As we try to comprehend the massive toll the COVID-19 has taken in this world, our hearts grieve over the loss of life.
This is the week we also grieve for Jesus, our Lord, as we walk the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Grief. Re-living Jesus’ walk to His death on the Cross crushes souls of all who believe in Him in the same way each person who dies of the virus wrenches our heart.
May we walk slowly this week, remaining safely within the confines of our abodes, only to venture out very care-fully.
May we learn the weight of the burden Jesus carried for us to His death.
May we feel the release of that burden after we celebrate Christ’s resurrection.
May we feel new life in and through our Savior.
These words remind us:
"Surely He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
Isaiah 53:4-6
"Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.” St. Rose of Lima
April 8 Wednesday in Holy Week
Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 70; Hebrews 12:1-3; John 13:21-32
John 13:21 Jesus said, “One of you will betray Me.” :26 It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. So when He had dipped the piece of bread, He gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘Go quickly, do what you are going to do.’ :30 So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.”
Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, was chosen by Jesus to be part of the twelve.
Judas was chosen to be part of God’s eternal plan for all of us.
Judas, invited into the ‘gang of twelve.’
Judas, invited to walk with Jesus, learn from Him and be shaped by God’s only begotten Son.
Judas followed, obeyed and was even given responsibility for the treasury.
Three years.
He seemed all in.
Jesus knew.
It was now time for Judas to show his true colors.
Yet, there was always that hope that Judas would understand the undeniable, unequivocal, unimaginable, deep love Jesus had for him.
It was the same love Jesus had for the others in this intimate group.
It was the same love Jesus offered his huge flock of followers and for the whole world.
It’s that God-love that bloomed big at the Passover meal.
Jesus showed this love by becoming a servant.
The master knelt down as servant to this small pack of men as He bathed their feet.
Peter protested but Judas didn’t.
He simply received.
Only by receiving this act of love, could these men understand Jesus’ message to them.
One must ‘die to ego, die to need for recognition as a leader, die to self,’ before one can show God’s sacrificial love to others.
In fact, the love of God, the Love Jesus shared with them, must so envelope these chosen few that they would rather die than fall into the twisted snare of Satan.
Jesus may have tried to look into the eyes of Judas to see deep . . . to see his heart.
Where is Judas’ heart?
Did he simply embrace the adventure of following this rebel who spoke with authority and who healed miraculously?
Did Judas think he would become a grand knight in Jesus’ army and rescue the poor and oppressed and gain recognition and material treasure?
We know Judas was chosen to fulfill prophecy, to carry out God’s perfect plan.
Did Judas remain with the others this night to give it one last try, even though he’d already conspired with traitors who wanted Jesus dead?
There was always that hope that not even Judas would be led astray to betray Jesus.
Yet there was also the knowledge that Judas’ heart of stone would enable God’s perfect plan for humanity to run its course.
Judas took the bread-dipped-in-wine that Jesus offered to him.
Judas ate Jesus’ offering.
He communed with Jesus as if he was fully connected with God’s perfect love.
What was he thinking?
Had Judas ever embraced Jesus more deeply than in his mind?
Did Judas, even once, feel the desire to give his whole self in exchange for the depth of love Jesus offered him during the three years he spent in Jesus presence?
Did Judas, for one minute, let go of his head-knowledge in order to embrace a love so deep in his heart that he would walk in new light with Jesus?
Judas ate.
Immediately . . . Satan entered Judas.
The betrayal began at that moment.
Jesus knows. He remains fully in control of all that is happening.
“Go,” said Jesus. "Do quickly what you are going to do.”
Judas obeyed!
Judas ran into the deep dark of the night rather than remain with the others.
Judas chose not to absorb the Light that could only shine in souls who long to grasp the heart of Jesus.
Only those who remained, chose to follow Jesus . . . even to the cross.
They had no idea what Jesus would do next..
The Love that bound them together as one, the love that overwhelmed their minds and filled their hearts, drew them into a new place.
They seemed ready for the next step.
