Lent – Holy Saturday
April 23, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Lamentations 3:1-9
I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of the LORD’s wrath.
He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;
indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.
He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.
He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.
He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.
Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.
Psalm 31:1-4
In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
John 19:38-42
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Lent – Good Friday
April 22, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the LORD,” they say,
“let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
John 18:1-19:42
When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those 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 commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?
Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”
It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “I am not.”
One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
As 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.”
The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
Jesus 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.”
From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered’
Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many 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. The 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.”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
When 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.
“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 that said,
“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
So this is what the soldiers did.
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Prayer
On this day, God of all tears, you call us in the midst of our busy lives to look at the suffering and death
of the One who came to carry the pain of the world into your heart. Give us eyes to see your love this day.
On this day you would gather everyone to your side, Grace of Calvary, but we leave you to carry the cross alone. You came simply as love incarnate, but hate and bitterness were the gifts we offered to you. You poured out your love so our emptiness might be filled. Give us ears to her your pain this day.
On this day, you would pray for us, for we cannot find the words on our own, Shattered Spirit. Hear the cries of those in need. Listen to the lament of the lonely. Cradle the whispered hopes of children. Set free the dreams of prisoners and captives. Give us hearts to pray with you this day.
Lent – Week #6
April 21, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Psalm 116:1, 10-17
I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
I trusted in the LORD when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
What shall I return to the LORD
for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his faithful servants.
Truly I am your servant, LORD;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the LORD.
John 13:1-17
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Prayer
Creator and Loving God, you kneel to wash our feet, yet we are reluctant for you to see all the places we have gone in our attempts to escape you. You would bathe us in the warm, living waters of your love, though we splash and play in the puddles of temptation. We have received all the gifts you have to offer, yet we are tempted to think they are only for us, rather than sharing them.
Forgive us, Holy One, and have mercy on us. What can we give you for all your wonderful graciousness towards us? As you have broken your heart for us, may we open ours in service to others. As you have given your life for us, may we offer ours to bring healing to the world. As you have called us together around your Table, may we go forth to feed a world hungry, not only for food, but for that Spirit which brings peace and reconciliation. This we pray as servants of Jesus Christ, who came to serve us in life, in death, in resurrection hope.
READING FOR EACH DAY:
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus, and deliver us from fear.
Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 62:6-9
Only in God be quiet, my being,
for from Him is my hope.
Only He is my rock and my rescue,
my fortress – I shall not stumble.
From God is my rescue and glory,
my strength’s rock and my shelter in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people.
Pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our shelter.
A Poem
“The Departure of God” by Anna Kamienska
Get up Job
get up earlier than
a water-carrier with his clattering buckets
earlier than a nightwatchman going to bed
get up before merchants raise themselves
and spread the motley bustle of the day
get up when in silence we can hear in a stable
only the clatter of horses
Get up to be alone in the silence of His presence
Look about the earth
All still breathes with sleep
You are already old
but God loves Job
just as he is
It’s good you got up so early
because people might say you went mad
Your chin trembles with joy
and you spread your arms wide like a lover
in order to embrace earth and sky
Job
it was worth so much suffering
to know God’s love in old age
Job
you silly old codger
you laugh and cry
fall down in the grass
get up wet with dew
Job
you suffered
so your heart could grow
and could contain everything
Lucky Job
I see you chatting with clouds
and with the light of dawn
I see you departing to embrace
the huge rising sun
with the shout Lord Lord
Praying with Jesus
John 12:27
“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Closing Prayer
Lord and Master, we have all found ourselves in the midst of suffering.
Help us to find You there as well.
In the terrible may we find trust,
in the difficult may we find faith,
in those things that we cannot handle, may we find that You can.
In the strong name of Christ we pray,
Amen.
Lent – Week #6
April 20, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Psalm 70
Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.
May those who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The LORD is great!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
LORD, do not delay.
John 13:21-32
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
Prayer
Almighty God,
have mercy on us.
By the suffering and death
of your only Son,
relieve us from all the troubles
our sins bring upon us.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
READING FOR EACH DAY:
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus, and deliver us from fear.
Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 62:6-9
Only in God be quiet, my being,
for from Him is my hope.
