Passion Week Snapshot #1

During this heart-wrenching week that we remember The Passion of our Lord Jesus, snapshots from the Holy Scriptures give us a look at His life during the last days that led up to His death and resurrection.

Here's one such Passion Week snapshot:

"Looking up, Jesus saw people, especially the rich, dropping their gifts into the temple offering box. He noticed a poor widow drop in two small coins. He said, 'I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others. All of these people have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.'” (Luke 21:1-4 GWT)

Grateful 

The Redeemer Took Responsibility

As Holy Week begins, many passages teach us so much. Looking ahead, these words spoken by Jesus to His mother, Mary, and His friend, John, (while He was on the Cross) teach us that Jesus was not only willing to become the Redeemer of the whole world for all-time, but He also wanted to take responsibility for those closest to Him in the very moments of His suffering:

"Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary from Magdala were standing beside Jesus’ cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there. He said to his mother, “Look, here’s your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Look, here’s your mother!” From that time on she lived with that disciple in his home." 

-- John 19:25-27 (GWT)

Grateful

The Hammer, The Nails, The Cross

One of my Tuesday morning prayer patrol partners, Gene, wrote this poem leading up to Passion Week. It seems perfect for Good Friday, especially. While it is a poem, it is also a transparent testimony.

I carried the hammer. I carried the nails.
I refused to hand them to the soldiers.
Not because I was trying to protect You,
I used them to nail You to the Cross myself

My nails pierced Your hands.
Your eyes pierced my soul.
You had already forgiven me,
Before my hammer made it's final blow
-- Gene Stainback

Lord, we thank you for the Cross.

We agree with Max Lucado who wrote: "The Cross says that God would rather go to Hell for us, than go to Heaven without us."
Grateful

"Oh, Lord, You're Beautiful!" My Maundy Thursday Prayer

Dearest Lord:

The early mornings during this Passion Week have been moving for my heart, mind, soul, and strength. To see the splendor of a full moon vying for attention with the brilliant colors of each sunrise has been spectacular.

What I'm trying to say is, "Oh Lord, You're Beautiful!" I cannot grasp the magnitude of Your Love. How could the very God who tells the sun, moon, and stars when to rise and shine also have cared so much about my seemingly insignificant soul to actually become human like me. And why did you become human like me? So, You could become the Supreme, Sacrificial Lamb of God and be slaughtered to make atonement for my sin? Unfathomable! Unimaginable! Undeniable! That's what Your compassion is to me, my God.

Finally, I thank You that until You can get me safe and sound to Your eternal Home in Heaven, You have made Your Home in me. As I worship You today, Maundy Thursday, may You surely sense the depth of my full devotion for You, as I truly realize the massive debt of love I owe to You.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Click here: Oh Lord, You're Beautiful - Keith Green - YouTube

Jesus, You were dead. But on Easter Sunday You told Yourself to "rise and shine". Indeed, I give you the glory, glory!
Grateful

The Fast of the Firstborn -- Passover

In the Gospels, as we consider the Passion Week time lines, it seems Jesus was silent and out of view on Wednesday. Well, let's not forget that Passion Week for Christians coincides with Passover for Jews. With this in mind, let us learn that Jesus being silent and out of view for a full day would be necessary during one day of the Passover Week, as Jesus was Jewish, and the firstborn Jews are called to observe a full-day's fast during this sacred season. Without food and water, a day's trip into and out of Jerusalem would be out of the question, especially considering the physical strength Jesus would need come Thursday and Friday to carry out and to become His Father's will.

The Jewish firstborn observes a day of total fast of food and water during this season of the calendar year in remembrance of God's mercy and to give God thanks for sparing the firstborn of Israel in Egypt. As the final plague fell on Pharaoh and all of the Egyptians, the death angel passed through and required the lives of all of their firstborn children. Pharaoh and his people suffered this great night of loss because he refused to let God's people go. The Jews, however, were spared this night of death, as they had sprinkled the blood of lambs on their doorposts, so that the death angel would pass over them. Thus, we have the Jewish celebration known as "Passover." Passover was an Old Testament fore-shadowing of Passion Week in the New Testament.

Imagine what Jesus was thinking while He observed the fast of the firstborn, probably in Bethany just east of Jerusalem at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. With anguish how His soul must have trembled, realizing that on Good Friday He would become The Sacrificial Lamb of God. Yes, He would be slain by crucifixion that His Blood might be sprinkled on the doorposts of our believing souls, so the Gift of Eternal Life might be given and eternal death might pass us by.
Amazing Love! Indeed!

Click here: Chris Tomlin Amazing Love - YouTube

Holiness Unto the LORD!
Grateful    

Passion Week Timeline

I realize there are many thoughts and ways of arranging the chronology of Jesus' last days leading Him to the Cross and out of the grave.

