Lenten Devotions 2009

Blessed Easter

Mark 16:1-8
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.  And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.  They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”  When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He has been raised; he is not here.  Look, there is the place they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”  So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

About those spices….  I hear “spices,” and I think of oregano for Italian gravy, cumin for chili, cardamon for Swedish coffee cake.  I don’t think mortuary science.  Thank heaven, then, for Google!  It taught me that in this context, “spices” is a generic term used for substances used to temporarily counteract the odor of decay.  People in first century Palestine didn’t “embalm” bodies as we do with formaldehyde, or as the ancient Egyptians did.  Their “spices” didn’t prevent decomposition ; like a modern-day air freshener they simply (and briefly) covered up the evidence.

Frankincense was often used to make anointing oil fragrant.  Does that ring a bell??  “Gold, frankincense and myrrh” — three gifts given to a Babe born in Bethlehem: gold because He is a king, frankincense because He is God, myrrh because He is a man, destined to die.  In this case, frankincense and myrrh mingle to become the oil which anoint the dead: God and man in one person, Jesus of Nazareth, crucified — and risen!

The women buy the spices and haul them to the memorial garden in which they think Jesus is buried; but of course the tomb is empty and the spices go unused.  He did not go unanointed, though.  The woman with the alabaster jar prepared His body for burial while He still lived and laughed and dined at the house of Simon the leper (Mark 14.3-9).  The children who walked the Way of the Cross during Good Morning, Good Friday, learned how that unnamed lady broke open an alabaster jar of perfume and poured it on His head in loving devotion… which the kids thought was pretty bizarre, but Jesus thought was pretty wonderful!  (”She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial.  Truly, I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”  Mark 14.8-9)

She did what she could; in Jesus’ eyes, the offering was enough.  We have done what we could with our Lenten observance; in Jesus’ eyes it is enough.   The most perfectly disciplined living out of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, could not have raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  Only the Father could do that.  He did.  Not because of us.  Not despite us.  For love’s sake.  Alleluia!

Dear Father in heaven, we line up our little tasks to gain Your approval, sometimes stockpiling spices to wrap up a body coursing with life!  Thank You for both accepting what we bring and making our ministrations unnecessary with Your uncanny, unmatched ability to bring life out of death.  “Christ is risen, alleluia!  He is risen indeed, alleluia!”  Amen.

Pastor Mary Virginia Farnham
bluiris27@msn.com

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And Was Buried

Mark 15:47
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Now, the member of the group that had earlier condemned Jesus, Joseph of Aramathea; claimed his body, prepared it for burial and buried him. Since Joseph was not one of Jesus’ disciples, and the women did not participate in the burial process; which would have been common, we can only assume they must have been watching to see what was to happen.

We can also say that the disciples owe this man a debt of gratitude for he did what they should have done. They failed to do what John the Baptists followers did for him. It can also be said the two women wanted to know the location of the tomb, so they might return to pray, or to do whatever was needed to care for Jesus’ tomb. Notice that we have a Jewish Council member, the Roman governor, a centurion, and the women who can attest that Jesus was “crucified, dead and was buried.”

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven
And is seated on the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.

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Transforming

Mark 15:46 
So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

The week started with jubilation and shouts of Hosanna in the Highest.  And here we are at what seems the lowest possible point.  Jesus has just been taken off the cross – dead.  How much confusion and emotion were the followers of Jesus feeling at that moment?  Some 2000 years later many of us still feel these emotions. The verse seems so final, but it’s not.  This verse is a beginning, a transformation to new understanding and peace.

I want share with you the advice my mother gave to me many years ago.  I never understood what she meant until I experienced it for myself.  “You can’t have Easter Sunday without Good Friday”.  Come to the cross on Good Friday and lay down your sins.  Walk through the uncertainty on Saturday.  Arrive on Saturday to the experience of the Easter Vigil.  And finally come to service on Easter Sunday to hear the chorus rejoice to Handel’s Messiah.  You’ll be amazed how three days can transform you.

Father in heaven, may we come to understand your love and sacrifice in a completely new way this year.

Peace,
JJ

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Life Eternal I Inherit

Mark 15:44-45
Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.

There are two points being made; first that Jesus had died so quickly for a man of good health. Death by crucifixion was a long and terrible ordeal, it usually took up to three days for death to come. In Jesus’ case it took but three hours.

