A DEVOTIONAL JOURNEY FOR HOLY WEEK by Rev. Bret Cogan
tSUNDAY
• APRIL 14
ZECHARIAH 9:9-12 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion. Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem. Look, your king will come to you. He is righteous and victorious. He is humble and riding on an ass, on a colt, the offspring of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem. The bow used in battle will be cut off; he will speak peace to the nations. His rule will stretch from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Moreover, by the blood of your covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, prisoners of hope. Moreover, declare today that I will return double to you. (CEB) MARK 11:1-10 When Jesus and his followers approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus gave two disciples a task, saying to them, "Go into the village over there. As soon as you enter it, you will find tied up there a colt that no one has ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?' say, ‘Its master needs it, and he will send it back right away.'" They went and found a colt tied to a gate outside on the street, and they untied it. Some people standing around said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" They told them just what Jesus said, and they left them alone. They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes upon it, and he sat on it. Many people spread out their clothes on the road while others spread branches cut from the fields. Those in front of him and those following were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest!" (CEB)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
Holy week begins with such celebration and joy.
I can imagine Jesus hearing the people shouting God’s praise. Even more importantly I believe he saw the joy on their faces and jubilation within their countenance. Can you think of a moment when you were overflowing with joy? Maybe you were so happy you just couldn’t keep yourself from smiling? I felt this most profoundly the day my daughter, Allyson, was born. From the moment I held her in my arms I was filled with love, wondrous joy and happiness for this new life who was now forever part of mine! And yet I wonder what expression the people saw on Jesus’ face? He knew where this road was leading, he intentionally chose a colt instead of a war horse. He came as the humble faithful Son of Man who made the way for all of us… not with a display of power, but through sacrificial love.
Seed Questions for Reflection • When you think about the images of power and humility what do you see?
• In the Mark 10 reading we witness two examples of those who were or desired to be followers of Jesus. As you read these verses can you see yourself within these stories? Mark 10:17-22, 46-52 • Are there any lessons you can learn from their response to Jesus?
Prayer We come as those who seek life and happiness, Lord. We come as those who desire to find your joy. As we walk with you during this holiest of weeks, open our eyes, our hearts and our minds to grow deeper in our love for you and your call upon our lives. Amen.
tMONDAY
• APRIL 15
JOHN 12:1-11 Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus' feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained, "This perfume was worth a year's wages! Why wasn't it sold and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it.) Then Jesus said, "Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it. You will always have the poor among you, but you won't always have me." Many Jews learned that he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. The chief priests decided that they would kill Lazarus too. It was because of Lazarus that many of the Jews had deserted them and come to believe in Jesus. (CEB)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
Holy week has begun. But the truth is it feels a lot like every other Monday. I suspect it did for the disciples as well. They were in a familiar place surrounded by familiar people in the home of their friend Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha. But it was anything but normal. Lazarus had died and Jesus called him to come forth from the grave that had held him (John 11). The buzz about Lazarus was still growing. As the week before Passover began, I am sure his friends and disciples felt the growing tension between Jesus and Temple leaders, then Mary enters the room and their focus changes yet again. I suspect the extravagance of her act may have been startling to all, but only Judas speaks up. Surely, he had a point regarding the value of the perfume and the other ways it could have been used regardless of his motive, and yet Jesus calls us to see something else, not its value or extravagance in terms of money, but as a gift freely given. Jillian of Norwich (14th cent.) wrote that no one can truly understand how deeply, how tenderly or how tenaciously we are loved by God without the gift of God’s grace first opening our eyes to see.
Seed Questions for Reflection • How often does the routine of your life numb your perception of God’s presence and movement within the events of your day? The needs of each day will always be there, can you trust and see where God is working within them? Take a moment to consider where you have felt God’s leading and presence. • What can you do today to help you see the gift of God’s presence, and be more intentional about connecting your faith with the daily routine of your life?
