Easter Sunday is about the resurrection of Jesus!

Easter Sunday is about the resurrection of Jesus!

Do we give the message of the resurrection of Christ enough thought and time in congregational life?

The central message of Easter is the resurrection of Christ. That is why we till Pentecost Sunday focus on this most important of all Christian truths, that Jesus was raised from the dead - and we call it Eastertide.

Indeed, all Christian worship throughout the year testifies of the resurrection of Christ. The fact that Christians worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, instead of on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, testifies that the resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental truth on which Christianity stands.

Jesus rose on the first day of the week. And we worship on the first day of every week, to say to the world that we serve a risen Saviour. Sunday worship testifies every Sunday of the importance of the resurrection to every Christian and all of humanity.

Jesus is alive. He did conquer and we are redeemed!

Let’s celebrate Eastertide with joy, vigour, faith, commitment, faithfulness and much love. 

What is so “good” about Good Friday?

Good Friday is a commemoration of the day of the suffering and death of Jesus. So why call it good?

Because it is a crucial day that celebrates a most significant moment in the history of the world.

Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross of Jesus to be the turning point for all people, and even more so for all believers in Jesus Christ as Saviour.  Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what God had promised all along through the ages. (1 Corinthians 15:3).  We remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1 John 1:10).

Before we understand the good news of the gospel, we have to understand the bad news of our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of deliverance only makes sense once we see how we have been oppressed by the consequences of sin. 

 Good Friday is “good” because as horrifying as the suffering of Jesus was, it had to happen for us to be able to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God came upon Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, in order for forgiveness and salvation to be given to his people.

The day that seemed to be the greatest triumph of evil was an act of God to redeem us from the burden of sin.

On Good Friday we learn that God’s wrath met his mercy and grace at the cross. 

Good Friday is “good” because the suffering of Jesus brought us the joy of salvation, his death brought us eternal life and his sacrifice absolved us from our guilt.

And it is good, because without Good Friday, there would have been no Easter Sunday!

Tenebrae Liturgy and Readings.

Tenebrae Liturgy and Readings.

On Maundy Thursday night, the evening before Good Friday.

Introduction:

You 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 shadows. The gradual extinguishing of the lights at the end of the service is symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus during the night of his arrest, with the flight of the disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, the looming shadow of the cross. The moments of total darkness recalls the time when he was in the tomb.

The relighting of the central candle is a prophecy of Easter so soon to dawn.

We ask you to observe the rule of silence throughout the service.

The liturgy ends with the relighting of the central candle, after which the congregation leaves the church in silence and go home still meditating the experience of Tenebrae...

Call to Worship

Romans 8: 38 - 39

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Or use Psalm 16:  7 – 9.

Hymn/s

Prayer of Adoration and Confession of sins.

We worship you, we give thanks to you, o LORD. You are the one living and true God, who is Spirit, personal, infinite, and eternal, present in every place, the almighty Author and sovereign Lord of all; most blessed, most  holy, and most free; perfect in wisdom, justice, truth and love; to us most merciful and gracious; unto whom only we must cleave, whom only we must worship and obey.

To You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be glory forever.

You are holy, O God of majesty, and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. In Jesus, born of Mary, your Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. He lived as one of us, knowing joy and sorrow. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, opened blind eyes, and broke bread with outcasts and sinners.

Dying on the cross, he gave himself for the life of the world. Raised from the grave, he won for his people victory over death. We praise you that Christ now reigns with you and will come again to make all things new.

Forgive us our sins. Purify us and cleanse us, o Lord. Give us strength to serve you faithfully until we feast with you and all your people in the fullness of your glory and joy.

Through Christ, with Christ and in Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, belong to you all glory and honour, eternal God, now and forevermore!

Grant us, o Lord, peaceful fellowship with you and with each other.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

Lectionary Readings:  Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14;   Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35.

Short Sermon.

Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Let us pray:    Almighty and ever-living God, we thank you that in your great love you have brought us together tonight to experience the darkness of the night of your arrest, that we may with more commitment and thanksgiving praise and worship you for the eternal Light we gained when you laid down your life for your friends.

Grant us the grace to live according to the Gospel Truth we have heard and experienced tonight.

When we remember that Thursday night when you washed the feet of your disciples, when you instituted your Holy Supper, when you were denied and betrayed, when you anguished in Gethsemane, waiting to carry the wrath of God for our sins, when your emotions became dark and sad   - as we remember the darkness of that night - speak to us through your Word and urge us to repent, because we have done this to you by our sins, impurity and disobedience.

Father and God of Light and truth - help us to accept your love for us;

teach us how to believe when the world around us become dark;

change our hearts that we will expect that the Light of the World is our Redeemer from darkness and our Saviour from the judgement of God.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

Amen.

(Keep in mind that Easter Communion on Easter Sunday is the celebration where our Holy Week services peak in joy and the experience of our fellowship with the living, conquering Lord.)

