William Holman Hunt, The Shadow of Death (1870-73) When we as Christians pray, we don’t simply pray to God. With faithful assurance, we pray with and through God! As Paul tells us, “When we cry, ‘A…| Toward Beauty
By Brian T. German Read Isaiah 2 and 13:6–13 and Luke 23:26–56. The Old Testament is saturated with special days. The creation of humanity certainly makes the list (Gen. 1:26–27), as does God’s day of rest (Gen. 2:2–3). The day the Israelites were brought out of Egypt was to be remembered throughout the generations (Ex. 13:3), along with the day that the temple was consecrated (1 Kings 8) — and rebuilt (Ezra 3). And who could forget the day the sun stood still (Joshua 10:14)? But ...| The Lutheran Witness
By Geoffrey R. Boyle Read Exodus 12:1–28 and John 13:1–15. When we talk about figures in the Old Testament, we’re not just talking about things that are like other things. Nor are we imposing later things onto earlier things, as if forcing the Old Testament to say something it doesn’t want to say. Instead, when we turn to the Old Testament — the people, places, institutions and events — we’re looking at real things that actually happened, real people who actually did what is rec...| The Lutheran Witness
By Kevin Golden Read Zechariah 9 and John 12:12–19. In their accounts of Palm Sunday, both Matthew (21:5) and John (12:14) report that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is a fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9: “Behold, your king is coming to you.” Mark (11:10) and Luke (19:38) also reflect the Lord’s promise through Zechariah in their narratives, reporting the joyful words of the people: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” It is rather straightforward, after all. Read Z...| The Lutheran Witness
This is the latest installment of “Life in the Church Year,” a series by Dr. Kristen Einertson and Tessa Muench of All the Household. This series will provide guidance for living out the seasons of the Church Year at home with your families. Find month-by-month lists of Lutheran feasts, festivals and commemorations here. All things in the church year point toward the death and resurrection of Jesus, the origin and fulfillment of the church’s life. And in April this year we reach the hig...| The Lutheran Witness
Wednesday of Holy Week Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 70 John 13:21-32 Our gospel reading brings us right to the edge of the drama of the Triduum. It is the night of the arrest of Jesus. He is at table with … Continue reading →| All Things Necessary
“Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” Is. 53…| The Light for My Path
Mary came running from the cemetery. “Jesus’ body is gone!” she wailed in bewilderment. Peter and John ran to see (John 20). Here is what they observed: two angels in the tomb, positioned exactly as the cherubim had been stationed ... The post Day One appeared first on CLC.| CLC
When builders dug in modern Rome to secure the footings for a new parking garage, they uncovered an ancient cemetery. Construction stopped and archaeologists were called in to uncover and assess and preserve. Hundreds of first-century graves were identified, most ... The post Holy Week Count Down – Day Two appeared first on CLC.| CLC
While the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke make it clear that Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal together on Thursday evening, the gospel of John does not carry any such indications as it recounts the Last Supper ... The post Holy Week Count Down – Day Three appeared first on CLC.| CLC
The world around the slaves of Egypt was swirling with ominous tension. The “god” who owned them, called “The Pharaoh”, was battling a seemingly more powerful Lord. Moses, a guy some of them remembered from decades earlier, had recently showed ... The post Holy Week Count Down – Day Four appeared first on CLC.| CLC
Judas was stunned! When he first went up to Galilee to hear this new preacher everyone was raving about, Judas had been skeptical. Nobody could be that good, that insightful, that engaging, that mesmerizing. But Judas was taken in. Against ... The post Holy Week Count Down – Day Five appeared first on CLC.| CLC
When David became king of Israel, he needed a capital city that was both prominent and defensible. The Jebusite city of “Peace” (“Salem”/”Shalom”/”Salaam”), once ruled by mysterious Melchizedek (Genesis 14), was perfect. Jerusalem became David’s palace city and, a generation ... The post Holy Week Count Down – Day Six appeared first on CLC.| CLC
When the Israelites crafted the Tabernacle at Mount Sinai (Exodus 25-40), Yahweh’s Shekinah glory blazed down from heaven and filled the place with the divine presence. God was at home with God’s people, living with them, traveling with them, creating ... The post Holy Week Count Down – Day Seven appeared first on CLC.| CLC
Receive training for what is next in your ministry leadership development.| CLC
Among the most powerful meditations on Pascha are the writings of Melito of Sardis (ca. 190 AD). His homily, On Pascha, is both a work of genius as poetry and a powerful work of theology. Its subject is the Lord’s Pascha – particularly as an interpretation of the Old Testament. It is a common example […]| Glory to God For All Things
Irony is probably too much to ask of youth. If I can remember myself in my college years, the most I could muster was sarcasm. Irony required more insight. There is a deep need for the appreciation of irony to sustain a Christian life. Our world is filled with contradiction. Hypocrisy is ever present even […]| Glory to God For All Things
I recall the first time the phrase, “On the night in which He was betrayed,” struck my heart. I was attending the evening service of Maundy Thursday at an Episcopal parish when I was a student in college. There was communion, followed by the “stripping of the altar” that symbolized the arrest and scourging of […]| Glory to God For All Things
It was written by David, and later spoken by Jesus. Yet this anguished prayer has a universal appeal. Each one of us, at some point of time, had experienced a feeling of being forsaken by God. Of course, God in his abundant kindness, responded to our appeals and the proof is that we are […] The post MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? appeared first on Vcatholic.| Vcatholic
Looking for a meaningful way to teach your children about Holy Week and Easter? Print this 12-page Holy Week and Easter mini book for kids.| Real Life at Home
On Maundy Thursday, we see Jesus washing the feet of those who would scatter, those who would betray, those who were disillusioned and angry and bewildered. And Jesus, knowing full well the shifty, half-baked crew gathered in that room, still went out of his way to call them all friends. Every one of them. Yes, … Continue reading "A Friend on a Friday"| winncollier.com
Truly, Moriones Festival is a combination of religious devotion and fine craftsmanship, an event of unique celebration.| The Mixed Culture