Devotion.al

  • HE IS RISEN!

    Psalm 118:1–24; John 20:1–23; Colossians 3:1–12 (read online ⧉)

    What a day!

    Most of us have lost a loved one. It is hard. Sometimes we have been present when they died, sometimes we weren’t. How deep the ache depends on the . Even with people we barely knew or lost touch with, there is still a feeling of when they die.

    All of them were still in shock. The women had a (culturally assigned) task to do, and that was perfume ‘ body so that his body wouldn’t smell as bad as it decomposed (yes, it is that basic and gruesome). They had a task which, as hard as it was, provided something to do and help process their loss. The male disciples didn’t have that. They got to sit and stare at each other, with each one probably more at a loss than the .

    And then their whole world got turned upside down…again!

    HE IS NOT HERE!

    HE IS RISEN!

    Shock. Joy. Shock. Disbelief.

    And then…now what? What does this mean?

    We often skip verses 19–23 on Easter. However, note the timing of the commissioning of the disciples. It’s still the Day of Resurrection. Still. The day is not yet over. Doing something is not in the . It is now.

    Peace, sent, receive, forgive. Not quite the order that we think of when it comes to the disciples being commissioned, and perhaps the order isn’t quite as important as when they were commissioned. Everything thing has just been turned upside down…go and do likewise!

    This immediacy even translates later when writes to the Colossians. He calls on them to forego their ways of old, because they are saved (and with Christ) now. It’s not that we to be saved, or wait to go tell others, when we have it down, when we’re perfect. There is no step beyond our salvation at which point we are free or commissioned to share about Jesus. At the point of our salvation, no later, are we to start talking about Jesus.

    No matter how you feel about yourself, whether you are of Christ (you aren’t), or whether he loves you fully (he does), go and talk about Jesus.

    1) Why do you think Jesus commissioned the disciples so soon after his resurrection? In today’s world we often provide “space” to “process”. Jesus didn’t do that. What does that tell us?

    2) Paul tells the Colossians that they are being renewed in according to the image of God they already have. Why is that an important concept and awareness for us?

    3) Jesus was killed by Jew and Gentile. Jesus came to save both Jew and Gentile. If there really is a both/and, why did the church divide then, and why does it divide now?

  • Holy Saturday

    Lamentations 3:1-9; Matthew 27:62-66; 1 Peter 4:1-8; Lamentations 3:19-24 (read online ⧉)

    Imagine the heartache Mary and the remaining disciples. Imagine the heartache and disappointment that wasn’t really the Messiah (he died after all). Imagine the relief of the leaders, as the troublemaker was taken care of.

    Before the previous sunset (Good Friday), per Jewish custom, a dead body needed to be taken care of, as the sunset was the beginning of the when no work could be done. Quickly done. The desire and drive to properly care for Jesus’ body would have to be postponed.

    Mourning for the , and for not properly preparing Jesus’ body. What an emotional state to remain in.

    The disciples were a shepherdless flock, and one of their number betrayed everyone and was now dead. Shock and dismay.

    Loss. This is the day of loss. As it was the Sabbath, there was truly nothing they could do, but in their loss.

    Did they go to the or synagogue? Did they manage to God? Did they eat, or did they ?

    We want to skip to the good part…Easter. We really should sit with the disciples and Mary.

    Let’s hurry up…and .

    1. Waiting for God takes on new significance on Saturday. Are you willing to wait for God?

  • Good Friday

    Psalm 22; John 18:1-19:42; Philippians 2:8–9 (read online ⧉)

    This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.
    Psalm 118:24

    It seems strange to rejoice. It seems strange to call today Good Friday. Yet, we do rejoice that Jesus went through horrible shaming, abuse, disgrace, and agony…then was crucified. We do not rejoice what Jesus went through. We rejoice that he went through it.

    As Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 on the cross, many have claimed that God could not bear to look upon the and shame that Jesus bore, so God turned away. Yet, Mary, Jesus’ mother, did not turn away. She stayed to the . That being the case, can we really think that God would turn away?

    We try to avoid the cross. We wear little cross necklaces. We decorate the walls of our homes and churches with them. Some of us even have tattoos of crosses. We soften the cross with our familiarity with it. As much as in our daily lives we surround ourselves with crosses, nothing, absolutely nothing, can erase the brutality of the cross.

    Yes, we rejoice on .

    Christmas and Sunday () are nice joyful days. They are easy to make warm and -friendly. Good Friday, not so much.

    Yet, we rejoice on Good Friday.

    Christmas was the proof that God was moving, and that God’s was being .

    Easter is often the “candy” that initially attracts people to think about, “what’s next?”

