealed in His Word.  Ask the Holy Spirit to unveil your eyes so the women’s words do not seem like ‘nonsense’, that you may believe the Resurrection.

Easter Sunday

Be Still:  Dear Father, Jesus is alive!  Just as He said, just as You planned, Jesus is alive!  And in His resurrection our salvation is secured.  We praise You, Father!  We praise You, Jesus!  We praise You, Holy Spirit!  All glory and honor to You this Easter day and always!  In the name of our Risen Savior, Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  Matthew 28:1-10

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Be Stretched:  “Come and see…Then go quickly”.  The angel’s words to the women are for us as well.  What is your response to the call to both Come and Go?  Are you ready to accept Jesus’ invitation to life and joy?  Are you willing to go quickly and share this good news?  If you have never accepted our Risen Savior’s invitation, today is the day!  Greet the Messiah, Jesus Christ!  Be confident that our death-conquering Lord will be with you as you receive Him, and will remain with you from this day on, sending you out to share Him with those who have yet to hear!

The Day Before

The impossible had happened.  Jesus, the One they had followed for three years, the One in whom they had put all their hope, their friend and rabbi, Jesus was dead.  The past days had been exhausting, grueling.  The disciples witnessed Jesus troubled and sorrowful, led away without a struggle.  As they all fled, did they hold out hope that somehow it was all going to turn out alright? 

When did it begin to settle in that this was really happening?  That there would be no rescue?  Were they hidden nearby as the nails were driven into their Lord’s flesh?  Did they creep close after He was already hung up high?  In the blackness when all the earth – all the universe? – stopped, what were they feeling?  Still some small flicker of hope that the One who had healed others would, in fact, save Himself?

And then, the cry from the cross.  “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”  Had God left His Son?  “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.”  One last gasping breath, and then… nothing.  Nothing.  Nothing but a spear thrust into His side, water and blood.   Jesus was dead.  Could the disciples even breathe?

The day after Jesus died was the Sabbath.  God not only chose the general period of time in history when Jesus would die, but the precise year, month, day.  Does the actual day of the week have any significance?  Does it matter that the next day was the Sabbath? 

God had set aside the seventh day as a day of rest.  As a Sabbath to come away from the regular busyness of life and refocus on Him.  To celebrate not only His good gifts, but Him.  To cease striving and recall that God is God.  Did the disciples recall those things on that bleak, black day?  Do I? 

What do I do when everything suddenly seems to stop?  The prayers are not being answered, the sickness continues, the strife intensifies, God seems to have withdrawn?  When things are grim and horrid in my life, do I take time to worship God?

I’m ready for Easter.  I’m always ready for that bright, shining day, filled with joy.  But, perhaps, today is a day of a different kind of joy.  Joy not in circumstances, but in the fact that despite all evidence to the contrary, God is with us.  Not even because “Sunday’s a-comin’”, but joy because God is God. 

In my eagerness to get to Easter, am I missing something significant in this day of little hope?  Please don’t hear me minimizing the Resurrection!  Jesus has arisen and everything has changed.  In that event is all our hope.  But, Jesus waited.  And, for one full day, the world waited, too.  I believe that there is something to learn in this. 

There are lots of things I am waiting for right now.  Release from personal pain, justice for those who are persecuted, freedom from lives trapped in sin, the groaning to turn into shouts of jubilation.  On this day in-between the crucifixion and resurrection, what is God’s invitation?  Because I believe He is inviting us to something. 

Maybe it’s as simple (and difficult!) as taking all my fear, all my pain and confusion, and giving it to God.  Trusting Him despite the bleakness.  Experiencing His presence with me in the waiting.  Recalling His loving and powerful acts throughout history.  Throughout my own history. 

Friends, Sunday most assuredly is coming, but God is with us in this day, too.  On this day between days, hear His assurance that the God who sees you, knows your heart.  Knows what you are waiting for.  Through Jesus, though we are hard-pressed, we are never abandoned.  Draw close to Him, bring Him your pain.  Allow Him to minister to you in it.   

And then, worship Him.  Worship Him today, the day before the Resurrection.  I believe in this ‘day before’, He will meet you.  He is God.  In our waiting, He is still God. 

