Good Friday
Those who honor the Lord,
who adore God’s commandments, are truly happy! ~ Psalm 112:1 (CEB)
He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness, having nothing to do with sin. By his wounds you were healed. Though you were like straying sheep, you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your lives. ~ 1 Peter 2:24-25 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
The cross heals.
PRAYER:
Son of God, we pause today to remember the sacrifice you made to heal the world from the power and consequences of sin. We truly honor you and even though we are prone to stray we recommit ourselves to your care. Shepherd and guard us. We want to honor you by following your lead. Amen.
Maundy Thursday
“We’re going to ask the Lord All-Powerful to treat us with kindness. Come and join us.” ~ Zechariah 8:21b (CEV)
After singing songs of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives. ~ Mark 14:26 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
Prioritize worship.
PRAYER:
Lord All-Powerful, thank you for intervening in history -- and in my life. Forgive me for treating you as an add-on to my life -- an obligation -- something more I should do. Fill me with songs of praise and natural-flowing prayers so that I am purposeful in acknowledging you. I look forward to a life filled with more of the kindness that you have been pouring out on us through our Savior Christ Jesus. Amen.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. ~ Psalm 51:12 (NRSV)
You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. ~ John 16:20b (NLT)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
Be encouraged because the joy from God will prevail over the sadness.
PRAYER:
Loving God, I take comfort in the fact that you understand grief and sorrow. Jesus died. I am too often allowing the sorrows of life to overwhelm and control me. Refresh my faith so that the joy which flows out of your salvation prevails. I'm going to celebrate the coming good news that overshadows the grief. Amen.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. ~ Zephaniah 3:15b (NRSV)
Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” ~ Mark 4:40 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
As we realize that the Lord is present we come to understand that fear is not in charge.
PRAYER:
Thank you, gracious God, for being here and making yourself known. However, I have not fully tapped into that reality and I let fear drive too much of how I function. When I start to become fearful peek around the corner and show your face. Increase my faith so that I can live fear-free. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2015 I started posting these Bible verses for my spiritual formation students at Pacific Islands University. In the process of responding to the verses, I found the rhythm of looking for a common thread and writing a prayer based on that key idea to be helpful for my own soul. The prayers are more or less modeled on the TRIP method, which is what I ask my students to do in their journaling. ~ Brad Boydston
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