Prayer Lord of restless mercy, open our eyes, open our hearts, open our minds. Help us to see your constant movement within and around us revealing how everything thing leads us to you and your call to come to the Cross to behold the depth and length to which you will go to be with us and to have us be with you. Amen.
tTUESDAY
• APRIL 16
JOHN 12:20-26 Some Greeks were among those who had come up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and made a request: "Sir, we want to see Jesus." Philip told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Human One to be glorified. I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their lives will lose them, and those who hate their lives in this world will keep them forever. Whoever serves me must follow me. Wherever I am, there my servant will also be. My Father will honor whoever serves me. (CEB)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
Have you ever asked someone a question and the way they answered made you think they either didn’t hear you, or they simply were not listening? The streets of Jerusalem were crowded, filled with people who had made the journey to this holy city to celebrate the Passover. John tells us that among them were some who had come from Greece. We are not told whether they were Greek speaking Jews, but most of the time the way we read these verses we assume they were. I wonder if it would have mattered either way? They came to Philip with a very specific question: they wanted to see Jesus. Philip responded to their request by checking with Andrew first, then they, together, relayed the request to Jesus. They said they simply wanted to see Jesus, but his response doesn’t seem to fit. They asked to see him, and he launches into a proclamation about a grain of wheat falling and dying, being only a single seed until this moment where it is transformed, becoming a vessel that touches many, far beyond what would be expected. They asked to see Jesus, and I wonder if Jesus not only revealed to them who he was, but also opened their eyes to see themselves as God called them to become.
Seed Questions for Reflection and Prayer • There have been many who have attempted to capture the image of Jesus, to help us see him more clearly. If some one asked you, “How do you see Jesus?” what would your image of him look like? How do you see him?
• Jesus said clearly, “Whoever serves me must follow me.” As you hear his response to those who wanted to see him and the image he created for them about what it means to follow him, what do you hear him saying to you?
Prayer Jesus help us to see you as we go about the tasks of our day. Help us to not only see you within our lives, but also to listen to the meaning of this story in John. Help us to be vessels that are transformed to serve and share and reach far beyond ourselves. Amen.
tWEDNESDAY
• APRIL 17
JOHN 13:21-32 After he said these things, Jesus was deeply disturbed and testified, "I assure you, one of you will betray me." His disciples looked at each other, confused about which of them he was talking about. One of the disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was at Jesus' side. Simon Peter nodded at him to get him to ask Jesus who he was talking about. Leaning back toward Jesus, this disciple asked, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It's the one to whom I will give this piece of bread once I have dipped into the bowl."Then he dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot's son. After Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus told him, "What you are about to do, do quickly." No one sitting at the table understood why Jesus said this to him. Some thought that, since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus told him, "Go, buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. So when Judas took the bread, he left immediately. And it was night. When Judas was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Human One has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify the Human One in himself and will glorify him immediately. (CEB)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
Betrayal is one of those words no one wants to hear, let alone experience. Jesus’ announcement that one of the twelve was going to betray him
must have shocked those who were gathered at the table around him. It was the same table we remember every time we celebrate Holy Communion as we, too, dip the bread into the cup. What has always struck me about these verses in John is that the betrayer sat next to Jesus, in a place of honor. Some might say Jesus was just using good judgment by keeping not only his friends, but also his foes close to him, but I think there is something more going on here. Jesus was not interested in self-preservation; his focus was on living into the message of God’s kingdom first and foremost. His desire was to literally flesh out the meaning of God’s Good News that comes to all of us as we gather at the table of remembrance. This love, not only of neighbor and those like him, but even for his enemies is what sets our world and our lives on its head! How can anyone possibly truly mean this? And yet that is the Good News! No one is excluded within God’s love, it is we who exclude ourselves and others.
Seed Questions for Reflection and Prayer • Can you remember a time when you felt betrayed? Where is the person who betrayed you now? Are they still in your life? Can you take a moment to lift them and the betrayal you felt to God, asking God to hold you both within God’s healing love?
• Maybe you were the betrayer, maybe you were the one who left going into the night. Can you ask for God’s grace for your own failure, can you allow God’s mercy to fill you and can you believe that you too are welcome into God’s Good News? • The next time you come to the table of our Lord to share the Cup and Bread remember we do so as those whose experience God’s grace as both the one betrayed, as well as the betrayer.
