Do you think the Good Shepherd forsakes you?

Do you think the Good Shepherd forsakes you?
Even doubt that he really exists?
You may know that Lord Jesus invites you,
that his Spirit to love him, insists!
Jesus said he will come, to reveal what he has done.
Heaven’s drums begin to roll: Jesus comes to make us whole!

Do you think the Good Shepherd forsakes you?

Even doubt that he really exists?

You may know that Lord Jesus invites you,

that his Spirit to love him, insists!

Through his Word do we know he is coming,

to our world, everything that exists!
What is broken Lord Jesus has mended,
that he saves now, his Spirit, insists!
There’s a Breeze blowing now, telling where and telling how.
It’s his Spirit that blows, until everybody knows!

Do you think the Good Shepherd forsakes  you?

Even doubt that he really exists?

You may know that Lord Jesus invites you,

that his Spirit to love him, insists!

That Jesus lives, is important for today!

Resurrection is important – for today!

We usually talk about the resurrection as important, because it conquers our mortality and defeats our enemies:  sin and death. And it is true. But never forget that the risen Lord promised to be with us always.  He is with us in all circumstances and amongst all challenges.  Risen and almighty, he promised to never leave, or forsake us.

Because the Jesus who rose from the dead was the very same Jesus who healed a leper, gave sight to the blind and fed the multitude.

The same Jesus who rose from the dead, to ascend to heaven as King and Lord of all, worked as a carpenter and provided for his mother and siblings, ministered to many from town to town and was willing to give his life and become our Passover Lamb. 

He, who shared our daily experiences on earth, and his suffering till death, assures us of his help and understanding, whatever difficulty may challenge us.   

And his resurrection and ascension assure us that he is able to help us, and that nothing is impossible with him,  so near to us always.   

Jesus wants to help us and be with us in every circumstance, good and bad, joyful and terrifying. 

Have you seen people with resurrection faith tackle their problems? They know that God loves them.  They act in faith. And faith keeps them going and gives them hope. They know that God will lead them - through life and even through the valley of the shadow of death.   

Have you seen people without faith tackle their difficulties?  At best they are without joy or hope, and at worst they are despondent and desperate. “What will be, will be” may rationalise their dilemma’s, but it does not heal wounds or inspire meaning and strength! 

Next week (17 May) we will celebrate the ascension of Christ, his enthronement in heaven as King and Lord of all.  Easter tells us that our heavenly King is the same Jesus who ministered, died and has risen.  It is he, Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Son of God, who takes care of us, every day! 

Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Our help comes from the Lord who came to us as a man, a Saviour and the Redeemer!  He will never leave us, or forsake us! And he has all power in heaven and earth.

Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith? Jesus lives!

Mark 4:35-41: And on that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, "Let us go over to the other side." And leaving the multitude, they took him along with them, just as he was, in the boat; and other boats were with him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. And Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

And being aroused, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And he said to them, "Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?" And they became very afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

There are two key sentences in the story about Jesus calming the wind and the storm.

The first is the question of the anxious disciples: "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

And the second is the question of our almighty Lord:  "Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?

Jesus and the disciples went by boat to cross the lake. Unexpectedly the boat began to be rocked by the waves driven by a gale force wind.  The waves began to break across the boat. And the disciples were terrified. They thought that they were going to die.

Through all of this, Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat. He was not concerned about the wind and the storm.  The boat was not going to sink, because Jesus still had much to do, and because he put his trust in his Father.

1. The disciples, trembling with fear, put a harsh question to Jesus:  "Teacher, do you not care?  (v. 38b) Their cry to Jesus was, "Do something! Don’t you care that we are in danger – and afraid."

Jesus got up from his peaceful rest and spoke to the wind and the waves. "Hush, be still!" Jesus said, and the wind died down, and it became perfectly calm.

2. Then Jesus turned to his followers to ask them a question too - “Why are you so timid? Why do you have no faith?" (v. 40)  It seems as if Jesus never intended to calm the wind and the storm.  It seems that he expected his followers to have faith, to trust him and to know that he is in control of the wind and the waves, even though he did not intervene!   Jesus expected faith and not fear.

3. The disciples thought that Jesus didn’t care about their situation. That he was not concerned about their fear and the danger they encountered.  So he stilled the storm.  Yet, he rather wanted them to be secure in the storm and in spite of the storm, because they had faith. 

4. Sometimes Jesus will still the storm that makes us afraid!  He has the authority to do so. That is the first lesson of this passage. Jesus has the authority over everything and the power to calm every storm. Sometimes he intervenes, because he can - and because we are afraid and do not have the faith to be calm amidst the stroom.   He has the power to do it. He is able to do it. And sometimes, he will do it.

5. But the second lesson of the passage is that he sometimes will let the storms rage. Because of his plan for us, and for what we still have to learn and because of the strength we need to grow, Jesus will allow us to go through storms. Then it is a test of our faith.   It is good for us to able to sit through the storm, because we have faith!

6. If the disciples had faith, they could have been as peaceful and resting as Jesus was, who felt no need for the storm to be stilled.  We, like the disciples ask, “Jesus, don’t you care?” And sometimes Jesus answers, “Do you have no faith?”

The Lord cares for us.  We need no more than the cross and the open grave as a sign of his love and that he cares!  Because we believe in his resurrection, he does not need to calm the storm to convince us that he cares.  What we need to have is faith.  Even in the storm.  And even when he does not calm the storm, although he can!

7. Dear Lord, let me grow to be able to say with Psalm 23 - "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me."  This is a word of faith and this is where the Lord wants us to be.

Let the storms bellow! Let the winds blow and the waves toss us around. 

In Jesus we have peace and we are protected. The storms will refine our faith. The storms will help us to become more like Jesus! Filled with peace, and resting, like Jesus.

How to Please God

Hebrews 13: 1 - 6

How to Please God

Keep on loving one another as Christians. Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering, as though you were suffering as they are.

Marriage is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other. God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,

I will never leave you; I will never abandon you. Let us be bold, then, and say,

The Lord is my helper,

I will not be afraid

What can anyone do to me?

The Parable of the Growing Seed

The Parable of the Growing Seed: Mark 4: 26 – 29:

Jesus also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

The seed is the word of God. God’s Word is the agent of growth in the Kingdom of God in our lives, our communities and the Church. The Kingdom will grow as the seed, God’s Word, is planted and as the seed matures. God’s Word has life in itself, and we must sow that seed in order to see the Kingdom grow.

The parable teaches that

1) There must be a deliberate sowing of God’s Word – “A man scatters seed on the ground.”

2) To let the seed of God’s Word grow in our lives and in those lives where we are sowing , is not within our ability or responsibility. God lets the seed grow - “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.”

3.) We have to be patient – it takes time for the seed to mature to a grown plant. We need to expect and accept God’s time frames for the effect of the sowing of God’s Word. “All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”

4.) We need to be ready to harvest, to act, when in God’s time the fruit appears in our lives and in our church. We need a proper harvesting of the fruit of the seed of God’s Word that was sown. “As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

As we sow the Word of God, the seed will grow. The message of God to us is to keep sowing - wherever you go, whatever you do. Keep on scattering seeds. When you are with friends, plant a seed. When you are in the office, or playing, or talking with your neighbor across the fence, plant the seed.

As you do, God will begin to cause those seeds to germinate. He will give a great increase. We have to keep on sowing! God employs our efforts as we are faithful to plant those seeds and give ourselves to the work.

So cultivate the soil, plant the seed, water it and stand back and watch God at work. Harvest time is near.

The message of a stone rolled away

Had we been there on the resurrection day, we would have experienced an awfully sad day. Hopes were shattered. Jesus Christ was killed. And as his followers, we would have been full of despair, bewilderment, and confusion. We would not have been able to understand what was going on.

But look! A couple of faithful ladies who had ministered to Jesus during his time on earth and who received ministry from him, came to do a last service for him! And as they arrived, they saw what they did not expect. The stone was rolled away. What did it say to them and what did it mean?

