Lent 2015: Week 2

Tuesday, Feb. 24  Prayer: GRATITUDE
Hebrews 12:28 CEB
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that can't be shaken, let's continue to express our gratitude.  With this gratitude, let's serve in a way that is pleasing to God with respect and awe.  
2 Corinthians 4:15 CEB
As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God's glory.  
     I have spent alot of time in the last few months writing, reading, and thinking about gratitude. About grace and thanks and acknowledging God at work over and over again in our lives.  This should be the first part of EVERY prayer, before we wade into the help me and help them and all that other stuff.  
     Today's drawing simplifies GRATITUDE to Thank You - it was easier to fit together!  At least 5 of the letters are filled with those things for which I am grateful. The rest are intercessory prayers.   

Wednesday, Feb 25.    A Centering Place
Genesis 1:31 MSG
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good!
Mark 1:9-11 MSG
At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him.  Along with the Spirit, a voice: 'You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."
     These scriptures were the text for Katy's sermon last Sunday and the overall idea for this image was penciled on the back of my bulletin. I love the thought of heaven opening, God parting the Rainbow of Promise and bringing the holy within reach of us all.  
     Then I was reading a book by Sue Monk Kidd titled 'God's Joyful Surprise' and I found her describing Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel scene of God stretching out to touch Adam in the Creation story.  Both scripture and prose came together for me.  Kidd is writing of a time of turbulent spiritual decisions in her personal life as she struggled to center herself in God, to find a Centering Place.  I found her descriptions inspiring and thought provoking: 

      In the waiting room of a doctor's office one day I saw a copy of one tiny piece of Michelangelo's painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.  It showed God's hand with one finger reaching out and Adam's hand with one finger extending back toward God's.  Their fingers are almost touching but not quite.  The tiniest space is left between them.  I remember staring at the picture while I waited for the doctor.  For some reason my attention was drawn away from the fingers to the space between them.  It brought to mind at the time the gulf of separation between human beings and God.        But maybe there is a different way to view that space.  The mysterious inch on the fresco could as easily be where God and humans reach their fingers into a common space.  It could speak to us of the place where our lives touch and mingle with God's.  A shared space, a center.        A center is not simply an inner place where you are in touch with God's presence.  Most important, it is a space from which you can focus your entire life.  Being centered is not so much a state of being as a point of beginning.  ......I don't think for a minute that a centered life is the solution to all our problems.  Rather it is a way to respond to our problems.  We don't withdraw from the world to a center.  We respond to the world from our center.       Instead of rushing about, accepting every job that comes, we get a sense of what's really important.  Being centered allows us to bring that elusive quality of focus to our lives.  It enables us to set priorities.  From the center we can respond to the chaos by eliminating that which isn't meaningful and bringing order and calm to the rest.  For in the center we are rooted in God's love.  In such a place there is no need for striving and impatience and dashing about seeking approval.       We need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity.  We are called to live a life rich and full, but rooted firmly in the center where all is drawn together in God and then flows out of His presence.  That is when life becomes the silent dance revolving around Him, alive with the music of His love.  

      I thought of God reaching to touch Jesus in his baptism - the space between filled with the Spirit of God, the dove, the space of our intermingling. So many images and thoughts surround this concept....more to ponder.  In the meantime, prayers were penned into the rainbow, the promise that God listens to each and every one of them. 


Thursday, Feb 26.    Fasting: Drink Only Water Today
John 7:38 CEB
All who believe in me should drink! As the scriptures said concerning me, Rivers of living water will flow out from within him.”

            At first this drawing was conceived somewhat as the living water erupting from Jesus as in this passage he is describing himself.  But this morning I woke up still with the concept of centering in God in relation to the living waters.  I pictured God as the well we sit and live from, offering us a steady supply of life-giving water.  We can drink of it whenever we want and need.  We can start our day at the well; we can sit there in the evening.  Today’s challenge for Lent was to drink only water. I did pretty well….no wine this evening, water refills at the rest stops, and just a VERY light sprinkling of instant coffee in my cup this morning.  (Those who know me well can only imagine how watery I could conceive WEAK coffee as I never make it very strong to begin with!)

            Water is the one essential in our physical life.  Perhaps living water is the one essential in our spiritual life as well.  

