“Into your hands I commend my Spirit” This is the second time Jesus quotes the Psalms, this time Psalm 31:5. In the midst of the darkness, the anguish, the approaching death, Jesus’ prayer is not one of anxiety or abandonment, but one of trust. It is a trust that shines like light in a very … Continue reading
“It is finished” These last words of Jesus are really one word in Greek… “tetelestai” Is it a word of surrender? A word of resignation? We are tempted to hear it that way. And right now, many of us are tempted to think that way. After all, we don’t know how long this unusual season … Continue reading
“I thirst” These words of Jesus bring us face-to-face with the fullness of his humanity. The extraordinary suffering he is experiencing has left him dry and parched; he is thirsty. Any human being having experienced the cruelty of crucifixion would be thirsty. The fullness of Jesus’ divinity does not diminish the fullness of his humanity. … Continue reading
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Of all the words from the cross, this is the most painful to hear. It is a completely honest cry of lament, lifted from the opening phrases of Psalm 22. In this moment of extraordinary agony, Jesus enters fully into the darkest places of human experience, … Continue reading
“Woman, behold your son; son, behold your mother” Among Jesus’ words from the cross are words of provision for his mother and a disciple whom he loves dearly. As he dies, he models a sacrificial concern for his mother and a tremendously close friend. When we listen to Jesus speak these words, we are called … Continue reading
By Paul Baxley We are at the beginning of a most unusual Holy Week. Even in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, we Christians are called to remember the final hours of Jesus’ life, so that the Holy Spirit may bring those events powerfully into our present circumstances so that we can experience grace, … Continue reading
“This day, you are with me in paradise” Jesus’ second words, spoken to a thief on another cross, are spoken across a terrible boundary of physical separation and social distance. Jesus and this thief cannot touch each other. We cannot even be certain that by position they can see each other. But the thief reaches … Continue reading
“Father, forgive them; they know not what they do” Jesus’ first spoken words during the darkness of Good Friday are words of indescribable grace. He offers forgiveness to those who crucify him, affirming that they don’t really know what they are doing. These are also powerful words of grace for us to hear early in … Continue reading
By Marc Wyatt Palm Sunday celebrates the glorious triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (John 12:1-18). Zechariah had prophesied the entrance of the Messiah into Jerusalem, saying: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of … Continue reading
My wife, Audrey, and I like to start and end the day together by walking our dog around the neighborhood. We take roughly the same route each day: a right at the church down on the corner, then down a ways past the house that sometimes has the sprinkler system going (usually too great a … Continue reading