Tenebrae Readings and Extinguishing of the Tenebrae Candles:

Suggested readings:

FIRST READER: Luke 22: 39 – 48

First reader extinguishes 1st candle.

SECOND READER: Luke 22: 54 - 62.    2nd candle extinguished.

Music while contemplating the readings... (Betrayal)

THIRD READER: Matt 27: 22 – 31    Reader extinguishes 3rd candle.

FOURTH READER: Lukas 23: 26 - 28.     4^th candle extinguished.

FIFTH READER: Matt 27: 33 – 40     Reader extinguishes 5^th  candle

SIXTH READER: Luke 23: 39 – 43 & John 19: 25 - 27.     6^th candle extinguished.

Music while contemplating the readings... (Sadness)

SEVENTH READER: Luke 23: 44 – 54      Reader extinguishes 7^th  candle.

Music while contemplating the readings... (Death)

Minister:     With a loud cry, Jesus, breathed His last...

The minister then extinguishes the central candle.

Total darkness represents that Jesus was in the tomb

SILENCE

After about a minute, the minister relights the central candle with the words.

On the 3rd day, He rose again!

The minister leaves the sanctuary immediately and worshippers follow in silence.

This is an incomplete service, without benediction, only completed on Easter Sunday.

We leave the sanctuary in silence – and go home reflecting on the experience of Tenebrae…

TENEBRAE - Thursday, 17 April 2014

TENEBRAE

During the services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday:

Reflect and meditate on the last words of Christ spoken from that

cross:   words of grace, love, hope, agony, suffering, finality, and rest.

Remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the atonement of our sins.

Recognize the gravity of our sin that caused him the agony.

Repent and turn to God for forgiveness.

Realize the greatness of the Holy Trinity, the one and only God who saves.

Respond to the Lord in reverent worship, prayer, and obedience.

On Maundy Thursday we share in the Tenebrae liturgy. The word ‘tenebrae’ is Latin for shadows. The purpose of the Tenebrae liturgy is to recreate the excruciating emotional aspects of the passion of Christ. It is not a happy service, because the occasion it reflects on is not a cheerful one. The deeply felt love for Jesus that holds on to his sacrifice for our sake is not entertaining.  But it brings us to stand in awe, to remember with reverence, to love passionately and to be grateful beyond the possibility of the expression of words and actions.

On Maundy Thursday you 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. 

It is to stand in the shadows within the darkness of Christ’s suffering.

It is keeping watch with the Lord.

The gradual extinguishing of the lights and candles is symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus as a result of the flight, the denial and betrayal of his disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, the shadows of the cross. 

The moments of total darkness recalls the time when he was in the tomb.

And the relighting of the central candle is a prophecy of Easter so soon to dawn. 

The purpose of the service is to recreate the abandonment and agony of the events, and it is left unfinished, because the story isn’t over until Sunday – Resurrection Day.  At Tenebrae we do not hear a “happy ending story” but it speaks of love and divine commitment to us, God’s people. And because the outcome is not on Thursday, or Friday – the final word, the final blessing, the amazing light comes on Sunday.

There can be no faith without listening to what Jesus said on the cross.

There can be no joy of atonement, without the death of the Sacrificial Lamb.

There can be no joy of life, without the dreadful death of the Saviour.

There can be no joy of Paradise, without the Redeemer’s forsakenness by God.

There is no forgiveness without the bitter pain of repentance.

There is no grace and mercy, without the wrath of God satisfied.

There is no salvation, without God acting to redeem us by giving his Son.

There is no joy of thanksgiving, without reverent worship and prayer.

Palm Sunday Devotion

This Sunday, 13 April 2014, billions of believers within the world-wide church will celebrate Palm Sunday. They will call it the first day of Holy Week, the final 7 days of Lent, remembering and giving thanks for the last week of Jesus' atoning ministry on earth. 

Palm Sunday commemorates the Saviour’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem only days before his arrest and crucifixion — an event recorded in all four Gospels in the New Testament.

According to John 11, it happened just after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in the small town of Bethany. This dramatic miracle captured the attention of many, including the Judean aristocracy in Jerusalem and fuelled their fear that this plain rabbi from Galilee would steal their influence and the wealth they acquired from being in cahoots with the imperialistic oppressor, Rome.

Jesus and his disciples returned to Bethany and Bethphage, slightly east of the Mount of Olives. He sent two of them ahead to a nearby village for a donkey and, after the disciples placed clothes on the animal's back, Jesus mounted it and rode into the city.

"This took place," says Matthew (21:4-5), "to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” And:  “Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road" (Matthew 21:8, quoting Zechariah 9:9-10).

And Luke tells us:  "As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:37-38).

The Old Testament background to this day is found in Zechariah 9:9-10:

“Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey. And he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth."

