Good Friday entries at Kendall Harmon’s TitusOneNine (2009 – 2015)

Rather than just linking to Kendall Harmon’s Holy Week category at TitusOneNine as I’ve been wont to do on Good Friday in past years, I thought it would be good if I did a round up of some of Kendall’s best Good Friday entries from today (so far) and years’ past…  As I did in last night’s Maundy Thursday roundup, I’ll post several prayers in full, and then post links to quotes, poems, music, sermon excerpts, etc.

A Prayer for Good Friday (I)

Lord Jesus Christ, who for the redemption of mankind didst ascend the cross, that thou mightest enlighten the world that lay in darkness: gather us this day with all they faithful to that same holy cross; that, gazing in penitence upon thy great sacrifice for us, we may be loosed from all our sins, and entering into the mystery of thy passion, be crucified to the vain pomp and power of this passing world; and finding our glory in the cross alone, we may attain at last thy everlasting glory, where thou, the lamb that once was slain, reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer for Good Friday (II)

O Christ, who by the thorns pressed upon thy head hast drawn the thorns from the sorrows of this world, and given us a crown of joy and peace: Make us so bold as never to fear suffering, nor to suffer without cheerfulness in thy service; to the glory of thy holy name.

A Prayer for Good Friday (III)

Lord Christ, who didst enter into thy triumph by the hard and lonely way of the cross: May thy courage and steadfast loyalty, thy unswerving devotion to the Father’s will, inspire and strengthen us to tread firmly and with joy the road which love bids us to take, even if it leads through suffering, misunderstanding, and darkness. We ask it for thy sake, who for the joy that was set before thee endured the cross, despising the shame, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer.

A Prayer for Good Friday (IV)

O God, whose blessed Son endured the loneliness and darkness of the cross, that we might enjoy eternal fellowship with thee: Grant that amidst life’s shadows we may know that we are never forsaken, but that we are ever walking in the light of thy countenance; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

A Prayer of William Temple

Lord Jesus Christ, who didst for me endure the horror of deep darkness, teach me by the depth of thine agony the vileness of my sin, and so bind me to thyself in bonds of gratitude and love that I may be united with thee in thy perfect sacrifice, my Saviour, my Lord, and my God.

A Prayer of John Wesley

O holy and ever-blessed Jesus, who being the eternal Son of God and most high in the glory of the Father, didst vouchsafe in love for us sinners to be born of a pure virgin, and didst humble thyself unto death, even the death of the cross : Deepen within us, we beseech thee, a due sense of thy infinite love; that adoring and believing in thee as our Lord and Saviour, we may trust in thy infinite merits, imitate thy holy example, obey thy commands, and finally enjoy thy promises; who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest, one God, world without end.

And Another Good Friday Prayer

O holy and adorable Redeemer, by whose condemnation we are acquitted, by whose stripes we are healed, by whose death we have life, by whose cross we gain our crown: Keep us, we beseech thee, ever mindful of thy boundless love; and when thou dost call on us to bear for a while thy cross, like Simon of old, make us to rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for thy sake, and accept our feeble sacrifice, through the merits of thine eternal redemption. (W. E. Scudamore (Rector of Ditchingham and Fellow of Saint John’s College, Cambridge)

Still Another Good Friday Prayer

O God, the Father of mankind, who didst suffer thine only Son to be set forth as a spectacle despised, derided, and scornfully arrayed, yet in his humiliation to reveal his majesty: Draw us, we beseech thee, both to behold the Man and to worship the King, immortal, eternal, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer for Good Friday (IX)

Hear us, O merciful Lord, and remember now the hour in which thou didst commend thy blessed spirit into the hands of thy heavenly Father; and so assist us by this thy most precious death, that dying unto the world, we may live unto thee; and that at the hour of our departing from this mortal life, we may be received into thine everlasting kingdom, there to reign with thee, world without end.

A Prayer for Good Friday (VII)

Dear Lord, who hast blessed us with the gift of family life, that we may learn to love and care for others: We praise thee for the example of thy Son Jesus Christ, who even when deserted and betrayed by closest friends took thought for his mother and his disciple. Open our eyes to recognize in all men the claims of kinship, and stir our hearts to serve them as brethren called with us into the sonship of thy love.