Their hearts were all in.
Judas made a choice, to let down his guard, to allow Satan into his mind, to rule him in the deep dark depths of the night.
The others chose to wait and follow the Light of the world, Jesus, the Christ.
April 9 Maundy Thursday . . . Mandate, Commandment
Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14; Psalm 116:1, 10-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Exodus 12:1-4 Each household take a lamb and divide it. :11-14 “Eat in haste, fully dressed to leave in a hurry. . . I’ll strike down the First of man and beast
in each household . . . when I see blood on your house I shall Pass-over you and no plague will befall you when I strike Egypt.”
Psalm 116:13 “I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. :18 I shall pay my vows to the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 “The Lord Jesus in the night he was betrayed, took bread - gave thanks - broke it - and said, ‘This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me. . . This cup is the New Covenant in My blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me.’ By doing this you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
John 13:1 ff As Jesus washed the disciples’ feet at the Passover, He said, “You are clean but not everyone . . . I give you an example to follow. . . [Mandate, Command] “Love one another as I have loved you. By this they will know you are my disciples.”
The last supper. This is replicated by many Christians as they share a Seder supper sometime during Holy Week. At our church we work hard to make this simple and meaningful. The seder meal actually tells the story of that last night before the Hebrew people leave Egypt, when they are sequestered inside their homes.
This year, instead of going out to a seder, we can actually replicate the confined feeling and anticipation of the Hebrew people right where we are. They were told to take an unblemished lamb and share it with family or neighbor. Family units may be quite large as all generations lived together.
They were told by the Angel of the Lord to eat all of the lamb until they were bursting-full then burn the rest so nothing is left.
Take the blood of the lamb and splash it on the post and lintel of each Hebrew household so the angel of death does not kill the first born male [human and animal]
The Last supper, the Passover Feast, can be a grand celebration for both Jews and Christians but this is only a small part of our Christian walk during Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday is especially moving as we put away all remembrances, all symbols, every scrap in our places of worship that reminds us of Jesus. Just as Jesus is ‘emptied out’ on His journey to the cross, so are we.
We begin with the Mandate: “Love the Lord, thy God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus demonstrated what he meant when he got down on His knees and washed His disciples feet as if He were ordaining them for the job ahead of them.
All but one was already ‘clean’ of heart and mind and soul. They did not need to be ‘cleaned’ but they did need a special act that would set them apart for the mighty work they would be called to do according to God’s will. All were ‘ordained’ but one refused the ‘call.’ God used those who were willing to go to the Cross with Jesus.
God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten
Son . . . to empty Himself out fully, totally, unequivocally. . . for the world. We, in turn, empty ourselves out as we are reminded of this night. The altar is stripped clean. All symbols are taken away. All that is left is a skeleton, a shadow . . . little for the senses to absorb. No more color, no more shiny bling of brass, no more of what draws us into the presence of God through His son, Jesus. The tabernacle is cleaned out and no more burning red candle to let all know ‘Jesus is here.’
Nothing.
Empty.
In preparation for the greatest act of LOVE humans could every endure . . . on Friday.
Yet, tonight, we remember just as the Hebrew people remember every year. Just as the Hebrew people empty their cupboards of all that has leaven, we also empty out our sensory cupboard, which feeds us through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. We remove beauty, music and incense. For the last time before Jesus crucifixion, we touch and eat the bread and taste the wine. We go empty to remember how Jesus emptied Himself out for us.
We are living the emptiness yet we also retain the fullness of Christ in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. God with us, Emmanuel, in our soul, holding us tight, affirming to us that because of His emptying out, we are always full.
I breathe deep with the agony of Jesus’ ordeal.
Yet, I praise God I am ‘clean’ deep inside because of His Son.
I will always retain “The Love” that mandated that I love another only after I am filled to overflowing with the Love of One who emptied Himself out for me.
The Lord’s Great Commandment, the mandate to us, is beginning this very night.