Some of those present at the first Palm Sunday hoped for, and others feared, the launch of a revolt against Roman oppression.

But Jesus was no military leader - he rode a donkey, not a warhorse — and his concern was pastoral and not political, as we read in Luke 19: 41 – 42:

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

Oh, if we would only see what will bring us peace and who he is who will set us free, we will come on Sunday to sing our hosanna’s to the King and prepare our hearts for commemorating his sacrifice of love and deliverance so soon to come!

Liturgical Prayers, hymns and songs for Palm Sunday.

As we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus on the Sunday before his arrest, may our worship bring glory to Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Lord and King. 

Call to worship:   Psalm 118: 26 – 29   (ESV)

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God; I will extol you.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now, and always!

Prayer of Praise and for the forgiveness of sins.

Oh Lord of hosts,

you are a good and faithful God and your love endures forever.

We are troubled and find it hard to meet our many responsibilities and for this reason we cry to you, our Lord.

Because you are with us, we will not be afraid.  You, our Saviour and King, are with us, you are our Helper and our refuge.

O King of glory, eternal Son, exalted Lord, you are our Guide.

Lord Jesus, who gave your life for our salvation, who bled and died that we may live - and rose from the dead that we may conquer sin and temptation:

Forgive us our trespasses, our impurity and our disobedience.

Forgive us for not making you, our Head and our King, first in our lives.

Forgive our selfishness, our greed and our envious desires,

and make us worthy ambassadors for the Lord of lords.

May we share in the triumph of Jesus who entered Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace.

Give us courage to serve you today, and always.

To the glory of your Name and only by grace, we pray.

Amen.

Prayer of Illumination:

Glorious Lord, Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who once entered Jerusalem triumphantly to reveal that you are the Messiah, the son of David and the eternal Son of God,

by the work of your Holy Spirit and to the glory of your Father,

reveal to us your  grace, your power and your peace, your majesty and your love as we listen to the Holy Scriptures read and preached today.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

Readings:   Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Matthew 21: 1-11 or John 12:12-16

Prayer of Intercession:

Heavenly Father, Almighty God -

You sent your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, into this world as our Friend and for our salvation, so that by his humility and his becoming one of us, he might call us back to fellowship with you.

We come before you on this Palm Sunday, with great expectations and excitement, proclaiming your majesty!

Hosanna in the highest!

Hosanna to him who comes in the Name of the Lord!

Father, we rejoice that through the work of your Spirit we received the good news, in which we stand, and by which we are saved:

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day;

We believe he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. 

He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 

He is our Lord and God.

Lord of heaven and earth,

we thank you for that you have blessed us and all your children across the world, in every age, through the work and witness of your world-wide Church.

We bless you for the teaching of the Scriptures, for the preaching of your Word, and for the grace of your sacraments. We praise you for our friendship and fellowship in Christ with one another.

In your mercy and by your grace, listen to our prayers for the Church of Christ.

Purify your people from all pretence, dishonesty and injustice

that as we confess Christ as Lord and everlasting King,

all whom Christ called to be his own  may be of one heart and one mind

that everyone will see and be amazed by the unity of the Body of Christ, your own people,  

to the honour and glory of your Name and for the salvation of many.

We pray for all who celebrate the Good News of our Lord and preach and teach your Word!

May we glorify you through our worship and our teaching on this day of celebration.

Holy Spirit, draw your people to the Father in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We pray for all who do receive your Word, to be faithful witnesses to your grace, your love and your kindness.

Father God, deliver us from the weakness that gets in the way of the proclamation of your truth;

awake the careless; help us to turn from our wicked ways; restore the penitent; strengthen and confirm the faithful;  protect and guide our children;

and comfort and heal the sick and the distressed.

Today we remember .........     who need your healing touch, your loving comfort and your majestic power and strength!

Bless us, Lord, as we observe your holy week.

Bring us together to gratefully remember your affliction for our sake on Thursday night and urge us by your Spirit to regret our sins and disobedience that caused your suffering as we worship on Good Friday.

May we all sincerely and with much joy celebrate your glorious and eternal victory on Easter Sunday.

During this Holy Week, dear Lord, help us to

proclaim liberty to the captives, to set the oppressed free, and to announce the day of the Lord 's salvation.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord

Amen.

Hymns and Songs:

SOF 189

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.

SOF 27

All hail King Jesus!

All hail Emmanuel!

King of kings, Lord of lords,

bright morning star.

And throughout eternity I’ll sing your praises,

and I’ll reign with You through-out eternity.

Hymn based on Psalm 118 and sung on the music of “Glorious things of Thee are spoken”.

Christ is made the sure foundation,

Christ the head and cornerstone;

chosen of the Lord and precious,

binding all the church in one;

holy Zion's help forever,

and her confidence alone.

Christ is made the sure foundation,

Christ the head and cornerstone.

