And I don’t mean weather forecast…although better experiences are coming on that front!
Here’s what Jesus’ forecast has in store…stormy conditions coming.
Even during the best time of the week when palms and coats were flying, people wondered and second guessed.
As he readies for a meal of grace, new covenant, new promise, new presence, someone is conspiring and plotting.
When he arrives in the garden to pray and reconnect and breathe and get strength, disciples sleep, swords are drawn and money is exchanged. And a kiss…of betrayal.
But as he enters the city and things are looking the bleakest, at least the government can help out. Until they don’t.
The beatings. The denying. The mocking commences.
The cross is dragged and erected. The nails are pounded. The screams are heard. And yet the criminals are welcomed and forgiven.
And then, the breathing stops. The doubts creep in. The denials speak out. The running away starts. The locking of doors takes place. The ladies do their job.
And they find that the forecast has cleared up. The storms of the tomb are empty.
And at the tail end of Jesus’ forecast this week, better experiences are coming….for our front.
Blessings during the Holy Week forecast.Still in One Peace, ps
ps from ps/pkLuke 22:39-46 – 39 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”[e]41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.” [[43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. 44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.]][f]45 When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”Holy God, sometimes my waking is a prayer. Sometimes the song I have stuck in my head, rumbling around on repeat, is a prayer. Sometimes the way I talk to the children and the way I hug the dog is a prayer. Sometimes the way I take my phone out to get a picture of the sunset or of the people I love—that is a prayer. Other times, prayer is moments like this— heads bowed, eyes closed, hearts quiet for just a moment. And in all of it, I trust you to hear me. Help me to hear you in return. Gratefully we pray, amen. Still in One Peace, ps/pk
John 12:1-8 – 12 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped them[a] with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it[b] so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
God of open doors, We often long to come home to you, to love, and to ourselves, but we aren’t always sure how to get there. We know that we need you, but the road back to you is heavy with distractions. So if we can dare to be so forward, we pray— reach into the cacophony of our hearts and minds and make yourself known. Quiet everything but your Word for us today. Leave us awestruck. Drown out the distractions. Come as thunder or come as a still, small voice; we don’t care which, we just pray that you will come. Turn on the light. Speak through these words. Find the parts of us that are lost. With hope we pray, amen.
ps from ps/pk John 12:1-8 – 12 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped them[a] with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it[b] so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” God of open doors, We often long to come home to you, to love, and to ourselves, but we aren’t always sure how to get there. We know that we need you, but the road back to you is heavy with distractions. So if we can dare to be so forward, we pray— reach into the cacophony of our hearts and minds and make yourself known. Quiet everything but your Word for us today. Leave us awestruck. Drown out the distractions. Come as thunder or come as a still, small voice; we don’t care which, we just pray that you will come. Turn on the light. Speak through these words. Find the parts of us that are lost. With hope we pray, amen. Still in One Peace, ps/pk
Luke 13:34-35 — Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”Holy God, this life of ours is full to the brim. Our days are overflowing with emails and to-do lists, schedules and notifications, assignments and deadlines. We wake up feeling behind, we go to sleep worrying about tomorrow, and we know—there has to be more than this. So we pray: bend down and show us the way. Leave breadcrumbs in the street. Point us toward awe and wonder. Guide us to intimacy and trust. Gift us with laughter that will make us cry and hope that will make us feel alive. We want a new kind of full to the brim. Show us the way. We are listening for your cues. Gratefully we pray, amen. Still in One Peace, ps/pk
Luke 4:1-2 – “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished.”God of the wilderness places in our lives, it can be hard to hear you in the desert. It can be hard to hear you in the city, in the midst of our calendar reminders, rush-hour traffic, and notification alerts. It can be hard to hear you, so we ask: make everything quiet. Pause the chaos. Still the rushing. Ease our racing thoughts. Give us ears to hear your Word for us today which promises that even in the desert you are full to the brim. We are listening. We ache for your good news. Gratefully we pray, amen. Lord, bless this Lenten journey. Amen
Luke 22:39-46 – 39 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”[
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