Friday, Feb. 27  Prayer: JESUS
Matthew 1:21 MSG
She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” 

            When the Lent calendar proposed pondering the name of Jesus I had to go online and find a list of all the terms used for the Son of God.  I found listings of over 200 names!  I will limit my discoveries to some of the more common ones:   Christ, Redeemer, Saviour, Yeshua, Immanuel, Alpha and Omega, Lamb of God, Good Shepherd, Bread of Life, Messiah, Jehovah, The Word.

            The name Jesus itself comes from the Hebrew name Yeshua – a combination of Yahweh and Joshua.  The words means ‘to save’.  The names link Jesus both to God and to the Hebrew people.

            Many of the terms above describe Jesus’ role on earth and his purpose while human.  My prayer drawing began with a design I have often seen in necklaces, etc: the word Jesus in the shape of the cross.  This being Lent I pictured the Passion on it…nails and a crown of thorns.  But I am a ‘Resurrected Christ’ type of person and I needed the hope of the Eternal Jesus, so butterfly symbols of resurrection were added!  

Saturday, Feb. 28  CONVERSION: A Journey of Many Layers

 The word leaped into my head.  Conversion?  How strange I would think of that.  My interpretation of my own tradition was that the grace of God came in one great dose as we accepted Christ into our lives and were born again.  It was a one-time negotiation in which grace arrived in a lump sum.  Conversion then was more or less over.  There was nothing left to do except come to church, live for God and get other people to discover Him.  But what if conversion, this turning of the heart to God, is a gradual, ongoing process that begins at that great outpouring of grace and then continues on?  Is it possible that awakening to God is the continuation of conversion?     That means that conversion is a process of growth and change.  It begins with God and goes on silently within us, flowering out at certain unique times as He calls us to decisive moments, rediscovery, awakening, just as that initial moment of conversion did.  (Sue Monk Kidd in God's Joyful Surprise) 

      I will deviate again today from the Lenten Calendar and take another look at Sue Monk Kidd's book. She is struggling spiritually as God calls her into a deeper relationship.  This passage, along with my recent Session opening describing my 'call' or conversion moment as a journey merged into an image that was reinforced by yesterday's drive through the myriad of mountain ranges creating shadows and silhouettes that were unending. Our conversion is not just a moment, but a step by step growth in faith.  Very few people have a Saul-Paul moment of absolute turn-around.  We peel back layers of God as we journey through life.  We drive deeper into the hills and discover a richer and fuller relationship with the Almighty.  For Session I drew a scribble of my 'awakening rocks' along the river of life.  Today I draw the layers of mountains that call us to deeper relationships.  And perhaps a Saguaro God that stands guard, watches, waits, and guides us all along the way.  
 
Sunday, Mar 1  Service: Tend God's Earth
1 Cor 6:9-11 (Selections)
Those who use and abuse each other, ..... use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom.

     Whoa....I opened a can of worms this morning when I began googling Conservation Theology or Ecotheology.  I found all sorts of 'new story' proposals, many of which involve more the Creation Theology models, plus alot I just didn't understand the terminology to know what they were talking about.  I did find this  2nd century quote interesting, but I haven't figured out just what he is trying to say.  

"God delays causing the confusion and destruction of the whole world...because of the seed of the Christians, who know that they are the cause of preservation in nature."  (St. Justin (c.100-165 AD)

     In essence, however, my challenge today is to do something of a conservation nature to clean up my local environment.   Litter patrol about the CHRPA/Shalom property!  The wind of the past two days has surely blown some unwanted debris in. I chastise myself often on hikes for not carrying a plastic garbage bag in which to put some of the trash we find hidden along the trail.  I do believe more churches should consider what they can do as a community to 'tend God's Creation' or 'take care of the garden'.   As a world our actions just might come back to bite us if we don't change our ways.  