To this dwelling, where we call Thee,

come, O Lord of Hosts, today!

With your faithful loving-kindness

hear Your people as they pray,

and Your fullest benediction

shed within its walls always.

To this dwelling, where we call Thee,

come, O Lord of Hosts, today!

Praise and honour to the Father!

Praise and honour to the Son!

Praise and honour to the Spirit!

Ever three and ever one!

One in might and one in glory,

while unending ages run.

Praise and honour to the Father,

to the Spirit, to the Son!

Palm Sunday Hymn on the music of “The Church’s one foundation”  - Traditional Palm Sunday Hymn

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, now 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.

Jesus Christ, o Lord almighty (Music of “Ode to Joy”)

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!    

Lent: Sacrificial love

John 15: 13 – 14    Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.

We are missing the boat if we are restructuring our churches to only become “friendly churches”. People do not need “friendly churches" as much as they need "friends".

The Son of God invested so much to become our Friend.  He came from the glory of heaven to be one of us and he invested the sacrifice of his very life to be our Friend. He gave his body and blood to be able to take us home to his Father and introduce us to God as his friends.

Jesus did not choose us to become his servants, his slaves  - but called us to be his friends and initiated us into the “inner circle” of the friendship of the Father and the Son.

When we observe his command to love one another, we learn how to share in the eternal friendship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Taking his commandment to love one another to heart, we have to accept his standard that there is no greater love than laying down your life for one’s friends.

True Christian love, is sacrificial love.

And sacrificial love will change the world.  It can change a community, a nation and a country.

It will change a marriage and a family.

Sacrificial love will meet our need for friendship and stamp out loneliness.

It will renew a Church!

Love is the supreme fruit of our lives. And it makes us more than family - it makes us friends in Christ!

As we prepare to share in Holy Week from 13 – 20 April - may our friendship grow in Christ,

and with Christ!

Lent: It is all about love!

The love of Christ is a central element of Christian belief. It refers both to the love of Jesus Christ for humanity, and to the love of Christians for Christ. These two aspects are not separate teachings—the love of Christians for Christ is simply a reflection of his love for his followers.

In the Gospel according to John, the parable of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21) symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ based on his love:  “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. There shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

And in 1 John 4:19, the spontaneous nature of this love is highlighted: "We love, because he first loved us", expresses our love of Christ as a mirroring of Christ's own love for us.

John is saying that our love of Christ results in the following of his commandments. In John 14:15, Jesus states, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." and John 14:23 reconfirms that: "If a person loves me, he will keep my word". During the Last Supper Jesus gives a new commandment to his eleven remaining disciples: "Love one another; as I have loved you" and states that: "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples."

During our Lenten journey it is our love of Christ that grows because of a deeper understanding of his love for us.  The cross is the ultimate proof and revelation of his love. And when we learn anew during this season to take up our cross to follow him, our Easter joy will be complete when we see his glorious victory that will keep our love for Jesus and his love for us, gloriously alive for all eternity.

Christ is King! No power-mongers for me, thanks!

In John 18 we read about the hearing of Jesus before the Roman judge and governor, Pontius Pilate.

The drama told here is about two contrasting types of power. On the one hand we have Pilate - the institutional authority, whose power resides in the Empire and the army that stands behind him. On the other hand we have Jesus, whose power comes from the fact that he tells the truth.

When Pilate asked Jesus whether he is a king he said: “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." (v.37)

Power given by the truth is not imposed on anyone. It is a power that people give you because they trust you. When the people said of Jesus, “He spoke as one who had authority, not like their scribes and Pharisees”, this is authority he received form his followers because of his integrity.

Jesus said, “everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice”, because they recognise that he speaks the truth and so they hold him as an authority and listen to him, regardless of whether he has any official position given by any institution.

Christ is King! He is the one whom we acknowledge as our ultimate authority. We are subjects of his Kingdom of heaven. His rule is the one we recognise above all others.

And so we will not serve any of the power-mongers of this world who would turn us against each other in hatred and distrust. We will not play their games and we will not compete with them on their level.

Our Kingdom is not of this world. Their ways are not our ways. Their goals are not our goals. We do not want their power. Their kingdom is not our Kingdom.

We follow King Jesus who gave his life for his friends.

We belong to the Truth. 

Lent: Humility is a virtue.

To be humble means that you have a clear perspective of your place in life, in context with God and other people. It also means that you know your short comings and that you submit to the Word of God.

Humility is the direct opposite of being in love with yourself, an overestimation of your own competence and accomplishments and being a person motivated by pride. 

The most famous phrase of C.S. Lewis on humility is:  "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less."

The New Testament goes to great lengths to persuade us of the value of humility.  "Blessed are the meek" Jesus said (Matthew 5) and "he who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12).

