Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Read Mark 15:35-36

"Some of the bystanders hearing it said,
 'Behold, He is calling Elijah.'" (Mark 15:35)

Reflection:

In the darkness the crowd hears Jesus cry out,
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
They hear the Aramaic word "Eloi" and think He
is calling Elijah. They are thinking of a prophecy
from Malachi in the Old Testament, "Behold, I
will send you Elijah the prophet before the great
and awesome day of the LORD comes." The
bystanders wonder if Jesus is calling out for the
great prophet Elijah to come and rescue Him
from the cross.

Are the bystanders mocking Him again or might
they have another reason for pointing this out? If
it is just mockery then they think it's pretty funny
that Jesus is getting desperate for God to do
something to rescue Him.

But on the other hand, who knows what effect
these hours of unnatural darkness have had on
them? Luke tells us that after Jesus died, many
of these bystanders went home beating their
breast- a sign of sorrow and regret over what they
have done. (Luke 23: 48). Whether it was mockery
or genuine curiosity one of them ran up and gave
Him wine vinegar. Then they stood back to see
what might happen.

But Jesus wasn't calling Elijah- He was calling
out to His Father. But this time Jesus could not
call Him "Abba" or "Father", God had forsaken
Him because of our sins. But even though the
Father had turned His back against His own Son,
Jesus held on to His God, calling out, "My God".
Because God turned His back on His own Son,
we can be confident He will never turn His back
on us who trust in Jesus as our Savior.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank You for being willing to lay
down your life for me. Amen

(Lutheran Hour Ministries Lenten Devotional).

Christ is our Redeemer

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

He was despised and rejected — a man of
sorrows, acquainted with the bitterest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the
other way when he went by.
Isaiah 53:3 NLT

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and
shame weighed down, now scornfully
surrounded with thorns Thine only crown; how
pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse
and scorn! How does that visage languish
which once was bright as morn!

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee,
dearest Friend, for this Thy dying sorrow, Thy
pity without end? O make me Thine forever;
and should I fainting be, Lord, let me never,
never outlive my love to Thee.
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

A profoundly personal and awesome vision

Although Bernard was one of the most
influential Christians of the Middle Ages,
settling disputes between kings and influencing
the selection of popes, he remained a devout
monk, single-minded in his devotion to Christ.

In his own day Bernard was known as a
preacher and churchman; today he is
remembered for his hymns of praise. "O Sacred
Head, Now Wounded" comes from a poem
originally having seven sections, each focusing
on a wounded part of the crucified Savior's body —
His feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart, and
head. The text of this hymn compels us to gaze
at the cross until the depth of God's love overwhelms
us. Bernard's hymn pictures God's love, not as an
abstract theological statement, but as a profoundly
personal and awesome vision of the suffering Christ.

Our Holy Week readings are adapted from The One
Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert
Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995).

PALM SUNDAY

Scripture:

Mark 11.1-10

As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem,
they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany,
on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on
ahead. "Go into that village over there," he told them,
"and as soon as you enter it, you will see a colt tied
there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it
here. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, '
The Lord needs it and will return it soon.'" The two
disciples left and found the colt standing in the street,
tied outside a house. As they were untying it, some
bystanders demanded, "What are you doing, untying
that colt?" They said what Jesus had told them to say,
and they were permitted to take it. Then they brought
the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and
he sat on it. Many in the crowd spread their coats on
the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut leafy branches
in the fields and spread them along the way. He was in
the center of the procession, and the crowds all around
him were shouting, "Praise God! Bless the one who
comes in the name of the Lord! Bless the coming
kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest
heaven!" (NLT)

Prayer

I worship you Lord! You did not enter your holy city
Jerusalem on the back of a war horse, but humbly and
on a donkey. You knew that you were surrounded by
murderers, yet you came in peace, and by your sacrifice
you would utterly conquer death before the week had
passed. You, oh Lord, are blessed and worthy of my
praise. You have saved your people. I say, "you are my
king!" ... I long to live in the city where you sit on the
throne! Establish your Kingdom, so that your people
can live in peace. Jesus, I bow before you, and I will
sing your praises until your Kingdom comes and is
established, and forever after.