Day 40

Be Still:  Dear Father, we rejoice that while we are commemorating Jesus’ death, we know it is not the end of the story!  In Jesus’ name, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  Luke 23:44-56

⁴⁴It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.  ⁴⁷The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." ⁴⁸When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. ⁴⁹But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

⁵⁰Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, ⁵¹who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵²Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. ⁵³Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. ⁵⁴It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.  ⁵⁵The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Be Stretched:  Joseph of Arimathea risked his place on the Council, and even his life, to bury Jesus’ lifeless body.  Do we have the courage to risk everything for the living Savior?  The women, who had left their homes to follow Jesus, go to prepare spices and perfume for His burial.  Despite their desire to do this final task for their Messiah, they still rested on the Sabbath as God had commanded.  When things in your life get crazy-busy, do you take shortcuts with God’s good and caring commands?  Today think about Joseph and about the women, and their examples of courage and obedience. 

Day 39 - Good Friday

Be Still:  Dear Father, indeed it is Good Friday.  Thank you for being willing to give up Your only Son for us.  In Jesus’ name, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  Matthew 27:45-56

⁴⁵From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  ⁴⁷When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." ⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." ⁵⁰And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. ⁵²The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.  ⁵⁴When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"  ⁵⁵Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

Be Stretched:  Everyone else had rejected Jesus, and now the Father turns His face away.  Jesus endured being forsaken by God so that we will never have to.  What was it like for God the Father, who had always been with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to allow His Son to die?  To hear Jesus cry out, ‘why have You forsaken me?’  Jesus surely suffered, but the separation and loss cut both ways.  All persons of the Trinity chose to endure pain for us so that we can have life.  In quiet gratitude, reflect on this amazing day.

The Father in Gethsemane

This was my feeble attempt to grasp some small part of what God the Father experienced as Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, preparing to die for our sins.  The italics are quotations from the four Gospels.

The Father in Gethsemane

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," He said to them.

The Father hears the Son’s anguished words.  To the point of death.  God the Father, with the Son and the Spirit, has always existed, outside of time, three-in-one, in perfect community.  And now, His Son, His beloved Son, part of the Trinity, is going to die. 

Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, "Abba, Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will."

"Abba" - a term of intimacy.  Jesus is not praying to a distant deity, but to His 'Papa' or 'Daddy'.  Earlier, the Son had prayed, "that they [the disciples] may be one as We are one" (John 17:22). As One, the Trinity spun out the galaxies of the universe.  As One, breathed life into dust.  As One, knew that these dust-made creatures would fall.  As One, determined the Way for mankind’s redemption, knowing the terrible cost. 

And now, in scant hours, as was planned before the foundations of the earth were laid, the wages of sin would be paid.

Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping.  "Simon," He said to Peter, "are you asleep?  Could you not keep watch for one hour?"

He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done."

The Father hears so much sadness in His Son’s voice.  Pain and loneliness are palpable - perhaps for the Father, too?  For, as the Son drinks the cup, the Father will also experience suffering.  He will endure the Son’s gasping pain and groans of agony. 

The Father will allow His Son to be tortured, spit upon, treated as a criminal.  Witness His beloved Child abandoned by His followers.  Already, one of His closest friends has betrayed Him.  Another will do so very soon.

When He came back, He again found the disciples sleeping, because their eyes were heavy… Once more He went away and prayed the same thing.  An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.

Full from the Passover feast, bewildered and frightened by their Master’s sorrow, the disciples cannot stay awake.  The Son is so very alone and distressed.  The Father will not enter the Garden.  He could.  All things are possible for the Father (Matt. 19:26).  The Father could call down legions of angels to save His son.  Leave humanity to the mess it has made. 

Instead, He sends one angel from heaven, to strengthen and comfort His son.  Like His Son, the Father is faithful, despite man’s unfaithfulness.

And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Then Jesus returned to the disciples..."Enough! The hour has come… Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went out…

The Father knows all that is going to happen, too.  In agony that goes far deeper than any physical pain - and this from battered, swollen lips, as He hangs on a cross - the Son will cry out to His Father “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”  

His Son, perfect, spotless, without sin, will take upon Himself every evil and despicable thing mankind has ever done or will ever do.  The Son will become sin (II Cor. 5:21), and in doing so, will become everything that separates humanity from the Father.

