Darb el Arba’in

The Darb el Arba’in is an ancient trade route that runs from Darfur to the Nile valley and Egypt. Connecting a series of oases, it is called the Forty Days Road. Up to the end of the 19th century, it was one of the main routes to transport slaves and exotic goods. Its sinister reputation comes from the eye-catching white color of the numberless human and camel bones scattered all along the way, so much so that the road is indicated on maps with the words Track marked with white bones.

Jesus, You are the way.
We speak Your name over the Forty Days Road.
Father, Your Word is truth.
Send forth Your word along the Forty Days Road. It shall not return to You empty, but accomplish what You please.
Holy Spirit, You bring life.
Breathe on these bones, O Breath of God, and fill this land with hope and life.
God’s children in Sudan, whose hearts are thirsty and whose bones are dry, whose hope is lost and spirit cut off. You shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the date palms of the oases shall clap their hands. The sandsheet shall bring forth life, and the trade route shall be holy.
You shall be saved and cleansed by the sure mercies of Jesus. The Lord Almighty is Your God, and you are His people. You shall live under an everlasting covenant of peace, Amen.
Ezekiel 37, Isaiah 55

Psalm 74

O God, why have you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? (Psalm 74:1)
      LORD, we have sinned against you and departed from your ways: have mercy on us and help us return to you.

Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, which you have redeemed–this Mount Zion where you have dwelt. (Psalm 74:2)
      Jesus, in your mercy remember the Episcopal Church and help us return to you and your ways.

Lift up your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. (Psalm 74:3)
      Holy Spirit, come and visit your people and refresh us with your presence.

Your enemies roar in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their banners for signs. (Psalm 74:4)
      Father, please help us once again follow the sign of the cross.

They seem like men who lift up axes among the thick trees. (Psalm 74:5)
      Jesus, we are often frighten by the strength of our adversaries; fill us with the courage you gave David when he faced Goliath and the Philistines.

Arise, O God, plead your own cause; remember how the foolish man reproaches you daily. (Psalm 74:22)
      Jesus, please do what man cannot do: renew us by your Holy Spirit, revive us daily and guide us through this time of darkness in your church.

Do not forget the voice of your enemies; the tumult of those who rise up against you increases continually. (Psalm 74:23)
      May the Name of Jesus, the Son of God, who is mightier than all the hosts of Satan, and more glorious than all the angels of heaven, abide with us in our going out and our coming in; by day and by night; at morning and at evening; at all times and in all places.
      May the Name of Jesus, the Son of God, protect and deliver us from the wrath of evil persons; from the assaults of evil spirits; from foes invisible; from the snares of the Evil One; and from all low passions that beguile the soul and body.
      May the Name of Jesus protect and deliver us.
      And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with us this day and always. Amen.
      (Blessing adapted from the Anglican Christian community in Ceylon, Pakistan, and India)

Wednesday: 74; Lamentations 2:1-9; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11; Mark 12:1-11
Maundy Thursday: 142, 143; Lamentations 2:10-18 1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:27-32 Mark 14:12-25

Albany Intercessor

National leaders

Our Father in heaven,
You are good, a refuge in times of trouble. You care for those who trust in You.
The Pilgrims at Plymouth relied on prayer during their first and darkest winter. Our founding fathers also called for prayer during the Constitutional Congress. You have blessed our nation in more ways than we can know.
We pray that President Obama and Vice President Biden will turn to You and place their trust in You. Care for them and protect them from all assaults of the enemy as they lead our nation. Amen.
Nahum 1:7

Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem

A report of ecclesiastical conflict within the diocese. Today, Passover is being celebrated in Jerusalem. Let us take up the heavenly hyssop and apply the Blood of Christ over the doorposts and lintel of the Anglican household in Jerusalem.

Father,
We pray for the peace of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of our brothers and friends, we will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the body of Christ, we will seek your prosperity.
Psalm 122:6-9

Sudan election articles

Hurdles include a complex balloting system in a population who has never voted, the rainy season, and land mines.

From Catholic Information Service for Africa:

Last week 17 opposition parties pushed a memo to the presidency requesting that April elections be postponed until next November in order to allow for major reforms in a number of laws primarily relating national security and media. They gave the government until next week Thursday April 1 to respond positively or else face the possibility of boycotting the elections.

Meanwhile the SPLM revealed that Salva Kiir, the President of Southern Sudan has rejected a request by Taha and NEC chairman Abel Alier to have the Northern army transport voting slips to the south.