In the life and ministry of Jesus Christ it is his humility that is held up to us as an example of righteous living and of pleasing God.  Peter says of Jesus that "when they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”(1Peter 2:23,24).

Humility is a fruitful recipient of grace, according to the words of James, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble". (James 4:6.)

Jesus, in walking the way of suffering did not think less of himself.  He acknowledged before the high priest and governor Pilate that he is the Son of God and that he is a heavenly King.

But he thought about himself less than thinking about our salvation, our need of atonement and that we would be lost without his ultimate sacrifice.

Well-knowing that he is the eternal Son of God who became a man for our sake, he washed the feet of his disciples, he allowed the soldiers to crown him with a thorny bush and crucify him, he allowed Pilate to sentence him to crucifixion and willingly chose to carry the wrath of God for our sins in our place.

There is no following of Christ and there is no Christ-like life and service without imitating the humility of Jesus. And as children of God it does not mean thinking of ourselves less than the Holy Spirit teaches us to think, but to be thinking less about ourselves and more about the needs of others, sacrificing our rights and privileges to bring others to God’s joy and glory too.

Daily Lenten Prayers

Loving Lord,
You gave us your Son to be our food and our life!
Help us to listen carefully to the message of the cross
that we may celebrate your love every day of our Lenten journey,
that our lives may reveal him more clearly
and we may be witnesses to him.
Help us to experience joyful praise in Lent!
Help me to understand and embrace
the mystery of the Lamb of atonement,
the beauty of this season, and not to run from the pain,
but to see your saving grace and how your loving touch in my life
can fill me with the joyful praise of the salvation
you have sent to me.
In Jesus Name.
Amen.

Loving Father,
So many times we turn away from you
and you always welcome us back.
May we walk in the newness of life in you, our Saviour.
Your mercy and love give us confidence.
As we journey during Lent, give us a new heart
filled with compassion, as you have compassion on us.
Help us to await the Easter joy with hope in you,
the hope in Christ who died and rose for us.
Amen.

O God of mercy who understands my needs!,
I know that with the help of the Holy Spirit
I can open my heart more fully
to the  deepest meaning  of the suffering and death
of your only begotten Son, our Lord:

The meaning of the submissive humility of God who became a man

and his compassion that nailed Him to his cross.

Help me to imitate his modesty during my Lenten journey,

to become a true neighbour to those in distress,

and a good Samaritan to those in trouble,
while I remember that the mercy I receive
is a gift from you, my Lord and my God.
Through Jesus my Redeemer.  Amen.

Lord, 

do not deal with us as our sins deserve.

Remember not my iniquities of the past;
may your compassion today come to us,
even though we do not deserve your compassion or love.
Lord, do not deal with us as our sins deserve.
Help us, O God our Saviour,
that your Name may be glorified,

that your Kingdom may come

and your will be done!
Deliver us and pardon our sins
that we may be set free and for your name's sake.
Lord, do not deal with us as our sins deserve. Amen! – see Psalm 79

God of Love,
through this Lenten journey,
cleanse my desires to serve only you.
Free me from the temptations to judge others,
to place myself above others.
Deliver me from my impatience with others,
that with your love and by your grace,
I might be less engaged with myself,
and more filled with the desire
to follow you, in laying down my life
according to the example of Jesus Christ, my Lord.  Amen

Loving God,
I hear your invitation, "Come back to me"
and I am filled with such a longing to return to you.
Show me the way to return.
Show me the Truth, the Way and the Life!
Show me Jesus!
Lead me this day in good works I do in your name

and for your sake
and send your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
Let me only know your love today.
Amen.

Loving God and Father,
I am your child and yet I too often turn my back
on your love.
Accept my acts of sorrowful repentance today
and release me from the selfishness
that closes my ears to hear your Word

and closes my heart to your love and forgiveness.
As I journey through Lent,
let me remember the feast you have prepared for me,
the wedding feast of the Lamb, in the resurrection
and let me be filled with gratitude that helps me to live for your glory.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Lent: Repentance and Penitence

Lent:  Repentance and Penitence

Repentance is about reviewing one's actions and feeling sad regret for our wrongs of the past!

It involves a commitment to change our lives and correct our mistakes, resolving to live a more disciplined and obedient life that honours God and his authority over us.

It includes an admission of guilt, a promise not to repeat these sins and an attempt to make restitution for the consequences of what we did wrong, or in some or other way reverse the harmful effects of our sins.

Penitence emphasizes the regret for one's wrongdoing. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone feels bad (or sad) about it afterward, and if you have regretted something you did, that sorrowful feeling was penitence.

The word Penitence shares the same root as the verb repent, which means “to express regret.” It is also connected to the word penitentiary, another word for prison and has a strong association with the expectation to be judged, found guilty and to be condemned.

Sometimes penitence is so painful you might think you deserve to be in prison or you feel that you are imprisoned by shame and remorse.