There is a powerful message in the stone rolled away. This stone pronounced the great message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the simplest possible way spoke about its implications. The resurrection of Christ was more than an extraordinary event in history. The stone gave to them, and us, a great challenge. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is both the most significant event in history, and the most powerful challenge to everyone, whether we are his followers, or not.

The message of the stone challenges you too. You, too, have to answer to what the stone rolled away, is saying. It says that…

The stone rolled to the mouth of the tomb says that Jesus died a real death. On the cross on Golgotha Jesus was executed. He gave his life for us that day. He died in our place in payment for our sins. Because of his great love, he went to the cross in order to reach out to people who did not care, or even hated him.

The stone rolled to the mouth of the tomb says, in the words of the angel, "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." The stone says that Jesus Christ lived, died, was buried, and rose again from the dead.

And the stone rolled to the mouth of the tomb says to us today, Christian, and non-Christian and antichristian alike, not from the cross, for he is not there. Not from the grave, for he is not there.
It says he is at the right hand of the throne of the one and only Almighty God, from where, one day, he will come to finally complete his dominion, also on earth!
And he is coming back to ask us how we answered to the message of the stone rolled away!

Resurrection is always Good News!

Good News! Easter is the Good News. It is the Gospel of our Lord. It is the best news ever: Christ has risen. He has risen indeed.

Death and the grave could not hold Jesus! Good Friday was not the end. Darkness, suffering and death did not have the last word.

Resurrections are great news, because they happen rarely. Because it is something rare, something that we don't really expect, the resurrection of Jesus is the greatest event in history.

Over 2000 years of the story of God dealing with his people, the Bible only records 10 resurrection miracles. Resurrection is rare, unusual and simply amazing. What makes the resurrection of Jesus ultimately unique, is that he never died again. In the other 9 stories of resurrection the people grew older, and eventually died again. But Jesus never dies! Jesus is alive!

The resurrection of Jesus was totally unexpected by his followers. We are told that the women who came to the tomb "bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body" (Mk 16:1). They expected to find Jesus the same way as he was when they buried him - dead! Resurrections are amazing news, because death and loss are no longer what we fear it to be! It no longer is darkness and decay. The women watched Jesus die from a distance. (Mk 15:40). We all hesitate to come too close to death.

We are all horrified when we see death - especially a violent, painful death such as the crucifixion was. We also try to keep as much distance as possible from our own deaths. We try to be healthy, be fit, eat responsibly, take our medicine, go for checkups. We try our very best to keep death at a distance.

But at Easter's resurrection the sting of death was removed. Death was finally and completely overcome! This is the reason why the angel at the grave told the women to pass on the good news:
(Mk 16:7) “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” This is why we meet Sunday after Sunday – to tell the good news, that death has been conquered.
Jesus has risen! Once fearful and despondent disciples, became powerful witnesses and excited believers - because Jesus has risen!

May the living Lord bless you with abundant life.

Sunday’s children, people of hope and worship!

We are not Saturday’s children anymore! We are Sunday’s children. We are people of hope and worship!

Friday’s agony gave way to Saturday’s despair. But thank God, Saturday’s despair gives way to Sunday’s hope. It is summed up in the opening sentence of Mark 16, "And when the Sabbath was over...." Friday’s agony had come, but it had passed. Saturday’s despair had come as well, but it was now over as well. A new day had come. Sunday had come. And with Sunday, hope had come too.

Early on that Resurrection Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices to the tomb where they thought they would anoint Jesus’ body. They were concerned as to who would roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb. But it had already been rolled away. They entered the tomb, and saw an angel of God. In verse 6 it says, "And he said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He is risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid him.’" This was the most incredible experience of their lives. They could hardly believe their eyes, yet, there was no doubt this was the tomb. And Jesus was not there. He had risen.

When this amazing truth got through to them, Mark 16 says in verse 8, "And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them..." After experiencing Friday’s agony and Saturday’s despair, what a revitalizing experience this must have been. It has sharpened every sense they had. So they were both thrilled and afraid, both terrified and elated.

This is what the resurrection of Jesus Christ is all about. It reveals that the Lord is in charge, because the Lord is alive! The dark night of our soul has passed and, even in the circumstances which we cannot control, there is hope for a day of resurrection-power for us. There is hope because God is in charge.

Do you have hope? Things may look depressing today. You may be experiencing a dark night. You may feel overwhelmed by circumstances. It may even feel out of control. But God is in control. There is hope for tomorrow.

The resurrection of Jesus teaches us that life can come out of death. Friday’s agony brought Jesus’ death. Saturday’s despair was symbolized by Jesus in the tomb.
But we are not Friday’s children and do not have to live as Saturdays children!
We belong to Sunday: to hope and celebration and praise and worship of the living Lord.
Sunday brought hope, because Jesus came alive. And he who came alive on that first Easter Sunday is still alive, and he lives today to bring life to us too.

The life he gives is both eternal life and life we need for today. It is both hope for eternity and hope for tomorrow. Because of the life of Jesus, we can experience a new day. We can be brought from Saturday’s despair into Sunday’s victory, because God is in control.
Because Christ is risen, indeed!

Easter: On Resurrection Sunday, look for Jesus among the living...

Read: Luke 23:55-24:12

Is there a household somewhere that is not looking for things? As a dad and adult son living in the same house, my shirts forever seems to be “lost”, but I know where to look for them – in my son’s cupboard! Now it would be very foolish to look for it in the pantry, or the kitchen cupboard, wouldn’t it? The chance of it being misplaced in my son’s cupboard is just too big for me not to look there first!!

When it comes to Jesus, I’m afraid, we far too often look in the wrong place for the risen Christ, for his conquering power and his saving grace! Here we see Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James searching for Jesus, but they are looking in the wrong place, and in hindsight, a very foolish place.

The wrong place to look for Jesus
On Good Friday, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women "stood at a distance" on Golgotha Hill, watching the crucifixion and death of Christ (Lk 23:49; cf 24:10). Later they followed Joseph, from the Judean town of Arimathea, an influential man, and saw how Christ's body was laid in Joseph’s tomb, by him. (Lk 23:55). "They went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment" (Lk 23:56).

These women loved Jesus so much. Jesus had taught them everything they thought they knew about God and his Kingdom. He had shown them the love of the Father. He had opened to them the meaning of the Scriptures. He had healed them and their loved ones. Many times he displayed his divine power. Because of love, they wanted to honour and respect him, by providing a proper burial for him.

Then it is daybreak on Sunday. On the way they were talking to each other. According to St Mark's Gospel, they asked, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?" (Mk 16:3).And just as they were starting to become concerned about this, they arrived at the tomb and found "the stone rolled away" (Lk 24:2). They entered and to their immense surprise, the tomb was empty! The body of Jesus was not there!

Then there was a bright light and two angels in gleaming white robes standing before them. (Lk 24:4). The women trembled in fear and bowed to the ground (Lk 24:5). Then the angels, the messengers of God, asked them: "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

You can hear the reproach in the question: Why are you doing something so pointless? "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Do you not remember how he taught you that on the third day he would rise again form the dead?

If Jesus was dead, it made sense to look for him in the tomb where Joseph laid his body to rest. But the grave could not keep him. He is alive. He has risen. "He is not here," said the angels. "He has risen! Remember how he told you ..." (Lk 24:6).
But when the Easter gospel was preached to them by the angels, they remembered. They really should have known! Jesus had told them what was going to happen, didn't he? How could they have forgotten? How could they be so foolish? Why did they look for the living among the dead?

The women were mortified by the angels! They should have known better! They were ashamed because they were looking for Jesus in a place where they should have known he could not be. They were looking for Jesus in the wrong place, in a tomb – and he is alive! He is risen!!

Even today too many Christians look for Jesus in the wrong place. Not a place where his resurrection power is known, experienced and his true Kingdom is expected. Lets not be foolish! We have to look for Jesus in the right place!

The right place to look for Jesus
Jesus is not dead. He is alive. This means the women must have looked for Jesus in the place of the living: in Jerusalem, or in Galilee, or where his disciples were, but certainly not in a tomb.