The United Nations (UN) was due to transport the ballots by helicopter around the war-ravaged south but Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has delayed the pilots’ visas, a U.N. source and opposition party officials told Reuters.

“They are sabotaging the coming of the U.N. pilots. They want to control the whole election process,” said Yasir Arman, the SPLM candidate for the national presidency.

A U.N. source, who declined to be named, said the visa problem was eventually resolved but that the U.N. was aware of the NEC request to allow the northern army to transport the ballots. “It didn’t make any sense and we made that clear in our discussions,” the source added.

From Daily Nation:

In reports released in Nairobi on Wednesday clearly timed to send a statement ahead of the polls, Human Rights Watch accused the two governments of gross violation of human rights.

The agency said studies conducted between November 2009 to March 2010 in Sudan found that both the Government of National Unity and the Government of South Sudan have been restricting freedoms critical to a fair poll, including freedoms of expression, assembly press, and equal access to the media. . . .
Things are not any different in the south where intimidation, arbitrary arrests, detention and torture of those opposed to the ruling Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement have been reported. . . . There is also concern over intimidation of journalists.

Mark 11:27-33

Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him. (Mark 11:27)
      Dear Jesus, please let the Presiding Bishop and the bishops and teachers of the Episcopal Church come to you.

And they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority to do these things?” (Mark 11:28 )
      Holy Spirit, please help the leaders and teachers of the Episcopal Church to acknowledge and accept Jesus’ authority.

But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:” (Mark 11:29)
      Jesus, please help all of us respond with faith when you ask those questions that search our hearts and minds.

“The baptism of John–was it from heaven or from men? Answer me.” (Mark 11:30)
      Father, John was your man, your prophet — he spoke your word to the people. Please help us this Holy Week hear his call to repent and receive the baptism of fire that Jesus offers us.

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’”–they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.” (Mark 11:31-33a)
      Father, please set the leaders and teachers of the Episcopal Church free from weasel-worded answers, from “carefully nuanced” answers that deny what you have said and done.

And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11:33b)
      St. Augustine, the revered Bishop of Hippo who lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, said, “I believe in order to understand” (credo ut intelligam). St. Anselm, who lived primarily in the 11th century AD, echoed this: “I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand.” Clearly, these two men answered the question by emphasizing faith. If these statements are any indication, St. Augustine and St. Anselm held to this axiom in Hebrews: “Through faith we understand…” (11:3). (From http://cshayden.blogspot.com/2005/05/credo-ut-intelligam.html)

      Lord, give the leaders and teachers of the Episcopal Church the gift of faith so that they may believe and understand what you have said and done. Thank you.

Tuesday: 94; Lamentations 1:17-22; 2 Corinthians 1:8-22; Mark 11:27-33
Wednesday: 74; Lamentations 2:1-9; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11; Mark 12:1-11

      Notes from the Front Line

***** Please pray for the ministry of the Cathedral Church of Down Patrick in the Diocese of Down and Dromore in Northern Ireland and for its rector Henry Hull.

The grave of St. Patrick beside the Cathedral Church of Down Patrick.

***** Pray for the ministry of Marriage Encounter. Please pray that God will strengthen the marriages of his people in this diocese.

***** Please join the Good Friday Stations of the Cross through Hamilton Hill in Schenectady. It begins at Christ Church Schenectady and ends at the City Mission. There are rides back from the City Mission back to Christ Church. The walk takes about two hours. There are rides for those who cannot do the whole distance.

Albany Intercessor

Passover

Isaiah 62:1, 6, 7 (New International Version)
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the LORD,
give yourselves no rest,
and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.

Father,
We pray for a safe and peaceful Passover for the Jewish people. Amen.

National leaders

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

O Lord,
If only we could love as You! Your love is steadfast; ours is mercurial. Your love overflows with tender mercies; ours is riddled with unforgiveness. Holy is Your name. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!
We ask You to love the leaders of our nation, including our political opponents. Love them, especially President Barak Obama and Vice Prresident Joseph Biden. Love their families, and their staffs. You know their needs. Bless them, Lord, in Your infinite wisdom. Bless them in Your judgment. Bless them in Your mercy. Amen.

