the third day

When it was time for Christ
(so wholly human) to battle
his way out of God-forsaken hell back
to sunshine-blue middle earth, did Archangel
Michael lower Jacob’s ladder again from
somewhere beneath David’s star that shone
so brightly just thirty-three years before?

As the Good Shepherd
(who calls his sheep by name) climbed
with labored determination through layers of
man-made darkness, were the rungs of that splintered
ladder so slippery with blood that he had to
cling with both shredded hands whenever one
aching foot missed its mark?
When it was time for Jesus
(So Wholly Divine) to come out
of his borrowed tomb, did he get up from
that cold slab and fold his linen shroud
neatly, precisely the way his mother Mary
taught him, leaving it ready for the next
visitor who would happen by?

As the Logos
(who is and was and will be) pushed
and shoved the stone until it finally
rolled away, did he have to put his raw
carpenter’s back into it so he could step
out into birdsong morning and wait
for us to remember the plan?
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,
Emmanuel,
welcome back
to our lives.

~ Suzanne Bratcher

holy saturday

It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
~ Luke 23:54-56

After a decade-long battle with chronic illness, my sister Linda died the day before Easter, 1984. Every year, on Holy Saturday, I reflect on life, death, and the resurrection. And as I do this, I am following a pattern set long ago by Jesus' first followers.

Our biblical text sets the scene: it was Preparation Day (Friday) and the Sabbath (Saturday) was about to begin. The women who had loved and followed Jesus wanted to anoint Jesus' body with spices, but in obedience to the commandment, they “rested” on the Sabbath.

I can only imagine how “restful” that particular Sabbath must have been for the disciples. Hadn't they just seen Jesus, the Messiah, crucified the day before? How would they continue their ministry? Who would be their leader? What would become of them all?

Like the early disciples on that Sabbath day, we experience the grief and anguish of death. But unlike the early disciples, we know the rest of the story. Take heart, tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday!

~ Cheryl Boydston

good friday

And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ~ Mark 15:34

I remember seeing a bumper sticker that said, "If God seems distant guess who moved!" The insinuation was that we've somehow moved away from God if we're not sensing his presence.

But is that really the full biblical picture?

As Jesus died on the cross he cried out with the words of Psalm 22:1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Does this mean that God was literally forsaking -- turning his back -- on his Son, or was it that Jesus was experiencing the moment as such? I'll let the scholars debate that one. But I know that there are times in my own life when God seems distant -- that I'm not really hearing much from him -- or feeling too close to him.

Is it because my devotional life is weak or that I'm not reading the Bible enough? Not necessarily. The fact is that there are times when even though we're doing the very things God has called us to do -- times when we're in the middle of it -- as Jesus was, that we're still crying out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Even when we're trusting the Lord and faithfully walking forward, there are days when God feels distant. There are "Good Fridays" when we can't enthusiastically proclaim "TGIF!"

Prophets, psalmists, disciples, saints, and even Jesus the Messiah had such days. And that's okay.

You see, Friday is always only a day away from Sunday.

~ Brad Boydston

last day on earth

(Jesus) got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
~ John 13:4-5

If you’re like me, you’ve played the mental “what if” game, letting your mind range from the ridiculous (What if I were elected President of the United States?) to the sublime (What if I were to spend some of my retirement years on a tropical island?). And perhaps you have also pondered the sobering thought, “What if I knew I had less than 24 hours to live?”

Though it is hard to truly predict what I might do, the first thing that comes to my mind is that I would gather with my family and closest friends. I would want to be surrounded by their loving faces and warm embraces, sharing strong words of our confident hope that we would see each other again in eternity.

This is exactly what Jesus did on that final Thursday of his earthly life. He gathered with his disciples in the upper room, shared a memorable meal together with them, and gave them the comforting words that he would come back and take them to a special place he would prepare for them. But at that meal, knowing full well that it was his last evening on earth, Jesus took his actions beyond comforting words—he knelt down and washed his disciples' feet.

What an amazing God we worship! What wondrous love he has shown us! With less than 24 hours to live, Jesus demonstrated the simple power of extreme humility. May our hearts be strengthened to follow his powerful example every day.

~ Cheryl Boydston

interuptions

Read Psalm 16

Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls." ~ Jeremiah 6:16

With the exception of a few adventurers, most of us do not like to see any sign of deviation in our trek through life. But it appears that once in a while God loves to interrupt the plans of man. Throughout the entire Bible, God intervenes in the lives of people very eager to get to a particular place.

For example, Hagar, the slave of Sarah, fled, but God went to meet her and reveal what awaited her (Genesis 16). Balaam, a courier hired to curse the people of God, was found by God through an angel, who moved to bless Israel (Numbers 22-24). Saul on the road to Damascus was planning to pursue Christian believers, but Christ found him on the way and changed his life forever (Acts 9:1-19). Two travelers on the way to Emmaus were filled with despair until Christ intervened in their lives to offer comfort (Luke 24:13-35). And through the death of my son Gabriel, I have seen the path of the Lord that I must take.

