Christian Reflection and Prayer

"The High Priestly Prayer"

Lenten Devotion

"When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes
to heaven, and said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your
Son that the Son may glorify You'" (John 17:1).

Read John 17.

Jesus has finished His Last Supper and offers a special prayer
before leading His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. We
call it the High Priestly Prayer because Jesus our great High
Priest offers prayers for Himself, His apostles, and all who
believe in Him.

Jesus first prays that God the Father would glorify Himself
through Jesus' coming death. The Roman cross was never
connected with glory; it was a symbol of shame and dishonor.
St. Paul would call it a "stumbling block to the Jews" and
"foolishness to the Gentiles" (1 Corinthians 1:22). The Jews
stumbled over the idea that God would let His own Son suffer
and die on a cross, rather than sit in glory on a throne. The
Gentiles thought it foolishness that you could receive salvation
through someone else's execution.

Jesus prays to His Father to keep His eleven disciples in His
Name. He is about to leave this world, so He asks the Father to
keep them in faith, that believing they may share the one true
Gospel, which brings salvation by God's grace through faith for
Jesus' sake.

The final part of Jesus' prayer touches us, and all who have
heard and believed the words of the apostles. May we glorify Him
by trusting in Jesus as our only Savior from our sin and death,
and tell others of His great and incomparable love.

THE PRAYER:

Lord God, as You glorified Your Son Jesus Christ through His
death and resurrection, keep us in Your Name through this true
faith, and bless us to share it with all those around us. In Jesus'
Name. Amen.

Written by Rev. Wayne Palmer

"The Light at the End of the Tunnel"

Lenten Devotion

(Jesus said) "... 'You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn
into joy'" (John 16:20b).

Read John 16:16-24.

The disciples' heads are spinning at everything Jesus has said
to them at His Last Supper. Now He tells them, "A little while,
and you will see Me no longer; and again a little while, and you
will see Me." They want to know what He means, but are afraid
to ask; maybe they're more afraid to hear the answer He would
give.

But it shouldn't be a mystery. For months Jesus has told them
what will happen in Jerusalem. He warned them He would be
handed over, beaten, scourged and crucified. He told them He
would die and on the third day rise again. Now all His predictions
are about to come true. They will be sorrowful, but their sorrow
will turn to joy.

The disciples aren't all that different from us. All of us would
prefer to see joy and happiness all through our earthly lives, and
none of us is too happy when sorrow, grief, weeping and
lamenting come around. We try so hard to deny those things
will happen to us, that we miss the tremendous comfort in Jesus'
promise of the resurrection.

Jesus has died and risen again. He promises to come again to
restore this fallen creation, and to change our mortal bodies so
they will be glorious, immortal and eternally perfect. That fact of
Jesus' resurrection coupled with His promise to give us new
eternal life at His return can give us a lasting joy that no one can
take away-no matter what sorrow and loss we suffer in this our
earthly life.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your victory over our sin, death and
hell. Thank You for the promise Your resurrection brings-eternal l
ife with You. Amen.

Written by Rev. Wayne Palmer

Lenten Devotion

(Jesus said) "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in
God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1).

Read John 13:36-14:7.

What a confusing, depressing night! Their Lord and Master
washes their feet like a slave; He tells them the unthinkable
that one of them will betray Him. Then Jesus tells Peter,
the boldest of the Twelve, that this very night, before the
rooster crows at sunrise, Peter will deny knowing Him. What
a confusing, depressing night! Looking around at His
disciples, Jesus knows just how troubled and shaken they
are.

He knows how we get shaken up too. He knows the
circumstances that crush us, problems that confound us,
and the pressures that weigh on us. Yet through it all He is
always at our side. Jesus tells us to turn our eyes away from
our problems and focus our attention on Him. Believe in God
the Father and believe also in Jesus. He assures us that we
will not always live in this world of hurt, pain and sorrow, but
He is preparing a safe, joyous and wonderful place for us to
live with Him forever.

We know where we are going because Jesus is the Way to
heaven. He came to this earth not to be our example to guide
us to heaven by our good living, but to earn heaven for us by
His perfect life, innocent death and glorious resurrection. He
is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Perhaps these devotions find you or someone you love
drawing near to death. In the midst of our sorrows, fears and
anxieties when we focus on Jesus His mighty word calms our
fears and stills our hearts.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, bring peace to my troubled heart and mind, and
give me the Spirit that I may believe in You always. Amen.

Written by Rev. Wayne Palmer