Where must we look for the living Jesus Christ? We can start with his church. It is within the church, with the people of God, that we can find the Lord Jesus. His power, his life, his Spirit, his love, his care and concern, his grace, his holiness, his forgiveness - is to be found in us, his followers. People should be able to look at the Church and be able to find the living Jesus here.

We are to see the living Jesus in the church at worship: a church singing, praying, praising, and testifying brings the living Jesus into view. We find the living Jesus when, like the women, we spread the glad tidings that he has risen (Lk 24:9,10).

We also see the living Jesus when Christians live as brothers and sisters in God's family. When believers are "like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose," (Phil 2:2). When believers "do nothing out of selfish conceit, but in humility consider others better than themselves," you see and can meet the living Christ (Phil 2:3). When Christians wash each other's feet, serving each other, you see the living Jesus. When God's children use their material and spiritual gifts for the service and enrichment of others, there too you see the living Jesus.

Jesus is in places where people — in his name — give cups of cold water to the thirsty, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, look after the sick, visit the prisoner, and look not only to their own interests but also to the interests of others (Mt 25:34ff; Phil 2:4).

If the living Christ is present in the church, then she looks for ways and means to love people. Much broader than our own community! When we believe Jesus is alive, we should show everyone that nothing is impossible with God! People are in need of compassion, companionship, and human contact. In showing this love we, and they, again see the living Jesus, present amongst us. We can find him, and so can others through our witness and service!

But we should also look for Jesus — the living Jesus — in our heart. If we only believe, then Jesus lives in us, making and shaping and moulding us to be like him. It is in a personal relationship with Jesus, that we finally and conclusively find the living Christ. We find him through the gracious work of his Spirit in our heart! We find him in our hearts when we are willing to glorify God, the Father.

Through our personal relationship with Jesus, we certainly also find him in heaven, seated at the right hand of God. And we, since we have been raised with Christ, set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. We set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:1,2).

Conclusion
Our doubt and unbelief disappear only when we take God at his Word. Our questions may remain, but they will remain within the context of faith, hope and love.
Do not look for the living among the dead! Jesus has risen!

On Maundy Thursday we follow the Tenebrae order of worship...

During the Tenebrae liturgy on Maundy Thursday,  we are asked to meditate on the fact that it was on the Thursday evening before Good Friday that Jesus and his disciples were together for the last time, when he and they stood in the shadow of the cross, when he washed their feet and instituted the Holy Supper.

Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness. The gradual extinguishing of the lights will be symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus during the night of his arrest, the anguish of Gethsemane, the flight of the disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, the looming shadow of the cross, the God forsakenness. The moments of total darkness will recall the time when he was in the tomb.

Devotion:
TENEBRAE - why dwell on the anguish of Christ?

We know many fears, troubles and distress: Financial, social scandal, terminal illness, violence and crime, war and terrorism, abuse, to be the object of aggression. These fears are real for many people – even children - and are all terrible.

The Bible knows a feeling of horror, anguish and fear that is more distressing than any of these that we hear about or encounter: It is the anguish of being a lost sinner, standing before the throne of judgment. True horror is to come before a holy God and his resentment for sin and those consciously choosing impurity, hatred and disobedience, rather than love, faith, hope, and obedience.

The greatest fear is of those who are before the throne of God, realising the consequences of not accepting the Lords invitation to receive his grace, mercy and redemption. The greatest fear, distress and horror is the distress of the lost on the judgment day.

This is the sorrow, the fear and the distress that Jesus experienced, from the garden of Gethsemane, to the utter darkness on the cross when he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus knew that the judgment of God for all the sins of the world would be upon him! Not because he ever sinned, or disobeyed or transgressed, but because of the sins of the whole world.

We read about this fear in the gospels. In (KJ) Mk 14:34 Jesus says: My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death. And the NIV puts it like this: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

“Overwhelmed with sorrow” means a lot more than these few words can capture. We do not have enough words to recall the experience Jesus had when he carried our judgment. But these words may help us: Fear, terror, horror, sorrow, grief, distress, anguish, troubled, disturbed, pain, suffering, death.

But what is the cause of this overwhelming sorrow? Jesus was not overwhelmed, because he feared death; it was not Judas, or the chief priests or Pontius Pilate that brought about his anguish. It was not even the horrors of the cruel death on the cross that caused him this distress.
It was the fear of God’s judgment that brought the Saviour to the point of the raw terror of hell itself.

But why dwell on this darkness? Why observe Tenebrae? What are we supposed to learn from it? What is the reason that this dark night is so clearly recorded?

In the darkness of Christ’s anguish we discover who we really are, without the grace of God and the redeeming work of Jesus, without the cross and the salvation and the forgiveness of God.

And we see the depth of the love and the mercy of Christ for sinners, for me and for you. We see, how much he really loves us.

It is not without reason that the Bible records that in Gethsemane Jesus asked his closest friends, Peter, James and John, to keep watch with him while he prayed. It was not because any human could help him in this hour of overwhelming distress. Yet he asked them, and asks us - to keep watch with him! To do this in remembrance of him. To never forget his suffering. What difference can it make? Because, like the first disciples, we have a responsibility towards the Lord who loves us so much!

Moved by the overwhelming sorrow of Christ and by the reality of what we are saved from, and the cost of it all, we are called to keep watch and pray to not fall into temptation again.
And to keep watch with Christ, for the sake of the salvation of the world. Shall we not keep watch and pray with Jesus when we understand the predicament of those who die without forgiveness?

After we saw what Jesus did for us, how can we not remember his commission?
Keep watch with me, and pray.
Go, he said, even to the ends of the earth, and proclaim the good news of salvation, make disciples of al. After we saw his love and felt some of his sorrow and his distress at Tenbrae, how can we not go!

Something new for Good Friday!

You sometimes find something new, by doing something old again.
The old tradition is to preach on the seven words on the cross on Good Friday.
What is new, is to create a response by the congregation singing one verse after each short devotion on the message of that specific word on the cross.
I wrote these lyrics for that purpose and you are welcome to use it, or some of it, if you want to.
It is based on the well known and much loved hymn – When I survey....
I know it came out as a sort of ballad, but don’t hold that against me...

Sermon – readings, devotions and response in song: Seven words on the Cross:
First Reading and devotion on Luke 23: 34: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Congregation sings:
When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Second Reading and devotion: Luke 23:43: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Congregation sings:
I’ll cherish the cross, where I am saved,
his love displayed as thorny crown,
his life for me he freely gave -
my sin I at his cross laid down.

Third Reading and devotion: John 19:26-27; "Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son". Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
Congregation sings:
God’s church commenced there at the cross,
his life he gave to set us free;
all else I count as fruitless loss -
now live for Christ and Christ’s family.

Fourth Reading and devotion: Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34; "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Congregation sings:
Yes, Jesus called, in agony:
“Oh, why my God, did you forsake me?”
There where he suffered hell’s torment,
God turned on him at Calvary.

Fifth Reading and devotion; John 19:28; "I thirst"
Congregation sings:
My Jesus thirsted on the cross,
He quenched my need that darkened day,
He who gives water, suffered loss;
as on the alter all he laid.

Sixth Reading and devotion: John 19:30; When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished";
Congregation sings:
All of his work, our Jesus did,
His work he finished, all he had done.
Completed our salvation that day,
redeemed me there, God’s gracious Son.

Seventh Reading and devotion: Luke 23:46; Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit":
Congregation sings:
My Saviour died on that old cross,
he breathed his last breath on that day.
In our dear Father’s hand he was then,
as on the altar, all he laid.

This is the Word of God.
Thanks be to God.

What is Holy Week

What is “Holy Week”?
The majority of Christians across the globe refer to the week that begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday, as “Holy Week”. We follow Jesus from his triumphal entry, to his cross, death and resurrection.
During Holy Week we observe the Tenebrae Service on Maundy Thursday and our Good Friday services.
The high light is the festive celebration of the resurrection of Jesus on Resurrection (Easter) Sunday.