God intervenes in our lives to guide us on a better path, one that transforms our plans into the plans of God and our despair into hope.

Prayer: Oh God, help me to be conscious of the different forms You reveal yourself to me in my everyday life and during my times of trial and tribulations. Amen.

~ Ismael De La Tejera

away from home

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. ~ Psalm 139:9

As much as I love the island of Guam, sometimes I think of home. In the autumn, I think of our Michigan cabin, knowing that the trees are changing color and the air is as crisp with fall as a firm Delicious apple. Part of me longs to be there, to walk down the dirt road, to see russet deer and crimson leaves, to cut and stack fragrant firewood against a coming winter. At other times, I think of Arizona, dry and stark and austerely beautiful. I remember a trip I once made to the Grand Canyon in the winter, to see the snow on the red rocks and hear the wind explore the depths of the abyss. Most often, I think of my six grandchildren, learning to walk and read and dress for Halloween without me there to applaud their efforts. I long to be in my native land sometimes.

But as a Christian, I know that my native land is not Guam or Arizona or even Michigan, as much as I love those places. My native land is Heaven, God’s country, the place where I will settle permanently in the future. Meantime, when I long for home, I remember the verse above, the promise that wherever I am, no matter how remote my destination, God is there to guide me and hold me fast.

~ Mary Johnson

the shadow of death

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. ~ Psalm 147:3

When my father fell ill and passed away, I was angry, confused, lost, and heartbroken. I just wanted to know, "Why him?" I became angry with God and the world; I blamed everything and everyone for all the pain he endured and all the suffering he went through. All I wanted to know was, "Why him? Why me? Why us?"

Why did my father suffer so much? He did everything a man is supposed to do in life. He worked hard to provide for his family, he loved his family, and he helped anyone who asked and even those who didn't. He was a good friend to those who knew him, he gave everything he had of himself for those he loved, and he never complained. He went to church, he loved God and all the blessings God had given him. He always made sure that no one ever knew if he was hurt or angry. He was forgiving and kind. But in the end, he suffered more than I felt he deserved to suffer before he died. I kept asking myself why -- why, would God allow him to suffer so much? He was a good man; he was one of the best that ever lived. Why must a good person go through so much pain?

People would come up to me and say, "He is in a better place." I would respond, "What place could be better than being with his family?" They would say, "He is not suffering anymore." I would say, "He didn't deserve to suffer." I had a response for everything. I didn't know what to feel or how to feel. I couldn't bring myself to understand why he had to leave me.

One day my mother came to me and as we spoke I started to tell her how I felt about losing my father. She told me this: "We need to trust in the Lord. The Lord gives and the Lord takes, but he has never abandoned us." It was hard for me because I saw how strong she was, even though she missed him, loved him, and needed him. Her faith in the Lord gave her the strength to know that everything was going to be okay. She helped me to understand that the Lord did not make my father suffer. Instead, He eased his pain by welcoming him home.

That was when I decided to turn things around and work on starting a new relationship with the Lord. I started to go to church again, I started to pray, and I started to ask the Lord to help me and guide me in my life. I asked the Lord to forgive me for being so selfish. As I grew closer to the Lord, I read a few passages that helped me. My two favorites are To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (Revelation 3:21) and Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of all of them (Psalm 34:19). These passages showed me that my father is where he needs to be -- with the Lord.

~ Judy Fernandez

little easter

Celebrate -- Easter is close!

god's plan for us

And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. ~ Philippians 1:6

Have you ever felt as if you’ve completely missed what God wants for you? Have you ever wondered if perhaps your sin or lack of interest in God has made Him turn on you, leaving your destiny to chance? God’s plan for us is at most times a great mystery, a topic of constant worry for some, especially those blessed (or cursed) with a self-critical personality. Trusting God is not easy and has never been.

Read Luke 1 and 2 and ask yourself some questions:

• What did God promise to both Elizabeth and Mary?
• How did their spouses (or fiancé) deal with the news?
• What were the consequences?
• In both the circumstances, did human belief (or faith, trust) in God’s promise have any effect on the outcome?

John the Baptist and Jesus were both humanly “impossible” pregnancies. Regardless of Zechariah’s lack of faith, God was faithful to His promise (though Zechariah did experience a taste of God’s discipline). We should know God will carry out His work in our lives, whether we believe in his plan or not. We are subject to the consequences of our sin and will usually reap what we sow, but God’s plan for us cannot be stopped.

Prayer: May we rest knowing God is sovereign over our path in this life. May we be slow to judge others as He is sovereign over theirs as well. Amen.

~ Aaron Schaub