Joseph had come to Pilate to beg for Jesus’ body, so the burial could occur prior to the Sabbath which began at sundown. Pilate, after conferring with the centurion that Jesus was actually dead, granted Joseph the body of Jesus. Notice Mark’s gospel does not refer to any disciple being present. They had already fled, even if they had been present; there may have been a problem for them to obtain Jesus’ body, they would have needed a patron form the Jewish aristocracy. Joseph of Arimathea was a respected member of the council and it was he who received the body.

Christ, the life of all the living,
Christ the death of death our foe,
Christ yourself for me once giving
To the darkest depths of woe;
Through your suffering death and merit
Life eternal I inherit.
Thousand, thousand thanks are due,
Dearest Jesus, unto you.
Amen.
LBW 97, Christ, the Life of ALL the Living, Verse 1

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Never Too Late

Mark 15:42-43
It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.

It is against Jewish law to do any physical work or to travel on the Sabbath.  Joseph, who is part of the Council known as the Sanhedrin, is well aware of this law.  (Sabbath begins on Friday at sundown and ends on Saturday at sundown.)  The footnotes in my Bible tell me that it is also against the law to allow a dead body to remain exposed overnight.  So …  it is incumbent upon someone to take down Jesus’ body and put it in a tomb before sundown on that fateful Friday.

Joseph is the man of the hour here!  It does seem strange that one of the Jewish leaders, the same ones that want Him gone, comes forward and claims the body for burial.  Where is he before Jesus’ crucifixion?  If a vote were taken in the Council to decide if Jesus lives or dies, how has his vote been cast?

I don’t think it matters how Joseph has voted, if, indeed, there were such a vote.  What does matter is that he is FOR Jesus NOW!  His appearance before Pilate asking for Christ’s body says it all for me.  He knows now what he needs to do, and he does it without reluctance or apparent fear.  His actions are stating to everyone -  to the Jewish leaders, to Pilate, to Christ’s disciples, to the multitudes who follow Jesus at that time, to every generation who has lived from that time to this - that he has chosen Christ as his Lord and Master.

It’s not too late for Joseph.  He somehow realizes he has a public choice to make.  He cannot hide any longer.  Maybe God’s Spirit has whispered to his heart, calling him to opt for lightness and good over darkness and evil that day.  However his conversion happens, he has finally found “the kingdom of God” for which he has been seeking, right there at Golgotha, hanging on that tree, dying for the sins of mankind, for him for you, for me.

Father, forgive us , for we know not what we have done.  Open our hearts and minds so that we, too, may see the “the kingdom of God” in our time. Amen.

nancy sabo

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The Importance of the Sidelines

Mark 15:40-41
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus’ mother Mary and one of the male disciples (”the one whom Jesus loved”) stood at the foot of the cross.  In the other three Gospel accounts, though, those who loved Jesus looked on from a distance.  St. Luke says these were “all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee” (Luke 23.49).  St. Mark and St. Matthew speaks only of the women.

Whenever I think of the women’s presence on Skull Hill (Calvary), I’m torn between admiration they were even within eyeshot of those horrific goings-on, and sadness they were still so far away — probably beyond Jesus’ ability to see or hear them and to be comforted by their proximity.  I don’t know the reason the women kept their distance.  As women, were they not permitted to get any closer?  But in St. John’s Gospel, the women are allowed to stand in the very shadow of the cross (Mark 19.25).  More likely, in their frail humanity and battered emotional state, they were too frightened to get any closer.

I’m sadly guessing I would have stayed far beyond the reach of the Roman soldiers on that Good Friday, of no earthly good to Jesus despite my love for Him.  As I think of the greatest story ever told, though, I’m heartened that God used those frightened women  even in their weakest moments.  Because they were present, not absent, they were witnesses to Jesus’ crucifixion and death.  Afterward their witness to the Good News of His resurrection would be magnified greatly because they knew the Risen One had been as dead as a doornail two days prior …  On that first Easter morning, they were also able to trailblaze the way to the tomb where He was laid.  They may have been timid but they were tenacious as well.

There are other frail people throughout history who were not courageous or powerful enough to stop injustices from occurring, but who served afterward as witnesses to the atrocities and helped to “bring to justice” those who perpetrated them.  In that, they served God’s purpose, after the fact.