2 Corinthians 1:1-7

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: (2 Corinthians 1:1)
      Jesus, we pray for Bishop Bill and Bishop Harold and all you have called to apostolic ministry in the Diocese of Albany and the Diocese of Down and Dromore and for all the saints in these two dioceses.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:2)
      Father, we come to you as your children and ask for your grace and peace to flow through these two dioceses. We come to you asking for what we don’t deserve, but knowing it is your heart’s desire for us.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, (2 Corinthians 1:3)
      Jesus, thank you for making the love of your Father known to us. Please help us daily come into his arms and receive his comfort.

      Father, thank you for holding us in your arms.

who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:4)
      Holy Spirit, please help us recognize and take every opportunity you give us to reach out and comfort others with the grace and mercy and comfort we have received.

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:5)
      Jesus, please help us this Holy Week to receive into our spirits a new understanding of your suffering for us and also receive the consolation you offer us through that suffering. Thank you.

Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. (2 Corinthians 1:6)
      Holy Spirit, please give us strength to endure and perseverance to endure. Let the trials we go through be for the consolation and salvation of others.

And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. (2 Corinthians 1:7)
      Jesus, please give us a steadfast hope so that as we partake of your suffering we make also partake of your consolation. Thank you for all your blessings on our two dioceses. Thank you you for knitting the Diocese of Albany and the Diocese of Down and Dromore together with bonds of love and affection.

      A word received: How I long to pass over my people today and know that they are covered by the blood of my son Jesus. Turn to me; receive the blessing I have for you. Come to me in humility and ask for forgiveness of sin. Let me free you from the bondage of sin.

      A word received: Pray for my people to hear my word to them.

Monday: 69:1-23; Lam. 1:1-2,6-12; 2 Corinthians 1:1-7; Mark 11:12-25
Tuesday: 94; Lam. 1:17-22; 2 Corinthians 1:8-22; Mark 11:27-33

Albany Intercessor

Global South Anglican Encounter

The 4th Global South Anglican encounter will be held April 19-23.

To date, official provincial reps from 20 Provinces are confirmed coming. We also have other participants from various Provinces and Anglican groupings. Ecumenical observers will also be present. As with the Third Encounter, focus will be given to strengthening our commitment to the work and ministry of the Church, her Gospel witness, mission partnerships and economic empowerment needs. There will also be discussions on ways to strengthen the work amongst Global South Provinces. One major focus will be discussions around the Anglican Covenant process. A new Global South Primates Steering Committee will be appointed before the Conference ends.

Theme “The Gospel of Jesus Christ—Covenant for the People; Light for the Nations” (Isa 42.6, 49.6, 51.4, 52.13-53.12; Mt 26.26-29, 28.16-20; Jn 17.1-26)
Mission: To Recover, Reform, Revitalising, and Restore Ourselves as Anglican Covenantal Community for Mission and Ministry in Jesus Christ.

Objective:
1. To enable the covenanting Global South Provinces and Others to be an communion-accountable member of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
2. To develop Communion nature network, structures and processes to further our recovered mission and ministry.
3. To develop and represent with other ecumenical bodies to strengthen the common mission and ministry for the global church of Christ.
4. To identify and nurture new generation to carry on the vocation of the Global South.

Lord God Almighty,
You are no capricious god, but a trustworthy, covenanting God whose promises are true. Let the light of the 4th Global South Anglican Encounter so shine before the world that all may see their good works and glorify Your holy name. Amen.

Your voice, Lord

Romans 8:19-22 (Amplified Bible)
For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship]. For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it–[yet] with the hope that nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children. We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.

O Lord,
I don’t understand what this passage means, but I do know that Your voice is powerful and full of majesty. It breaks the cedars and shakes the earth. It tears down and births new life at the same time.
Speak over Sudan, Lord. Free this land from its bondage to decay and corruption. Open an entrance into the glorious freedom of Your children and speak new life now, we pray. Amen.
Psalm 29

Probably no more Lent devotionals until Good Friday

Hi all,
Unfortunately due to terrible internet connections and extreme busyness, I’ve not been able to organize any Holy Week devotional posts, except for two entries for Good Friday which I prepared several weeks ago. If I can post a few entries, I will, but right now it’s looking very doubtful.

My apologies. A blessed Holy Week and Easter to all our readers.

- Karen

Luke 22:39-46

Coming out, he went to the Mount of Olives, as he was accustomed, and his disciples also followed him. (Luke 22:39)
      Holy Spirit, please help us daily establish the habits that will cause us to follow Jesus.

When he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40)
      Father, we ask you to help us recognize and avoid those patterns of thought and behavior that are the first steps to entering into temptation.