Monday, Mar 2  Prayer: SPIRIT
John 14:26 CEB
The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.  
      Various translations use the term Advocate, Helper, Friend in place of the CEB Companion.  All convey someone very intimate and personal who is in position to guide, assist, encourage, and help us along our way.  For believers, this Spirit is Emanuel - God with us, God IN us, God as an integral part OF us.  That is quite the Companion!  
      Commentary in this chapter of John from The Voice gave another interesting perspective on the role of the Spirit through us:

God becomes flesh and lives among humanity, not just to have a transaction with people and ultimately die, but to continue to be with them and to send His Spirit to be present with believers.  So God calls His Spirit-indwelled people to something greater, something more significant: they are here as redeeming forces on this earth; their time here is about reclaiming the things He has created.  Believing God has created the entire cosmos and that it is restored in Jesus, the believer's work here through the Spirit is to say, "This belongs to God," and to help point out the beauty of creation to everyone.  And most of all, to live in it themselves by the power of the Holy Spirit who plants the teachings of the Lord in their hearts.

The beauty of creation is not just the natural world around us, but the beauty that lies within each and every individual person created by God.  Our job is to recognize and reclaim that beauty for God.  A good goal as I begin my CHRPA work today.  

Tuesday, March 3    Prayer:  SOLITUDE

Matthew 6:6

         In contemplation of this word, I refer to a series of quotes from Chapter 8 of Sue Monk Kidd’s book:

Anyone can retire into a quiet place, but it’s the shutting of the door that makes the difference.  Solitude is a time for stripping away everything in order to focus on God. 

Solitude is a time for ‘God and God alone.’But we don’t stay in solitude.  Though Jesus spent much time alone, He also returned to the crowds that followed him, renewed in his power to heal, forgive, feed, and teach.

While there may be some loneliness in every experience of solitude, we should not confuse the two.  Solitude is breaking through my isolation into sharing, and being in touch with my Creator.  In fact, we can begin to heal our loneliness by transforming it into solitude.

Moments alone with God, untethered by time, noise and inner compulsions, nourish the places where our spiritual energy is depleted and regrounds us in His love. 

True solitude in God’s presence always leads us to discover others.  Love and community are born in our times alone with God.  

Wednesday, Mar 4  Service: Call Someone
Philippians 2:1-2 CEB
Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. 
     Today's Lenten calendar challenge is to Call Someone.  I spent nearly an hour last night on the phone with my brother Mac, and I hope to call my sister Liz this evening.  She has had some rough medical challenges in the past few months, most recently concerning her husband.  I think it is time to 'check in'!  Maybe I will wrap up my mid-week conversations, my "opportunity for encouragement in Christ, sharing comfort with love" with a call to my oldest sister on Thursday!
      Today's challenge reminds me of the old telephone commercial to 'reach out and touch someone', but perhaps that is what our Lord 'calls' us to do! 
   

Copyright Traci Smith 2015 www.traci-smith.com LENTEN PRACTICES CALENDAR FOR FAMILIES:  These activities are based around the traditional 'Three Pillars' of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving or Service.  The pillars are rotated throughout Lent with simple activities.  On the prayer days, use the word provided to inspire a prayer you write, draw, or sing.  All of the activities are suggestions.  Modify as necessary or desired! 

Lent 2015 Week 1

Wednesday, February 18   Ash Wednesday

Psalm 51:1-3
Have mercy on me, God, according to your faithful love!
Wipe away my wrongdoings according to your great compassion!
Wash me completely clean of my guilt; purify me from my sin! 
Because I know my wrongdoings, my sin is always right in front of me.  (CEB)
      Today began the season of Lent.  We worshiped together with a service of stations, time spent in reflection and various scriptures.  We purified with water and oil, we molded clay, and received ashes on our foreheads.  My mandala prayer for today reflects those stations, but it also includes prayers for forgiveness.  Intercessory prayers are laced through the green leaves.      Commentary from The Voice  on Psalm 51 and sin:  At one time or another, all people experience the painful consequences of sin.  Psalm 51 has been a comfort and a help to millions who have prayed these words as their own.  It invites all who are broken to come before God and lean upon His compassion.  It teaches that we need not only to be forgiven for the wrong we have done, but we also need to be cleansed of its effects on us.  Ultimately, it helps us recognize that if we are to be healed, it is the work of God to create in us a heart that is clean and a spirit that is strong.

