PRINCE OF PEACE

Good Friday

ISAIAH 9:6 (CEB)
He will be named
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:19 (CEB)
God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ, by not counting people’s sins against them. He has trusted us with this message of reconciliation.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
The Savior who died for us is the Prince of Peace, reconciling the world to God.

DAILY FODDER
What are the many implications of following Jesus as the Prince of Peace?

PRAYER
Jesus, this is the day we remember your death on the cross. This dreadful death was for the sins of the whole world.  My song today is one of sorrowful thanks, for you reconciled me to be at peace with God. Jesus, your life paid the price, and you won the victory over death. I praise you. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

FOLLOW SUIT

Maundy Thursday

PSALM 73:23 (ABP)
   I'm always here for you, holding your hand.

LUKE 22:42-43 (NTFE)
   “Father,” (Jesus) said, “if you wish it—please take this cup away from me! But it must be your will, not mine.”
   An angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
   As God was there for Jesus in his critical moment he is there for all of us. 

DAILY FODDER
   The Thursday before Good Friday is called Maundy Thursday. The English word maundy can be traced to the Middle English and Old French term mandé (also the origin of the English word "mandate"). On the night of his betrayal Jesus said to his disciples "I'm giving you a new mandate. You're to love each other in the same way I've loved you..." That is, as God the Father was there for Jesus, and Jesus was there for us, so are we to be there for each other.

PRAYER
   Dear Savior, on this day I remember how you bravely suffered and died on our behalf. As I share in the bread and cup today I recognize that you included me in your sacrifice to save the world from sin and eternal death. As the Father strengthened you, I'm asking you for the strength to follow suit and stand faithful with you—no matter what. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

DEATH REVERSED

PSALM 103:15-17 (CEB)
The days of a human life are like grass:
   they bloom like a wildflower;
   but when the wind blows through it, it’s gone;
   even the ground where it stood doesn’t remember it.
But the Lord’s faithful love is from forever ago to forever from now
   for those who honor him.
And God’s righteousness reaches to the grandchildren...

1 CORINTHIANS 15:53 (MSG)
In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
The resurrection scheme defines both our hope for the future and how we live in the present.

DAILY FODDER
If death is not the final word, how does that change today?

PRAYER
Lord God, there is no end to your faithful love. Even death is but a small bump in the road. Forgive my anxiety over the future. Help me to live and take risks that are based on the resurrection hope we share. I believe that because of Jesus' victory over death, my decaying body will eventually give way to a new decay-proof body. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

REAL WISDOM

JEREMIAH 8:9 (ABP)
These so-called "wise teachers" have refused to listen to GOD's word,
so perhaps they're not really all that wise.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:20-21 (MSG)
So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Despite the hype, the real sages of any age are those whose wisdom reflects  God's word through their actions and speech.

DAILY FODDER
Practically speaking, how do you allow God's wisdom to shape your life?

PRAYER
All-wise God, thank you for the words that you have delivered to us through prophets, apostles, and preachers. But most of all, we thank you for Jesus, the living word, who embodies your wisdom. Forgive us for listening to the sages of this world while ignoring or even dismissing the wisdom of Jesus as impractical for our times. Shake our lives up so that the only thing that is acceptable to our senses is the wisdom that flows through your word. I'm going to listen closely to what Jesus says so that he can reshape my life. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.