Day Forty : Holy Saturday

The last day of Lent.  The end is near.

I often wonder what that first Holy Saturday mush have been like for the disciples.  Friday was horrific, all their hopes were dashed.

They didn’t know that Sunday was coming.

They didn’t get a chance to prepare for a meeting with the risen Christ. 

We know what is coming.

What do we need to do to prepare ourselves for tomorrow?

Day Thirty–Nine : Good Friday

PSALM 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
       Why are you so far from saving me,
       so far from the words of my groaning?

² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
       by night, and am not silent.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
       you are the praise of Israel.

⁴ In you our fathers put their trust;
       they trusted and you delivered them.

⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
       in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
       scorned by men and despised by the people.

⁷ All who see me mock me;
       they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
       let the LORD rescue him.
       Let him deliver him,
       since he delights in him."

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
       you made me trust in you
       even at my mother's breast.

¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
       from my mother's womb you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me,
       for trouble is near
       and there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me;
       strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
       open their mouths wide against me.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
       and all my bones are out of joint.
       My heart has turned to wax;
       it has melted away within me.

¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
       and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
       you lay me  in the dust of death.

¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
       a band of evil men has encircled me,
       they have pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
       people stare and gloat over me.

¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
       and cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off;
       O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
       my precious life from the power of the dogs.

²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
       save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
       in the congregation I will praise you.

²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
       All you descendants of Jacob, honour him!
       Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
       the suffering of the afflicted one;
       he has not hidden his face from him
       but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
       before those who fear you will I fulfil my vows.

²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
       they who seek the LORD will praise him—
       may your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth
       will remember and turn to the LORD,
       and all the families of the nations
       will bow down before him,

²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
       and he rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
       all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
       those who cannot keep themselves alive.

³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
       future generations will be told about the Lord.

³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
       to a people yet unborn—
       for he has done it.

Day Thirty-Eight : Maundy Thursday

Many people do not ‘celebrate’ Maundy Thursday.  It is the night before Good Friday, where we remember :

• The institution of the Last Supper
• Jesus washing his disciples feet
• Jesus praying in the Garden.

 

Last year, I chose to focus on the disciples keeping watch.  This year I want to think about the washing of the feet. (But go read last year’s one anyway, it was quite good. )

 

Jesus has only hours left to show his disciples what they need to do, and leave a message with them.  And he chooses the object lesson of washing their feet.

He shows his love.  Not just saying “I love you”, by showing them :

1. He knew how filthy their feet were, yet he loved them enough to wash them clean.  (Don’t forget, Judas was there as well.)
2. He knew they didn’t understand it, but he loved them enough to do it anyway.
3. He knew they would resist Him.  (“Master, you shall never wash my feet.”) Yet he did it anyway.

If my child goes rolling in mud, I imagine they would be pretty filthy, clueless, and resistant to being cleaned.  Yet I would still love them, because of who they are, and who I am. 

That’s how much Jesus loved them.  That’s how much he loves us.

That’s why he was prepared for what was coming tomorrow…

Day Thirty-Seven : (The Sword of the Spirit)

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

Just as we had to keep moving our shield, we need to keep moving our (S)word.  We have gaps in our armour.  If it were not so, we would not be able to move.

Sometimes the enemy might be able to penetrate those gaps.  We need to know beforehand where they are, and move our Sword to protect them.

If I know that I might doubt my Salvation, I need to be prepared with verses that assure me of it.

If I know that I might doubt the power of Righteousness, I need to be prepared with verses about it.

If I know that I am easily led into doubt, I need to be prepared with verses to give me hope.

We need to keep moving our sword around, and using it where it is most needed.  We cannot assume one position, and hope the enemy will throw himself on our sword.  Just as we can’t assume that one verse about Salvation will solve all our problems. 

Every verse is used in a different way, or position.  And we need to be prepared to keep using them, until the enemy is defeated.

Day Thirty-Six : Hold onto it. (The Sword of the Spirit)

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

Just like our Shield, our Sword can get quite heavy sometimes.  We need to build our strength by using it all the time.

We also can’t afford to put it down.

If we don’t carry our Sword all the time, we might not know where it is when we need it.

In the same way, if we don’t keep going into the word, we might not have any words to use when the time comes.

Jesus was inspired to fight the Devil with words from Scripture.  I have been inspired to fight temptation and evil with Scriptures, but only scriptures I already knew.

If we have never read certain passages of the Bible, it is harder for the Spirit to bring them to our minds.

So keep hanging onto the (S)word, and know where to find it.

Day Thirty-Five : Taking lessons (Sword of the Spirit)

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

Do you know how to use a sword?

Yeah, me neither.  I mean I know the basics – Handle goes in my hand, pointy end goes in the enemy.  But I think there might be more to being a great sword-fighter than that.

Roman soldiers received training in using their sword, and they practised all the time.

We are lucky, because the Sword we wield is the Sword of the Spirit.  It is a weapon used by the Holy Spirit Himself. 

So sometimes we might not know how to use it.  We might need some instructions.  But that is cool, because if we ask him to, he will show us how to use it.

So I always pray before opening my Bible that the Spirit will open my heart and mind, and show me how to use the word that I am reading.

In the same way, sometimes the Spirit might lead us to a verse to be used in a situation.  Because He not only trains us in times of peace, but also helps us in times of war. 

 

So practise with your sword, and listen to what the Sword-master tells you.  One day it might save your life.