Thursday, Feb 19  HOPE
Romans 15:10-13 MSG
There's the root of our ancestor Jesse, breaking through the earth and growing tree tall, Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!  Oh!  May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with HOPE!  
          I found a Lenten devotion calendar online designed for families that was filled with reflections and actual 'doable' things during this season of introspection and repentance. The word for today was HOPE.  What a positive word to begin the season of Lent, a period we often associate with gloom and doom, with sin and sacrifice. Various words for focus are interspersed throughout Lent, along with service ideas, fasting practices, etc.  It will be an interesting resource and I will search for appropriate scripture each day. 
Matthew 12:17-21 MSG
Look well at my handpicked servant [Jesus]; I love him so much, take such delight in him.  I've placed my Spirit on him; he'll decree justice to the nations.  But he won't yell, won't raise his voice; there'll be no commotion in the streets.  He won't walk over anyone's feelings, won't push you into a corner.  Before you know it, his justice will triumph; the mere sound of his name will signal HOPE, even among far-off unbelievers.  


Friday, Feb. 20  
Card of Encouragement
1 Thessalonians 5:11 MSG
So speak encouraging words to one another.  Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind.  I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.  
I am challenged today to send a card to someone who could use a little 'love'.  I have a card ready to give to Jean Hurst, the pastor of the Burns church who has been diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer that has spread to her lungs.  This prayer image is on the front of the card and Jean's name is just to the right of the center flower.  I had dinner tonight with Jean and others on the Program Committee of Presbytery.  Her attitude and trust in God's ultimate wisdom are a witness to her faith.  Yet by meeting's end, a weary body was winning the battle.  I will continue to keep Jean and the Burns faith community in my prayers. This mandala also celebrates the pussywillows that friend Bill brought to church last Sunday.  

Saturday, Feb. 21  GIVING
2 Corinthians 9:7 CEB
Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart.  They shouldn't give with hesitation or because of pressure.  God loves a cheerful giver.  
     Today, as I worked on the GIVING part of my design while Presbytery examined a pastoral candidate for the Hermiston Faith church, I found God once again at work.  By afternoon we were exploring various scriptures relating to mission work.  The final scripture?  What you see above.  I simply rejoice when God draws the bits and pieces of my day together and wraps them up in a single message.  Enroute to John Day last night and again on the way home tonight, the heavens opened in a glorious display of color and light.  In a simple line drawing, it is almost impossible to capture.  Even so, I attempt to share that moment within GIVING.  Giving of my time, my talents, my heart, my resources, my all.  

I am fascinated by Pope Francis.  He is a refreshing breath of fresh air within the Catholic Church.  Yesterday I found the following tucked away within a Facebook post.  I felt it a worthy inclusion during this season that often speaks of FASTING.....

If we’re going to fast from anything this Lent, Pope Francis suggests that even more than candy or alcohol, we fast from indifference towards others.In his annual Lenten message, the pope writes, “Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience.”Describing this phenomenon he calls the globalization of indifference, Francis writes that “whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.” He continues that, “We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.”But when we fast from this indifference, we can began to feast on love. In fact, Lent is the perfect time to learn how to love again.

Sunday, Feb 22  Fasting: No Snacks Between Meals

Matthew 6:18 CEB
Then you won't look like you are fasting to people, but only to your Father who is present in that secret place.  Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
     I am thinking I should just concentrate on this particular FAST all during Lent.  It would strengthen me physically as well as spiritually, for 'grazing' is my biggest downfall in terms of keeping my weight down.  Perhaps today when tempted to nibble, I will try to snack on spiritual food instead....a prayer, a reading, a meditative walk....or simply go out and pack something more in the trailer!  We leave in two days!  
(I focused here on my biggest vice - the stash of chocolate chips!)


Monday, Feb 23  Do Something Kind for a Neighbor
Romans 13:10 CEB
Love doesn't do anything wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is what fulfills the Law.
     Today is a BUSY day of final preparations for departure.  I have a package on the porch ready to send to my brother in Alaska; Rick and I will make a drive out to Fessels to see our dear friends before we leave; and finally dinner with the Conklins.  Cherrie likes to make sure we don't have leftovers on departure day!!  All neighbors in some way.  Yet, yesterday, I did something kind for our NEW neighbors, the ones across the street.  Something I haven't always done well in the past.  As we were all preparing to drive off, I walked across and shared about a common friend and invited them to church.  It wasn't particular bold on my part, as our common friend had already extended the invitation.  But at least I echoed it and reaffirmed our welcome.  My goal for today?  Get the street address so we can send little Kate a postcard from Arizona!
     And now, since we will be enroute and unknown wifi connections, I am going to post this week a day early!  

