Today's Reading

Matthew 27:1-31

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.

Judas Hangs Himself

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

Jesus Before Pilate

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You have said so." But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?" But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"They all said, "Let him be crucified!" And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood;see to it yourselves." And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

hmmmmm....

"Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy."
— Thomas Merton

check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=TZwdtwi5ngI

Sunday Feb 28th....

In keeping with the idea that we are pursuing God together, and that we experience God individually in unique ways that impact us all collectively, I would like to invite your participation in the service on Sunday Feb 28th. This can be in anyway you feel comfortable (except from home under the covers). Maybe a poem, or a verse, a song, a prayer, or a drum solo... God has gifted each of us and I would like that Sunday to be a celebration of the Bride for the Groom by as many members of the Body as possible.

Thoughts? Ideas? Questions?

Hit Reply!

Todays Reading

Matthew 26:55-75

At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole Councilwere seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'" And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death." Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, "Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?"

Peter Denies Jesus

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean." And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man." After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you." Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

Thomas Merton (New Seeds of Contemplation)

"In our creation, God asked a question and in our truly living; God answers the question."

Today's Reading

Matthew 26:20-73

When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?" He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Judas, who would betray him, answered, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said so."

Institution of the Lord's Supper

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; seize him." And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?"

Today's Reading

Matthew 26:1-19

The Plot to Kill Jesus

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."

Judas to Betray Jesus

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

Thought this might bring some encouragement....

Re-distribution? Or Miracle?

Tom Barnard

Y

ou are familiar with the story. It is the only miracle of Jesus found in all four gospels. Like most of the biblical accounts of his miracles, this one is an understatement of the power of Jesus to meet human needs. The reference is John 6:1-15.

Jesus and his disciples had just crossed over (probably by boat) to the northern shore of Galilee, near Capernaum, and a large crowd of curious folk found him there. They had seen his miraculous deeds and wanted to see more of him. Timing-wise, it was near Passover, which possibly accounted for such a huge number of people being on the roads—most of them en route to Jerusalem for the annual celebration.

It was lunchtime, people were hungry, and there were no places to buy food for so large a crowd. Jesus tested Philip’s faith; Andrew had an idea; and the lad’s lunch became the opportunity for a lesson in generosity. After everyone had eaten, the food scraps collected filled 12 baskets. When the people tried to make Jesus their king, Jesus retreated alone into the hills to pray. That’s the story. What did it mean?

First, like Jesus turning water into wine in John 2, this story shows his interest in the everyday things of life. On the one hand, a wedding feast ran out of wine; on the other hand, a crowd of men and their sons were hungry. Jesus was always concerned about what concerned the people around him. His parables were that way—a shepherd who lost a sheep…a maiden girl who lost a coin…a father who lost a son. People things…personal things. Just like the things that hold your attention today…the stuff of life. Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” Wherever you are, he is there; he wants to hear from you. What concerns you, concerns him.

Second, when Jesus transforms something, He transforms it abundantly! In Cana, he began with six stone jars of water and turned them into 120 gallons of the best wine anywhere in the valley. Truth be known--a pitcher-full of wine would have been adequate. Jesus produced a year’s supply! In this story, everyone ate to the full, and there were still a dozen baskets of uneaten food left over. Abundance!

Third, Jesus involved other people in the making of a miracle. In Cana, he used the servants to fill the huge stone jars with water—servants hired by the bridegroom. There were no college graduates among them. They were common, ordinary people—just like you and me. They followed his directions, filled the stone jars with water from the well, and then dipped out a pitcher of wine and took it to the master of the feast. On the hillside, he took a lad’s lunch and distributed it through human hands to feed the multitude.

Do you have any idea how long it would have taken to feed 5,000 men and their sons if Jesus had broken every barley loaf and handed it out personally? Think about how long the project would have taken if a committee had organized the event! I can see it now. There would be twelve lines, each line headed up by one of the twelve disciples. Jesus would break one roll twelve times, and the crowd would line up all the way back to Capernaum to be served. Over 400 dads and their sons in each line. Do the math. It would have taken a half day to distribute the food! This story was not about a food line; it was about fast food!

Fourth, there is another lesson here. It is a lesson about generosity. The lad gave up everything he had with him that day. It was his lunch and it really mattered. He could have said, “My mother packed this lunch for me and me alone. She didn’t want me going hungry. It’s mine! Go get your own lunch!” Instead, he gave it away without hesitation. I like this quote from Billy Graham: “God has given us two hands—one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for giving.”

The questions to ask here are these:

What is in your hand? How much are you willing to give? When can you begin?

Thank you for reading “Tuesday Morning” for February 9, 2010. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this publication, send your name and

Email address to Dr. Tom Barnard at barnard22@cox.net. For back issues, go to: www.snu.edu, or www.emfsprayerandpraise.com.

Today's Reading

Matthew 25:31-46

The Final Judgment

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Joy of living and the fear of failure....

"The solution of the problem of life is life itself. Life is not attained by reason and analysis but first of all by living."
— Thomas Merton

I have heard these passages used to highlight the necessity of preparation and being ready - as well as using the gifts that God has given us so we do not lose them. Both views preach and I could come up with some alliterate, three-point sermons that might get us through a Sunday morning.... But what do they say about pursuing God... about doggedly chasing after Him... and Him alone?

As I reflect this morning, I am not trying to conjure up something new, that speaks against the historical context of the scripture - I am just sensing something - maybe deeper, maybe more shallow, but different than what has been there for me before.

In the first parable, one group got ready - the other did not
In the second parable, two invested and doubled their return - one did not - and lost what he thought he would keep.

In each, One group experienced the joy of living - not constrained by rules or religion, they were released by relationship. The joy of living and being undeterred in pursuit of relationship allows perspective beyond the fear and opens a portal into a realm of freedom some miss out on when fear becomes the driving/determining force behind the decision-making process.

Could it be the exercise of faith, faith in the giver of gifts, in the bridegroom Himself - that even delayed He will come - that determines whether decisions are made with joyful expectancy or fear and dread? Could it be trust in what we have been given because of who has given it, that we do not hoard it - we explore it for all its worth because in the exploration and in the waiting we see more of Him, His character, His goodness, kindness, and love (dare I say His Glory) and after all... isn't that where life is truly lived?

Father... I want to know.. to see your Glory.. revealed in and through my life. I have a lamp, I have oil, and I am willing to use all you have given me for the opportunity of a lifetime....

Gloria Dei!

Today's Reading

Matthew 25:1-30

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The Parable of the Talents

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'

And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'

He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'