Holy week devotionals

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Thursday – ‘a not so silent night’

Dinner parties are supposed to be fun. People dress up and gather together over great food and perhaps some wine, to catch up, tell stories, and enjoy one another’s company. Tonight will not be that kind of party. Tonight is a night where the story of the world is changing. Jesus will give his final instructions. He will tell his friends that not only is one of them going to deny him, another about to betray him, but he will…

Wednesday – ‘a line in the sand’

You can never say he didn’t try to warn them. He has been telling them for the better part of three years now; “eventually, it’s going to become unpopular to hang out with me. Soon enough people are going to ask you if you’re with me or against me. At some point I’m not going to be around anymore - and you’re going to have some decisions to make about me and all the stuff I’ve said.” Now, the pressure…

Tuesday – ‘a walk to remember’

The walk from Bethany to Jerusalem is less than two miles. The average walking speed of a human is 3.1 miles per hour. This means that the walk to and from Jerusalem each day took Jesus about an hour and a half round trip. That’s a lot of time to think and talk, especially when you’re awaiting something as stressful and traumatizing as death by crucifixion. Conversations with friends and followers are probably a welcome distraction, but also hard, as…

Sunday

It started with fear. Fear and trembling. There should be a body, why wasn't there a body?! It morphed into anger. They had taken him. They had TAKEN HIM. WHERE HAD THEY TAKEN HIM?!?! It swelled into confusion. Who was this man? Why was he talking to me? Where had he come from? Didn’t he know I was looking for…. Jesus. Couldn't be… “Mary.” Wait, this was… JESUS! Are you serious!? Is this happening!? I have to tell them. They’ll…

Holy Saturday

This was the longest day. In the history of humanity, this must have been the longest day. Had it really happened? Was it all just a bad dream? It couldn't have been a dream, they hadn't slept in days. He was gone. It was sinking in now. The truth of it all - the reality of what lay ahead. The shame. The mocking. The truth. He was gone. For all his talk of a new life and kingdom, it was…

Good Friday

Dead. There are few words like it. But that’s what he was. Dead. The man who had once brought life to so many, both spiritually and physically. The man who had convinced others to give their lives to God in ways they never thought possible. The man who had promised the coming a new kingdom they would all be a part of, was dead. Not that most of them were there to see it. All but John had run away,…

Maunday Thursday

Awkward. That’s the best way to describe that dinner. First there was the whole ‘one of you is going to betray me’ thing. Judas wasn't so much a fan of that. Then there was the part where Peter told Jesus ‘I will never leave you even if everyone else does’, and Jesus said ‘actually Peter, I’m going to single you out and say that you’re going to deny me three times before the sun rises.’ And all of that was…

Wednesday

Betrayal. Even the word makes stomachs turn. The idea of having someone, anyone take the faith you’ve placed in them and use it against you, makes skin crawl. It kills relationships. It breaks hearts. It destroys trust. There is not much in the world that is worse than being betrayed. Especially by one of your best friends. I sometimes wonder how Jesus even looked at Judas from this point. Knowing full well what was going on. The man who has…

Table turning Tuesday

Have you ever flipped a table? I have, but only when trying to put them away. I’ve always thought there would be something intensely gratifying about flipping one just for the sake of making the statement ‘I AM ANGRY ABOUT SOMETHING!’ Movies and television shows make it look so easy, but those things can be heavy. Anger is a funny thing to me. It seems so inappropriate most of the time. Like it’s something to be avoided. I tell my…