Copyright Traci Smith 2015 www.traci-smith.com LENTEN PRACTICES CALENDAR FOR FAMILIES:  These activities are based around the traditional 'Three Pillars' of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving or Service.  The pillars are rotated throughout Lent with simple activities.  On the prayer days, use the word provided to inspire a prayer you write, draw, or sing.  All of the activities are suggestions.  Modify as necessary or desired! 

GOSPEL OF LUKE: Chapter 24

Luke 24:1-7  Resurrection!

Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared.  They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb,  so they went in; but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. They stood there puzzled about this, when suddenly two men in bright shining clothes stood by them.  Full of fear, the women bowed down to the ground, as the men said to them, “Why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive?  He is not here; he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was in Galilee:  ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and three days later rise to life.’”
     I don't have alot of comment on this passage.  It is so well known.  Jesus is alive!  We should not look for him in the tomb or hanging on the cross.  He is among the living, among you and me, living among us and within us.  Look for Christ!  

Luke 24: 13-35 On the Road to Emmaus
On that same day, two disciples were traveling to a village called Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem.  They were talking to each other about everything that had happened.  While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself arrived and joined them on their journey.  They were prevented from recognizing him.  He said to them, 'What are you talking about as you walk along?'  They stopped, their faces downcast.  The one named Cleopas replied, 'Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have taken place there over the last few days?'
     How often have we walked side by side with Jesus and failed to recognize him.  How often must the scriptures be re-explained over and over because we are filled with doubt and mis-trust.  The Good News is exactly what it appears:  good news!  A simple message of love.  
     The Emmaus Road story is unique to the Gospel of Luke. It can be compared to our lifetime walk to discover and recognize Jesus in our own world and to find out just what that discovery means.  Where am I on my walk?
   

Luke 24:36-43  Appearing to the Disciples
While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'  They were terrified and afraid.  They thought they were seeing a ghost....Because they were wondering and questioning in the midst of their happiness, he said to them, 'Do you have anything to eat?'  They gave him a piece of baked fish.  Taking it, he ate it in front of them. (36-42 CEB)
      Luke enjoys stories of Jesus participating in ordinary daily activities, especially the community of a common meal.  It is no surprise he was recognized by Cleopas during the meal in Emmaus.  Likewise, he appears to all the disciples again at a meal together; proving he isn't a ghost, he eats with them.  

Luke 24:46-49  Wait for the Power

He said to them, 'This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  Look, I'm sending to you what my Father promised, but you are to stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.' (CEB)
     I have just finished reading the Presby News Service article on the life of Kayla Mueller, killed by Isis.  I have the feeling that Kayla came to know the heavenly power sent by God.  She relied on it, in life and death.  It is a power that makes possible the impossible. 




Luke 24:50-53  The Ascension of Jesus
He led them out as far as Bethany, where he lifted his hands and blessed them.  As he blessed them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.  They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem overwhelmed with joy.  And they were continuously in the temple praising God. (CEB):
       Luke ends his Gospel seemingly quickly.  After the meal together, he shares a few final words of hope, heads to Bethany, and ascends to heaven.  I almost get the impression that Luke is eager to finish this chapter of the story and get on to the book of Acts, the sequel.  Luke makes no mention of the actual day of Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit.  We are told to wait. 

Back Cover for Book

     Waiting is fine, if we know what we are waiting for; if we will recognize the Spirit when it comes!  God is waiting now, waiting for our acceptance of his love, his power.  

My goal over the last few weeks has been to finish the Scribbles illustrating the Gospel of Luke.  Now I can begin the process of putting them together in a somewhat 'comic book' fashion to form a very graphic interpretation of the Good News.  

And now....on to Lent!  

