Christian Reflection and Prayer

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Lenten Devotion

"He will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare
it there" (Luke 22:12).

Read Luke 22:11-12.

As Jesus directed, the two disciples enter the city gate and
find the man carrying the water jar. He will guide Peter and
John to the house where they will prepare the Passover for
Jesus. But for these disciples the strangest thing may not
be the man carrying water.

The strangest thing may well be that a room large enough
to accommodate at least 13 men is still available in
Jerusalem. The city is bursting with Jewish pilgrims
gathered together from all over the Roman Empire to
celebrate the Passover. But as Jesus predicts, they won't
just find a large empty room, it will be fully furnished, with
all the furniture and utensils they will need.

Thirty-some years ago a Jewish carpenter diligently
searched for just such a room in the little town of Bethlehem,
a few miles southwest of here. In fact, Luke uses the exact
same Greek word for "guest room" here as he uses for "inn"
there (see Luke 2:7). But no such room was available that
first Christmas, so Jesus had been born in a humble shelter
for cattle.

But this time it is different. A room has been held back and
reserved. In this space Jesus will celebrate His Last Supper
and institute Holy Communion. The owner of this house
knows the Teacher, and will be deeply honored to lend Him
this room. He is the second man in recent days who has been
privileged to loan his property to the Savior of mankind. Just
the previous Sunday a man had loaned Him his young donkey,
which had never been ridden before. And before the sun sets
again, a prominent Jewish ruler will lend Jesus his unused tomb.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank You for choosing to honor us with Your
presence. Use our time, treasure, talents and lives to spread
Your Kingdom and glorify Your Holy Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

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)