April 10 Good Friday
Isaiah 52:13 —53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1—19:42
Isaiah 52:13 My servant will prosper; He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. 53:3 He was despised and forsaken . . . a man of sorrows
acquainted with grief. . .:4 smitten of God and forsaken . . .:5-7 By His scourging we are healed. We, like sheep, have gone astray, each to his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him like a lamb that was led to the slaughter. :10 he would render Himself as a guilt offering.
:12 He bore the sins of many and interceded for their transgressions.
Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Hebrews 4: Jesus Christ is our high priest who was tempted in everything. :9 Having been made perfect, Christ became to all those who obey Him the Source of Eternal Life.
John 18:1 ff Journey to the Cross
Jesus is crucified . . . what is left?
Look around you.
Look in front of you.
What do you see?
Where is everything?
Empty.
Gone.
This is what life could be without Jesus . . . an empty shell, no symbols, no beauty, nothing to draw our hearts into God’s presence.
Jesus, the perfect lamb, the one who was without sin, slaughtered for us.
The altar is bare.
Empty.
Never again to have innocent blood poured out upon it.
Clear, clean, to be honored always.
We honor the altar knowing that Jesus offered himself, once . . . for all . . . so that there would be no more blood-sacrifice to God.
God made Jesus to be the blood sacrifice as part of his plan for us.
He had to be shamed, flogged, paraded around.
Jesus, blood dripping on his face from the crown of thorns, mocked as a king, then crucified.
Jesus had to be pierced in the most vulnerable parts of his body and endure humiliation to fulfill prophecy.
Even the dividing of his clothes was part of the plan.
God could have intervened at any moment.
The Fourth cup at the Seder, the Passover supper, is the promise to the Jews of a new salvation experience as they say, “The time will come when we shall be in the heavenly Jerusalem.”
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane he said to the Father, “Take this cup from me and then relented, knowing full well that He was the fourth cup that was not offered at the Last Supper.”
Jesus, the New Covenant, is ‘cup of salvation’ that was ‘passed over’ at the last supper with His disciples.
Jesus is our ‘heavenly Jerusalem.’
It’s the blood of Jesus, poured out for us, that we are to ‘drink’ in remembrance of Him.
“Take this, all of you and drink it as often as you are able, in remembrance of Me.”
The worst part, the part that yanks at my heart and almost pulls it out of me is the fact that Jesus was called to completely separate from the Father.
Jesus had to separate himself completely in order to carry all the sin of the world, past, present and future.
Jesus, the Christ, had to be sin for us!
That is the only way we could ever meet with God. . . .as seen without sin.
It’s our sin that caused Jesus to suffer the most.
It’s that separation . . . that total nothingness . . . totally disconnected . . . perhaps for a millisecond of our time, so that we might never be separated from God.
It’s almost too much to bear.
Yet, because of what Jesus did for us, we have full admittance to God’s presence at any time, for-e-ver.
It’s the emptiness that we honor, this baron slab upon which we celebrate Jesus, the New Covenant.
Think about it:
Have you truly been crucified with Christ in our journey as we peel off the layers of self?
What does the Lord, Jesus Christ, want for you beyond baptism and communion with Him?
How are you daily crucifying old thoughts, old habits, self-focus?
He wants us to come into his holy of holies, into his presence, wholly living for God, through faith in Jesus Christ, by and in and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. Yet, it is not I who live but Christ lives in me. And the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in Christ Jesus who died for me and delivered Himself up for me.”
Job 14:11 As water evaporates from the sea . . .:12 so man lies down and does not rise until the heavens are no longer. :14 If a man dies will he live again?
Psalm 31:3 You are my rock and my fortress :4b You are my strength. :15a My times are in your hands.
1 Peter 4:1b He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin so as to live the rest of time . . . for the will of God.
Matthew 27:57ff Joseph of Aramathea, a disciple of Jesus, came in the evening and asked Pilate for the body. He took the body and wrapped it in clean linen and cloth and laid it in the tomb and rolled the stone against it. :66 Along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
As we grieve, we are in a solemn state of mind during this day. Yet, as evening approaches, it begins to ‘dawn’ on us what just happened.