GOSPEL OF LUKE: Chapter 23

Luke 23:1-12    Jesus Before Pilate and Herod
Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against him.  They said, 'We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King."   Pilate asked him, 'Is this true that you're King of the Jews?'  'Those are your words, not mine,' Jesus replied.  Pilate told the high priests and the crowd, 'I find nothing wrong here.  He seems harmless enough to me."  (MSG:1-4)
     Pilate consistently wanted to acquit Jesus.  He 'washes his hands' of the matter,.  Herod is more curious about the man he has heard stories of, but Jesus refused to respond to Herod.  The soldiers are quick to mock, dressing Jesus up as a 'King', but ultimately it is the crowd and the threat of insurrection and revolt by the people who sway the verdict to crucifixion.  The Romans didn't really crucify Christ....his own Jewish followers cast the guilty verdict.  


Luke 23:13-25   The Crowd Condemns Jesus
Pilate said to them the third time, 'But what crime has he committed?  I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death!  I will have him whipped and set him free.'  But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified, and finally their shouting succeeded.  So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.  He set free the man they wanted, the one who had been put in prison for riot and murder, and he handed Jesus over for them to do as they wished. (GNT:22-25)
From The Voice Commentary:
Crucifixion is a favorite Roman punishment for insurrectionists, slaves, and prisoners of war.  Anyone daring to defy the power and authority of Caesar is executed in this public and humiliating way.  Jesus indeed is a revolutionary.  He doesn't come to proclaim a new religion, but a new kingdom - a new way of life.  He is indeed a threat to Caesar's way of doing things, a way that co-opts the religious leaders.  
     Jesus' revolution is a peaceful one.  He doesn't advocate the use of violence. He doesn't support the regime of Caesar or follow the usual violent path of revolution: He leads a revolutionary revolution - in a path of love, healing, justice and reconciliation.  
     How can I lead a revolutionary revolution?  What a concept!

Luke 23:33-49   The Crucifixion   

When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.  Jesus prayed, 'Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing.'  Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them.  The people stood there staring at Jesus and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, 'He saved others.  Let's see him save himself!  The Messiah of God-ha!  The Chosen - ha!"  (MSG: 33-35)
Also from The Voice:
Jesus appropriates and transforms the symbol of Roman power into a symbol of His greater power.  He makes the cross not the icon of violent domination, but the reverse.  By hanging on the cross and speaking of forgiveness, Jesus shows that there is a greater power at work in the world than the power of domination: it's the power of God's saving and reconciling love.
     One of Jesus' last acts is to bless and forgive, even as he hangs on the cross.  One of the criminals is blessed for his faith, the people are forgiven.  Could we do the same in similar circumstances?  Do we act with forgiveness and love in much easier circumstances?

Luke 23:44-47  
The Death of Jesus 
By now it was noon.  The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours - a total blackout.  The Temple curtain split right down the middle.  Jesus called loudly, 'Father, I place my life in your hands!'  Then he breathed his last.     When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: 'This man was innocent!  A good man, innocent!" (MSG:44-47)
     Jesus cries out to God, 'Why have you left me?'  Just as he voiced, 'I thirst', Jesus reacts with the most human of responses to the crucifixion.  If the Son of God, God himself, can feel abandoned, we need not feel like we are spiritually lacking if we sometimes doubt or ask God the same question.  It is a very human response!  David certainly pulled no punches with God in many of his psalms.  But God was and is present.  Crucifixion was usually a slow, painful, drawn-out death.  Pilate was surprised that Jesus died so quickly.  Perhaps God was at work to make this unbearable situation a bit more tolerable.  Perhaps he is at work in hidden areas of our lives today when we least expect it.....or assume we have been abandoned. 

Luke 23:50-54       Joseph Buries Jesus  
There was a man named Joseph from Arimathea, a town in Judea.  He was a good and honorable man, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God.  Although he was a member of the Council, he had not agreed with their decision and action.  He went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took the body down, wrapped it in a linen sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock and which had never been used.  It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 

The account of Joseph of Arimathea taking down the now dead body of Christ is found in all four of the gospels.  Joseph is a very rich, highly respected member of the Sanhedrin, and, like Nicodemus, a secret follower of Christ.  But, also like Nicodemus, perhaps yet unwilling to openly reveal his allegiance.  Joseph shows courage in approaching Pilate for the body. 
     Who was Joseph of Arimathea?  What thoughts were in his mind?  Was he chastising himself for not speaking up?  What was it like to take the body down from the cross?  I envision a slow, loving wrapping of the shroud.  Does Joseph have any grain of expectation in his heart that this isn't the end, but the beginning?
     We must bury the human Jesus to allow the divine Christ to rise again.  But have we buried Christ too deeply?  Have we rolled the stone too tightly, and failed to realize that God has rolled it away and is expectantly waiting for us to notice? 