Dear Father in heaven, we often keep our distance from that which is painful and scary.  Grant us courage to be “up close and personal” with those who suffer, that our presence might alleviate some of their pain.  When we insist on distancing ourselves, use us as witnesses to reveal the injustices we see and to prevent them in the future.  In all things, answer our sin with Your forgiveness and overcome our weakness with Your strength.  During this week we call Holy, we pray in the precious name of Your cruelly crucified and gloriously risen Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Pastor Mary Virginia Farnham
bluiris27@msn.com

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Purpose

Mark 15:39
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and[a] saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Jesus came into this world in a manger made of wood and ended His mortal time on a tree. It was humble and lowly, the beginning and ending, for the “King of Kings”. Not what one would have expected for God’s chosen one - His own son.

If Jesus were to walk up to us looking as He did then, a middle easterner with calloused hands from all his time as a carpenter working with wood, would we acknowledge him?

What about a handyman looking for work (perhaps to help build a house or make some repairs) to pay his bills and feed his family, could he have been our savior?

What type of miracle would it have taken for us to believe that the person sitting next to us, or the thief in prison is the Messiah?

Jesus had a purpose in life, to save our souls.  The soldier had a purpose, to witness our salvation. The carpenter has a purpose, to build us shelter and to care for his loved ones.

What is your purpose in life?

God loves Jesus - God loves us. We, like Jesus, are all God’s creations and God loves us all equally. Certainly part of our purpose in life is to love God and to love one another as equals and to share the good news of God’s love and grace in our lives.

And, you never know what other purpose your neighbor (no matter how different from you they may appear) may have in your life.

Dear Lord, we have not seen but we still believe that you were sent to save our souls. Help us now to recognize your face in all the people that we meet who may have been sent into our lives to save us in any small or great way. Amen.

Denise Clayton

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The Jesus Story

The entire story of Jesus is laced with love, mercy and compassion.  In it, God tells us of His determination to save us; it’s the story of of redemption.  From the beginning, actually from before time itself began, the Father planned to send His own and only Son, Jesus. into the world, a sinful world, for us. From all eternity, God the Son knew He would suffer the pain and loneliness of hell on the cross so that we would never need to suffer those things.

The Jesus Story is a story of Forgiveness, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”.  The Jesus Story is a story of Humility. “One by one, gently and lovingly, He washed the disciples feet”.  It is a story of Thankfulness. ” Taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave Thanks and broke the loaves”.  Finally, it is the story of Service. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many”.

We could focus, of course, on dozens or even hundreds more characteristics of our Savior’s ministry.  All of that, together with everything we remembered today, from the birth of Jesus to His resurrection and ascension into heaven, and all that is yet to come in eternity … all of it is the Jesus Story.

Dear Lord, help me to follow in the footsteps of Your divine Son. Let my attitude be the same as that of Christ Jesus.  Instill in my heart forgiveness for injustices, real or imagined, that I have endured.  Teach me humility, thus reflecting my love for all men. Let me always be thankful for all I have received.  In service to You, help me to always be of service to my fellowman.

Patricia Lord

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Surely

Mark 15:37-39
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.  The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

God could have made things a whole lot different if he made the fact that Jesus was the Son of God as plain to each and every one of us, as he did to the centurion at the foot of the cross on Good Friday. If there were thousands gathered on Calvary to witness Jesus’ death, and there were signs from God so clear that all believed, would faith matter anymore?  I often wonder why God chose to send Jesus to earth when and where he did, and how he decided who would be present to witness these events, and who would be left with the uncertainty of the story translated and repeated over thousands of years.

There have been times in my life where I felt like shouting “Surely, Jesus is the Son of God.”  I feel this most often while praying with all of you in Holy Trinity’s cozy sanctuary, and after witnessing the love and care expressed by so many of you for each other.  When I read some of my favorite passages from scripture for the 100th time, yet find new meaning and relevance in those familiar words. When I see the beauty of nature in the ocean and animals and the spring flowers, I feel my faith flourish.