Because “holy” means that something is set apart for God, Holy Week belongs to the celebration of God and his Christ by remembering the central truth of the gospel that only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, saves us from our sins by his atoning death and victorious resurrection.

What is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday always falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It remembers the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the last Sunday before his Passion.

What is Maundy Thursday and the Tenebrae service? “Maundy” describes the sad darkness of this day. It was on this Thursday night that Jesus instituted his holy Supper, washed the feet of his disciples, experienced the anguish and fear of Gethsemane and was arrested and tried by the Jewish religious leaders. It was the night that he was betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter.

Tenebrae (Latin for 'shadows' or 'darkness') is a unique ceremonial, commemorative liturgy contemplating the suffering of Christ by the gradual extinguishing of candles, a series of Scripture readings, teaching on the significance of the Passion of Christ.

FIRST READER: Luke 22: 39 – 48
First reader extinguishes 1st candle. -
SECOND READER: Luke 22: 54 - 62.
Reader extinguishes 2nd candle
THIRD READER: Matt 27: 22 – 31
Reader extinguishes 3rd candle.
FOURTH READER: Luke 23: 26 - 28.
Reader extinguishes 4th candle.
FIFTH READER: Matt 27: 33 – 40
Reader extinguishes 5th candle
SIXTH READER: Luke 23: 39 – 43 and John 19: 25 - 27.
Reader extinguishes 6th candle.
SEVENTH READER: Luke 23 : 44 – 54
Reader extinguishes last candle.

At the Tenebrae service we recreate the emotional aspects of the passion events. It is not a happy service, because the night remembered is a dark, solemn one in which we are in mourning, because our sins caused the Son of Man so much affliction and distress.
It is an incomplete service, without benediction at the end, only to be completed on Easter Sunday.

Good Friday
Good Friday is not a day of celebration but of mourning, both for the sins of the world and our personal sin, punished by the death and suffering of Jesus Christ.
Yet, although Friday is a solemn commemoration, it is not without its own joy, for while we want to contrast the joy of Resurrection to the solemn sadness of Good Friday, likewise the sombreness of Good Friday is a prophecy of the hope of Resurrection Sunday. We always observe Good Friday, well knowing that Sunday is coming! Traditionally we remember the words of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday...

Seven Words on the Cross:
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Luke 23:34

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Luke 23:43

"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son".
Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
John 19:26-27

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34

"I thirst"
John 19:28

When Jesus had received the wine, he said,
"It is finished"; John 19:30

Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit":
Luke 23:46

Resurrection (Easter) Sunday is the glorious crown of all Christian worship that inspires every Sunday worship service of the year, where we are equipped to live for the glory of God every day of our lives, until the end! You could call it “the most important Sunday of the year”. We should all call it the most inspiring Sunday Worship one can celebrate! Resurrection Sunday, and therefore every Sunday, is a feast of worship and praise, because Jesus triumphed over death and all our enemies.

Pray every day of Holy Week that:
God will bless every service in your own church and amongst every Christian community in the world.
That Christ will call many to receive the Gospel.
That our love for Jesus will be enthused and that God, and worshipping him will be the priority of every Christian in the world – far beyond anything else we could plan or do this week.
That after we commemorated these blessed days, our lives will show the love and mercy of God in the work of Jesus Christ celebrated and remembered during these holy days!
That Jesus Christ, and only Jesus, will be celebrated.

Palm Sunday: A peace march according to the example of Christ!

Palm Sunday: A peace march of the Man who comes in the Name of the LORD, to bring salvation!

On the first Palm Sunday when Jesus rode on a foal, the colt of a donkey, into Jerusalem, the crowds that gathered for the Passover, sang from Ps. 118. They expected the Messiah to come and believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised King. When we read these words from the CEV translation, we clearly see why they chose this song of praise:

Psalm 118: 26 – 29 (CEV)
God bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD!
We praise you from here in the house of the LORD.
The LORD is our God, and he has given us light!
Start the celebration!
March with palm branches all the way to the altar. The LORD is my God!
I will praise him and tell him how thankful I am.
Tell the LORD how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful.

The waving of palms and laying down of clothes were signs of achievement and victory.
Jesus encouraged the honour bestowed on him. (Otherwise the stones would shout it out!) He claimed to be the One who comes in the Name of the LORD. He marched with the palm waving people to the altar in God’s temple, to cleanse it from greed and to judge those who turned it into a robbers’ den.

He deliberately came into the city in this manner, to fulfil the words written in Zechariah 9: 9 – 10:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the revert the ends of the earth.

But did the marching crowd remember that the prophet said that under this King’s rule the war horses of Ephraim (Israel) will be taken away and their bows would be broken? No, because they craved a political and military hero, they quoted the prophecy out of context. They only took from it what suited their own whims and desires.

But Jesus came to fulfil the prophecy within the framework of God’s announcement through Zechariah. That being lowly, he rode on donkey and claims victory by proclaiming peace to the nations. Through the gospel of peace and reconciliation, between God and man, and man and man, his rule through granting salvation, would extend from sea to sea!

The humble donkey became a throne for not only a King, but for the Son of God himself. Jesus used what was considered of little value, in this case a donkey, to be elevated to carry even God himself, our Lord and our Saviour. For our God saves as a peace maker and triumphs through sacrifice and suffering for our sake! The Son of God came into Jerusalem in peace and humility and he rode on a donkey to symbolise the character of his victorious kingdom.

We have to believe that evil is overcome by peace and humility. We have to believe that justice is restored through sacrificial love.

Jesus liberates from all our enemies, from the source and root of our problems: sin, evil, and death itself! This is the rule and reign Jesus Christ had in mind when he allowed the crowd to hail him as the son of David, the glorious Messiah of God and to wave their palms and throw their clothes on the road before him. He entered the city to triumph over evil by being crucified, buried, resurrected, and returned to heaven.

People of God! On Palm Sunday wave your palms! Take courage and proclaim God’s victory over sin, judgement, corruption, poverty, disease, and war. Overcome the real enemy of the people – evil, sin, death, selfishness, greed and lies, in the Name of the King of peace who rides on a donkey.

On Palm Sunday wave your palms! Remember their call to you:
Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
He is indeed the Prince of Peace.
Can you see that he brings peace? Look! The Lord of the universe rides on a donkey!

Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday is a universal Christian feast celebrated on the Sunday before Easter, one week before the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This feast commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the Sunday before his arrest. This entry is mentioned in all four Gospels, which indicates significance ascribed to it in the church during the time when the Gospels were written. (Mark 11:1–11, Matthew 21:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19).

According to the Gospels, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, to fulfil the prophecy that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem in this manner. The celebrating people laid down their cloaks in front of him, and also laid down small branches of trees. They sang part of Psalms 118: 25–26 –“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In Eastern tradition a donkey is an animal of peace and a horse an animal of war. The triumphant entry of Jesus on a donkey proclaims him as a King, but as the promised Prince of Peace.

Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week when we remember the last days before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Music that hails Jesus as Saviour and King is sung and we celebrate that the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God arrived at the altar on Golgotha to be slaughtered during the Jewish Passover, to die for our sins and set us free to serve in the Kingdom of God.

Hymns for Palm Sunday.
While children carry in the palm branches, the congregation may sing the following song from Songs of Fellowship 189, while the children wave the palm fronds:

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!
Lord, we lift up your Name,
with hearts full of praise;
be exalted o Lord our God!
Hosanna in the highest.

Glory, glory, glory to the King of kings!
Glory, glory, glory to the King of kings!
Lord, we lift up your Name,
with hearts full of praise;
be exalted o Lord our God!
Glory to the King of kings.

The following classic Palm Sunday Hymn is sung to the music of “The Church’s one foundation”:

All glory, laud, and honour
to thee, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.
Thou art the King of Israel,
thou David's royal Son,
who in the Lord's Name comest,
the King and Blessed One.