Romans 8: 1 – 4 address our fear of condemnation.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  because through Christ Jesus...  the Spirit who gives life, has set you  free from the bondage of sin and death.”

Those who are “in Christ Jesus” are released from the prison of guilt and the judgment of God. Those who are “in Christ” are “out of prison and condemnation”!

During Lent we are set free of blame and receive forgiveness when God responds to our repentance, our penitence, with mercy, grace, forgiveness and the restoration of our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Never beyond the reach of the power of Jesus. (John 11)

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, three adult siblings from Bethany, are friends and followers of Jesus.

Lazarus has fallen gravely ill, and his sisters Mary and Martha urgently send for Jesus, who is “across the Jordan” to come and help them.  (11:1-3).

Jesus’ response to their situation seems surprisingly indifferent. “Though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was” (11:5-6). Jesus expresses confidence that Lazarus’ illness will not lead to death, but rather to the glory of God (11:4), yet by the time Jesus finally gets to Bethany, Lazarus is already dead and buried. He is in the grave for 4 days, already.

We can understand the anguished cries of Martha and Mary to Jesus, who greet him separately but with the same words: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (11:21, 32). Implied in this statement are some pointed questions.

Where were you, Jesus? Why did you take so long getting here? I thought you loved my brother. I thought you cared about us. Some of the neighbours gathered also ask among themselves, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” (11:37).

Aren’t these exactly the kinds of questions we ask, or would like to ask, when tragedy strikes? Where were you, Lord? How could you have let this happen? Couldn’t you have prevented all this horrible pain and heartache? Couldn’t you have acted faster and more decisively?

To Martha, he responds with a promise: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (11:25-26).

Jesus pulls the hope of the future resurrection into their present hopelessness, promising abundant, eternal life that begins here and now.

With Jesus, we find out, it is never too late. Even when we are convinced that all is lost, even when we are ready to give up, Jesus demonstrates that there is no loss, no tragedy, no power in heaven or on earth that can place us beyond the reach of his infinite love, abundant life and divine power.

He is deeply moved by our sadness and at the same time he is the almighty Christ who can bring life where the stench of death already seems to have the upper hand!

Liturgical prayers during Lent

Call to Worship:

Psalm 52: 8 and 9:   I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.  For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people.  And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.

Give thanks to God, because through his mercy we received the spirit of discipline that we may triumph over evil and grow in grace.

Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, gracious and merciful, world without end!

Come, let us worship the Lord, our God!

Prayer of praise:

Gracious, merciful Lord, how hard is it to read and hear of the abuse your only begotten Son suffered even prior to his crucifixion. What can I say in response, but "Thank You" for Jesus walking the path of grief, suffering and shame for my sake. Our Lord took the abuse that I deserved, and gave us his glory in return.

Dear Lord Jesus, you chose the cross. Those who led you to Golgotha were simply working out what God our Father had willed and you, Lord Jesus, had freely and lovingly chosen.  How can I thank you for this costly choice?  Because you took up the cross, I am forgiven and can take up life in all of its fullness. Make me eternally grateful, Lord Jesus.

Father -   glory, honour and praise to you, who gave us your Son. Help us to believe in him and we will never perish, but praise and worship you, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Prayer for the forgiveness of Sin:

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, 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.

Forgive me, dear Lord, when I let fear get in the way of my relationship with you. Forgive me for all the times I have fallen short in my discipleship, because I've been afraid. Forgive me for failing to trust you when you've proven through your suffering to be completely worthy of my trust.

Dear Lord, help me to acknowledge my sins, both to myself and to you, rather than justifying myself through immature and pointless excuses and defences.  My hands will only be clean, Lord, when I am washed in the blood of the Lamb.

(Now let us all, during a time of silence repent of our sins and in faith expect the forgives of God)

O Father who forgives and restores - grant me faith in the atoning death and victorious resurrection of Jesus in my place and, by your Spirit, teach me how to live and how to love.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer for enlightenment:

Guide us, O God, by your Word and Spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and in your will discover our peace;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Prayers of Intercession:

Eternally kind and gracious God and Father of us all, thank you for your mercy.

You give us what we need, not according to what we deserve, but according to your infinite grace and love.  Thank you for hearing our cries and responding, remembering even me. Thank you for the promise I have of Paradise beyond this life.

Father God, our hope and our salvation, listen to our prayers.

Oh Lord, through your Spirit, enthuse  all believers to carry forward the torch that saints have carried from generation to generation, since the beginning of the Church,  without compromise or fear, that the Light of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord,  will guide all nations to follow God’s reformation plan for their countries and for humanity.  And make your people holy, as you, our God, is holy!

