Holy week: Holy Saturday morning

Matthew 27:57-66

The Burial of Jesus

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth ⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate ⁶³and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.” ⁶⁴Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, “He has been raised from the dead”, and the last deception would be worse than the first.’ ⁶⁵Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.’ ⁶⁶So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Also: Job 14:1-14 Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16 1 Peter 4:1-8 

Holy Week: Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

13Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ²The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper ³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, ⁴got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. ⁵Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. ⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ ⁷Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ⁸Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ ⁹Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ ¹⁰Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’¹¹For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

The New Commandment

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

Also: Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14 Psalm 116:1-2, 12,19 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Holy Week: Wednesday

John 13:21-32

Jesus Foretells His Betrayal

21 After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, ‘Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ ²²The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. ²³One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; ²⁴Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. ²⁵So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ ²⁶Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘Do quickly what you are going to do.’ ²⁸Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. ²⁹Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’; or, that he should give something to the poor. ³⁰So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

The New Commandment

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.

Also: Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 70 Hebrews 12:1-3 John 13:21-32

Holy Week: Tuesday

Jesus said, "who every serves me must follow me, and where i am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honour." The question for us today then is "how" do we serve Jesus?  Do we serve him in the Church? in our work places? at schools? at the shopping places, at home? The answer is "Yes".  Jesus also said that we should walk in the light.  How do we do that? Good question.

Prayer: Gracious God help us to serve you and walk in your light so that we may be the children of light instead of darkness. In Jesus' name. Amen.

John 12:20-36

Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ ²²Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

Jesus Speaks about His Death

27 ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ ²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ ³⁰Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peopleto myself.’ ³³He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. ³⁴The crowd answered him, ‘We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?’ ³⁵Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’

The Unbelief of the People

After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

Also: Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 71:1-14 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 

Holy Week: Monday

We are all called into the new covenant with God through the blood shed by Christ who was our mediator. All of this sounds so profoundly impressive and of big words but it is very simple really.

On this Monday of the Holy Week I remember an 8th grader in confirmation class I taught many years ago. The topic of that day was Communion. Bread and Wine/grape juice being the symbol of the forgiving/unconditional love of God for us. Some of them just could not understand it. They asked "why?" and "how" one too many times.

Katie finally got fed up with their questions and my attempt to explain and said, "OK guys, every time we take communion in the Church we are eating the flesh of Jesus and drinking HIS blood. Just think of it literally. I do. I am eating and drinking Jesus because God can't find any thing else to feed my spiritual life that is good enough for me. How can I be bad after eating and drinking out of God's own SON. OK? Get it? But I know that's not literally true but it is what it is. Jesus died for me and for you, every one of us so we might be reconnected with God. Who does not want to be reconnected with God?" No one answered to Katie's question. So, she said, " Who wants to be reconnected with God and stay connected with God for life?" All the rest of them said, "Me or I". Then Katie said, " There you go. That's it?" So that was that! who would have thought an 8th grader gets it and can explain it so well.

Of course there is a deeper way of unpacking or teaching of the mystery of our redemption theology. But that was good enough for me in that context and even now. Just like Katie said, we need God. We can not be alienated from God. He loves us and we need His love, forgiveness and grace every moment of every day. So, let us give thanks to God for willing to send His only begotten son to be our mediator.

Prayer: Great and loving God, thank you for Jesus your son who is our mediator. Help us to live as those forgiven and loved by you. Teach us to be faithful disciples of yours. I Jesus' name we pray. Amen.


Hebrew 9:11-15

11 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), ¹²he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

15 For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

Also: Isaiah 42:1-9 Psalm 36:5-11, John 12:1-11

Palm Sunday: Holy Week begins

"Hosanna in the highest!"  This day, Palm Sunday always takes me back to my childhood.  Our schools ended at the end of February and our long summer holidays were from March 1st to end of May.  Each summer I would be flown to my grandmother to spend the whole summer with her, my aunts and uncles and cousins.  What fun! Palm Sunday and Easter always happened while I was in the village with my grandmother.  

On Palm Sunday we would get up really early and get into our Sunday best and wait with excitement. And then we hear a big voice shouting, " Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" Then followed a very large voice of a crowd shouting back, "Hosanna! in the highest!!!" each person in the procession on the streets waving Palm branches.  Then we ran out of the house and join them.  We process all over the village walking the streets and shouting as though Jesus him self was with us in person riding on a donkey.  The crowd got bigger as we process and then we would end it at the Church, processing right into the Church for worship and Sunday School hour. 

Today we celebrate once more Jesus entering into Jerusalem as our King. Let us open our hearts and our voices shouting, "Hosanna in the highest!"  

Happy Palm Sunday you all. 

Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for your love that surrounds us every moment of our lives.  Today we especially thank you for Jesus Christ you only son our King.  Help us to celebrate Him as our Lord who  rode a humble donkey to enter into the city of Jerusalem.  Help us to let him enter into our hearts today and always. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Matt 21:1-11

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

21When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ ⁴This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
⁵ ‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
   humble, and mounted on a donkey,
     and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’
⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸A very large crowdspread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
   Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
¹⁰When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’¹¹The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

LITURGY OF THE PALMS Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Matthew 21:1-11