    Good Friday is what holds it : the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

    1. Have you ever thought about rejoicing on Good Friday?

    2. Have you ever hammered a nail? Think about that noise echoing in your mind.

  • Maundy Thursday

    Note: If you are reading this as group, have different people read each passage. Even more difficult, do so around a small light, like a candle.

    Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:12-19; John 13:1-20; Luke 22:7-20; John 13:21-35 (read online ⧉)

    Passover is a key, if not the key festival of Jewish . It is expected that all observant Jews participate. was no exception. Some scholars have concluded that as a Rabbi, it was expected that Jesus would host a Passover for his disciples. By no means should we that this was the only Passover they celebrated together, but it certainly was the most important for us.

    Jesus humiliated himself (by the world’s standards) by washing his disciples’ feet. The sacrament of was established. The words Jesus used effectively wiping away the old . The last piece of journey to the cross is completed by Judas Iscariot. Lastly, a new commandment is given.

    By tradition, the “Maundy” of Maundy Thursday is derived from mandatum, Latin for command.

    “… one another. Just as I have you, you also should love one another.”
    John 13:34

    All of this done for love: God’s love for Israel, God’s love for the , God’s love for Creation, God’s love for you.

    1. Imagine that you know a meal is your last with your loved ones, but they don’t know it. How do you think you would feel? What would you want them to know?

    2. Why do you feel Jesus called the bread his body, and the wine his blood?

    3. Have you ever had your feet washed, or washed the feet of others as we read? If so, what was your of that experience? If not, how do you think you would ?

  • Holy Wednesday

    Psalm 94; Zechariah 13:7-9; Hebrews 12:1-4; John 16:1-15 (read online ⧉)

    The psalmist declares that the Lord’s people will not be forsaken, and justice will return. He continues with the steadfast love of God holding him up when he slips. The beginning of this psalm is harsh in tone but quickly turns to praise of God.

    The hour draws near. From a (and God’s), what is about to happen is harsh indeed. What is about to come is almost like the very vengeance that the psalmist opens up with. Except, all of that will be poured out onto one person!

    There is a sense that , with the time drawing near, has turned on the fire hose, trying to fill the disciples (even the one who betrays him) with everything he can before he is gone. This passage in John is often cited on Trinity Sunday, the day set aside to focus on an essential of the Christian . This short passage is given toward the , conveying a mystery still not completely understood.

    “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
    John 16:12

    The clock is ticking. Jesus promises that the disciples will not be alone. Imagine them trying to understand that this Advocate might be better than Jesus? Better for them at least. How could that be? They had to have been so very confused. Despite wanting to give it all to them, Jesus moved .

    He was coming around the final lap. In his case, there was a crowd of earthly witnesses. Some waiting for him to fall. Others waiting for him to take an earthly throne. Some just wanting him to go away.

    1. Much of Week is just waiting. What are you waiting for?

    2. If you gave up something for , are you anticipating getting it back?

    3. If you didn’t give up something, what do you think the anticipation does to a person’s anticipation of and ?

  • Holy Tuesday

    Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 15:1-16 (read online ⧉)

    Isaiah’s lament is that of a lover of God who cannot overcome the hardened hearts of . Isaiah knows what his anointed purpose is. He also is experiencing some difficulties in getting the people to respond to God. He has not lost hope. His hope and trust are in God, not in the people of Israel actually responding. His value is in his obedience, not his .

    ‘s words to the Corinthians while not as heavy-hearted as Isaiah’s lament still carries in it the reality that God’s message will not always be heard. God is supposed to be the stone upon which Israel was built, so Paul described the mystery of the cross a stumbling block. The treasured (or hoarded) and , so Paul called the mystery of the cross foolishness.

    When we begin to draw upon the true vine, the mystery of the cross becomes a stepping stone and foundation, and not a stumbling block. The mystery of the cross becomes our wisdom as we draw on God’s wisdom, rather than the world’s.

    As we all draw upon the vine, we become more “of one mind”. Our way of thinking transforms from selfishness to selflessness. That doesn’t mean we all don’t have more transforming to do, but it is by drawing on the True Vine that we can do it.

    As we become of one mind with each other, we become (ever so slowly, it seems) of one mind with Christ. We no longer have to be directed for each step, but through the transforming of the Spirit, we as Jesus would.

    1. Much of the world looks at Christianity as foolishness, if not downright dangerous. Are you able to see what they see when they look at Christianity? If not, how can you relate Christianity (and therefore the ) to them?

    2. Selflessness can grow without Christ. How does it do so?

    3. Can you be selfish and a Christian? How do you reconcile that with the growth of selflessness in the Christian?

  • Holy Monday

    Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:3-9 (read online ⧉)

    was given as a to us (Isaiah 42:6b; Hebrews 9:14-15). Can any of us truly understand just what that means? We get glimpses of it in our lives, but to truly understand it, we will have to have been resurrected. The width, length, height, and depth of it truly is beyond our comprehension.