The company of angels
are praising thee on high;
and mortal men and all things
created, make reply.
The people of the Hebrews
with palms before thee went;
our praise and prayer and anthems
before thee we present.

To thee, before thy passion,
they sang their hymns of praise;
to thee, so high exalted,
our melody we raise.
Thou didst accept their praises:
accept the prayers we bring,
who in all good delightest,
thou good and gracious King.

Our closing hymn on Palm Sunday is sung to the music of “Glorious things of thee are spoken”. (My lyrics, but feel free to use them).

Jesus Christ, o Lord almighty,
David’s son, yet holy, free!
We will always praise, adore Thee,
God for all eternity.
Praise our Lord, He is our bounty,
our inheritance is He.
Sing hosanna, bring Him glory,
laud his gracious majesty!

Jesus Christ, o Lord, almighty,
reigns with God eternally.
Who forever aids and helps me,
saves His Church so graciously.
Sing hosanna, bring Him glory,
merciful and great is He!
He who leads His chosen people -
worship Him, praise ceaselessly!

The message of the kingdom of God that Jesus taught, led to his crucifixion – part 2

At the heart of the message Jesus taught while on earth, was that God’s rule and reign has come. We read in Mark 1 :14 & 15 that Jesus said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news”. The priests murdered him for this. They wanted to hold on to their privilege and control – and Jesus led his church to become part of God’s rule and reign. Thus Jesus died as a result of announcing the Kingdom of God and then he inaugurated it through his cross and resurrection.

If Jesus came to establish the reign of God on earth, if he proclaimed this message in words and works, and if, in the end, this message led him to the cross, how does his Gospel impact on what we believe and how we follow him today?

1. We should live every moment realizing that he made us part of the kingdom of God. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). This call is still applicable today. When we accept God’s rule, we also accept his values. His priorities, so radically different from what the world aspires to, I need to make my own, because if I am in the kingdom of God, I should live accordingly.

2. Jesus came to change the world and redeem the lost. Like Jesus, we too should seek the kingdom of God. We should proclaim that when we are part of his kingdom, we are both redeemed and changed to become people under God’s reign. We then live to heal both people and our world, to love our enemies, heal the sick and rehabilitate the paradise, our planet, which God gave us to enjoy and protect. This we do by living faithfully as an active member of the community of Jesus.

3. We who live in the community of Jesus must not want to lord over others, but to serve our King in serving our fellow believers. We do not live to build our own kingdoms anymore, but we live to the glory of the great and almighty King.

4. In the kingdom of God we live in the power and hope of the resurrection. The message, miracles and cross of Jesus would have been long forgotten if he did not rise from the grave and is now alive to exercise his royal authority. We put our trust in Jesus today, and we too die at the cross, in order to live, through the Holy Spirit, in the glorious kingdom that Jesus came to announce and establish. This hope sustains us as continue to live in the “already and not yet” of the kingdom of God. And we know that one day the kingdom of God will come in full power and the victory of God will be complete.

The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever. Amen!

The cross of Christ - for decoration or salvation?

The saving power of the cross of Christ
(Read Mark 15:25-39)

Religious actions and symbols sometimes become the enemy of Christianity. There obviously is a place for some of it, but too often these things hold a primary place in one’s life, instead of a secondary one. When too much emphasis is placed on the symbols of Christianity rather than on the substance of it, the symbols themselves become useless and meaningless.

Crosses are the most important examples of this. Many thousands wear crosses of gold and silver. They often are beautifully decorated – even with precious stones! But one can wear a cross, and remain completely unaware of the real meaning of the true cross, the irreplaceable cross of Jesus Christ. The cross can so easily become just another item of jewellery and decoration. It can become only be a trademark of the church, a mere symbol or logo of the Christian faith, and nothing more.

But there were no jewels in the cross where our Lord died for our sins. I am afraid that many lost the true understanding of the cross. How about you? What does the cross on which Jesus died mean to you?

You may be involved in religion, yet never come to understand the true significance of the cross on which the Saviour died. You may end up with little more than a sentimental feeling inspired by a beautiful golden ornament, rather than a rugged, cruel instrument of death and punishment that revealed the love of God. for sinners

In order to understand the real significance of the cross, we have to listen to the Word of God. There we find a radically different picture of what the cross really means. In the Bible we see a picture which, if received in faith, has the power to change your life. It is a picture that changed human history.

The true cross, a Roman instrument for executing the death penalty, on which the Saviour paid for my sins and reconciled me with God, has immeasurable faith power and immense promise.

Because of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, we can have hope, faith, love and salvation. Because of the cross of Christ, we receive forgiveness. Because of the cross of Christ, our lives find purpose and meaning. Because of the cross of Christ, we are made whole. In the cross we find healing and freedom. The cross of Christ has saving power.

Paul said: "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself." The cross of Jesus should make a radical difference in your life.

What does the cross of Jesus mean to you? Does it impact on your whole life and set you free from the slavery of evil?

Jesus stumbled and fell on his way to the cross. But there is no doubt that he intended to be crucified on that cross. He was born to, and lived, to die on the cross. He knew that the cross was his purpose and his calling. He knew that it was God’s will for him and that it was God’s way to redeem his people. The cross was the highest priority for Jesus Christ. It had precedence above anything else in his ministry.

What does the cross mean to you? Have you experienced its power in your life? Is the cross only a decoration to you, or have you received salvation through its saving power that would change your life? Have the old "you" died at the cross, in order to bring the new "you" who lives for God, to life?

At the foot of the cross stood a Roman officer. He had witnessed many crucifixions, but this one was completely different. The officer saw something he had never seen before. He saw how Jesus, the Christ of God, died.
When we see the death of the Saviour on the cross, we may, through his resurrection power know that he truly is the ever living Son of God!

Jesus loves me! He who died, heaven’s gate to open wide!

Jesus loves me! This I know,
for the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes! Jesus loves me (X3)
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died,
heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
let His little child comes in.
Yes! Jesus loves me (X3)
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He will stay
close beside me all the way;
Then His little child will take
up to heaven, for His dear sake.
Yes! Jesus loves me (X3)
The Bible tells me so.

How did the teaching and ministry of Jesus lead to his crucifixion? – part 1

What was at the heart of the message Jesus taught while on earth?
Jesus proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God. We read in Mark 1 :14 & 15 that Jesus said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news”.

What did Jesus mean by the expression “the Kingdom of God”?
According to the form in the original language, Jesus referred to the presence and power of God’s reign, more than the place of his rule. Jesus spoke about God exercising his authority, in our lives, in heaven and in all aspects of life on earth.

How did Jesus choose to proclaim God’s rule and reign?
Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God through his teaching and parables, but also through his miracles, healings and casting out of demons. He showed in his acts, his supernatural works, that our God reigns.

When is the Kingdom of God coming?
Jesus said that the Kingdom of God, his dominion and rule, has both come and also is coming in our lives and our world. He taught that it has come, and is still coming as well, because it is not yet fully here. Like in the case of a pregnant mother, where one may say that a new baby exists, yet it has not been born yet.
The Kingdom comes in our lives and world, yet we are not perfectly obedient yet and grows daily in obedience. The Kingdom has come on earth, yet evil still impacts vastly on our existence.

How is the Kingdom of God coming?
According to Jesus, the reign of God will come through his death on a cross and through his glorious victory over the grave. Through his sacrifice he would take God’s judgment upon himself and give himself as ransom to redeem us from the rule of sin. And through his victory he would grant us deliverance from being slaves of evil.

How did his message, teaching and ministry lead to the crucifixion of Jesus?
The priests, loyal to Rome, misunderstood the words of Jesus and feared that it would cause an uprising that threatened their privileged position within society. The priestly hierarchy in Jerusalem believed that to overthrow the rule of Rome was a threat to the fragile peace of Judea and therefore to the temple worship that the Romans freely allowed, as long as the Jews accepted Roman rule. The Jewish priests sought to crucify Jesus, to get rid of him and to warn others not to follow in his footsteps in proclaiming the rule of God as passionately as Jesus did.