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and prayed, (Luke 22:41)
      Jesus, please help us join you in prayer. Sometimes that “stone’s throw” distance can seem like you are miles away from us. Please help us by your Holy Spirit to be right there with you as you pray and intercede. Thank you.

saying, “Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)
      Father, please help us daily surrender our wills to you as Jesus did. Thank you.

Then an angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him. (Luke 22:43)
      Father, please send your holy angels to minister to us as well.

And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. Then his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:44)
      Jesus, please help us take to heart the pain and agony of soul and body you went through for us. Thank you.

When he rose up from prayer, and had come to his disciples, he found them sleeping from sorrow. (Luke 22:45)
      Father, forgive us for the times Jesus found us asleep when we should have been praying.

Then he said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:46)
      Holy Spirit, please help us recognize and receive into our lives that prayer is the antidote to temptation.

      Father, help us pray as Jesus prayed.

      Jesus, please help us join you throughout the day in prayer for ourselves and those around us; help us pray according to the mind of your Spirit. Thank you.

      A word received: You thank me for pruning you; I AM giving you new fruit through that.

Palm Sunday: 103; Zechariah 9:9-12; 1 Timothy 6:12-16; Zechariah 12:9-11, 13:1, 7-9; Luke 19:41-48
Monday: 69:1-23; Lam. 1:1-2,6-12; 2 Corinthians 1:1-7; Mark 11:12-25

      Notes from the Front Line

***** Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010
From: Diocese of Albany
Subject: Bishop’s Easter Pastoral Letter
Holy Week and Easter, 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

      As the world teeters from one crisis to the next, you and I as Christians can go forward facing the uncertainties and trials of life in confidence, a confidence not from human optimism, but from the salvation and victory won by Jesus Christ against all the forces of evil, hell and death itself.

      With the coming of Holy Week, we have the great honor and privilege to join in celebrating the events of our redemption. We begin with Palm Sunday, whereupon we remember and celebrate how our Lord rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey (as had been prophesied about the coming of the Messiah) and how many greeted Him, singing, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” On Maundy Thursday, we come together to remember and celebrate the Last Supper Jesus and the Disciples were to have together before His arrest, at which time He instituted what we now know as Holy Communion or the Eucharist. In addition, it was then that the Lord stated, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Jesus would demonstrate the fullness of His love the next day on Good Friday, when He went to the cross, offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of all the world–dying in order that we might live. Three days later, on Easter Sunday, we join with all the Heavenly Hosts in singing “Alleluia. Christ is risen!” in celebration of our Lord’s glorious resurrection, wherein He conquered sin and death.

      As we enter into Holy Week, we not only commemorate the historical markers of those eight days, but rather we are invited to enter in to a deeper relationship with the crucified and Risen Lord. Each of us brings to this Holy Week our own needs and problems and fears, indeed our own wounds. We can do this because we are confident that the Wounds of Jesus are the source of our forgiveness and healing. We especially bring to Christ what we can take to no one else, our sins. In exchange we receive new life and the promise of the resurrection we all hope for.

      But beyond our personal needs and our family needs, the Lord calls us to help others in their own spiritual need. We are surrounded by folks who not only are in need of, but open to experiencing the transforming love of God. I encourage you to invite a friend, a neighbor or a co-worker to come with you this Holy Week. Reach out to someone you care about, and welcome that person to join you on Good Friday to hear the good news of the Savior’s love, and on Easter Day to hear the joyous praise that rings out the Resurrection victory.

      As your bishop, I invite you to join the priests and deacons of the diocese at the Chrism Mass in any of three locations across the Diocese, as they renew their commitment to the Lord and to His ministry.*

      May the Risen Lord who offered Himself for us upon the Cross fill you with a renewed faith. And may your family and loved ones be filled with the peace that surpasses all human understanding throughout Holy Week and the whole of the Easter Season.

In Christ our Risen Savior,

The Right Reverend William H. Love
Bishop of Albany

* Monday, 6pm the Cathedral; Tuesday 6pm St James, Oneonta; Wed, 12N, St Thomas Tupper Lake

Albany Intercessor

A Confession and Prayer for Palm Sunday – Hosanna! A Prayer for Salvation

I am tangled up in contradiction.
I am strangled by my own two hands.
I am hunted by the hounds of addiction.
Hosanna!

I have lied to everyone who trusts me.
I have tried to fall when I could stand.
I have only loved the ones who loves me.
Hosanna!