    That Jesus stoutheartedly continued on this path, knowing the coming afflictions, should amaze us all. Some are quick to dismiss it, as Jesus is God, but the of being fully must not be ignored. His full humanity was going to an inglorious and painful . Knowing that part of the human condition is trying to find “the silver lining”, one can imagine Jesus’ when the perfume was poured upon him.
    She probably didn’t understand Jesus’ heart, but that simple (and costly) seemed to have touched Jesus. Jesus was quite correct. Her story has been told, along with his, since the . A simple act of , a simple act of doing something in empathy, lives forever.

    Anointing the anointed. People are set apart for certain tasks. There is a need for the and individuals to recognize those set apart, by anointing those who have been anointed by God.

    1. Do you know of someone who has been set apart? Have you anointed them?

    2. Anointing isn’t always oils or perfumes. What other forms do you think it could be?

    3. It can be hard to embrace the dual natures of Jesus—God and Man. Do you ever struggle reconciling that in your heart and/or mind?

    4. How would you, or could you, explain it to someone who does not know Jesus?

  • Palm Sunday

    Psalm 31:9-16; Isaiah 40:4-8; John 12:12-16 (read online ⧉)

    the wandering teacher comes to Jerusalem. The crowds are building around Jerusalem with Passover coming. Foreigners, wanderers, believers, and scoffers make for a very busy time in Jerusalem. What’s one more?

    This one more has a crowd following him. This one more has a crowd in front of him. The crowd in front makes a scene and a mess. Palm branches thrown on the ground. Clothes tossed on the ground (a precious thing to those who had few).

    !

    Hosanna is a used for . Yet its Aramaic root was, “ us”! While this is praise and adoration, it is also the for the descendent of David to take his rightful place.

    Restore us!

    The Jesus crowd talked about Lazarus. I’m sure the blind man told his story. Stories and gossip were flowing! Maybe this really is the Messiah! The Pharisees even seemed to have become fatalistic (momentarily), knowing there was nothing they could do.

    Yet, Jesus still had teaching to do. Setting his face like flint? In other words, he would teach as the told him regardless of the conditions, whether the praise and adoration of now or the scorn soon to come.

    1. When the flush/rush of first being saved went away, how did you ? Did you set your face like flint?
    2. Do you think there is a difference between, “save us,” and “restore us”? Which describes your /walk better?

Devotion.al

HE IS RISEN!

Psalm 118:1–24; John 20:1–23; Colossians 3:1–12 (read online ⧉)

What a day!

Most of us have lost a loved one. It is hard. Sometimes we have been present when they died, sometimes we weren’t. How deep the ache depends on the . Even with people we barely knew or lost touch with, there is still a feeling of when they die.

All of them were still in shock. The women had a (culturally assigned) task to do, and that was perfume Jesus’ body so that his body wouldn’t smell as bad as it decomposed (yes, it is that basic and gruesome). They had a task which, as hard as it was, provided something to do and help process their loss. The male disciples didn’t have that. They got to and stare at each other, with each one probably more at a loss than the others.

And then their whole world got turned upside down…again!

HE IS NOT HERE!

HE IS RISEN!

Shock. . Shock. Disbelief.

And then…now what? What does this mean?

We often skip verses 19–23 on . However, note the timing of the commissioning of the disciples. It’s still the Day of Resurrection. Still. The day is not yet over. Doing something is not in the . It is now.

Peace, sent, receive, forgive. Not quite the normal order that we think of when it comes to the disciples being commissioned, and perhaps the order isn’t quite as important as when they were commissioned. Everything thing has just been turned upside down…go and do likewise!

This immediacy even translates later when Paul writes to the Colossians. He calls on them to forego their ways of old, because they are saved (and with Christ) now. It’s not that we to be saved, or wait to go tell others, when we have it down, when we’re perfect. There is no step beyond our salvation at which point we are free or commissioned to share about Jesus. At the point of our salvation, no later, are we to start talking about Jesus.

No matter how you feel about yourself, whether you are of Christ (you aren’t), or whether he loves you fully (he does), go and talk about Jesus.

1) Why do you think Jesus commissioned the disciples so soon after his resurrection? In today’s world we often provide “space” to “process”. Jesus didn’t do that. What does that tell us?

2) Paul tells the Colossians that they are being renewed in according to the image of God they already have. Why is that an important concept and awareness for us?

3) Jesus was killed by Jew and Gentile. Jesus came to save both Jew and Gentile. If there really is a both/and, why did the divide then, and why does it divide now?