In closing: Although the message, the cross and the resurrection of Jesus always impacts on society through the words and ministry of Jesus and his followers, it does not strive to replace the rule of those with earthly authority, but proclaims the rule of God over all of our lives and our institutions and governments. Jesus demands that both people, the church and governments obediently surrender to his divine heavenly authority.

(In part 2 of this devotion, next Wednesday, we will ask how we should follow Jesus who both announced the Kingdom of God and inaugurated it through his cross and victory.).

The envy of the priests

Because Pilate believed Jesus was innocent, he offered to release Jesus. The reason given was, according to Mark15: 10, "For he was aware that the chief priests had delivered him up because of envy."

The envy of the priests kept them from receiving Jesus as Christ and Saviour.

Envy is a powerful emotion. It drives a person to do terrible and ungodly things in order to pursue selfish gains and purposes. To envy is to desire to have what someone else has. Envy is an evil and resentful desire to have the blessings someone else enjoys. It leads to lies, gossip, division, anger and hatred.

This is the desire the religious officials felt towards Jesus. And just as envy kept them from Jesus, so it can keep you from him. Beware of it.

Instead of envy, we must have humility.
Instead of disappointment in God, we must replace it with surrender to his perfect, sovereign will for our lives.
Instead of cowardice, we must have boldness.
And instead of prejudice, we must have love:
The love that comes from God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Lenten Hymn 2

To mock your reign, o dearest Lord,
they made a crown of thorns,
set you with taunts along the road
from which no one returns.

They did not know, as we do now,
that glorious is your crown,
that thorns would flower upon your brow,
your sorrows heal our own.

O gracious Lord, a scorching lake,
a symphony of pain,
when God and man you did forsake -
for love and mercy’s reign!

They did not know, as we do now,
though powers rise and fall,
your kingdom shall not cease to grow
till love embraces all!

Jesus died, that we my be truly alive – part 3 - final.

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me."

Receiving a new life in Christ does not mean that I am perfect now. I still sin as a result of my weak human nature. But if my attitudes change, and my view of whom I am in Christ Jesus change, I will find that this new identity inspires me to seek to be obedient to my Lord. What changes, is that I now live by faith in the Son.

Even when a donkey lives its whole life in a stable with horses, it will not change into a horse. It is possible for a person to live a whole life in the Church and never become a Christian. And it is possible for a Christian to live a whole life with the knowledge of being a new creature in Christ and never enjoy the resurrection life.
Only those who have faith can be obedient, and only the obedient, have faith!
We need faith that what the Bible says about us becoming new people who are alive in Christ, to be true and in obedience seek to walk the talk. This is what God desires for us.

To be crucified with Christ and raised to live his life with him should have practical implications for everything we do.

If you understand what it means to be “crucified with Christ” and that you became a new person through his resurrection, you will not be able to forget this truth. Because you received salvation when you realized that Christ died for you and you acted upon it. Because you received salvation, you will never be the same person again. When we in faith begin to expect the Lord to live in us and through us, our lives will change and we will desire for ourselves what God always desired for us.

Expectations mean a lot. Children most often become the people their parents tell them they will become. Telling a child that he is naughty most probably will inspire disobedience, but making him understand his true potential will increase his performance and positive life choices.
In the same way, we all have seen that those who accepted God’s expectations for them change and give them the will and inspiration to grow spiritually in order to live the life that Jesus provided through his cross and resurrection.

What a joy it is to me that more and more members, often our younger members, come to see me to ask how they can grow spiritually and desire to become what Christ expects them to become and to sacrifice what God expects them to. Accepting in faith what the Word tells me the Lord thinks and dreams about me, is powerful. It is life changing and it is exciting.

How others see us is important for our self image. But how God sees us is essential. And how we see ourselves is vital. If we see ourselves as people whose old self, the disobedient person, died with Christ and that we are alive with Christ, we can never be the same again.

By faith in Jesus we see that by the grace of God the old self has been put to death. This is my daily inspiration to seek obedience to my Lord. It inspires selfless prayers to discover God’s plan for my life. It arouses a need to learn more and more about Jesus. It makes me thirsty for being truly alive in terms of God’s definition and in terms of Christ’s expectation for me. This is why we say with Paul "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself up for me."

This is truly who we are - crucified with Christ and raised up to live and do as those who contain the living Lord, who is our life. May we discover this Lenten Season why Jesus died for us. And how we may live for him. And may we be truly ready to celebrate the Eastertide!

During Lent: remember that Jesus prayed for the Church.

John 17:15-19: My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

We need to pray for the church. We need to pray with the same heart that Jesus did when he prayed for his Church in his darkest hour, as he prayed on the way of suffering.

Jesus prayed for his Church in Gethsemane and his prayer had an urgent intensity about it. Here in the garden he reached the difficult place of choosing God's will and not his own. The way of suffering, the cross and death were before him, and yet his prayer was for the Church.

What did Jesus pray for?
1. Not for the absence of suffering, but for protection from the evil one.
Jesus did not pray for the Church to have an easy or prosperous life, but for the safety of those who follow him. Therefore, we as the church may be in the wrong place if we only experience peace and serenity. We are not of the world, because we are sanctified by the Truth. We are sent into a world where the Truth has many enemies and Jesus prayed that we may be protected as we spread the Word about him.

2. Jesus did not want to see the church become like the world. No, we are to become more like Jesus. Our sanctification is a process where we become more Christ-like, in spite of the resistance of the evil world around us.

3. Jesus prayed that his Church will go into the world, in spite of the dangers that want to rob us from the Truth of Christ. We need to, like Christ, serve the world as the humble servants of God and of the needs of the world, as Jesus did! We are changed into the likeness of Christ as we give ourselves for the salvation of the world.

4. As Christ sends us to work for him for the sake of a lost world, we are always under the cover of his prayer that we may be protected!

Jesus died that I may be truly alive - part 2

Devotions during Lent
Jesus died that I may be truly alive - part 2

Galatians 2: 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

All of us want to be alive. More than that, we want to know that we are really living and enjoying the complete joy of those who truly live. Here in Galatians 2:20 we find the secret of how to really live. We find here that only by being dead can we become truly alive.

Christians everywhere struggle with the challenge to be alive with Jesus. The struggle comes from having a sincere desire to belong to Jesus, yet realizing that we are, in our own strength, powerless to live for him. The good news is that God does not only know this need and struggle, but also provided for our struggle. He made a plan, and according to Gal 2: 20 the plan is that true life only comes out of death.

If I have been “crucified with Christ”, my old self with all its limitations has been put to death. This helps our understanding of who we really are, now that we are in Christ. It releases us from the struggle to live the Christian life in our own strength.

The solution is not to be found in the renovation of the old self. You can clean up the old self, change it, and in every way seek to improve it, but it remains the old self! We need to become a new person. The way God has chosen to deal with the old person, is not to improve it, but to remove it. This is what it means to be “crucified with Christ.” We have been set free from the old self and Satan no longer has any right to claim us as his own. We received a new identity, because we are crucified with Christ, and a new person rose with Jesus from the grave when we received him as our Saviour.

It is like a glove. A glove cannot do anything by itself. It needs a hand to fill it. When the glove has a hand inside, it is able to do all sorts of things. We are like that glove. What we need is the Lord to fill us with his presence, and therefore with his power. Jesus fills us with his presence through the Holy Spirit that gives us the faith through which we accept Jesus and the power through we live for the Lord.

The first step is to receive Jesus in faith. The second step is to live in and for Jesus through faith in him.

And the good news is that, as God’s children, we have Christ living within us through his Spirit. The old person, who deserves only judgment, has died – has been crucified with Christ. I am now a new person, in Christ.

(In part 3, next week, we ask the practical question – if this is so – why do I still sin?)

Judas!

Luke 22:47-48: While Jesus was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, "Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?"