Prayer Lord Jesus, you know all aspects of our human lives. You have felt our joy and our sadness. You have known and experienced both our love and rejection, and still, you love us the same and sit at the table beside us inviting us to know and share the Good News of God’s grace. Help us, Human One, fill us this day and every day with the wonder of your grace. Amen.
tTHURSDAY
• APRIL 18
JOHN 13:1-17 & 31b-35 Before the Festival of Passover, Jesus knew that his time had come to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them fully. Jesus and his disciples were sharing the evening meal. The devil had already provoked Judas, Simon Iscariot's son, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew the Father had given everything into his hands and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the table and took off his robes. Picking up a linen towel, he tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel he was wearing. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replied, "You don't understand what I'm doing now, but you will understand later." "No!" Peter said. "You will never wash my feet!" Jesus replied, "Unless I wash you, you won't have a place with me." Simon Peter said, "Lord, not only my feet but also my hands and my head!" Jesus responded, "Those who have bathed need only to have their feet washed, because they are completely clean. You disciples are clean, but not every one of you." He knew who would betray him. That's why he said, "Not every one of you is clean." After he washed the disciples' feet, he put on his robes and returned to his place at the table. He said to them, “Do you know what I've done for you? You call me ‘Teacher' and ‘Lord,' and you speak correctly, because I am. If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other's feet. I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do. I assure you, servants aren't greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them. Since you know these things, you will be happy if you do them. Jesus said, “Now the Human One has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify the Human One in himself and will glorify him immediately. Little children, I'm with you for a little while longer. You will look for me—but, just as I told the Jewish leaders, I also tell you now—‘Where I'm going, you can't come.' "I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other." (CEB)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
“Having loved his own… he loved them fully.”
For me, this single line captures the essence of Jesus’ life and ministry in the last days of his life. The focal point within these verses in John is Jesus’ humility in serving those whom he loved in spite of their imperfections and betrayal. He stoops before them and washes their feet in a symbolic gesture that portrays what ministry looks like within the Kingdom he has come to reveal and establish. Jesus' rebuttal to Peter’s words call him and us to understand the meaning of discipleship for our lives, which is hard to imagine in our “me first” world. Love is embodied in our willingness to put others before ourselves, to delay the satiation of our wants and desires to ensure the needs of others are met. This is what Paul referred to in his letter to the followers of Jesus in Philippi, “Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves…. Adopt the attitude and have the same mind and understanding that was in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:1-11) As I write these words I shudder. I realize their cost and my own struggle to follow them. They remind me of my joy in playing with the toes of my daughter when she was an infant, but this is something far different. It calls to me from a place far deeper than I am comfortable going to on my own...nor is it easy for me to receive it from others.
Seed Questions for Reflection and Prayer • Can you think of a time when you were faced with making a sacrifice to assist or aid another? Was it someone you knew? Maybe a member of your family?
• Sometimes receiving is even harder than giving… Can you recall a time when you were in need and someone came to serve and care for you? • Jesus tells Peter, “Unless I wash you, you won’t have a place with me.” In these words, Jesus was not referring to washing away the dust and dirt of our lives, instead he was calling Peter to understand the meaning of Jesus' sacrifice and to let go of his pride to receive it. Take a moment and reflect upon what you hold onto that Jesus has called you to let go of to fully receive God’s grace.
Prayer Hear my prayer, my humble Savior. Wash me in your love, let it flow over me. Help me this day to fulfill your command to love others as you have loved me. Help me to let go so I may follow you and be in service to those around me. Help me to see the small sacrifices I make in light of the sacrifice you have made for me. Amen.