We remember.
We remember what Jesus, the anointed one, the Christ, repeated so many times.
Christ HAS died. Yet, He said he would rise again so that all could have new life.
Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us . . . He will come again!
After dark, read the following passages.
April 11,EASTER VIGIL
Celebrated in the darkness of Saturday night
Celebrated in the darkness of Saturday night
Genesis 1:1--2:2; Exodus 14:10-15:1; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Romans 6:3-11;
Matthew 28:1-10
Matthew 28:1-10
These are just a few of the many that are read at the Easter Vigil, a moving service that begins in the darkness and very slowly, draws us into the Light of Christ as we process from outside, into the worship space, with the Paschal Candle.
If possible, find an Easter Vigil service to watch live-stream.
It’s long but well worth it.
We walk through our Salvation History . . . our Jewish roots . . . the beginning . . . when the Angel of Death Passes Over homes covered with the Blood of the Lamb. We remember our baptism. We celebrate Resurrected Life with Holy Eucharist.
Remember and Rejoice!
A new light flickers in the deepness of dark.
“The Light of Christ” pierces the empty abyss.
A new fire burns deep in our souls,
steady, growing brighter each moment.
The light of Christ,
at first a flicker in the darkness, soon to explode before us.
at first a flicker in the darkness, soon to explode before us.
Christ’s presence.
As our eyes focus on the New Light, let us rejoice as we remember our salvation history.
Those fleeing oppression followed Moses, called by God to lead them.
Yet, they were afraid.
New life lay ahead of them yet the old way, the bondage, the slavery, was what they knew.
They could not see ahead.
They could only see the dark life they knew, the life they left behind.
Is this where you are?
Are you in the dark?
Do you cling to pain, worry, anxiety if these feelings have enveloped you during this sequester?
Are feelings of emptiness familiar to you?
Are feelings of emptiness familiar to you?
Has this heavy burden that keeps you in the dark become so easy to carry that you choose not to let God’s Presence burn it up through His glorious Light?
Remember, when Moses said to his people, “The Lord will fight for you. Do not be afraid, stand firm and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today.” So they followed God’s cloud of protection. “And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the deep, empty, abyss of the night.”
Rejoice and remember, when Moses stretched out his
hand and the Lord drove the sea back.
By faith, one follower stepped into the sea, then another.
The Hebrew people now looked ahead as they walked on dry land through walls of water.
This salvation experience was the beginning of new life, a new life where they could freely worship the Lord, thy God.
Rejoice, and feed on these words, “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near.”
Let us Rejoice now, in the waters of baptism, drawn from the springs of salvation.
Let us Rejoice now, for all who receive new birth in Christ
through water and the Holy Spirit.
Rejoice in remembrance of our Baptismal vows that give us new life.
Rejoice in remembrance of our Baptismal vows that give us new life.
Rejoice as wickedness is put to flight.
Rejoice now, as the new light, the light of Christ, breaks through the darkness, when earth and heaven are joined and man is reconciled to God.
Rejoice now, for all who believe in the resurrected Christ, the true Paschal Lamb; for all who are delivered from the darkness of sin, are restored to grace and holiness of life.
The blood that Jesus shed on the cross for us has washed away our sin.
Let us die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection
Rejoice now, as we enter into our Lord’s Presence and partake of Him, our Holy Sacrament.
Let us remember this night and rejoice!
April 12 Resurrection Sunday
Alleluia, He is Risen! The Lord has Risen indeed!
Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; Matthew 28:1-10
Acts 10:34 ff We are witnesses of Jesus Crucifixion and resurrection on the third day and He appeared to those who knew Him and exhorted them to preach and testify that “This is the One appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead . . . through Him everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sin.”
Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Colossians 3:1-4 Keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ.