It was the custom that a student would greet his teacher with a kiss in Biblical times – to show respect and to show submission. It would be similar to the kiss of a son given to a father today! Judas chose to use this sign of respect, to betray the Lord
How many times did we reverently confess Jesus as Lord, yet we are continuously reinforcing ourselves as the real lord of our lives? How many times have we worshiped Jesus, saying and singing that we are in awe of his sacrifice - with our mouths - not with a kiss but with words, only to again abandon him in our souls and in our works?

Prayer:
“O Lord, as much as I hate to confess it, there is a bit of Judas in me. Forgive me for the times when I pledged allegiance to you, made promises to you, (even in church with the congregation as witnesses) only to discard you in the way that I live. Help me to see where my message to you is a mixed one, where worship and praise and betrayal and deceit live in the very same heart. Deliver me oh Lord, for what I do, is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing!
Through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen."

Lenten Hymn

Jesus, who this our Lententide,
of abstinence hast sanctified,
be with Thy church in saving power,
in this her penitential hour!

And as thou dost, forgive the past,
Thy sheltering arms around us cast
that we may in Thy grace remain,
and fall not back to sins again.

Make, Lord, this Lenten discipline,
a penitence for all our sin,
and through these days,
ourselves prepare,
the joys of Eastertide to share.

or

Make Lord your death remembrance day
a penitence for all our sins.
And through this day
ourselves prepare
the joys of Eastertide to share.

Harvard University Hymn Book 146

Jesus died that I may be truly alive - part 1

Devotions during Lent...
Jesus died that I may be truly alive - part 1
Galatians 2: 19 21: For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

There is a song based on Gal 2: 20 that we love to sing:

It is no longer I that liveth
But Christ that liveth in me.
He lives, He lives,
Jesus is alive in me.
It is no longer I that liveth
But Christ that liveth in me.

The life that I live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son.
He loves, He loves,
Jesus gave Himself to me.
The life that I live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son.

All of us want to be alive. More than that, we want to know that we are really living and enjoying the complete joy of those who truly live.

We need to learn what real living is. We need to be taught what really brings joy, contentment and satisfaction. Many are convinced that to truly live, you need to be wealthy, so they give up time, energy, relationships and worship - and probably a lot more - to acquire wealth. Others think they will be truly alive when their lives are lived for the sake of pleasure, so they live to indulge themselves. Then we find people who believe their lives would be meaningful as a result of successful career, or if they improve their social standing, but this sadly often results in becoming slaves of their jobs, or of greed and arrogance.

One thing that all these philosophies lead to is a relentless, desperate and anxious pursuit of things. Sadly, all the effort, even when much of this is achieved, often leads to disappointment, depression, burn out, anger and the frustration of the unfulfilled.

Christians know what it means to be alive and fulfilled. Being Christians, we have answered the question about the meaning of life, at least intellectually. We know that the meaning of life centres around Jesus, our love for him and our commitment to him. Do we only know how to exist in Christ, or do we know the abundance when we really live as disciples of Jesus and as children of our heavenly Father?

In Galatians 2:20 we find the secret of how to really be alive. We find that only by dying, can we become alive. In order to be truly alive, we have to understand that, as people who belong to Jesus, we are truly dead. This Scripture says, "I have been crucified with Christ." This is one of the greatest paradoxes of Scripture and the mystery of God’s Kingdom: In order to truly live, the old person that we were, need to die.

The Bible says that the old me, with all my limitations and problems, and disastrous goals and desires, has been put to death. This Scripture says, "I have been crucified with Christ."

This is the key to understanding who we really are, now that we are in Christ. It is key to releasing us from the struggle of trying to live the Christian life by our own strength and power. To come to true life by ourselves, our old selves, is more than we can do, and it is more than God asked us to do. When the old “me” has been crucified with Christ, the new “me” will come alive in the risen Lord.
(In part 2 and 3 of this devotion, during the next 2 weeks, we will learn the “How to become alive by being crucified with Christ”).

During Lent, learn about love's abundance...

Mark 14:1-9
Those who love Jesus and are overflowing with gratitude to him, sometimes do some extraordinary things. At least outwardly they may appear eccentric.

Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, loved the Lord. Jesus had been a real friend to her. He had filled her life with hope and showed her the God of love.
He had been there during some of the most difficult times of her life. Certainly one was when her brother Lazarus died. But Jesus had come, and her brother Lazarus was miraculously raised from the dead and given back to her.

Mary had tasted of the love of Jesus. He was not like any other man she had ever known. He was a powerful man who had the authority to cause the storms to cease, demons to flee, and the dead to be raised.
Yet, he was gentle, and he had reached out to her. How could she ever thank him?

Now they were having one last meal together. She thought this might be her last chance to do something special for her Lord. So she seized the opportunity and took an alabaster jar of extremely costly perfumed oil, broke it, and anointed him with it. This was true extravagance.

Mary's love moved her. Nothing was too precious for her to give to Jesus. And what she gave was worth more than one year's wages. So, some complained that she was wasting money that could have been used “better”.

Reacting to the complainers, Jesus gives us the answer for the question: "What is a true good work?" He says in verse 6 that Mary, "has done a beautiful thing to me."
Christian service that is not done because of our love for Jesus is not truly Christian. But service offered, even imperfect service, because we love Jesus and want to truly do his will, will always be beautiful to the Lord and bring him joy.

Now notice what else Jesus said, in verse 8, "She has done what she could." Mary did what she could. She did the best she could, because of an abundance of love for Jesus.

Respond to Jesus today by offering yourself as a sacrifice to God. Then offer gifts of as much as you can do in his the service. As you do, you will find that he will not only accept your gifts, but that he will rejoice over them.
And into your life will come the joy that belongs to those who are in his service and in his will, because of love.

Should Reformed / Presbyterian Christians observe Lent and the rest of the Christian Calendar?

Should Reformed / Presbyterian Christians observe the Christian Calendar?
Although the Christian calendar is deeply rooted in many centuries of Church history, most reformed Christians, including Presbyterians, do not seem to be good enough at explaining and celebrating them. If we do, we often copy other traditions – and not critically enough, I’m afraid.

Looking for a Reformed approach
The purpose of the Christian calendar is to remember the main historic gospel events that the good news is based on. The birth, the ministry, the suffering, death and the resurrection of Christ, his ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit on the first Pentecost Sunday are recalled.
If we do this in remembrance of him, we find a point of reference and a principle on which we can base, explain and defend these celebrations.

Is the basic point of departure of any New Testament worship not the words “Do this in remembrance of me” of Jesus when he had instituted his holy Supper? Proclaiming the gospel “in and out of season” and breaking bread in remembrance of our Saviour certainly forms the foundation of Christian worship and it therefore is the place to start looking for a Reformed / Presbyterian approach when observing these days of commemoration.

I suggest that the benchmark for a Presbyterian celebration of the Christian calendar is: “Is this done in remembrance of Jesus and in fellowship with him?”

Remembering is rooted in Old Testament worship.
“Remembering” was not strange to Old Testament worship. To the contrary, it is clear that devotional life in the Old Testament was based on remembering the great deeds of salvation and liberation by the God of Israel. Each one of the feasts prescribed in the Law, remembered, celebrated and taught what God did in the history of his people, creating and strengthening the belief that he will continue to keep his grace covenant and be their God and the God of their children, encouraging them to seek obedience to the Lord as the people of God.

It was at such a feast of remembrance, the Passover, that Jesus instituted his Supper. It seems to me that in the mind of Jesus, faith would still be sown and grown through “remembering” as part of the New Covenant. We would seek and find Christ’s church, when we remember what Jesus has done to set us free and make us his own.

The Lord’s Supper is a unique celebration.
The Lord’s Supper is irreplaceable and unique. But it does refer us to the principle that remembering God’s gospel events has great value. Proclaiming the Scriptures, faithfully preaching what the Gospel during these Days of Remembrance can, to say the least, not be wrong. The calendar can be a disciplined and structured way of teaching and preaching the full Counsel of God, a task our reformed fathers showed us to do. If this is done according to our confessions of faith, and the means through which we accomplish this, is the preaching of the Word and celebration of the Supper, it does not have to be considered “unreformed”, “unpresbyterian” or “romish”.