A Prayer for Good Friday (VI)

Almighty and eternal God, who in thy great love didst give thine only Son to die for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world: Enable us, we beseech thee, by thy Holy Spirit, to worship thee with reverence, and meditate with humility upon those mighty acts by which thou didst bring redemption to thy people; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Poems, Quotes, Sermon Excerpts…

• John Donne—Good Friday, 1613, Riding Westward
• George Herbert—The Sacrifice
• Richard John Neuhaus on Good Friday
• Of Which Wood Shall we Eat this day? (Martin Luther)
• Lord George Carey’s 2014 Good Friday Sermon
• “The love that Jesus showed on the Cross: love that endures and that saves”
• Good Friday is about the central and pivotal idea of a “happy exchange”
• Good Friday—A Five Year Old Gives Just a Glimpse of What the Cross Really Means
• For I the Lord have slain (John Newton)
• All generations shall lament and bewail themselves more than him (Martin Luther)
• Charles Spurgeon on the Dying Thief
• The Agony  (George Herbert)
• His Damnation our Liberation, His Defeat our Victory (Karl Barth)
• How shall I measure out thy bloud? (George Herbert)
• The Carpenter’s Son (A. E. Housman)
• And so we come to Good Friday (Benedict XVI)
• Ian Poulton’s Good Friday Sermon 2012 – Five Words from Matthew: Surely
• The 2012 Good Friday Homily of Father Raniero Cantalamessa (Preacher of the Papal Household)
• To open that Kingdom to them (St Thérèse of Lisieux)
• Father Cantalamessa’s Good Friday Homily 2011
• Meditations for Good Friday Via Crucis by Augustinian Sister Maria Rita Piccione
• Father Cantalamessa’s Good Friday Homily 2010
• A Ballad of Trees and the Master (–Sidney Lanier 1842-1881 )
• The Seven Last Words
• The Twelve –Allen Tate (1899-1979)
• Who was Jesus? –Attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus (329-389)
• Roosters –Elizabeth Bishop (1911 – 1979)
• Father Cantalamessa’s Sermon on Good Friday 2009
• Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of India: Meditations for Good Friday 2009

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MUSIC & SERMONS – Audio & Video links – (I’m in the process of checking these links, not all may be working)

• From Sweden’s Lund Cathedral—The final Chorus of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion

• St Pauls Cathedral Choir: God So Loved The World (John Stainer)

• Orlando Gibbons – Drop, Drop, Slow Tears

• Johnny Cash & The Carter Family – Were You There (1960)

• Kings College Cambridge Chapel Choir: Faure Pie Jesu and Agnus Dei

• J.S. Bach: “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (Choir of King’s College, Cambridge)
  • Try this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M4uUJibpvw

• A Sermon for Good Friday: Tim Keller on 5 things the Cross Teaches us about Suffering 
  • try this link (web archive)

• Music For Prayer and Meditation on Good Friday 2011—Michael Card’s “Why”
  • try this link

• O Sacred Head Now Wounded – Fernando Ortega

Kendall Harmon’s Maundy Thursday entries – including 7 Maundy Thursday prayers

Here are some entries for Maundy Thursday (from this year and past years) at Kendall Harmon’s fabulous TitusOneNine blog.  First his collection of Maundy Thursday prayers, posted various years:

Still Another Prayer for Maundy Thursday

Blessed Lord Jesus, who, when about to depart out of this world, having loved thine own, and loving them to the end, didst institute the holy sacrament of thy Body and Blood, the dying legacy of thy love: Vouchsafe, we earnestly pray thee, that we may never draw near thine altar, save with hearts enkindled by love for thee and for one another; for thy dear name’s sake.

Another Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Lord Jesus Christ, who in the garden didst teach us, by word and example, to pray, that we might overcome the perils of temptation: Graciously grant that we, always continuing in prayer, may gain abundantly the fruit thereof, and be partakers of thy victory; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

A Prayer to Begin the Day from The Royal Maundy

Lord Jesus Christ, who when thou wast about to institute thy holy Sacrament at the Last Supper didst wash the feet of the apostles, and teach us by thy example the grace of humility: Cleanse us, we beseech thee, from all stain of sin, that we may be worthy partakers of thy holy mysteries; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

A Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Christ, the true vine and the source of life, ever giving thyself that the world may live; who also hast taught us that those who would follow thee must be ready to lose their lives for thy sake: Grant us so to receive within our souls the power of thine eternal sacrifice, that in sharing thy cup we may share thy glory, and at the last be made perfect in thy love.

A Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Lord Christ, who in the days of thy flesh didst hallow bread and wine to be a perpetual memorial of thy passion, and a never-failing means of fellowship with thee: Make us so to thirst after thy righteousness that through these holy mysteries we may be filled with all the fullness of thy divine life, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; for thy glory’s sake.

One Last Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Saviour of the world, who in Gethsemane didst accept the bitter cup in submission to the Father’s will: Look mercifully upon our weak and wayward lives, and arm us with such strength and courage that we may tread without fear the appointed path of duty, and evermore follow the pattern of thy costly obedience; for thy honour and glory, who now livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Still Another Prayer for Maundy Thursday

O Lord Jesus Christ, enthroned in the majesty of heaven, who, when thou camest forth from God, didst make thyself as one that serveth: We adore thee because thou didst lay aside the garment of thy glory, and gird thyself with lowest humility, and minister to thy disciples, washing their feet. Teach us to know what thou hast done and to follow thine example; deliver us from pride, jealousy and ambition, and make us ready to be subject one to another, and with lowliness to serve one another for thy sake, O Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

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Music,  Poems, Sermons & Quotes:

• “The most profound revelation of the heart of God apart from the crucifixion”
• Music for Maundy Thursday: Paul Mealor – Ubi Caritas
• God in Private and Public: A Bishop Tom Wright Maundy Thursday Sermon
• The Bp of Chelmsford—An act of love or a photo opp?
• Saint Peter (Christina Rossetti poem)
• The Archbishop of York for Maundy Thursday 2014—True Friends
• This Bread I Break (Dylan Thomas Poem)
• Maundy Thursday (–Wilfrid Owen)

and also recommended:

Kendall Harmon’s Sermon from Sunday for Holy Week—‘It is finished’

Lent Prayers – St. Augustine: Move me to do what is Holy

Thanks to John Birch at Faith and Worship, I was reminded of this great prayer from St. Augustine, which we first posted in 2007, and then again in Lent 2009,

Breathe on me, Holy Spirit,
that I may think what is holy.
Move me, Holy Spirit,
that I may do what is holy.
Attract me, Holy Spirit,
that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,
that I may guard what is holy.
Guard me, Holy Spirit,
that I may keep what is holy.

– St Augustine of Hippo (AD354-430)

There are at least 8 or 9 other great quotes and prayers from St. Augustine we’ve posted in years’ past.  You can find them here.

Lent prayer theme: Global intercession for the persecuted, for missionaries, unreached peoples… etc.

One of the themes in material we plan to post and Tweet here during Lent will be prayer for the persecuted church, missionaries, and for unreached peoples and nations.  We will also post resources for  “spiritual warfare” – praying for God to thwart religious violence and evil.   For those of you interested in such posts, you might want to bookmark our Global Intercession category.

Here are a few of our recent entries from that category:

• Praying for Egypt and the families of the 21 Coptic Christian martyrs
• Bp. John Guernsey – Praying for Persecuted Christians in Lent AND Praying for the Terrorists who persecute them
• Lent Prayer Challenge 2015 – 40 daily prayers for missionaries serving among the least-reached people groups
• A new prayer resource, and a great prayer against violence

Praying for Egypt and the families of the 21 Coptic Christian martyrs

Although I’ve tweeted a lot of resources and prayers related to the martyrdom by ISIS of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya last week, I never got a chance to post anything here at the blog.  That seems a huge oversight, and I would like to urge continued prayer today in response to the killings.  Prayer for Egypt, and prayer for the families of those martyred for their faith.

Here are some important links & resources, as well as some of the tweets I’ve seen in recent days that included good prayers:

Archbishop Mouneer Anis of Egypt has issued a Statement and a call to prayer for Egypt:

The Anglican Church in Egypt and the world expresses its deep condolences to the families of these men, and also to his Holiness Pope Tawadros II, patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Please join me in praying for peace in Libya, Egypt, and the entire Middle East. Please pray the international community will act in wisdom, correctly and efficiently, and support Egypt in its war on terror. Please pray the churches of Egypt will comfort their sons and daughters, encouraging them to resist fear and hatred. And please pray for the perpetrators of this terrible crime, that God would be merciful to them and change their hearts.

Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Such cheer may seem impossible, but it is God’s promise. Please pray for us, that we may live lives worthy of his name, and hold to the testimony exhibited by the brave Egyptians in Libya.