Matthew 28:1ff At dawn of the first day of the week, Mary [wife of Cleopas] and Mary Magdalene
came to the grave. They felt the earth quake as the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven and sat on the stone that was rolled away from the tomb. The Angel looked like lightening with clothing white as snow. :5-8 The Angel said to the them, “Don’t be afraid. He is not here. He is risen. Come and see. Go tell his disciples that He is risen.” They quickly left the tomb and Jesus met them and greeted them and they held His feet and worshipped Him and Jesus said, “Do not fear, GO, tell . . . they will see me.”
They felt the earth quake.
These fear-less women who were determined to complete burial preparations after their sabbath.
They had no clue how they would manage to get inside the well-guarded, sealed tomb. Yet they knew they must. Jesus must be properly prepared for the untouched crypt in the stone cave that was set aside for him.
Who could imagine the quaking movement of the stone being rolled away?
Who could imagine meeting a massive Angel sitting on the tomb stone as if he were meant to be there from the start?
Who could imagine?
This was beyond anyone’s comprehension . . .
an empty tomb . . .
an angel . . .
words that echo in the souls of these women, “Do not be afraid.”
These words have been spoken before . . . when Mary, the mother of Jesus, was visited by the Angel Gabriel who told her she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Do not be afraid” . . . words Jesus would use many times after His resurrection as He visits hundreds of faithful disciples.
The women’s inquisitive eyes prompt the response, “He is not here!”
He is Risen!
Come and see the empty linen in which Jesus was hastily wrapped minutes before the sabbath.
Come and see that all the prophecy known for centuries by every faithful Jew has come true.
Come and see that Jesus IS GOD . . . raised from the humanness of death into the eternal life that was and is and will forever be.
Come and see . . . and believe . . . that every word Jesus repeated many times has come true.
Come and see!
Now GO and tell.
Tell the world that the tomb . . .
the hollow in the rock . . .
the place for the dead . . . is EMPTY!
the place for the dead . . . is EMPTY!
Tell the world that Jesus is greater than death because He is God.
Go to every town that does not believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and tell them about Jesus, resurrected from the dead . . . the Son of the God the Hebrew people were introduced to through Abraham.
Go and tell those mockers that they are loved with an everlasting love.
God and tell all who sentenced Jesus to death that His grace is so very full that they are forgiven.
Go and tell all who will listen that God’s love and forgiveness and everlasting grace comes through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Go and tell all who will listen that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Yet, the blood Jesus shed on the cross will cover that sin if only we believe.
Take that step of faith and Believe.
Believe that Christ Jesus was nailed to the Cross and poured out His blood for US who choose to embrace Him by faith.
Just believe that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not parish but shall have everlasting life.”
Drop your sin at the foot of the Cross.
Just drop it.
Leave it there.
Let Jesus’ droplets of blood cover that sin so that it is buried forever.
Drop that anxiety, fear, unforgiveness, bad habit, anything that gets in the way of the flood of God’s love.
Let go of all your sin and do not take it back.
It’s forgotten . . . so you forget it . . .
Breathe out . . . all that garbage.
Breathe in forgiveness, love, all the treasure of heaven.
Receive the unending, unfettered, unbelievable, unmeasurable LOVE that can fill every cell of your soul IF you give yourself to Jesus.
Receive a new life, through Our Resurrected Christ . . .
Jesus . . . Lamb of God . . . Who takes away the sin of the world.
Glory in newness of life.
Praise God from Whom ALL blessing flow.
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
April 13 Monday in Easter
Acts 2:14b, 22b-32; Psalm 16:8-11; Matthew 28:9-15
Psalm 16:8 I keep the Lord always before me.
:11 Show me the path of life.
The Lord is Risen indeed !!!
Resurrection Sunday can be followed by Revival Monday!!!
Resurrection Sunday, the grand celebration of our Christian year, comes after a very Holy Week of prayer, confession and our walk with Jesus to the place of crucifixion.
We may have planned, months ahead: Family dinner, the church easter egg hunt, attending a sunrise near the water or worship in a grand cathedral with sweet incense from Jerusalem.
We’d all made some sort of plans, the very least of which would be attending a glorious service to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
All planned.