But there have also been events where I feel the pangs of doubt, followed by guilt and anxiety. When a person of faith is bombarded with one tragedy after another, I find myself questioning – where is their God?  It was sad, yet brought me some relief, when I heard that even Mother Theresa expressed doubt about her faith after spending so much time with the oppressed and downtrodden of this world.  It seems that even Jesus, in his human-ness doubted when he asked, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Lord, forgive me when my faith waivers, and strengthen my faith and hope in you, so that I might proclaim every day, “Surely Jesus is the Son of God.” Amen.

Susan Ardito

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He Is With Us Always

Ecclesiastes 7:14
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. 

This verse says so much!  These days it seems we’re hearing bad news 98% of the time!  But there is always good news, you just have to look or listen for it.  We need to remember that in all times God is with us.  It can be difficult and times, but God can be found in that 2% and when found there is glory, hope and possibility!

This verse takes me back to 2001 when we were patiently waiting to bring our daughter Mae home.  It seemed that we were getting little or no news about when we’d be approved to travel to Cambodia to bring her home.  It was my faith and hope that God was with me through the waiting that allowed me to persevere.  Whenever I see my daughter I know that God was and is with me!

Father in heaven, be patient with us when we forget that you are with us always.  Thank you for your consistency for hope.

JJ Keelan
Mary “JJ” Keelan
mary.keelan@yahoo.com

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Finding What We Expect

Mark 15:33-34
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”— which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

“Confirmation bias” is the tendency to see what we expect to see.  For instance, if we believe that Friday the 13th is unlucky, we’ll interpret whatever happens that day negatively, even if it’s a neutral event.  If I believe that death comes in threes, I’ll keep looking until I find the full complement of three, even if the total includes the next door neighbor’s gerbil.

To some who experience faith as hollow and God as distant, Jesus’ cry from the cross is a confirmation that the Father abandoned Jesus and that even Jesus’ faith couldn’t withstand that measure of suffering.  For those for whom faith is the bedrock of existence and for whom God is intimately present, Jesus’ cry from the cross is an expression of solidarity with all who have gone before and clung to belief despite torment: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22.1)  As do all psalms of lament, this one ends with reaffirmation of God’s steadfast love and of the psalmist’s trust: “…I shall live for him.”  (Psalm 22.29c)

What do we expect today from God?  Whatever it is, we’ll find it.  One of my extended family members was just diagnosed with cancer. So is the glass half full or half empty?  The quick answer might be a cynical, “Well, what do you think?”  But the cancer was found very early, because of a preventative screening the person underwent on the spur of the  moment, at a loved one’s suggestion.  I expect God to be gracious.  God is.  This preemptive diagnosis is a blessing, not a curse.

Dear Lord, You have a magnificent track record of faithfulness: how could we expect anything else from You??  Grant us Your grace today, that our “confirmation bias”  be that Your hand of blessing is upon us and those whom we love.  For the sake of Jesus, who believed and trusted even as He hanged upon the cross.  Amen.

Pastor Mary Virginia Farnham
bluiris27@msn.com

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Testing God’s Plan

Mark 15:29-31
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves.  “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!”

I am glad that I am looking at this scene of Jesus on the cross with the benefit of history behind me.  I wonder if I had been there, would I have been part of this crowd?  Would I, too, have been throwing insults at him and accusing him of being an impostor?  What has he done that is so wrong?  Nothing!  He has not done anything wrong!

“The Son of Man,” as Mark sometimes refers to Jesus, has come to earth to live among us; in fact, he has come to live and to experience all of the emotions and temptations that we humans, ourselves, experience.  Remember when Jesus is in the desert for forty days, and Satan tries to trick him into sinning against God by skewing the scriptural meanings of the Old Testament passages? (see Matthew-chapter 4)  He even promises Christ “the Kingdoms of the world” if he bows down and worships him.  Imagine!  Satan does not want God’s plan of salvation to work.  I believe he thinks that if he can “trip up” Jesus, if he can cause him to sin in some way, there would be no salvation for mankind; instead, there would be another fall from Grace comparable to the debacle which occurred in the Garden of Eden. (remember the serpent?)

Thanks be to God!  Jesus passes the tests in the desert all those many years ago.  He knows what his purpose here is to be.  It is to teach the gospel to a fallen world.  It is to “take up” his cross, to become “sin” for us, and to “die” on that cross so that we may be redeemed.  Oh, what a Saviour!

