I had the pleasure of attending Maundy Thursday service at my church last night. It was a beautiful service filled with scripture reading from John’s Gospel, liturgy reading and responses, singing, foot and hand washing and communion. It was a very personal space shared with fellow believers. I chose the hand washing station and I will be honest, I wish I had chosen the foot washing station. The only reason I did not was fear, similar to Peter’s experience after Jesus was taken away. Peter denied knowing Jesus, I denied myself and those performing the symbolic washing of the feet of an experience like the one long ago as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. My excuse was “I don’t want to take my shoe off.” Really Charlotte! The hand washing was a personal experience and if you have never experienced something like this I hope someday if it is offered to you, I hope you take advantage of it. My thoughts during the hand washing were of gentleness, tenderness and love. All the things that Jesus wants to be to each of us if we would just ask Him and allow His will to be done in our lives. I left the service last night feeling encapsulated by the love of Jesus, covered with His love. My hope and prayer is that you know Him too and call Him Lord and Savior.

~Blessings and Peace~

“When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.” ~Luke 23:33

There’s a line in this song that I wanted to share with you: “Like voices in the wilderness, we’re crying out.” My prayer is that this song with give you courage and strength as you traverse your own wilderness. May you seek God and His plans.”

It is Good Friday and this Lenten season has been a season of discovery and defining for me and I hope your for as well. Throughout we have read about the “wilderness” and I now have a new understanding of it and see it through with renewed insights.

There’s a story of a father and his young daughter, the father is busy and wants to find something for his daughter to do that would keep her occupied while he was busy. So, the father sees a world map and has the great idea of tearing it into pieces and having the daughter put it back together. The father thought to himself, this is brilliant it will keep her busy for quite sometime. It was only a short while and the daughter had reconstructed the map and the father was completely dumbfounded! The father ask, how did you put the map back together so quickly? She responded, I saw the person on the back side and knew if the person was put back together right then the map would be right, too. What a beautiful story on many levels. The difference a single person can be to the whole world. Jesus was and is the person to unite and redeem the whole world. Throughout Lent we have explored the wilderness and have seen it as an intersection of contrast: life and death, hunger and provision, faith and doubt, power and humility. In many ways, it represents a world torn into pieces and needs to be put back together.

The story of the cross is a story of the wilderness as well. The cross is an intersection where tensions collide. Today, we remember that if a person can be made right, the world can be restored, too. And, so God enters our human lives through Jesus Christ, bears our suffering and pain, and takes it all through the cross, redeeming not only our sin, but the entire world.

What is an intersection of brokenness you see in the world?

How can you bring restoration?

Breath Prayer: God help me to love the world as you love the world.

Q~Blessings and Peace~

References:
https://www.biblegateway.com
Pamphlet: The Sanctuary For Lent (By: Katie Z. Dawson)