Yet, God had a plan much grander than ours.
God stops the world sometimes.
God invites us to draw near . . . with passover feasts that become intimate or shared on zoom . . . with Holy week services live-streamed and then archived so one could return to them as often as desired.
God is in charge.
God says, “Stop . . . look . . . listen.”
God says, “Let’s get back to basics.”
God did not cause this.
The sin that sucked the life out of our Lord has been swirling around humanity since Adam and Eve made the wrong choice.
Don’t blame God.
Don’t blame Sinners.
We’re all in this together.
This is part of our Life here on this planet called Earth.
It’s the hardest part of life . . . death.
Amazingly, of all the people I know all over the United
States, from the West coast to the East coast, all are still alive.
Some are Jewish. Others do not have any inclination to attend church.
Others attend churches of every size, and worship in a variety of ways from rocking out for Jesus in blue jeans to embracing all the senses in beauty, quiet, meaningful rituals and holy rites.
All are feeling the affects of the virus swirling around us.
Yet, our bodies are still alive.
I don’t know about some souls but I continue to pray they are open to God’s presence.
God is here!
God is with us!
God is leading us to His Son . . . whose life we celebrate with the grandest of glory we can muster with a skeleton worship team, only a few clergy, and lots of live-streaming.
Are we listening yet?
Are we seeing the great plan?
God is all over the internet!
People are praising God by the dozens on Zoom . . . all at once!
Television is offering FREE Christian-focused viewing.
How are we praying so that all who are curious or bored, all who are disconnected from the Truth,
can see the Truth,
know the Truth,
fully embrace the Truth?
Just keep praying.
God is in charge!
Jesus is ALIVE!
Resurrection Sunday can be followed by Revival Monday!
Alleluia!!! Christ IS Risen . . . .
The Lord is Risen indeed!!!
PAUSE
[We use the term, Eastertide, throughout these forty days between Resurrection Sunday and Ascension Thursday. “Easter” means “spring” so we are simply saying Springtime with another word, Eastertide. For Christians, Easter means far more than bunnies and eggs and daffodils and all those wonders of new life.
Easter means we have New Life in the Resurrected Son of God, Jesus, the Christ, the anointed One of Israel. We are called to place our faith in God’s only begotten Son, repent of our sins and be baptized if we choose to embrace Jesus as Lord of our lives.
Eastertide. A wonder-filled period of time to come into our Lord’s presence in new ways, to renew our life in Christ, to ‘birth’ anew the gifts given to us, through the power of the Holy Spirit we receive at baptism.]
April 14 First Tuesday in Eastertide
Acts 2:36-41; Psalm 33:18-22; John 20:11-18
Acts 2:36 ff Let the entire house of Israel know that God made Jesus both Lord and messiah, the Jesus you
crucified . . . :38-39 Peter said, “Repent and be baptized so that your sins may be forgiven and you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; for the promise is for you, your children and all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord, our God calls to Him.” Those who welcomed his message were baptized and three thousand were added that day.
Psalm 33:18 The eye of the Lord is on those who fear (awe) Him.
Psalm 33:18 The eye of the Lord is on those who fear (awe) Him.
[I write this meditation a bit ahead of our walk with Jesus. This moment in Acts comes after the Ascension of Jesus. The reason I do this is that the scriptures slated between Sundays are meant for reflection well before you hear about them in most sermons.
This is a time when Jesus actually walked among the people and reminded all who followed that He is indeed alive. It seems upside-down and backwards but there is good reason the theologians many centuries ago chose to focus on the book of Acts before Jesus' ascension. We need to see the POWER of God though His Son, Jesus, right from the beginning of His resurrected life.]
God with us!
Let’s begin a new year with praise and JOY and a renewed zeal in our quest to know, truly know, intimately know our Lord.