GOSPEL OF LUKE: Chapter 22

Luke 22:1-6  Judas Is Recruited to Betray Jesus
The Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called Passover, drew near.  The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way to do away with Jesus but, fearful of the people, they were also looking for a way to cover their tracks.  That's when Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot.  he was one of the Twelve.  Leaving the others, he conferred with the high priests and the Temple guards about how he might betray Jesus to them.  They couldn't believe their good luck and agreed to pay him well.  He gave them his word and started looking for a way to betray Jesus, but out of sight of the crowd. 
    Today we would call Judas a mole - someone in the inner circle working against the group.  What drove Judas to this point?  Did he feel unappreciated?  Was he tired of living on a disciples' budget?  We don't know the answers.  
    Is there a bit of Judas in each of us?  We are all hyman - it's HARD to live as Christ demanded day in and day out.  our betrayals may not be the high price Christ paid, but the impact can be just as painful.  A sharp, hurtful word, failure to get involved, averting eye contact with a homeless soul - these are all betrayals of Christ.  Failures to act and serve as Christ called.  May God help us recognize our Judas moments and then reject the silver coins.  

Luke 22: 7-23  The Last Supper
Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.'  He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you.' (MSG:19-20)
Commentary from The Voice:
     "The meal that Jesus and His disciples shared is still celebrated today among followers of Jesus.  We surround it with varied rituals and music, but the original meal took place in the midst of great drama and tension.  The disciples were arguing, and Jesus was teaching them yet another lesson about life in the kingdom of God.  Jesus even spoke of His own suffering and their betrayal and denial.  Yet through it all, Jesus' focus remained on the central theme of His life and mission: the coming of the kingdom of God."


Luke 22: 39-45  Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

Then he went off from them about the distance of a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed.  'Father,' he said, 'if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me,  Not my will, however, but your will be done.'  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.  In great anguish he prayed even more fervently; his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (GNT:41-44)

     Once again, Jesus turns to prayer - in the midst of a very trying and stressful night.  His prayer reflects honest, gut emotions: God, I don't want to do this!  But the prayer also invokes the prayer that 'never fails' (to quote Father Tim in Jan Karon's Mitford books!) - Thy will be done.    Angels come to strengthen Jesus for the difficult hours ahead.  God will stand by us also in our hours of need and give us the strength to endure the trials before us. 
I appreciated The Voice commentary on this section also:  "We often speak of having faith in Jesus, but we seldom speak of the faith of Jesus, a faith He demonstrated consistently throughout His life and especially at its end.  In a moment of agony, Jesus still trusted God, still yielded His will to God, and still approached God as "Father," placing Himself in the position of child, in trust - profound, tested, and sincere." 

Luke 22:47-53  Jesus Is Arrested
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a crowd showed up, Judas, the one from the Twelve, in the lead.  He came right up to Jesus to kiss him.  Jesus said, 'Judas, you would betray the Son of Man with a kiss?'  When the disciples who were with Jesus saw what was going to happen, they asked, 'Shall we use our swords, Lord? And one of them struck the High Priest's slave and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus said, 'Enough of this!' He touched the man's ear and healed him.  
     Clear to the end, Jesus' message is one of peace, healing, and love.  The last miracle recorded in Luke is the healing of the slave's ear - a slave representing his enemy.  There is strength in facing persecution with active love, defending the word and character of God.  Jesus is preaching a message of forgiveness and hope even as he is arrested.

      Luke 22:54-62  Peter Denies Jesus
Peter said, 'Man, I don't know what you're talking about.'  At that very moment, the last word hardly off his lips, a rooster crowed.  Just then, the Master turned and looked at Peter.  Peter remembered what the Master had said to him: 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.'  He went out and cried and cried and cried.  (MSG: 60-62)
     How often am I Peter?  How often do I fail to proclaim my allegiance to Christ...usually when in the company of non-believers or those who think differently.  We all do it at one time or another.  Peter is so very human.  We are human.  And the beautiful thing?  God loves us all - even in our failures.