tFRIDAY
• APRIL 19
JOHN 18:1-JOHN 19:42 After he said these things, Jesus went out with his disciples and crossed over to the other side of the Kidron Valley. He and his disciples entered a garden there. Judas, his betrayer, also knew the place because Jesus often gathered there with his disciples. Judas brought a company of soldiers and some guards from the chief priests and Pharisees. They came there carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus knew everything that was to happen to him, so he went out and asked, "Who are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I Am." (Judas, his betrayer, was standing with them.) When he said, "I Am," they shrank back and fell to the ground. He asked them again, "Who are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus the Nazarene." Jesus answered, "I told you, ‘I Am.' If you are looking for me, then let these people go." This was so that the word he had spoken might be fulfilled: "I didn't lose anyone of those whom you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) Jesus told Peter, "Put your sword away! Am I not to drink the cup the Father has given me?" Then the company of soldiers, the commander, and the guards from the Jewish leaders took Jesus into custody. They bound him and led him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. (Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it was better for one person to die for the people.) Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Because this other disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard. However, Peter stood outside near the gate. Then the other disciple (the one known to the high priest) came out and spoke to the woman stationed at the gate, and she brought Peter in. The servant woman stationed at the gate asked Peter, "Aren't you one of this man's disciples?" "I'm not," he replied. The servants and the guards had made a fire because it was cold. They were standing around it, warming themselves. Peter joined them there, standing by the fire and warming himself. Meanwhile, the chief priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered, "I've spoken openly to the world. I've always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews gather. I've said nothing in private. Why ask me? Ask those who heard what I told them. They know what I said." After Jesus spoke, one of the guards standing there slapped Jesus in the face. "Is that how you would answer the high priest?" he asked. Jesus replied, "If I speak wrongly, testify about what was wrong. But if I speak correctly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him, bound, to Caiaphas the high priest. Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing with the guards, warming himself. They asked, "Aren't you one of his disciples?" Peter denied it, saying, "I'm not." A servant of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said to him, "Didn't I see you in the garden with him?" Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. The Jewish leaders led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor's palace. It was early in the morning. So that they could eat the Passover, the Jewish leaders wouldn't enter the
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
palace; entering the palace would have made them ritually impure. So Pilate went out to them and asked, "What charge do you bring against this man?" They answered, "If he had done nothing wrong, we wouldn't have handed him over to you." Pilate responded, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your Law." The Jewish leaders replied, "The Law doesn't allow us to kill anyone." (This was so that Jesus' word might be fulfilled when he indicated how he was going to die.) Pilate went back into the palace. He summoned Jesus and asked, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others spoken to you about me?" Pilate responded, "I'm not a Jew, am I? Your nation and its chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?"Jesus replied, "My kingdom doesn't originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight so that I wouldn't have been arrested by the Jewish leaders. My kingdom isn't from here." "So you are a king?" Pilate said. Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice." "What is truth?" Pilate asked. After Pilate said this, he returned to the Jewish leaders and said, "I find no grounds for any charge against him. You have a custom that I release one prisoner for you at Passover. Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?" They shouted, "Not this man! Give us Barabbas!" (Barabbas was an outlaw.) Then Pilate had Jesus taken and whipped. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple robe. Over and over they went up to him and said, "Greetings, king of the Jews!" And they slapped him in the face. Pilate came out of the palace again and said to the Jewish leaders, "Look! I'm bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no grounds for a charge against him." When Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here's the man." When the chief priests and their deputies saw him, they shouted out, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate told them, "You take him and crucify him. I don't find any grounds for a charge against him." The Jewish leaders replied, "We have a Law, and according to this Law he ought to die because he made himself out to be God's Son." When Pilate heard this word, he was even more afraid. He went back into the residence and spoke to Jesus, "Where are you from?" Jesus didn't answer. So Pilate said, "You won't speak to me? Don't you know that I have authority to release you and also to crucify you?" Jesus replied, "You would have no authority over me if it had not been given to you from above. That's why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin." From that moment on, Pilate wanted to release Jesus. However, the Jewish leaders cried out, saying, "If you release this man, you aren't a friend of the emperor! Anyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes the emperor!" When Pilate heard these words, he led Jesus out and seated him on the judge's bench at the place called Stone Pavement (in Aramaic, Gabbatha). It was about noon on the Preparation Day for the Passover. Pilate said to the Jewish leaders, "Here's your king." The Jewish leaders cried out, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate responded, "What? Do you want me to crucify your king?" "We have no king except the emperor," the chief priests answered. Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. The soldiers took Jesus prisoner. Carrying his cross by himself, he went out to a place called Skull Place (in Aramaic, Golgotha). That's where they crucified him—and two others with him, one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a public notice written and posted on the cross. It read "Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was
t
written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. Therefore, the Jewish chief priests complained to Pilate, "Don't write, ‘The king of the Jews' but ‘This man said, 'I am the king of the Jews.''" Pilate answered, "What I've written, I've written." When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and his sandals, and divided them into four shares, one for each soldier. His shirt was seamless, woven as one piece from the top to the bottom. They said to each other, "Let's not tear it. Let's cast lots to see who will get it." This was to fulfill the scripture, They divided my clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing. That's what the soldiers did. Jesus' mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood near the cross. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that time on, this disciple took her into his home. After this, knowing that everything was already completed, in order to fulfill the scripture, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was nearby, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, placed it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, "It is completed." Bowing his head, he gave up his life. It was the Preparation Day and the Jewish leaders didn't want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath, especially since that Sabbath was an important day. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of those crucified broken and the bodies taken down. Therefore, the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who were crucified with Jesus. When they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead so they didn't break his legs. However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. The one who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he speaks the truth, and he has testified so that you also can believe. These things happened to fulfill the scripture, They won't break any of his bones. And another scripture says, They will look at him whom they have pierced. After this Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Jesus. Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one because he feared the Jewish authorities. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took the body away. Nicodemus, the one who at first had come to Jesus at night, was there too. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloe, nearly seventy-five pounds in all. Following Jewish burial customs, they took Jesus' body and wrapped it, with the spices, in linen cloths. There was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish Preparation Day and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus in it. (CEB)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
Today is Good Friday, and there is much within this reading that pulls me into its narrative; often I find myself in different aspects and timelines within the story. Have you ever become so caught up in a story
that you found yourself within it as one of the characters? It is as if you were right there as you are drawn into the storyline. These verses do that for me. I see myself within them, and to be honest I do not always like what I see. I can relate to all the players. I feel for Pilate who clearly saw through the smoke screen that the chief priests were creating. His question, “What is truth?” belies his true perception and understanding, even as he tries to distance himself. I can relate to Peter’s humanity and his desire to be true, as well as his fear within the moment of decision, or was it a moment of declaration that tripped him up. I can even understand the motives of the chief priests, although their words haunt me, “We have no king except the emperor.” Surely as these words rolled off their tongues, they must have tasted their bitterness. This was not who they were. Their desire was to serve God and to protect God’s temple and its worship, and in this moment, they denied all they stood for and believed in. Good Friday and the events of this day lay open the shadow side of human nature. Yes we have great capacity to do good, and yet we also have capacity to commit tragic acts serving our self-interests alone.
Seed Questions for Reflection and Prayer • Where do the events of this passage speak to you? Where are you in the story? Can you resonate with one or more of the characters? • Seeing yourself within the story of Good Friday is not uncommon. It can be a lifegiving realization as our eyes are opened enabling us to receive God’s grace creating the fertile soil where God’s mercy can take root. Take a moment to think about all of those within this story. What might have kept them from seeing and receiving the message of God’s love and mercy within Jesus’ message? • With this in mind, are you resistant to this idea: that we all play a part within the story we know as Good Friday? Where does your own resistance lie? Are there places where you saw through the smoke screen and still did not speak up? Have there been times that your words left a bitter taste in your mouth the moment you spoke them?
Prayer Jesus, on this day when we remember your sacrifice and your suffering, we also ask you to open our eyes; touching our hearts with your mercy, love and grace. Help us to see ourselves within this story so we may also receive the transforming and healing power of forgiveness. Amen.
tSATURDAY
• APRIL 20
ROMANS 6:3-11 Or don't you know that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried together with him through baptism into his death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too can walk in newness of life. If we were united together in a death like his, we will also be united together in a resurrection like his. This is what we know: the person that we used to be was crucified with him in order to get rid of the corpse that had been controlled by sin. That way we wouldn't be slaves to sin anymore, because a person who has died has been freed from sin's power. But if we died with Christ, we have faith that we will also live with him. We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and he will never die again. Death no longer has power over him. He died to sin once and for all with his death, but he lives for God with his life. In the same way, you also should consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus. (CEB) GALATIONS 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God's Son, who loved me and gave himself for me. (CEB)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday feels like being in a shadow, waiting for the sun to reappear to share its light again. It is a time of waiting as we ponder the meaning of the death of Jesus for our
lives. These words of Paul remind us this event is more than symbolic. We tend to focus on Jesus’ death as the vessel through which our sin is forgiven… it is, and yet it is much more. The Cross and its impact on our lives is deeply penetrating if we begin to see it through the lens of the words of the Apostle Paul from his letters to the churches gathered at Rome and Galatia. In his own experience, Paul realized that he too went through the crucifixion with Jesus. He equates it with our baptism where we are buried with Christ and then raised with him into a new resurrected life. This truth is part of the shadowy reality of this time for me. I hear these words and I resonate with them and their truth for my life, but I also know I do not fully grasp their meaning and the transformation they call me to receive. I long to understand them fully and yet I know my faith is a daily struggle of surrender to the message of the Cross. Its shadow is cast over me throughout the year, reminding me and us of who we are becoming, as well as who we still are. A few weeks ago, in the midst of the bitter cold snap we experienced as the Polar Vortex blew through, I was reminded of our struggle and the hope that lies within the shadow. It came to me through the simple beauty of a bed of crocuses bursting through the hard ground and harsh wind to bloom. On this day I encourage you to ponder the truth: through the Cross Jesus is always with us in the midst of our struggle. As Paul said, “I (we) live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved us and gave himself for us.”