Let’s go back to the scene in Mark’s story.  Do you see any similarity between those people who are jeering and taunting Jesus as he hangs on the cross and Satan who is also jeering and taunting him in the desert?  To me, the scenes are remarkably the same!  Somehow, Satan is able to “use” these people (the ones in today’s reading) to try one more time to foil God’s plan for the salvation of humanity.  Satan wants Jesus out of the picture!  Jesus, however, could have called on ten-thousand angels to save him from this humiliation, but he does not.  He “chooses” to stick to the plan, God’s plan for the salvation of the world. He loves us that much!!

What would have been my role at the foot of the cross that fateful day?  I don’t know.  I would like to think that I would have been on God’s side, the side of justice and peace and love; but I can’t be sure.  The most important role for me today, however, is to be a faithful Christian and to live in the light of Christ’s “new” commandments:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul, and with all your mind and with
all your strength… and Love your neighbor as yourself.
( Mark 12:30-31)

Prayer:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in
your sight,  O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen.
(Psalm 19:14)

Nancy Sabo

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 Consider the Hopelessness

Mark 15:24-25
And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.   It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.

It’s the ugly side of our human nature to seek personal gain out of another’s tragedy.  The soldiers cast lots to see who would get Jesus’ clothing.  This seems so calculating and heartless a gesture, after all Jesus was still living.  One of the two robbers asked Jesus to save his soul - remember me when you come into your kingdom. The soldiers and the thieves were seeking personal gain in the face of Jesus’ suffering.

I often feel a bit guilty for my tendency to skip over the sadness and terror of Good Friday to focus on the eternity of Easter. Of all mankind who ever lived, whether before Christ was born, or after his Resurrection, the only people who ever experienced a complete loss of hope for the Messiah were the disciples during the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Before Jesus, all lived in hope that the Savior would come. After the Resurrection, we know that it is through Jesus death that we are saved. Only those close to Jesus when he was here on earth, ever experienced the total lack of hope that existed during those 3 dark days. Knowing the happy ending to the sad story almost feels like cheating.

Try to put yourself in the shoes of the disciples and of Jesus’ Mother during that brief time when all hope was lost, and it is nearly devastating. To jump straight to Easter without pondering the passion is taking on the “what’s in it for me” attitude that the Roman soldiers and the robber next to Jesus on the cross took. It reminds me of a statement my friend’s mother used to say when somebody expected gain without effort: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.”

Lord, teach us that struggle, suffering and self-denial are means for us to develop into the people you want us to be. I am sorry for my selfishness and weakness of spirit. Thank you for the gift of life that came through your suffering. Amen.

Susan Ardito

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Vigil Promotional

Mark 15:24
And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

Here on Main Street in Manasquan, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, the people hold an overnight vigil in the sanctuary after the evening service on Good Friday. We take one hour shifts of prayer and meditation. The church interior, stark white and unadorned as a New England winter, reflects our thoughts, letting us hear His response to our solitary prayer. We spend an hour outside of ordinary time.

During a vigil a few years ago, I watched over the altar from three until four in the morning. The night was cool, with mist and swirling fog.  The evening before, we sang the old hymn “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom” and the melody of the chant echoed in my mind. I brought a devotional reader with me, one of those short Scripture verse and one paragraph books. Luke’s familiar story of Jesus and the two thieves caught my eye and was a focus of my vigil.

At four o’clock I returned to my car, having seen no one but my relief coming in for her shift. As I turned on the vehicle the first words I heard were from a radio “Passion” play, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise” (these are the words our Savior said in answer to the second thief’s request that Jesus remember him). I drove home confused (and a little nervous as I crossed two drawbridges).

What does this mean? The Crucifixion is the turning point of time. The prophets of the Old Testament point towards it. The Christian era begins with it. In our annual celebration of Easter we step back from our day to day cares to think about the promise fulfilled, about absolution, and about a treasure that no thief can steal and that time can not corrupt. To Christians the empty cross is not a reminder of a horrific Roman method of execution. It is a symbol of life everlasting, of promises kept, and the triumph of the Lamb.

We think of Lent as a time to remember our faults and the many ways we all stray from the straight and narrow path of God. But Lent is also a time to remember that God works outside of time. Jesus paid for all sin for all time as he hung on Calvary over two thousand years ago. And, today, we are all like the two thieves hanging beside Him and the soldiers casting lots for a dying man’s clothes. To Jesus, all of us can be the faithful thief and to Jesus, everyday is Today.