And, in some way none then, nor now, can truly grasp, with a love mankind is unable to fully comprehend, for a time, the Father will turn away, and His only begotten Son, Very God of Very God, who has shared His glory since before time began, will die.

"Who is it you want?"
"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
"I am He," Jesus said.

Indeed, the hour has come.

"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."  John 3:16

Day 38 - Maundy Thursday

Be Still:  Dear Father, thank you that because Jesus was the Christ, He chose to stay on the cross and save us, instead of saving Himself.  In Jesus’ name, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  Luke 23:32-43

³²Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

³⁵The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." ³⁶The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

³⁸There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.³⁹One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

⁴⁰But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." ⁴²Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." ⁴³Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Be Stretched:  “Father forgive them.”  Hanging on a cross, dying for sins not His own, being insulted even by criminals, Jesus asked His Father to forgive them.  What love!  Do you find it easy or difficult to forgive when someone wrongs you?  Pray to the Holy Spirit, asking Him for His power to forgive, even if the other person has not asked for forgiveness. 

Day 37

Be Still:  Dear Father, thank you for the example of the women at the cross.  What horrors they saw, but what love they had for Jesus.  We pray that we, too, would have such courage and perseverance in our devotion to Jesus.  In His name, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  John 19:19-27

¹⁹Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." ²²Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ²⁴"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

²⁵Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," ²⁷and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Be Stretched:  The soldiers may have thought they were in control, but even their discussion of Jesus’ robe fulfilled scripture.  Does it comfort you to know that God is in control of all things?  Why or why not?  Several women were present at the cross, including Jesus’ mother, Mary.  What agony she suffered watching her son being crucified, an excruciating death!  Slowly read through the passage again, pondering the many emotions she must have felt as she watched her Son’s pain, and then as He provided for her future care. 

Deep Thoughts

Today I thought I’d share one of the angsty poems I mentioned last week.  As you’ll see, I took myself pretty seriously back then!  Hmm… not much has changed, eh? 

Here’s to being 16 and ‘deep’ – and here’s to our loving Father, who has walked with me, silly though I so often still am!  Feel free to grin or even laugh!

I wrote this “Late at night” on Wednesday, September 28, 1983, while on a Biology trip to Bamfield Marine Station in Bamfield, B.C.  I don’t actually know what “M.R.S.” in the title means.  I’m sure I thought I’d never forget. 

M.R.S./Onward

Spinning around wildly

   never stopping for a breath

then all of a sudden dropping,

   waiting for something,

no matter how small, to happen
 But nothing ever does

     and a tear slides,

   ever so slowly

     down my cheek.

A good sleep and relaxation

   and it’s back on the

       merry-go-round

 for another day

Why do I do it?

   I know I’ll fall off!

a strange yearning comes on

and I realize the reason

   even though it’s queer

for my constant spinning

        some day I’ll stay on

   with no more falling, spinning, crying

       one day will be mine

I only hope I acknowledge it,

   and let the spinning stop,

and flow into my new found safety.

Day 36

Be Still:  Dear Father, Jesus was worthy of being hailed as our King.  We are humbled at what He gave up for our sake.  May we live our lives out of gratitude to Him.  In Jesus’ name, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:   Matthew 27:27-36

²⁷Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. ³⁰They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

³²As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). ³⁴There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.

Be Stretched:  In a horrible mockery of a coronation, the soldiers dressed Jesus in a twisted version of royal garb.  Jesus was with God the Father when He created Adam, the descendants of those who were now torturing Him.  They only drew breath because of His life-sustaining power.  Jesus was worthy of all their honor and glory.  Instead, He endured their ridicule and abuse.  Spend some time today really meditating on how much Jesus chose to suffer for your sake.  End by praying to Him, thanking Him for giving up so much for you.

Day 35

Be Still:  Dear Father, thank you that nothing happens outside of Your control.  Help us to trust in You when things do seem out of control.  In Jesus’ name, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Be Strengthened:  John 19:6-12

⁶As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

⁷The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

⁸When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

¹¹Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

¹²From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

Be Stretched:  When Jesus would not answer him, Pilate started throwing around his authority.  Jesus replied telling Pilate that he had no true power.  Think about those in power over the countries of the world.  All of them, even the bad rulers, only have power because God has allowed it.  Regardless of our personal opinion of them, we are commanded to pray for those in authority.  Take time today to pray for those in leadership in our country and throughout the world.