Written by: Rev. Kazimiera I.H. Fraley and Rev. Christy Gunter Leppert.
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Daily Meditation: Monday
John 12:1-11
As we are thinking about the sacrifice Christ made for us, we need to think about the sacrifices we make for Christ. This woman basically laid a brand new Mercury Mariner, SUV, at Jesus’ feet. She just gave it to him; put it before Jesus with no strings attached.
What do we give over to Jesus? What do we sacrifice to further Christ’s work here on this earth? Jesus gave up his place beside the Father. Jesus suffered and died. This woman was willing to give Jesus something that was her whole life’s savings, a whole year’s wages, to prepare Jesus for his death to come.
Too often we do not put Christ and his kingdom first. We do not have enough time, or enough money. We do not like doing this or are not good at that. Too often we are not willing to give Jesus the valuable things in (or parts of) our lives. We give him the leftovers, the scraps we have left after we do what we want; never putting what Christ wants first. Too often even as we look at his death and sacrifice we are not willing to sacrifice for him.
Reflection Questions:
What is your SUV? What valuable thing can you give to Christ? What about YOU can you hand over to the God who gave himself for you?
Prayer:
Lord God, I want to give you everything—even the things that could be used for something else. Take my perfume- take it all. I give it all to you.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
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Daily Meditation: Tuesday
John 12:27-30
Sometimes it is easy to think Jesus just gave up his life. It is easy to believe Jesus did not struggle with this idea. We come to the conclusion that the cross was something Jesus just did without thought or hesitation. Jesus was God. He knew his purpose. He knew his future and simply moved in this direction because he was supposed to do this.
But doing the right thing, doing the Godly thing, doing what he was called to do was hard for him. He struggled with it. He knew what was right and chose what was right. But he asked the Father to save him from this hour; to save him from pain and death.
Doing God’s work and doing God’s will is not easy. But as we follow Christ’s example in all things we (like Jesus) need to say “Yes” to the Father’s will. We need to say “Yes” to the things of God. We must put our selfishness and self-centered desires behind us as we follow the path down which God is leading.
Reflection Questions:
What kinds of things is God calling you to do?
How are those things difficult?
Prayer:
Jesus, in the same way you struggled- we struggle. In the same way you chose to do the right thing, please enable us to do the right thing too; to say yes to the things of God.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
Sometimes it is easy to think Jesus just gave up his life. It is easy to believe Jesus did not struggle with this idea. We come to the conclusion that the cross was something Jesus just did without thought or hesitation. Jesus was God. He knew his purpose. He knew his future and simply moved in this direction because he was supposed to do this.
But doing the right thing, doing the Godly thing, doing what he was called to do was hard for him. He struggled with it. He knew what was right and chose what was right. But he asked the Father to save him from this hour; to save him from pain and death.
Doing God’s work and doing God’s will is not easy. But as we follow Christ’s example in all things we (like Jesus) need to say “Yes” to the Father’s will. We need to say “Yes” to the things of God. We must put our selfishness and self-centered desires behind us as we follow the path down which God is leading.
Reflection Questions:
What kinds of things is God calling you to do?
How are those things difficult?
Prayer:
Jesus, in the same way you struggled- we struggle. In the same way you chose to do the right thing, please enable us to do the right thing too; to say yes to the things of God.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
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Daily Meditation: Wednesday
John 13:21-32
Judas is known for the actions he performs here; at the end of Jesus’ life. Judas, who knew Jesus, who listened and learned at Jesus’ feet, betrays Jesus. He takes actions which lead directly to Jesus’ capture and ultimately his death.
The beauty is, even in these dark evil deeds, God is at work redeeming Judas’ selfish, broken actions to bring glory to God’s work and move Christ toward his intended purpose here on earth.
Too often our actions do not reflect the fact that we also sat and learned at the feet of Jesus. Our actions are broken and selfish. Whenever we choose ourselves and what we want over the things of Christ and what he wants, we are betraying him, just as Judas betrayed him.
The beauty of God is even as we work against Godly purposes and God’s will becomes God’s moving to redeem our actions and the consequences of our actions; to bring the things of God to our lives and to this world. God can (and does) bring glory out of our broken sinful choices. God turns ashes into something beautiful.
Reflection Questions:
What actions in your life reflect yourself? What actions reflect sitting at Jesus’ feet?
Prayer:
Lord God, sometimes we act broken and selfish and betray you and who you called us to be. Forgive us. Purify us. Change us. We want to choose what you want.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
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Daily Meditation: Maundy Thursday
Judas is known for the actions he performs here; at the end of Jesus’ life. Judas, who knew Jesus, who listened and learned at Jesus’ feet, betrays Jesus. He takes actions which lead directly to Jesus’ capture and ultimately his death.
The beauty is, even in these dark evil deeds, God is at work redeeming Judas’ selfish, broken actions to bring glory to God’s work and move Christ toward his intended purpose here on earth.
Too often our actions do not reflect the fact that we also sat and learned at the feet of Jesus. Our actions are broken and selfish. Whenever we choose ourselves and what we want over the things of Christ and what he wants, we are betraying him, just as Judas betrayed him.
The beauty of God is even as we work against Godly purposes and God’s will becomes God’s moving to redeem our actions and the consequences of our actions; to bring the things of God to our lives and to this world. God can (and does) bring glory out of our broken sinful choices. God turns ashes into something beautiful.