Jesus, remember me when you come into you kingdom.
Let your people maintain a Vigil within their own hearts to hear your word.
Give me the faith of the thief who believed and not the despair of the doubter.
Jesus, make me whole.

Amen.

Dennis Blazak

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Simple Truths

Mark 15:22-23
They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull) Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

Many times the anticipation of a frightening or unpleasant task is worse than the event itself.  By  now Jesus was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, arrested, beaten, mocked and scourged. He finally arrived at Golgotha, and was probably wishing he could just die and get it over with. Thinking about the crucifixion and three more hours of suffering had to be devastating to ponder.

In trying to understand the significance of Jesus’ refusal to drink the wine offered to him, I found many interesting interpretations. Wangerin explained that Jesus refused the wine mixed with myrrh because it was a narcotic, and Jesus accepted the pain and suffering such that he did not want to mask it with a drug. Other studies reported that the myrrh or gall was actually poison and Jesus did not take it so that he would die on the cross rather than before.  Another explanation is that it just tasted bad; that it was acidic, and was an insult to offer to a person, so he did not accept it.  Recall also, that the Magi brought myrrh to Jesus when he was born, and thus aromatic substance bridges Christmas with Good Friday.   Whatever the reason, Jesus refused the drink and faced the brutality of his death on the cross.

As JJ said in her devotion yesterday, the Bible is amazing! So many details, and yet such a simple message. Jesus suffered for us, and died to redeem us, and rose again to give us eternal life. Thank you, Jesus!

Susan Ardito

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Carry the Cross

Mark 15:20-21
And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.

The bible is amazing!  In the NIV bible verse 21 is written, “Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from they country”.  The details are amazing and they make me wonder.

From earlier readings we know that during Holy Week Jerusalem was filled to capacity with visitors making their pilgrimage.  Along comes Simon, who for all intents and purposes, is just a bystander.  Perhaps he’s just trying to get across the street to the home where he is staying or to meet family or friends.  A centurion taps him on the shoulder and calls him out from the crowd.  Could you imagine the fear and concern that must have been going through his mind?

Simon is forced upon Jesus, a man he may have never met or heard of, and is instructed to carry Jesus’ cross.  Can you image the thoughts and emotions that could be going through Simon?  At that moment in time Simon’s life must have changed.  Imagine if you were thrust upon Jesus and instructed to carry his cross?  How would you feel; how would this change your life?

During holy week you will have the opportunity to experience the passion of Christ.  As you travel through this dark, lonely and confusing place know that God is with you.  Travel in silence and wonder in preparation for the glory of Easter morning.

Father in heaven, be with us as we continue our journey of Lent.  Enlighten us with your word to give us strength and hope.

Mary JJ Keelan
Mary.Keelan@yahoo.com

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I Did Not Hide My Face

Mark 15:16-20
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

“Sticks and stones can break my bones but names will never hurt me.”  I’ve also read the alternative version that says “ Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can crush my spirit.”

Jesus remained silent throughout this taunting, spitting and verbal abuse. By now, his human side had surrendered to the will of the Father, and his divine side understood that this was all necessary for our salvation. He knew he would prevail, and conquer the very sin of cruelty that the crowd and the soldiers were inflicting on him. Still, I am amazed at the great self-control of Jesus, to endure this scoffing and disrespect from an unruly mob. Do you think Jesus was fully aware that he was fulfilling the prophesy in Isaiah?

Isaiah 50:6
I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.

Jesus, I am sorry for the times my words or mocking hurt or diminished another person’s spirit. Remind me when I am being mocked or put down, that  words, and sticks and stones are powerless to harm me when you are my shield and my protector.

Amen.

Susan Ardito

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Applause Please

Mark 15:15
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them.  He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

“Crowdpleaser” is one of the awards bestowed in Holy Trinity’s annual chili cook-off.  That designation is high praise for food.  It’s not so flattering for a person, though. “Crowdpleaser” often describes someone who is less than genuine and  manipulates the masses to appease their anger or win their approval. It may be used of politicians or of others who seek elected office or otherwise serve at the pleasure of the people.