Dr. Foley Beach, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America also issued a Call to Prayer for Egypt and the families of the martyrs, which excerpted parts of Archbishop Mouneer’s statement.

***

Ramez Attallah, head of the Bible Society of Egypt wrote an update on the situation in Egypt, including a number of specific prayer requests:

As many of you know, these men were simple, Egyptian laborers who had gone to Libya to make a living. They were captured and executed by ISIS for being – as the video caption charges – “People of the Cross”. Egyptians have been shocked by this news and it is the most talked about event in our country at this time.

The purpose of the video was to foment sectarian strife in Egypt between Christians and Muslims. Those Islamic extremists clearly intended to provoke the 10 million Christians in Egypt to rise up violently against their Muslim neighbors.

But the loving and caring response of Muslims all over the nation softened the blow which many Christians felt. Up till now the Christians of Egypt have responded with restraint, sorrowfully calling out to God.

The President and dozens of political leaders personally gave their condolences to the Coptic Pope. The Prime Minister travelled to the small village where most of these men come from, sitting on the floor with their poor relatives to express his concern. All this sends a clear message that Christians are considered an integral part of the fabric of Egyptian society.

Prayer Requests
1. Pray for comfort for the families of the victims who are in a terrible emotional state.
2. Pray for the effective mass distribution of a Scripture tract we have just produced (above left), that God’s Word will comfort and challenge the many who will receive it.
3. As I write, there is news of more Egyptians being kidnapped in Libya. Lord have mercy!

Please pray for Egypt as we pass through this painful period.

***

Here is a page where you can find the names of the 21 martyred Egyptian Christians so you can keep their families in prayer.

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Pastor Scotty Smith, one of my favorite prayer bloggers, posted a powerful prayer in response to the martyrdoms at his Gospel Coalition blog:

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them. Rev. 6:9-11(NLT)

Dear heavenly Father, images of our orange-clad Egyptian brothers, paraded along the seashore before their martyrdom, brought many emotions to play in my heart. I felt a moment of fear, then anger and disgust, and then a tad of hatred for enemies of the cross and a longing for vengeance. I felt all of these things, until I entered the sanctuary of your Word.

     Father, though I don’t fully understand, I rest in the assurance that you are as sovereign over the number of your children to be martyred, as you are in control of sunrise and sunset, seedtime and harvest, the day Jesus entered our world and the timing of his return. You give and you take away, blessed be the name of our Lord.

     The Lamb who was broken for our sins, is alone worthy to break the seals of your unfolding story of redemption and restoration. There’s no consternation or vexation in heaven, just exaltation of the God who does all things well—in your time and in your way. “Stuff” doesn’t just happen; sovereignty is always happening. We believe; help us when we feel weak, Father.

     When will Jesus return, and when will you avenge the glory of your name and eradicate all evil? You delay because you are a merciful and grace-full God. Through Jesus, you have secured a family as numerous as stars, sand, and dust, from all nations and people groups. Perhaps among those who took the lives of our Egyptian brothers is another like Saul of Tarsus, whom you call and appoint another Apostle of Grace (Acts 7:54-59).

     So we pray for grieving families in Egypt, Father, and we join the cry of martyrs in heaven, “How long, O Lord?” Grant us grace and courage, to share the gospel, serve our neighbors, and love our enemies, until this day becomes that Day. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ beautiful and triumphant name. 

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NY Times bestselling author and popular (excellent!) Christian blogger Ann Voskamp has written two amazing blog entries in response to the martyrdoms, challenging us all to be “people of the cross.”  I commend them both HIGHLY.

The Wake-Up Call that is ISIS: Who in the Church is Answering?

The Call for the Next 40 Days: To the Nations & People of The Cross

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Finally, a few tweets I’ve found helpful in recent days:

Let us pray for the Egyptian Church to be brave witnesses for the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to be light in the darkness.

— Joel C. Rosenberg (@JoelCRosenberg) February 16, 2015

Let’s pray God’s protection on the borders of Libya that evil may not grow. In God’s mercy, ask for His sovereign over-ruling of evil plans. — PrayNorthAfrica (@PrayNorthAfrica) February 19, 2015

May #The21 who died for their faith, compel countless thousands of us to live ours. #Pray703 — Ann Voskamp (@AnnVoskamp) February 17, 2015

Forgive us for forgetting the persecuted church, for not living it with ever fibre of our being: to live is Christ & to die is gain #Pray703

— Ann Voskamp (@AnnVoskamp) February 17, 2015

Bp. John Guernsey – Praying for Persecuted Christians in Lent AND Praying for the Terrorists who persecute them

Bishop John Guernsey of the ACNA Mid-Atlantic Diocese has written a Lenten letter calling for sacrificial prayer for persecuted believers around the world.  In a startling twist however, he is ALSO urging believers to pray for the terrorists who persecute them, and he has linked to a very helpful resource to help us pray, as well as providing some suggested ways of praying.

