WATCHWORD:
Communion —
23b The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 1 Corinthians 11:23b-28 NIV Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
Moses was a great man; one of the greatest to ever walk this earth. But Moses was not irreplaceable. God being with them, Israel was in good hands, with or without Moses. God’s word, through Moses to Joshua, was: Be strong and of good courage. That was spoken nearly 3300 years ago, but it applies now, to our nation and to us, as individual believers in Christ. It is time that we take courage in the Lord and not fear nor be dismayed. God has not abandoned us. Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
We all come with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
just as by the spirit of the Lord.
2 Cor 3:18
In another letter from Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:7, we read that we live by faith, not by sight, or circumstances, or by only bad days, crisis points, or those times when we don’t know where to turn. We are called to live by faith every moment of every day, and to rebuff the distractions that pull us away from our Lord. Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
He Is Your Life — So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. Colossians 3:1-4 Message Version Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
How is it possible to obey this instruction to give thanks in all circumstances, especially when our circumstances are defined by isolation and the grief of thousands of individual deaths. What fuels thanksgiving when life seems to herald discouragement, disease and death? There is only one way (I am the way and the truth and the life… John 14:6) and shows the way. –Jon Bloom, desiringGod.org Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
13-16 That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was.
17-18 He asked, “What’s this you’re discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened during the last few days?”
19-24 He said, “What has happened?” Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
“Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but “must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon.” Acts 1:1-5 The Message Continue reading
Meditation and Prayer:
Happy Easter, everyone. It is a Happy Day. It’s a day to remember important stuff: The Easter bunny. The decorating of eggs, the hiding of eggs and the thrill of children searching for those eggs. Baskets with the green shredded paper in which nestled jellybeans, those choice Cadbury eggs, and who could forget the Peeps (I have a daughter who still can’t get enough of them, and she is a grandmother! How so like all of us.). And, there, just beside the basket, a chocolate bunny, so large as to boggle our young eyes!
Of course, we are called away from the Easter egg hunt, and the basket of candy, to attend the Easter service, praising the Lord, and saying with conviction; He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! The church was so beautifully, decorated with lilies, white lilies everywhere. And the choir singing all those wonderful Easter hymns: ‘Crown Him with Many Crowns’, ‘Blessed Assurance’, and ‘Up From the Gravy He Arose’, I mean Grave! And maybe, throughout this wonderful praise service, in your young mind, you might be thinking of what would be coming next, or, when will this service be over? Impatient for what’s next. Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
“Jesus said … ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’” John 11:25–26 Continue reading
Meditation:
Good Friday?
Friday – All through the night Jesus has been locked in the dungeon of Kishle Prison, the Citadel, Jerusalem. Early this morning he was brought before Pilate who transferred his case to Herod. Herod sent him back to Pilate, who, sometime in the middle morning, bowed to the pressure of the Temple leadership and the crowds, and condemned Jesus to a horrible death by crucifixion. In the late morning, Jesus was taken by the soldiers through the city and up the hillside of Golgotha. By noon, he is nailed to the cross where he hangs in agony for some three hours. He dies around three in the afternoon. Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:
Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34 Continue reading
WATCHWORD:
Wednesday of Holy Week. Jesus and many of his disciples had returned to Bethany and were at the home of Simon, a man that Jesus had cured of the leprosy. With him were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Following a meal, Mary anointed Jesus, which angered Judas, as a waste of costly perfume. The Last Supper was later that day, back in Jerusalem, when Jesus took bread and wine, blessed it and gave it to the disciples, telling them he would die, but would return to life. Judas slips out of the room, and goes to the high priest, Caliphas. Wednesday of Holy week, also referred to as “Spy Wednesday”, the day that Judas betrayed Jesus.
14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So, they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Matthew 26:14-16 Continue reading