All the Scripture accounts of Pilate’s interactions with Jesus indicate that he did not believe Jesus was guilty of anything worse than alienating the Jewish religious leaders.  In St. Luke’s Gospel, Pilate passed Jesus off to Herod (who ruled Galilee, Jesus’ home province), tossing the hot potato into his lap, only to have it lobbed back into his own.  Pilate also offered to release Jesus as the Passover prisoner of the year, hoping to crucify Barabbas rather than Jesus.  Another attempt to distract the crowd from their demand for Jesus’ death was flogging him.  Maybe if they saw Him suffer and bleed, their bloodlust would be satisfied.  It wasn’t power.

Pilate’s problem: afraid of losing power, he gave it away to the crowd.  He allowed a group of raucous strangers to sway his judgment.  He was responsible for administering justice and he convicted an innocent man.  To save his own political skin he had another man nailed to a cross.  He was a crowdpleaser in the worst sense of the word.

Dear Father in heaven, we’re as guilty as Pilate.  We, too, have silenced our conscience and thrown our principles out the window in order to pander to “the crowd”: our peers, our boss, our teachers, our family and friends, and even complete strangers.  Grant us grace to elevate Your opinion of us above that of others.  Help us act according to Your expectations and without regard for earthly repercussions. In the name of Jesus, whose death set us free, Amen.

Pastor Mary Virginia Farnham
bluiris27@msn.com

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Crucify Him

Mark 15:11-14
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead.  Pilate again said to them in reply, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”  They shouted again, “Crucify him!”   Pilate said to them, “Why?  What evil has he done?” They only shouted louder, “Crucify him!”

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was followed by crowds.  They begged Him for cures.  They witnessed His miracles.  They followed Him relentlessly.  Jesus taught them, He cured them, and He fed them.  They cheered His entry into Jerusalem.

Is the crowd now turning against Him?  Or could this be a select crowd, gathered together by the authorities?

The temple priests, the agitators, fearing the loss of their status and privilege, stirred up the crowd, goading them to ask Pilate for the release of  Barabbas, a rebel who had committed murder during a recent insurrection.

Both Barabbas and Jesus were revolutionaries.  Both, in their own way, defied authority.  Barabbas advocated violent revolution. Jesus advocated nonviolence.  The hostile Jerusalem crowd chose the way of Barabbas, not the way of Jesus.

Pilate asks the crowd, “Then what is to be done with this man you call the King of the Jews?”  The crowd, successfully manipulated by the temple priests, cries out, “Crucify him!  Crucify him!”

The very people instrumental in His death, the priests, the crowd and Pilate, will confer a royal designation upon Jesus:  Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.  Jesus will die a victim of mistaken identity.  His kingdom was not of this world.

Reflection 
When we think of the passion of Jesus, we think of His suffering and death on Good Friday.  Perhaps we should think of the “passion” of His life:  the Father, the Kingdom of God, love, justice and peace. Jesus led a passionate life.

Felicia Magnifico

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Silent Witness

Mark 15:6-11
Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.  “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

Pilate looked at the man who stood before him.  Why would he not defend himself against such charges?  “The Book of Wisdom,” chapter 2 verse 19, has often been used to explain Jesus.

“With revilement and torture, let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience.”

These Jewish feasts had always been a headache to Pilate.  The population exploded.  The army had difficulty keeping order and controlling the crowds.  Movement in the crowd catches his attention.  It is a larger number now, and the people seem agitated.  Pilate sees the reason for this change.  The priests are in their midst.  Pilate knows a riot would impact negatively on his career, but he can find no fault with this man.

Jealousy, envy, and fear of loss of position are the sources of this injustice.  The temple authorities want Rome to eliminate this man, a threat to their security and power. The crowd has rejected the release of the king of the Jews, and unbelievably they are calling for the release of a prisoner by the name of Barabbas, a vicious criminal.

Pilate feels the control of this scene slipping through his fingers. They are calling for the release of the man of violence and not for the man of peace.  What manner of people are these? ” May the gods grant me patience,” he mumbles.

Lord,
Never allow me to be a silent witness to another’s destruction.
Grant me the vision to see true motives behind idle gossip.
And, putting aside my own ambition and need for acceptance,
Provide me with the grace to act with courage.
Amen.

Joan Perroto

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