Christian Reflection and Prayer

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Lenten Devotion

He (Jesus) said to them, "Behold, when you have entered
the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.
 Follow him into the house that he enters ..." (Luke 22:10).

Read Luke 22:8-10.

This momentous day begins with a meal which will be
remembered and rehearsed until the day Jesus returns. It
will be Jesus' last Passover, a beautiful legacy He will leave
for His church. So He sends two disciples to prepare the
meal. Their first task will be to secure a space large enough
to accommodate Jesus, the 12 followers He called, and any
others who are with them.

He instructs Peter and John to follow the man carrying a jar
of water. Maybe this sounds like a rather odd direction. We
might expect them to see a large number of men carrying
jars of water. But these two disciples know women normally
carried the water. It is extremely unusual to see a man
carrying one, so he will be really easy to spot.

But even so, Jesus has to know exactly when that one male
servant will be at that place, and coordinate His disciples'
arrival so they will be passing into the city gates exactly
when he walks by. For the Son of God, no detail is too small
as He makes sure everything will be on hand for His disciples
to complete the preparations for this great feast.

In the same way no detail is too small as Jesus coordinates
all the events in your life to best serve His loving purpose for
you. Don't ignore those little details-the seemingly unimportant
situations or people He brings near. Those are opportunities to
experience His loving care, and to share the love of Christ in
your attitude, your humility and kindness, your words and your
deeds.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank You for taking note of every detail of my life.
Give me confidence that You will guide all things for my eternal
good. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Lenten Devotion

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the
Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. (Luke 22:7)

Read Hebrews 9:1-15.

The day has come. The Jewish leaders and all the people
see this as just another remembrance pointing back to
that first great Passover in Egypt. But Jesus is aware that
all human history hangs on this pivotal day. For this is the
day when God's own Passover Lamb will be sacrificed.
His blood will not save the Israelites from slavery, or the
firstborn from physical death. His death will deliver every
man, woman and child who has ever lived, or will ever live,
from slavery to sin, and from everlasting death in hell.

He makes that sacrifice for all people-freely offering
forgiveness to all people, to you and to me. But on
Judgment Day the angel of death will only pass over those
of us who, by faith, are marked in the blood of God's Son.
Jesus' holy angels will separate believers from unbelievers,
and cast all unbelievers into the eternal fire of hell.

Our reading from Hebrews today speaks about what Jesus
will accomplish through His suffering and death on the cross.
Jesus will bring His own blood into His Father's presence in
heaven, and by that blood cleanse us from all our sins.

That is the depth of Jesus' love for you and me. That is why
He was willing to become human, to be born in Bethlehem's
lowly manger. It's why He will allow Himself to be betrayed,
beaten, slapped, punched, flogged and crucified. By His
sacrifice and His shed blood we are forever forgiven and we
are free.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, You came to take our sins upon Yourself and
bear the punishment of God in our place. Thank You for that
great sacrifice. Now give us courage and true concern for
those dying around us so that we may share Your victory with
everyone You bring into our lives. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Lenten Devotion

And (the chief priests and officers) were glad, and
agreed to give (Judas) money. So he consented and
sought an opportunity to betray Him to them in the
absence of a crowd (Luke 22:5-6).

Read Mark 14:1-11.

The priests were glad to have the possibility of
eliminating Jesus before the Passover-before He could
start a revolt against Rome. Who better than an insider
to spy on Jesus and find the perfect opportunity to
spring their trap? They agreed to the price of thirty
pieces of silver and considered it a bargain. The Jewish
leaders would no doubt have been willing to spend far
more to remove Jesus from the picture.

So Judas began watching and waiting. He needed an
opportunity to betray Jesus when He was separated from
the crowd, and thus vulnerable. Judas held his secret
close in his heart. None of the other disciples had a clue.
He went on acting the part of a friend-and none were the
wiser.

But Jesus knew. He'd known it from the day He first chose
Judas. He'd even dropped hints here and there (see
John 6:63-64, 70-71), along the way. He could easily use
this knowledge to avoid the situation for which Judas was
watching. He could even use it against Judas, turn the
tables, and betray him to the other 11. But Jesus will only
use it for Judas' benefit. He is waiting for that moment when
He can make the biggest impact, reveal the devilish nature
of this sin, and hopefully turn Judas back and save him.

In the meantime, He lets Judas keeps watching for his
opportunity. The betrayer quickly learns it is not as easy to
hand Jesus over as he had first thought.

THE PRAYER: