April 14, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 14th: Luke 19:28-40; Psalm 118:1-2,19-29; Isaiah 50:1-9; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22:14-23:56; Theme: Palm and Passion Sunday Luke : As we prepare for Easter, the scriptures get longer and longer. Today it takes two whole chapters to tell the story of the passion of Christ. In the book of John, Jesus has been making his way to Jerusalem for three years. He finally arrives, and knows what he must face. The story starts with Jesus meeting with the disciples for the Passover meal, and ends with being buried in a borrowed tomb. In between is the most important, most told story of all time. It is the story which begins our faith. It is a story which helps us to understand God’s love for us. It is a story which shows us the consequences of sin. It is a story which demonstrates human nature, to betray, to dessert, to blame, to celebrate trajedy. The celebration of Easter makes no sense until we hear this story of Jesus journey to the cross. As we enter into the passion story this year – let us hear this story in a new way. Let us let God’s forgiveness sink in. This week, we will hear this story one more time. Psalm 31:9-16: This is the passion psalm. This is the psalm that Jesus quotes while in the cross – father into your hands I commit my spirit. It is one of 3 psalms which come to mind for Jesus. In his hour of need, he thinks of these psalms. This psalm is a cry for help in a time of despair. The psalmist outlines all of the horrible things going on in his life. But in spite of those things vows to trust God. Ask God for protection from not just his enemies, but the devastating affects of life. Not only is he suffering from his affliction, but from all of the social pressure that goes along with it. Not only does he give God his spirit, but he says that he has put his future into God’s hands. He trust that God wants the best for him and that things will get better. God is his healing and his salvation. Questions: How many times have you betrayed Jesus? How many times has Jesus shown forgiveness for your sins? How do you handle being in a tough spot in life? Do you trust God to make things better?