The Days of Remembrance are rooted in Church History.
All the commemorative days on the Christian calendar go back far beyond the days of the Reformation, before the ages when the truth within the Western Church became corrupted to the extent that the Reformation was required. To ignore these Days of Remembrance that constitute the Christian calendar, could amount to an arrogance that ignores the wisdom of the ancient church. We should be open to learn about the original intentions and meanings of these days and why and how they came into the life of the church. With the Word of God and our Confessions of Faith as guidelines, it should not be too difficult to discern what would be God honouring and would build up the people of God.

“Remembrance”, the key to understanding reformed worship, should also be the key to unlocking a Presbyterian identity and order of celebration for these commemorative days and seasons.

The Days and Seasons of the Christian Calendar:
The following seasons and days of Remembrance emerged from church history:

Advent Season– four Sundays before Christmas – remembering that Jesus came, is coming and will return to our world.
Christmas - Christmas day and the following eleven days – remembering that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit – our only Mediator between man and God.
Season of Epiphany – remembering, amongst others, the teachings, parables and miracles of Christ.
Lent – the 40 weekdays before Resurrection Sunday, not counting the Sundays, remembering the suffering and death of our Lord.
Palm Sunday – remembering that the followers of Jesus wanted to make him an earthly king, but that according to prophecy, this event confirmed that he indeed is the promised Messiah, the King that sits on the throne of David forever.
Tenebrae / Maundy Thursday – remembering that the Lord, on the night of his arrest, instituted his Holy Supper and serves his disciples, even washing their feet.
Good Friday – remembering that Jesus was crucified, that he died and was buried, as the complete, final and only sacrifice for all our sins.
Still Saturday – that Jesus was laid in the tomb and truly died.
Resurrection Sunday – remembering that Jesus indeed rose from the dead and lives for evermore, conqueror of death, sin and hell.
Season of the Resurrection (or Easter Season) – remembering the power of the risen, conquering Christ in our lives and in the life of the Church.
Ascension Day – remembering that Jesus was enthroned in heaven, ruling at the right hand of the Father, where he intercedes for us and reigns as the conquering Head and King of the Church, from where he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Pentecost Sunday – remembering that we are not alone, but that Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to guide us in the understanding of the full Counsel of God and to empower us with his gifts so that we can proclaim it.
Trinity Sunday – remembering and celebrating the gracious blessing that we know the one and only true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Holy Days not rooted in gospel events.
I doubt that the many other holy days that are observed by some Christians can pass the test of assisting us in worshipping in the spirit of “remembrance of Jesus”, because they are not rooted in gospel events witnessed to by Scripture. A clear case will have to be made as to how these commemorative days can enhance our understanding of the gospel truth.

Historic Background of the Lenten and Resurrection Seasons.
Resurrection Sunday is the oldest commemorative day. The resurrection was remembered every week since the very beginning and Resurrection Sunday since the first century as a result of the influence of the Jewish Passover. It certainly must have been the result of the fact that Christians remembered the resurrection every week, by celebrating the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him.

During the second century it became customary to baptise converts on Resurrection Sunday. They had to be prepared for the confession of their faith and for their challenging walk with the Lord during those ages of persecution and martyrdom. These preparations lasted 40 days – not counting Sundays. It most probably related to the fact that Jesus was prepared for 40 days in the desert before his ministry started, and even related to the 40 days that Jesus was “prepared” for his enthronement before the ascension.

Whatever the motivation was, the church fathers in the second century required these forty days of preparation for baptism. Apart from teaching the gospel truth, fasting and prayer played an important role during this time. Those who taught the candidates in preparation of baptism, shared in observing this time of spiritual discipline. After some time, other Church members felt the need to “do the course again”, although they would not be baptised on Resurrection Sunday. This season, always during the European Spring, very early on became the Lenten Season of the Church, originally meant as a preparation for celebrating Resurrection Sunday.

It is easy to see how the other gospel truths, such as the institution of the Supper, the suffering and death of Jesus, the Palm Sunday history, Ascension and Pentecost events followed and claimed their place in the Christian calendar.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the culmination, the peak, of the Christian Calendar.
The shortest version of the gospel truth is to say that Jesus has risen - that he has risen indeed. Our Reformed tradition emphasises that all worship, including the Supper, creates fellowship with the living Christ. A celebration of the Lord’s Supper that begins and ends on Golgotha reminds us more of a funeral than of our joyous and intimate fellowship with the risen Saviour, our host at his Table. Is it not Jesus who through the signs and seals of bread and wine ensures us of our salvation and inclusion into the covenant of grace? Is it not our living Lord who nourishes and feeds us with himself through the work of his Holy Spirit?

Christian Calendar, reformed and Presbyterian or romish?
Observing the Christian calendar can be considered reformed and Presbyterian, if we never fall short of continuously worshipping, praising and having fellowship with our risen Lord.
It can be considered Reformed and Presbyterian if we can steer clear of legalistic prescriptions and inflexible observances of culturally based customs, particularly those that encourage ritualistic worship that is neither sincere nor authentic.

It can be considered Reformed if we rely on the Word to reveal the gospel truth, if we preach only Christ, the crucified, risen Saviour and if we are careful to require nothing more from worshippers than to rely on and celebrate God’s sovereign grace revealed in Christ, when we observe these age old commemorative days and seasons.

It can be considered Reformed if it grows the faith of the believers and brings all who participate to a place where they through faith alone receive the gracious salvation through Jesus Christ.

Although rooted in Christian history much older than the reformation, observing the Christian calendar can therefore be considered Reformed and Presbyterian, once we ascertained that our festive days and seasons are celebrated only to the glory of God - the one and only God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and in remembrance of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Today is Ash Wednesday. How is Ash Wednesday observed? - part 2

May the Lord bless you today, Ash Wednesday, with love and forgiveness and have mercy on you!

Mark 2: 17 "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Ash Wednesday is about entering a season of focussed spiritual growth and of a time of preparation that will lead to victory, which is essential to everyone who desires to grow in the Lord. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and everything we do during Lent prepares us to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, and for the rest of our lives.

Ash Wednesday is the day when the journey towards Easter begins. Ash Wednesday is, in the words of Mark 2: 17, the realization that we “need a doctor” and coming to Jesus to be healed.
You do not seek healing, without admitting that you are sick. You do not repent humbly, without admitting that sin has a corrupting impact on your life and your relationship with God. And you will hardly understand the full depth of the joy about Jesus who rose and was victorious, without calculating the cost in terms of his suffering, death and burial.

Ash Wednesday is helpful in preparing for Easter, because it encourages mourning our weakness of the past, accepting the challenge of living for God today, and finding hope in Christ for tomorrow.

Mourning our weakness
To mark his sadness, Job covered himself in ashes. Jesus reminds us that true regret includes sackcloth and ashes. Psalm 51 reminds us that all our sins are committed against God! We need to get right with God, to live contently in a relationship with him. We need to come before God in sackcloth and ashes!

Accepting the challenge to live for God today.
When Jesus challenged his listeners to consider the truth that those who are healthy do not need a doctor, he was asking each one of them to examine themselves and stop denying that they suffer from the “sin-illness”. Only when we acknowledge our sin can we receive forgiveness. And only through forgiveness do we make our peace with the Lord.
Ash Wednesday is an opportunity to examine our need for Jesus anew and to start living as people who are always dependent on their Redeemer.

Finding hope for a new future
Ash Wednesday begins a journey called Lent and our destination is Easter Sunday. And Easter Sunday is all about hope for the future. The message of Easter is that Jesus is risen! And it means that we can live a new life after rising from the grave of sin. And it means that even when we die, we will live in Christ forever. I Corinthians 15: 20 says, "Christ has indeed risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." This is an assurance that we too will be resurrected. His eternal life promises ours and that we may live of the fruit of his life, even now. We find hope to overcome the burden, spiritual death, which is the result of sin.

Come and celebrate “forgiveness” with God’s people today! Stop denying that you have the “sin-illness” and come to the Doctor for help and healing!