O Hosanna!
See the long awaited king come to set his people free.
We cry - O Hosanna!
Come and tear the temple down.
Raise it up on holy ground. Hosanna!

I have struggled to remove this raiment,
tried to hide every shimmering strand.
I contend with these ghosts and these hosts of bright angels.
Hosanna!

I have cursed the man that you have made me,
as I have nursed the beast that bays for my blood.
Oh, I have run from the one who would save me.
Save me, Hosanna!

You have crushed beneath your heel the vile serpent.
You have carried to the grave the black stain.
You have torn apart the temple’s holy curtain.
You have beaten Death at Death’s own game.
Hosanna!

O Hosanna!
Hail the long awaited king,
come to set his people free.
We cry – O Hosanna!
Won’t you tear this temple down,
raise it up on holy ground?
O Hosanna!
I will lift my voice and sing:
you have come and washed me clean. Hosanna.

- Andrew Peterson

Hat tip to Trevin Wax at Kingdom People.

Psalm 42:1-8

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. (Psalm 42:1)
      Lord, I long for more of you.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:2)
      Jesus, there is a hunger and a thirst for more of you that never goes away. I gaze at your likeness each morning and desire more of you.

My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” (Psalm 42:3)
      Jesus, I cry out to you for those who do not know you and can only mock. Help them know you. Protect the hearts of your little ones from their mockery.

When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. (Psalm 42:4)
      Jesus, I remember the times of refreshment in the past and the joy of your abiding presence when we worshiped you. Holy Spirit, come and be with us again in power. Thank you.

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of His countenance. (Psalm 42:5)
      Father, we hope in your love and mercy. Please come and reveal yourself to your people.

O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar. (Psalm 42:6)
      Jesus, when we remember your promises and we look at the church today, we are often discouraged; revive and restore us soon in your mercy.

Deep calls unto deep at the noise of your waterfalls; all your waves and billows have gone over me. (Psalm 42:7)
      Father, we are often tossed about by events, by wars and rumors of wars; help us hold steady in you.

The Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me — a prayer to the God of my life. (Psalm 42:8 )
      Jesus, thank you for your lovingkindness and for songs of hope in the night season.

      A word received: You thank me for pruning you; I AM giving you new fruit through that.

Saturday: 42, 43; Exodus 10:21-11:8; 2 Corinthians 4:13-18; Mark 10:46-52
Palm Sunday: 103; Zechariah 9:9-12; 1 Timothy 6:12-16; Zechariah 12:9-11,13:1,7-9; Luke 19:41-48

      Notes from the Front Line

***** Christ Church Schenectady Prayer Table Report, March 24, 2010, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM Deacon Neal Longe
+–indicates received wooden cross made by Dennis Adams of North Carolina
Today was a very slow day outside. There were many people who passed by, but only two stopped for prayer.

+ Daryl: This guy really started things off on a great note. When I asked how I could pray for him he said. Let’s pray just to pray. You don’t hear that very often, but we prayed just to pray. We thanked God for who He is and that he is doing in our lives.

+Jane: On her way to work for 10 hours. Prayed for a good shift and a safe trip to and from work.

Blessings,
Dcn. Neal
The Rev. Neal P. Longe

***** Meditation by Deacon Howard Smith at Christ Church Schenectady, Friday, March 26, 2010.

Thirsty at the Well – “I thirst.”
Meditation 6
March 26, 2010

Readings from the Word of the Lord.

“I thirst.” (John 19)

As a deer longs for the water-brooks,
So longs my soul for you, O God.
My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;
When shall I come to appear before the presence of God? (Psalm 42:1-3 BCP)

In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them. (Nehemiah 9:15 NIV)

      In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.
      Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
      He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean. But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.” (Ezekiel 47:1-12 NLT)

“You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
      I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
      and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6 NLT)

Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:37b-38 ESV)

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58 ESV)
“I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. (Mark 14:62 ESV)

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall not thirst.” (John 6:35 ESV)

So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.” (John 6:53-58 NLT)

The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe. (John 6:63b-64a)

I am poured out like water;
all my bones are out of joint; *
      my heart within my breast is melting wax.      
My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *
      and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.
Packs of dogs close me in,
and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *
      they pierce my hands and my feet;
      I can count all my bones. (Psalm 22:14-16 BCP)

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30 NIV)

They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
      they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
For the Lamb on the throne[c]
      will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
      And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:16-17 NLT)

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, “I thirst.”

Albany Intercessor