Reflection Questions:
What actions in your life reflect yourself? What actions reflect sitting at Jesus’ feet?
Prayer:
Lord God, sometimes we act broken and selfish and betray you and who you called us to be. Forgive us. Purify us. Change us. We want to choose what you want.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
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Daily Meditation: Maundy Thursday
John 13:1-17
Have you ever experienced (or heard about) a foot washing service? A service where each person follows Jesus’ example and washes the feet of others; then in turn allows someone else to wash their feet.
What does it mean to allow Jesus to wash our feet; to wash and cleanse us?
In the end, when Peter understands, he asks for Jesus to wash not just his feet, but his hands and head as well. In short he wants Jesus to wash him wholly.
How would we need to humble ourselves in order to allow Jesus to wash all of us? To step down from our doing modes and allow Christ to do for us? We are dirty and dusty with the travels of this life we need to stop and allow our Lord and Savior to make us clean, rid us of all that stains and dirties, so we can rise and do the work of the kingdom, in purity, and cleanliness.
Reflection Questions:
What kind of worldly dirt sticks to you?
How can you allow Christ to cleanse you today?
Prayer:
Lord God, I confess I am not completely clean. If I am truly honest, I desire to be preferred above others. I want to be honored and praised. I hate to be ridiculed and wrong. Please clean me; make me pure. Wash the parts of me I hide from others. I give all of myself to you and ask you to give me the grace to desire others to be honored, praised, and chosen over myself. Amen.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
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Have you ever experienced (or heard about) a foot washing service? A service where each person follows Jesus’ example and washes the feet of others; then in turn allows someone else to wash their feet.
What does it mean to allow Jesus to wash our feet; to wash and cleanse us?
In the end, when Peter understands, he asks for Jesus to wash not just his feet, but his hands and head as well. In short he wants Jesus to wash him wholly.
How would we need to humble ourselves in order to allow Jesus to wash all of us? To step down from our doing modes and allow Christ to do for us? We are dirty and dusty with the travels of this life we need to stop and allow our Lord and Savior to make us clean, rid us of all that stains and dirties, so we can rise and do the work of the kingdom, in purity, and cleanliness.
Reflection Questions:
What kind of worldly dirt sticks to you?
How can you allow Christ to cleanse you today?
Prayer:
Lord God, I confess I am not completely clean. If I am truly honest, I desire to be preferred above others. I want to be honored and praised. I hate to be ridiculed and wrong. Please clean me; make me pure. Wash the parts of me I hide from others. I give all of myself to you and ask you to give me the grace to desire others to be honored, praised, and chosen over myself. Amen.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
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Daily Meditation: Good Friday
John 19:25-30
Jesus is dead. At this point in history—there is no hope. There is no light. The thing about dead people is that they are dead; they are gone.
As they looked at Jesus’ dead, bleeding body they did not see the centuries of God’s glorious Church unfolding before them. They saw their friend, their son, their mentor, the one who embodied all their hopes and dreams, dead; stone cold dead.
All was lost!
Reflection Questions:
What makes you feel hopeless?
What parts of your life are dead?
Prayer:
God, on this day we feel hopeless. Jesus is dead. Our hopes seem dead. We wonder if darkness overcame the light.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
Jesus is dead. At this point in history—there is no hope. There is no light. The thing about dead people is that they are dead; they are gone.
As they looked at Jesus’ dead, bleeding body they did not see the centuries of God’s glorious Church unfolding before them. They saw their friend, their son, their mentor, the one who embodied all their hopes and dreams, dead; stone cold dead.
All was lost!
Reflection Questions:
What makes you feel hopeless?
What parts of your life are dead?
Prayer:
God, on this day we feel hopeless. Jesus is dead. Our hopes seem dead. We wonder if darkness overcame the light.
Weekly Action:
On Ash Wednesday we talked about how we are ash and to ash we will return. What does God want to do with the ash of your life-- to make it something beautiful; to breathe life into hopelessness?
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Daily Meditation: Holy Saturday
John 19:38-42
They took Jesus down from the cross. They laid him in the tomb. A stone was rolled in front of the opening. The lifeless cold body of our savior is lying in a dark, dank, stone tomb. Winter has fallen on all the earth. The hopes and dreams of all creation lay beneath the earth covered in snow as the harsh winter wind howls hollowly. Hope is gone. Death is real. Hate has won. Love has lost. And the world holds its breath, waiting to pass away as well. Without the savior, without the Christ, all is lost. We all die. Hope fades. Darkness reigns.
Prayer:
God, we still feel hopeless. Jesus is still dead. The light of the world- lies in a dark tomb. The resurrection of life- lies dead.
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They took Jesus down from the cross. They laid him in the tomb. A stone was rolled in front of the opening. The lifeless cold body of our savior is lying in a dark, dank, stone tomb. Winter has fallen on all the earth. The hopes and dreams of all creation lay beneath the earth covered in snow as the harsh winter wind howls hollowly. Hope is gone. Death is real. Hate has won. Love has lost. And the world holds its breath, waiting to pass away as well. Without the savior, without the Christ, all is lost. We all die. Hope fades. Darkness reigns.
Prayer:
God, we still feel hopeless. Jesus is still dead. The light of the world- lies in a dark tomb. The resurrection of life- lies dead.
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