Last night was our Good Friday Service. We reflected on the crucifixion and death of Jesus and left off with his death. Today has been called Silent Saturday because Jesus was slient as he lay in the tomb. Little is known about what happened between the time he died Friday afternoon and when he rose Sunday morning, but Matthew mentions four different responses to his de...

He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." (Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‬) These last few days we've been looking at Jesus' prayer in the garden. Today I'd like to zero in today on what he felt. His emotion...

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (Mark 14:35-36) I've read this many times but it struck me differently this time. Think about it. Jesus prayed and God said no. Jesus wanted so badl...

"Could you not watch with me just one hour?" Matthew 26:40 Here is a deeply profound truth about the Lord Jesus that he makes us especially aware of as we conclude our forty days of lent and observe Holy Week, the days leading up to Resurrection Day. Jesus does not need our prayers but he deeply desires our presence. As he contemplated the cross before him Jesus prayed...

35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, the hourmight pass from him.36"Abba,[b]Father,"he said,"everything is possible for you. Take this cupfrom me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (Mark 14:35-36) In the garden of Gethsemane, on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives, Jesus left his disciples alone so he could pray. This pl...

Something I've been meditating on this past week has been the cycle of death and resurrection- and how it's so central to our faith and our walk with Christ. Death and resurrection should go hand in hand in our lives as Christ followers, just as Christ died and was resurrected. We see throughout scripture how the death of something can bring life to something else. Death ...

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." (1 John 3:16) When's the last time you paused to reflect on how deeply you love Jesus? Are you loving Him with the kind of genuine, wholehearted devotion that He deserves, or has it become just a passing thought in the busyness of life? Sometimes we can get so caught up in the motions of our fait...