Only He is my rock and my rescue,
my fortress – I shall not stumble.
From God is my rescue and glory,
my strength’s rock and my shelter in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people.
Pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our shelter.
A Poem
“The Departure of God” by Anna Kamienska
Get up Job
get up earlier than
a water-carrier with his clattering buckets
earlier than a nightwatchman going to bed
get up before merchants raise themselves
and spread the motley bustle of the day
get up when in silence we can hear in a stable
only the clatter of horses
Get up to be alone in the silence of His presence
Look about the earth
All still breathes with sleep
You are already old
but God loves Job
just as he is
It’s good you got up so early
because people might say you went mad
Your chin trembles with joy
and you spread your arms wide like a lover
in order to embrace earth and sky
Job
it was worth so much suffering
to know God’s love in old age
Job
you silly old codger
you laugh and cry
fall down in the grass
get up wet with dew
Job
you suffered
so your heart could grow
and could contain everything
Lucky Job
I see you chatting with clouds
and with the light of dawn
I see you departing to embrace
the huge rising sun
with the shout Lord Lord
Praying with Jesus
John 12:27
“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Closing Prayer
Lord and Master, we have all found ourselves in the midst of suffering.
Help us to find You there as well.
In the terrible may we find trust,
in the difficult may we find faith,
in those things that we cannot handle, may we find that You can.
In the strong name of Christ we pray,
Amen.
Lent – Week #6
April 19, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Psalm 71:1-14
In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
I have become a sign to many;
you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”
Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
John 12:20-36
Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
Prayer
Almighty and eternal God,
grant us grace so to contemplate
the suffering and death of our Lord,
that we may there find forgiveness
for our sins.
We ask this through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
READING FOR EACH DAY:
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus, and deliver us from fear.
Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 62:6-9
Only in God be quiet, my being,
for from Him is my hope.
Only He is my rock and my rescue,
my fortress – I shall not stumble.
From God is my rescue and glory,
my strength’s rock and my shelter in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people.
Pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our shelter.
A Poem
“The Departure of God” by Anna Kamienska
Get up Job
get up earlier than
a water-carrier with his clattering buckets
earlier than a nightwatchman going to bed
get up before merchants raise themselves
and spread the motley bustle of the day
get up when in silence we can hear in a stable
only the clatter of horses
Get up to be alone in the silence of His presence
Look about the earth
All still breathes with sleep
You are already old
but God loves Job
just as he is
It’s good you got up so early
because people might say you went mad
Your chin trembles with joy
and you spread your arms wide like a lover
in order to embrace earth and sky
Job
it was worth so much suffering
to know God’s love in old age
Job
you silly old codger
you laugh and cry
fall down in the grass
get up wet with dew
Job
you suffered
so your heart could grow
and could contain everything
Lucky Job
I see you chatting with clouds
and with the light of dawn
I see you departing to embrace
the huge rising sun
with the shout Lord Lord
Praying with Jesus
John 12:27
“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Closing Prayer
Lord and Master, we have all found ourselves in the midst of suffering.
Help us to find You there as well.
In the terrible may we find trust,
in the difficult may we find faith,
in those things that we cannot handle, may we find that You can.
In the strong name of Christ we pray,
Amen.
Lent – Week #6
April 18, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Matthew 21:1-11
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, we praise you with heart and life and voice, not only with outward signs such as palm branches or the occasional“Hosanna”, but with lives truly turned towards you. It seems such a distance from this present day Palm Sunday to that day when you entered Jerusalem with the shouts of the crowd ringing in your ears.
Welcomed as a king, yet riding on a lowly donkey. Greeted with cheers and acclamations which were so soon to turn to jeers and condemnation. From this side of the resurrection, we confidently believe that we could never have
been part of the jeering crowd – but would we, if we had been there?
(silent reflection)
Lord Jesus Christ, when our words and actions reflect a reluctance to confess you publicly as Lord of our lives:
Forgive us.
READING FOR EACH DAY:
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus, and deliver us from fear.
Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 62:6-9
Only in God be quiet, my being,
for from Him is my hope.
Only He is my rock and my rescue,
my fortress – I shall not stumble.
From God is my rescue and glory,
my strength’s rock and my shelter in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people.
Pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our shelter.
A Poem
“The Departure of God” by Anna Kamienska
Get up Job
get up earlier than
a water-carrier with his clattering buckets
earlier than a nightwatchman going to bed
get up before merchants raise themselves
and spread the motley bustle of the day
get up when in silence we can hear in a stable
only the clatter of horses
Get up to be alone in the silence of His presence
Look about the earth
All still breathes with sleep
You are already old
but God loves Job
just as he is
It’s good you got up so early
because people might say you went mad
Your chin trembles with joy
and you spread your arms wide like a lover
in order to embrace earth and sky
Job
it was worth so much suffering
to know God’s love in old age
Job
you silly old codger
you laugh and cry
fall down in the grass
get up wet with dew
Job
you suffered
so your heart could grow
and could contain everything
Lucky Job
I see you chatting with clouds
and with the light of dawn
I see you departing to embrace
the huge rising sun
with the shout Lord Lord
Praying with Jesus
John 12:27
“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Closing Prayer
Lord and Master, we have all found ourselves in the midst of suffering.
Help us to find You there as well.
In the terrible may we find trust,
in the difficult may we find faith,
in those things that we cannot handle, may we find that You can.
In the strong name of Christ we pray,
Amen.
Lent – Week #5
April 15, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
John 11:1-27
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Prayer
Merciful God, we know that there are times when our attitudes and behavior, our words and deeds, can so distance us from you that our lives become arid and life-less, lacking meaning and hope. But you breathe new hope into our lives in Jesus and through the gift of your Spirit. The areas we thought were dead spring into life and circumstances we believed were beyond redemption suddenly take on a new light. Wounded hearts are healed of their resentment and desire for revenge. Our vision expands to discern the signs of mercy and love which are present when we set our minds on your holiness and on the depth of your love for us. Love revealed so clearly in Jesus’ persistence in showing how the power of evil and even death can be overcome when lives are linked with yours through him. We worship and adore you, O God, with hearts filled with gratitude and praise. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
READING FOR EACH DAY:
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus, and deliver us from fear.
Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 32:1-5
Happy, of sin forgiven,
absolved of offense.
Happy, the man to whom
the LORD reckons no crime,
in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I was silent, my limbs were worn out -
when I roared all day long.
For day and night
Your hand was heavy upon me.
My sap turned to summer dust.
My offense I made known to You
and my crime I did not cover.
I said, “I shall confess my sins to the LORD,”
and You forgave my offending crime.
Confession
Holy Father, God of Love,
You are the Creator of this land and of all good things.
We acknowledge the pain and shame of our lives
and we ask your forgiveness.
Our hope is in you because you gave your Son Jesus
to reconcile the world to you.
We pray for your strength and grace to forgive,
accept and love one another,
as you love us and forgive and accept us
in the sacrifice of your Son.
May your power, love and forgiveness be the foundations
on which we build our families and communities
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Praying with Jesus
Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Silence
(Who do we need to forgive this week?)
Closing Prayer
Lord, You have showered us with forgiveness
even when we did not seek it.
You have released us from our debts,
even when we did not ask it.
For this we have a shortage of words for thanks.
We can only thank You with our lives.
May we forgive as You have forgiven,
and may Your Spirit give us the power to do so.
In the strong name of Christ we pray,
Amen.
Lent – Week #5
April 14, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Prayer
We come with hearts that are anxious, uncertain of the future;
God, relieve our anxiety, help us to embrace the possibilities.
We come as those who wait with hope for the better times to come;
God, help us counter the despair we see around us.
We come as those who look to the promise of birth and new life,
God, breathe life into us and our world again and again. Amen.
READING FOR EACH DAY:
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus, and deliver us from fear.
Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 32:1-5
Happy, of sin forgiven,
absolved of offense.
Happy, the man to whom
the LORD reckons no crime,
in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I was silent, my limbs were worn out -
when I roared all day long.
For day and night
Your hand was heavy upon me.
My sap turned to summer dust.
My offense I made known to You
and my crime I did not cover.
I said, “I shall confess my sins to the LORD,”
and You forgave my offending crime.
Confession
Holy Father, God of Love,
You are the Creator of this land and of all good things.
