Friday – Good Friday:

The above video is a devotional wrap up of our walk through some of what Jesus experienced during passion week. Check it out as we move towards preparing for worship on Easter Sunday!

 

Thursday – Chapel Four:

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:44-46)

The Son commits Himself to the Father; Jesus’ commitment to us was the sacrificial giving of His life………to save us from the punishment for our sins and to give us eternal  life.  Have I committed my life to Christ?  Am I living my life in obedience to Him, bringing Him honor and glory?

In the Old Testament, the Jews built stone memorials to remind them of what God had done for them.  Today, as you’ve been meditating on all that God has done for you through His Son, won’t you commit – or recommit – yourself to following Jesus, the Savior?

Take a stone with you as a reminder of any commitment you have made to Christ today.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to surrender everything in my life to You.  Teach me what that means for each new day, and give me the will to do what pleases You.  Amen.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  (Psalm 18:2)

FOR KIDS:

Hands are for helping.  We trust in God’s kind hands as Jesus did.  He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Dear God,

Even in hard times, help me to look for you.

Amen

 

Wednesday – Chapel Three:

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.  (John 19:28-29)

Jesus’ ministry was bracketed by two very human conditions. After his 40 day fast he was famished. After his work on the cross he was parched. Both underscore His humanity from beginning to end. The act of gasping for breath in the crucifixion  process of dying would leave a throat raw, yet he had something more to say and asked for the relief of a moistening touch, to get yet another biting sample of this world’s cruelty. Beyond the physical experience is the symbol of the shared, acrid experiences of life. Jesus has fully tasted the same world we know and is there for us in the dry, stinging days with His refreshment.

Sample the vinegar using a sponge. Ask for forgiveness for the cruelty or indifference in your life, or for those who have treated you with such. Follow that with a cup of water and give thanks for the One who is living water to you.

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, thank You for the details of Your word that give us a look at Your heart. Thank You for the lengths You went to, to quench my deepest needs with Your love and forgiveness.  Amen

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

FOR KIDS:

On the cross Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”  Jesus’ body was just like ours.  He knows how we feel.

Dear God,

Thank you that you know what I need.  Help me think of this when I am thirsty.

Amen

 

Tuesday – Chapel Two:

The soldiers led Jesus away…They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.  And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.  And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

(Mark 15:16-20)

 Throughout Scripture thorns symbolize not sin, but the consequence of sin. We see this after Adam and Eve sinned and God cursed the land with thorns. And years later God told the Israelites that their disobedience to Him would result in trouble that would be like thorns in their sides. Rebellion results in thorns. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, gave up the crown of heaven to wear a crown of thorns as He was mocked.  He willingly suffered the consequences of our sin and rebellion.

Look at and touch the crown of thorns- long, spiny, sharp……thorns like these cut into the Savior’s brow.  Yet, Jesus willingly suffered through this and the crucifixion so that we would be able to spend eternity in Heaven with Him.  Remember, God’s free gift of salvation is available to

ALL who believe.

When you are ready, you may pray silently:

Dear Jesus, Thank You that even though you knew our utter sinfulness, You still chose to enter our fallen world and take our sin upon Yourself. Help me to rest in Your salvation  and avoid the thorns of this world. In Your name I pray, Amen.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

FOR KIDS:

Thorns hurt!  The Bibles tells us, “The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.”

Jesus still wore that crown for the pain that comes from sin.

Dear God,

Make me more thankful that Jesus was willing to show me love even when it hurt.

Amen

 

Monday – Chapel One:

 

CHAPEL ONE:

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  (John 13:3-5)

Jesus, recognized by His disciples as Lord and Teacher, set an example for them. As they celebrated the Passover Feast the night before His crucifixion, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, a task usually reserved for a lowly servant.  From this we see that God sent His Son not only to be our Savior, but to show us how to serve Him by serving others.

Serving others is more than keeping up with your to-do list. To be a servant means we genuinely need to care about people. It’s keeping our eyes, hearts, and schedules open for opportunities to serve others. Jesus was not stressed by time, what others thought of Him, or a list of tasks to accomplish each day. No task was ever beneath Jesus, and no person was ever unworthy.

Who can you serve?  Write down the name of someone that you can serve this week and how you will serve them with the love of Christ.  Take the piece of paper with you as a reminder.

When you are finished, we invite you to pray silently:

Dear God, Thank You for the picture of servant-hood exemplified  by Your only Son, Jesus Christ. Please teach me how to bring glory and honor to You through my service to others.

Amen.

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one

who serves me.

(John 12:26)

FOR KIDS:

One of the first things Jesus did on His way to the cross was to care for His friends.  The Bible tells us, “Jesus began to wash His disciples’ feet.”  It made them feel clean.

Dear God,

I want to follow Jesus’ example.  Help me care about others with tasks big or small.

Amen