In this passage the Apostle Peter, with holy boldness,
speaks to the thousands of Jews milling around Jerusalem for the Passover feasts and fasts. These are curious believers in God who may indeed have heard Jesus speak at one time or another. These are Jews who want to know more after they either saw or heard about this crucifixion. These are the Jews who are dumbfounded to know that Jesus rose from the dead, a resurrection with no body to be found. Yet, stories swirled about that Jesus did appear and showed himself to thousands.
Peter says, outright, that Jesus is Lord and Messiah!
Messiah, in Hebrew, means anointed one.
All the Hebrew kings were anointed . . . Saul, David.
In fact, Jesus is revered as the ‘Son of David’ because his lineage, through both human parents [especially his mother Mary] is from David.
Peter, in this instance, speaks in Greek, the common language of the day, so the people hear, “Christos.”
Jesus, the Christ, Jesus the anointed one, Jesus from the lineage of David. These are powerful words but not as powerful as the word, “Lord.”
Peter speaks powerful words because the Jews who are listening know full well that “Lord” means YHWH and YHWH is the ‘code’ they use to refer to G_d . . . the One so sacred, so ‘awesome’ that a Jew would never say His name.
Peter is saying, “Jesus is YHWH.” Why was he not arrested?
Perhaps because the authorities thought they were done with this nonsense when they crucified Jesus? They have not yet awakened to the powerful force YHWH has become . . . a force of new life, of resurrected life for all, through Jesus, His Son.
Peter comes to the point immediately.
Repent!
Be baptized!
These Jews knew these words well. They lived by them.
In fact, remember when John the Baptist was calling all Jews to repentance, to be washed clean and returned to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?
Repent, turn around, face God, give all your sin to Him . . . let go . . . start again.
Be baptized! The Michveh, the bath of spiritual
cleansing, was a holy ritual. Men and women would go through this ritual cleansing after specific turning points in their lives. One would step into a place of natural spring water, fully dunk, then come up for air and say specific prayers of gratitude and glory to God, prayers to cleanse the soul. They would bob up and down several times with various prayers. Men attending to men, women attending to women. A very holy time. Yet, they only gave to God. God listened.
This time Peter says to the crowd, “Be baptized and you shall receive the Holy Spirit.” This would be offered after Jesus’ ascension. Only then did Jesus send a ‘comforter’ an ‘advocate’ to be with those who believe and are baptized, to be with us forever, never to leave our souls. We will return to this subject again.
Think about it: We skipped a beat.
We jumped over stories of Jesus’ varied visits with His followers before His ascension. [We will return to these]
Yet, it is important to realized the power of Jesus’ resurrection and who Jesus left with us after His ascension, the Holy Spirit.
During this time we celebrate New Life, are we feeling ‘New’, refreshed?
Perhaps because we have been sequestered we are still putting on those comfy clothes we wore yesterday. After all, we’re just lolling around our homes.
Perhaps this is a time to freshen up a bit.
That’s the place you spend time in meditation, where you and Jesus sit and commune daily.
Or, create a special place for your senses to embrace as you pass by or as you look across the room.
Find a small spot, a table, a shelf, a window sill.
Place on it special mementos that draw you more deeply into Jesus’ embrace.
Select items that move your soul, what you see, what you smell, something to touch, a tiny book from which to glean a meditation at any given moment (one page at a time).
Step back.
Breathe deep.
Feel refreshed.
Take that walk.
Return ready for another day at home, with the Lord.
April 15 First Wednesday of Eastertide
Acts 3:1-10; Psalm 105:1-8 or Psalm 118:19-24; Luke 24:13-35
Luke 24:13-18 Now on the same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you
discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them whose name is Cleopas, answered him. “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”
Jesus was invited to stay with them for evening meal. :30-31 When He broke bread and blessed it and gave it to them their eyes were opened. They recognized Him and He vanished for their sight. :33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem and they found the eleven with companions gathered together and they told the group what happened.
They gave up.
They thought Jesus would defy the heavy taxes and the strict rule of the Romans.
They thought Jesus could just say the word and the Jews would be more free to go about their business.
But Jesus was given the worst sentence of all and was mocked as the worst sinner of the bunch.
They gave up and walked home.