We acknowledge the pain and shame of our lives
and we ask your forgiveness.
Our hope is in you because you gave your Son Jesus
to reconcile the world to you.
We pray for your strength and grace to forgive,
accept and love one another,
as you love us and forgive and accept us
in the sacrifice of your Son.
May your power, love and forgiveness be the foundations
on which we build our families and communities
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Praying with Jesus
Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Silence
(Who do we need to forgive this week?)
Closing Prayer
Lord, You have showered us with forgiveness
even when we did not seek it.
You have released us from our debts,
even when we did not ask it.
For this we have a shortage of words for thanks.
We can only thank You with our lives.
May we forgive as You have forgiven,
and may Your Spirit give us the power to do so.
In the strong name of Christ we pray,
Amen.
Lent – Week #5
April 13, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Romans 8:6-11
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Prayer
Our Father in Heaven,
lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one.
By ourselves we are too weak
to hold our own even for a moment.
And our sworn enemies—
the devil, the world, and our own flesh—
never stop attacking us.
And so, Lord,
uphold us and make us strong
with the strength of your Holy Spirit,
so that we may not go down to defeat
in this spiritual struggle,
but may firmly resist our enemies
until we finally win the complete victory.
We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
READING FOR EACH DAY:
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus, and deliver us from fear.
Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 32:1-5
Happy, of sin forgiven,
absolved of offense.
Happy, the man to whom
the LORD reckons no crime,
in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I was silent, my limbs were worn out -
when I roared all day long.
For day and night
Your hand was heavy upon me.
My sap turned to summer dust.
My offense I made known to You
and my crime I did not cover.
I said, “I shall confess my sins to the LORD,”
and You forgave my offending crime.
Confession
Holy Father, God of Love,
You are the Creator of this land and of all good things.
We acknowledge the pain and shame of our lives
and we ask your forgiveness.
Our hope is in you because you gave your Son Jesus
to reconcile the world to you.
We pray for your strength and grace to forgive,
accept and love one another,
as you love us and forgive and accept us
in the sacrifice of your Son.
May your power, love and forgiveness be the foundations
on which we build our families and communities
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Praying with Jesus
Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Silence
(Who do we need to forgive this week?)
Closing Prayer
Lord, You have showered us with forgiveness
even when we did not seek it.
You have released us from our debts,
even when we did not ask it.
For this we have a shortage of words for thanks.
We can only thank You with our lives.
May we forgive as You have forgiven,
and may Your Spirit give us the power to do so.
In the strong name of Christ we pray,
Amen.
Lent – Week #5
April 12, 2011
READING FOR TODAY:
Ezekiel 37:7-14
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”
Prayer
Thank you for every sign of Your goodness we see, no matter how small. You are answering, and we ask You to do it thoroughly. Stop short of nothing less than a new heart, a new spirit, a new life. Enable us to reach deeper into Your heart, into knowledge and relationship with You.
READING FOR EACH DAY:
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus, and deliver us from fear.
Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 32:1-5
Happy, of sin forgiven,
absolved of offense.
Happy, the man to whom
the LORD reckons no crime,
in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I was silent, my limbs were worn out -
when I roared all day long.
For day and night
Your hand was heavy upon me.
My sap turned to summer dust.
My offense I made known to You
and my crime I did not cover.
I said, “I shall confess my sins to the LORD,”
and You forgave my offending crime.
Confession
Holy Father, God of Love,
You are the Creator of this land and of all good things.
We acknowledge the pain and shame of our lives
and we ask your forgiveness.
Our hope is in you because you gave your Son Jesus
to reconcile the world to you.
We pray for your strength and grace to forgive,
accept and love one another,
as you love us and forgive and accept us
in the sacrifice of your Son.
May your power, love and forgiveness be the foundations
on which we build our families and communities
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Praying with Jesus
Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Silence
(Who do we need to forgive this week?)
Closing Prayer
Lord, You have showered us with forgiveness
even when we did not seek it.
You have released us from our debts,
even when we did not ask it.
For this we have a shortage of words for thanks.
We can only thank You with our lives.
May we forgive as You have forgiven,
and may Your Spirit give us the power to do so.
In the strong name of Christ we pray,
Amen.