God of mercy and love, send the Holy Spirit to enable every Christian to proclaim the Gospel in the rural areas and amongst the poorest communities and to liberate through Jesus our Lord,  everyone from fear, superstition and false religion. Save those who are lost as the result of human wisdom, worldly leadership and manmade schemes. May we all, because we are in need of salvation, put our trust in the only Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer.

Holy and almighty God, unite preachers of and listeners to God’s work, both the leaders and the members of all faith communities, to work together without envy, personal agenda’s or personal politics to accomplish their best endeavours for the work of God, sparing nothing and giving everything for the redemption of all people and the growth of God’s work in local churches and in the worldwide assembly of the faithful. 

In your mercy, dear Lord, grant peace to peoples worn out by civil war, violence, unrest and military threats to their countries.  Provide for generosity to refugees, all foreigners, all who had to abandon their homes and motherlands and Lord, protect their safety and dignity.

O tender and gracious Creator, our Lord and God, heal all who suffer from depression and are lonely, sad and afraid and grant that your children will help them to see and experience the mercy and the love of God and his Church.

Call and help health workers who will bless community health programs, clinics and hospitals to provide for excellent care of all who are ill, treating those who are sick with respect and love.

And now, Father, listen to our prayers for those in our congregation who are ill, afflicted and in pain.

We pray for.......

Father, grant us and all your children a blessed Lenten Season. Make it a time of spiritual growth, commitment to you and your Kingdom and a time to strengthen and increase our love for you, our Redeemer and our Saviour.  

Prepare our hearts by remembering what Jesus did for us when he suffered, died and was buried for our sake to, at a time so soon to come, be truly able to celebrate that for our sake and for the glory of your name, your gracious Son rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and graciously reign over us as exalted Lord and God of your Church and of all creation.

Gracious Lord Jesus, how can I ever thank you enough for dying for me on the cross?  Your death has given me life. Your sacrifice has led to my blessing. Help me never to take your death for granted, forgetting what you did for me and neglecting its significance. May the reality of your sacrifice press itself upon my mind and flood my heart.

As we hear your eternal Word, even Jesus our Saviour, make us truly thankful, living your Gospel and sharing your gifts and your deliverance, as we seek your face and long for a closer walk with you.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Was blind, but now I see...

I was blind, but now I see...

John 9 recounts the cure of a blind man, which more importantly is also the spiritual healing of one who has been in the dark about the truth that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.   This event is an encouragement for all to recognize Jesus as the true Light of the world.

John 9: 36 – 38 Jesus said to the blind man that was healed, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

This is the climax of the story! It is the miracle of faith based upon Jesus' disclosure of himself as the Son of God. The blind man now had insight added to restored sight. In this preacher from Galilee he saw the precious, long awaited Messiah, his Saviour.

Now we understand what Jesus meant when he said the blindness of this man was to demonstrate the power of God. (9:3) Great good came out of the blindness. If the man had not been born blind, he probably  never would have learned who Jesus was. He gained a Saviour and a Lord.

The greatest miracle of all is when the blind eyes of my soul are opened and I too can say, “Lord I believe” and I worship Jesus!

A Reformed identity for observing Lent and Easter!

“Remembrance” is key to Biblical worship. To remember what Jesus did for our salvation is therefore the benchmark of a Biblical celebration of the Lenten Season, Holy Week and Easter.

Remembering is rooted in Old Testament worship.

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 while encouraging them to, as the people of God, seek obedience to the Lord.

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. The Kingdom of God  is coming and Christ’s church is established when we remember what Jesus has done to set us free and make us his own. 

Jesus gave us the key to Christian worship when he said:  Do this in remembrance of me!

Remembering is rooted in the Lord’s Supper.

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.  Christian worship and fellowship is defined by doing it in remembrance of Jesus, our Lord to the glory of God, our Father.

Systematically proclaiming the Scriptures during days and seasons of remembrance and faithfully preaching what the Bible tells us about the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus can never be wrong. It is a disciplined and structured way of teaching and preaching the full council of God, a task our Reformed fathers showed us to do.

The Days of Remembrance that we observe are rooted in Church History.

All the commemorative days on the Christian calendar go back a long way before the Reformation.  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 as our foundation and our Confessions of Faith as guidelines, it becomes easy to discern what would be God honouring and build up the people of God.

“Remembrance”, the key to understanding worship, should also be the key to unlocking a reformed, protestant identity when celebrating these commemorative days and seasons.

Ash Wednesday.

In the Western Christian Calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent for the last 1 300 years.  It occurs forty days before Easter, not counting Sundays, which as the first day of the week, always remains a day of the celebration of the risen Lord

Ash Wednesday sets the tone for the season of Lent and because any form of spiritual discipline, prayer and fasting during this season will result in a closer walk with the Lord, Ash Wednesday is both useful to help us to observe the Lenten season with humble and contrite hearts. 

Historic Background of the Lenten and Resurrection Seasons.