Cleopas’ wife, Mary, stayed behind.
Was it her faith or her duty?
Jesus needed to be properly buried and she was the best of the lot to do it right.
Little did anyone know . . . Mary, wife of Cleopas, would receive the first blessing from Jesus after His resurrection.
Cleopas and his buddy would miss out on everything . . . or would they?
Was everyone in the dark?
Did all of Jesus’ followers forget the words Jesus gave them before he was Crucified?
It’s like a black shadow wove in and through all who had believed in the power and the glory that Jesus brought to them.
Jesus needed to find ways to help them remember His promises to them.
So these glum men walked and invited this stranger to join them.
This ‘stranger’ began to ask questions about their sad disposition.
He began to dig into their hurting souls so the hurt and frustration would pour out and their story would unfold and they would ‘see’.
So they walked and talked and Jesus was invited to dine with them and so He did.
Jesus offered to break bread and bless it, a common practice among faith-filled Jews.
Immediately . . . immediately . . . immediately . . . they SAW!
The minute they saw and understood who He was, Jesus vanished.
This was further evidence of the presence of the Christ, the fact that He would often vanish from the midst of those to whom He ministered.
They had to tell the others.
They had to tell the others what they experienced.
They got it! They understood!
By the time they returned the others had seen for themselves.
Jesus is risen from the dead.
Jesus is seeking out those who were his most devoted followers.
Jesus is ‘alive’!
Think about it: How long did it take you before you realized Jesus is ALIVE, in your midst, waiting to be part of your life?
Think back as far as you can to possible opportunities when people told you about Jesus or when your parents took you to a church where you heard his name.
What about a movie you saw that stirred your heart because its focus was on God or those who worshipped our Lord?
Did you hear the Good News and ignore it?
We would be amazed, if we ask the Lord to guide us, how often we may have heard, yet not noticed, the love and grace available to us if we let Jesus embrace us totally.
On one page of your journal, draw a line down the middle
of the page.
At the beginning of the line, write an approximate date (year) when you may have first heard whispers of Jesus’ love.
The line is a neutral point so use another color to draw above or below that line how you reacted to each moment you recall when you were invited into Jesus’ embrace.
Did you ignore the hints to let Jesus embrace you and continue where you were? Remain on the line.
Did you get frustrated as I did and have to be dragged to church?
Draw your negative feeling as far below the line as you wish.
For instance, I would draw a small negative line date the year I was ten.
I use to pretend to be asleep past my parent’s alarm, which we all could hear.
Never helped.
We were up, dressed and at church in lightning speed some Sundays.
I did not like Sunday school until I was in high school and attended a class with a fabulous teacher . . . who actually had us do homework. He was great but I still did not see any point in joining the Jesus gang, a small and devoted group of teens.
My timeline is filled with ups and downs and did not begin a steady assent until I was thirty-one.
I remember the day vividly.
It was a culmination of a year-long battle with daily scripture reading and a weekly bible group who loved me through every step. They were incredibly patient and available at any moment if I had questions - which were numerous.
I finally got it!
Jesus broke bread and blessed me, quietly, at my kitchen table. I knew His embrace, fully, absolutely!
I knew exactly whom to call first because she’d told me numerous times that she had been praying for me.
Take the long walk through your life and note the ups and downs of your walk with our Lord.
Just by reading this you may have already given your life to Him and are serving Him with Joy and Gladness.
Or, perhaps, you are still on the fence, wondering if you can ‘feel’ His presence.
Perhaps you never will.
This does not keep you from letting the Lord embrace you.
Let His love envelope you.
His love is there for all of us if we only let Him break bread with us and bless us.
Take a moment to read all of the scriptures for today.
Do you feel His love and grace?
If not, talk to one of your Christian friends about how you feel and about what you seek.
They, like Jesus, will love you right where you are.
Remember, at least one person is praying for you.
Where is Jesus’ love in your heart now?
Show it on your timeline.
Embrace the Resurrected Life Jesus has given to us and Rejoice!
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