Perhaps this timeline that helps me to remember our Lord's Passion during Holy Week will also help you to increase intimacy in His presence, too.

#1. Saturday- Day of Compassion/Anointing -- John 11:55-12:11 (Song: "Broken & Spilled Out")

#2. Sunday- Day of Popularity/Praise -- John 12:12-19 (Song: "You Are My King")

#3. Monday- Day of Authority/Prayer -- Mark 11:15-18

#4. Tuesday- Day of Conflict/Relationships -- Mark 11:27-33

#5. Wednesday- Day of Silence/Reflection -- Psalm 39 & Psalm 46:10a

#6. Thursday- Day of Betrayal/Violence -- Matthew 26:14-16, John 18:1-11, Psalm 88

#7. Friday- Day of Agony/Suffering/Death -- John 19:1-37 (Song: Above All, Like a Rose")

#8. Saturday- Day of Mourning/Darkness -- John 19:31-42

Psalm 30:5 (Song: "Broken & Spilled Out")

#9. Sunday- Will Be Resurrection Sunday Morning -- Day of Celebration -- John 20:1-18

Question: "Do You Know The Resurrection? Is He Your Life?"

Be...
... Grateful

Subtly But Surely -- Beware Spiritual Slippage

In my morning prayer time today, my heart is mightily moved as I have been crying out to Jesus for a spiritual awakening in our world. It seems that even some of those who claim to be believers in Jesus are subtly but surely joining the ranks of unrighteousness. There seems to be a fog even among the faithful and the enemy seems to be inching his way into the body of Christ. I sense that spiritual slippage is undeniably underway.

This troubling verse of Holy Scripture comes to mind:

The Spirit says clearly that in later times some believers will desert the Christian faith. They will follow spirits that deceive, and they will believe the teachings of demons.
-- 1 Timothy 4:1 (GWT)

Let us plead the Blood of Jesus for renewal in our own lives, praying that personal revival within our own lives will lead to public revival among the masses and that Jesus will be glorified once again among us and beyond us, yes even throughout the whole world like never before.

As I see so-called "Christian leaders" beginning to debate whether or not "sin" is acceptable in the lives of people who claim a personal relationship with Holy God, honestly my own soul has moved far beyond being extremely mad to being totally sad. I am sad for Jesus. My heart is broken for the one called "The Beautiful One" as those who claim to love Him refuse to call sin, sin. Have we too quickly forgotten that sin is what stapled our Savior to the Cross? God forgive us and God forbid it, if we have forgotten?

In 1 John 3:8, we discover that "The Son of Man (Jesus) came to destroy the works of the devil." Why shouldn't I be sad when I see especially those who claim to wear the name of Christ attempting to preserve the works of the devil?

Last evening my cell phone rang. It was a local TV station calling to ask if I would join them on the local news this coming week for a pro and con debate about the meaning of marriage. Amazing, don't you think, that "marriage is going on trial in the good old US of A Supreme Court" this coming week -- Passion Week.

The unexpected phone call paralyzed me at first and then quickly sickened me deep within. After a kind exchange with the TV news broadcaster, I decided the time is not right for me to get caught up in talking about what's troubling my heart. I don't think I can translate the pain in my heart into intelligible words just yet. I guess you could say, I have some passionate, private, praying I need to catch up on before I, all-of-a-sudden, start talking into a TV camera.

Indeed, I still have that question strong on my mind that my executive assistant, Angela, has posted on her office door: "Have you prayed about it as much as you have talked about it?"

And, yes, I believe I know what you might be thinking. Maybe I missed an opportunity? Yeah, I have thought about that already this morning. I mean what pastor turns down an opportunity to go on live television? Maybe a pastor who's heart is so broken he's not sure how to put his grief into dialogue just yet?

And for sure, I don't want to be like Peter, who during Passion Week started swinging a physical sword in the midst of a spiritual battle. The Lord knows I don't want to cut off any ears. There's enough trouble with people listening already. (John 18:10)

Holiness Unto the LORD!
Grateful (Beware below)

P.S. "Beware of spiritual slippage" and be aware of pastors who leave their local churches to become "expert" authors and spend all of their time jumping from one video interview to another. Seems some of these "former pastor-types" are getting sucked into what's popular in the world instead of what's pure in God's sight. I've been listening to what some of them are saying. Please join me in praying for them. And pray for me.  In the fog, it's easy to veer off course. God forbid. And feel free to also pray that if I did miss an opportunity to be light in the dark, that the call from the TV news man will come again and this time I will have peace about it. Or not. Deo Volente. :-)