Seed Questions for Reflection and Prayer • Take a moment to give thanks to God for revealing the depth of His love for us through Jesus’ life and suffering. Ask God to reveal the places in your life where you still cling to anger, regret, or hurt, as well as other attitudes and feelings that impact your behavior and choices, even now no matter how many years ago you were baptized. Places, attitudes, and relationships that yet remain within the shadow and need to be illuminated by God’s light and love. • Can you release them? Can you lay them aside and allow the peace and love and mercy of God to fully embrace you? If you are wondering how to do this, simply ask God to show you, and trust that God will, but in God’s timing and way and not our own.
Prayer Loving God, reveal to us the power within this day through the sacrifice of your Son. Open our eyes to its deep meaning for our lives. We hear the words of Paul and his call to let go, and trust your love to lift us from the shadow into a way of living through faith that transforms our lives. Hear our prayer, Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.
tSUNDAY
• APRIL 21
JOHN 20:11-16 Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb. She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot. The angels asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" She replied, "They have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they've put him." As soon as she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabbouni" (which means Teacher). (CEB)
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE CROSS
She thought he was the gardener!
I wonder what Jesus was thinking when Mary, one of his devoted followers, who is desperately seeking to understand what has happened turns to see him standing beside her and she simply does not see him, in fact she thinks he is the gardener. It is not until Jesus speaks her name that Mary realizes Jesus has been and always will be with her! Let’s be honest, the resurrection is beyond our ability to factually verify and understand (although I have read some theories in Quantum Physics that may just begin to imagine how this is possible). But that is not the point of this day. We aren’t called to figure it out, Jesus simply calls us to follow and believe. But believe in what? Could he be challenging us to not simply believe that his resurrection happened, but that resurrection can happen in our own lives? On this day when we remember and celebrate the resurrection of the One we call Lord and Savior, he is also calling us to believe resurrection is something we are called to seek for ourselves. But what would this mean? The words that comes to mind are an opening of our minds to look beyond the boundaries we see, the faith to see beyond the mountains that stand in our way, and the courage to knock down the walls that divide and separate us. Could resurrection be something that happens as we hear Jesus call our name, inviting us to see beyond whatever it is that holds us back, or keeps us down… even if and maybe most especially if the source of all of these challenges is within our own hearts and minds? Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! How about you?
Seed Questions for Reflection and Prayer •Today is Easter. What does this day mean for you? How does this day change the way you see and live in the world? •Every time I read this story in John, I am drawn to Jesus calling Mary’s name and in that moment her eyes are opened, but more importantly so is her mind. She begins to see possibilities she could never have imagined before. Have you heard Jesus call you by your name? Have you ever felt his presence and peace and love around you, reaching out to you? All we have to do is ask and believe. Who knows? You might just hear him, in a way only you can understand, called by your name.
Prayer Risen One, our journey through Holy Week is over, but in truth it is really just beginning. Help us to see you as you come alongside us throughout our days. Help us to feel your gentle leading, and if we miss it, Lord say it louder! You are alive and we desire to come alive with you so others will know the wonder of resurrection, both yours and our own. Amen.
WORSHIP DURING HOLY WEEK April 14 Palm Sunday • All Worship Services April 17 Holy Wednesday • 7:00pm • Memorial Auditorium Roots Revival with Communion April 18 Maundy Thursday • 7pm • Sanctuary April 19 Good Friday Tenebrae • 7pm • Sanctuary Service of Darkness
EASTER MORNING 8:30AM Simplify Worship • Memorial Auditorium 9:00AM Rejoice! Worship • Sanctuary 10:00AM Children's Easter Egg Hunt • West Lawn Beside Library 11:00AM Traditional Worship • Sanctuary
646 W. Fifth Street | Winston-Salem, NC 27171 | 336-724-6311 www.centenary-ws.org