Resurrection Sunday (more often called Easter Sunday) is the oldest commemorative day in Christianity. It was observed since the first century as a result of the influence of the Jewish Passover. It is the result of the first Christians, from the very beginning of the church, celebrating the resurrection every week on the Lord’s Day,   by celebrating the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him.

During the second century it became customary to baptise all converts on Resurrection Sunday. They had to be prepared for the public 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 relates to the fact that Jesus was prepared for 40 days in the desert before his ministry started.

The church fathers in the second century required these forty days of preparation for baptism. Apart from teaching the gospel truth, discipline, fasting and prayer played an important role during this time.  Those who taught the candidates for baptism shared in observing a time of strict 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 very early on became the Lenten Season of the Church, meant as a preparation for a joyful celebration of Resurrection Sunday.

It is easy to see how the other gospel events such as the suffering and death of Jesus, the Palm Sunday history, Ascension and Pentecost 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 / Presbyterian tradition emphasises that all worship, including the Lord’s Supper, is fellowship with the living Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.  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 through his body and blood?

Should Christians observe Lent and Easter?

It is an edifying tradition if we do not fall short of continuously worshipping, praising and having fellowship with our risen Lord.

It is a good tradition if we can steer clear of legalistic prescriptions and inflexible observances of culturally based customs, particularly those that encourage ritualistic worship with ideas strange to the simple gospel of salvation.

It is a good practice if we rely on the Word to reveal the gospel truth, if we preach 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, when we observe these age old commemorative days and seasons.

It is good ministry if it grows the faith of the believers and brings all who participate to a place where they through faith celebrate the wonders of salvation given to us in and through Jesus Christ.

Rooted in Christian history much older than the reformation, observing these holy days and seasons is edifying once we ascertained that the way in which we celebrate these days and seasons are inspired by the Gospel, guided by the Word, directed by our Confessions and Creeds and is celebrated to the glory of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

How do I participate?

Various church services on Sundays and days of commemoration reflect on the gospel events during both the Lenten and Easter seasons.  Preaching, hymns and prayers during these seasons find their inspiration in the suffering and death, resurrection, ascension, exaltation and return of Jesus.

We participate by ensuring that we celebrate and remember when the church of the Lord meets for public worship during these various days and seasons of remembrance.

We also participate when our private devotions / quiet times during these seasons, reflect on what these gospel events teach us and what message the Lord personally has for us.

We may want to participate by, like millions of Christians in the world do, decide to “give up something for Lent”.

The original thinking behind this custom was the deepening of our faith and spiritual discipline through fasting and prayer. “Giving up something” is a way to encourage spiritual growth and not an end in itself.  The basis of observing Lent in this manner was and should always be that it adds to growing our faith and our relationship with God and with our fellow believers.   The idea is that we grow spiritually through these Lenten disciplines.

And discipline is the key word - the Greek word Paul uses for "Godliness" implies discipline, moderation, frugality, charity, meditation, prayer, and study.  Godliness is a lifestyle that draws us closer to God and to seek to live holy lives because we are grateful for the grace and mercy of God.

The idea of adding to our devotions on the one side and “giving up something” on the other is to bring us to a closer walk with God.

Lenten additions include, amongst others,

-  coming closer to God through times of focussed prayer, reflection and worship;

-  growing through the creation of good habits and breaking bad ones;

- touching others through charity and kindness.

The challenge is this:  "What, if anything, are you going to consciously do to ensure a closer walk with the Lord as you prepare to remember Christ’s resurrection during Easier?

What do protestant Christians emphasise during the Lenten season?

There are two important aspects:

* Penitence: We realise our own brokenness and our need for Christ.  God’s commandments become our teacher that drives us to Christ for forgiveness with a thirst for sanctification.

* Preparation: We strive to open our hearts wider for remembering Christ’s suffering and death and the celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

During Lent people add to, or subtract, from their daily routines in order to draw closer to God.

Prayer, Bible study and contemplating the gospel are key to observing Lent.   Reducing TV time, getting up earlier to do more to deepen our quiet times and following Bible study guides are practical things that add to a fruitful Lenten season.  Coming to Church and sharing with the faithful in our community will teach us to be disciplined in worship.

Fasting or giving up something during Lent is helpful if it lends a hand to become more disciplined disciples of Jesus Christ.

Seeking justice in the world by giving donations to the less privileged, volunteering time for charity and promoting causes for justice while reaching out to those who do not know the Lord Jesus as Saviour and God as their Father.

Keeping Perspective...  There must be no legalism about any of this. We are not trying to impress God. We're trying to prepare our hearts.  Observing Lent in the ways discussed here is no obligation!

It is not a Biblical requirement!

It is a good custom that helped many Christians over many centuries to, in fellowship with their fellow Christians, seek a closer walk with the Lord that lasts during all seasons!

Lent is an opportunity rather than a burden and we pray that yours will be meaningful!