This Lenten season is a time of renewal of our spiritual disciplines of prayer, reading and studying Scripture, fasting, sacrificial giving of our money and our time for the sake of others.

Especially during this season, would you commit to making prayer for our persecuted brothers and sisters a central part of your devotions? Would you pray more earnestly for their witness and for their deliverance? Would you pray for God to turn even these acts of evil for his Kingdom purposes?

And would you pray for the terrorists themselves to repent and turn to Christ? Did you know there’s even a website where you can find profiles of terrorists so you can adopt one and commit to pray for him to repent and come to Christ. It’s Adopt a Terrorist for Prayer.

The site offers insightful suggestions as to how to pray for a terrorist. I’m praying for Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the head of ISIS, to repent and turn to Christ. So I’m using the Adopt a Terrorist for Prayer guide to intercede for him, praying…

• for irresistible pursuit by God’s Spirit: “Holy Spirit, relentlessly pursue Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to the depths of his hideout, that he may not escape your grace.”
• for powerful demonstrations of God’s grace: “Lord, expose Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to the precious testimony of Jesus’ followers.”
• for vulnerability: “Dear God, strip from Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi all his defenses that he may turn to Jesus for hope and salvation.”
• for conviction of sin and sense of shame: “Jesus, confront and overwhelm Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi with his shameful deeds and sinful nature till he becomes desperate for righteousness from you.”
• for God’s honor: “God, may the redemption of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi clearly display your character and glory.”
• against spiritual blindness and bondage: “Lord, release Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi from Satan’s grip and open him to sense and know your grace in Jesus.”

Our God is mighty to save. Let’s cry out to him this Lent (and beyond!) for justice for his precious children.

From here

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Update:  Just after I posted this, I recalled that I had seen a link earlier this week to a post at Desiring God about praying for our enemies.  I went and dug it up.  It’s a very challenging article by John Piper:  Pray for those who abuse you.  It’s worth prayerful reading, and it makes a powerful double punch when combined with Bp. Guernsey’s letter.

Lent – A removal of the buzzing bright lights…

A nice description of one of the ways Lent can benefit our spiritual lives, from yesterday’s Lent devotional at the Biola Lent project site:

Lent strips away the excess and turns down the volume on our over-mediation [i.e. media obsession / over-stimulation]. It’s a period of time that beckons us to simpler, almost minimalist existence—a removal of the buzzing bright lights that draw our eyes in a hundred different directions, allowing us to see more clearly the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As we deny ourselves, as we quiet our hearts and focus our busy minds, we identify with Christ in the desert, Christ in Gethsemane, Christ on the cross. This is all a preparation to exalt in the blinding bright hope of Christ the Resurrected. In a manner similar to what the Sabbath does for us on a weekly basis, Lent is a set-aside period of time to withdraw from an unrelenting pace and pause to reflect, rejoice, lament, anticipate. If we want to see more clearly, we must embrace seasons of focus like this.

The devotional closed with this prayer:

PRAYER

Lord, bring us to our knees.  Quiet our hearts.Away from the onslaught of screens and  tweets and texts, focus our eyes on you.  Abide in our perceptions, as we taste and see and hear that you are good.  Remove us from ourselves.  Help us to dismiss our notions of grandeur and relinquish our litany of self-appointed rights: that we deserve jobs, comfort and cappuccinos; that our social updates deserve to be paid attention to; that the world revolves around us; that we can do with our bodies what we fancy; that the chief end of life is our own individual happiness.  Remove us from ourselves Lord, and draw us closer to You.  In the darkness, in the desert, in the endless debates, let us look to resurrection.  Let us see the rising sun. Amen.

– Brett McCracken, Managing Editor, Biola Magazine

Lent Prayer Challenge 2015 – 40 daily prayers for missionaries serving among the least-reached people groups

The evangelical mission agency Christar has put together a very nice list of prayer suggestions for use in Lent 2015 – key prayer requests, one per day, for missionaries serving among unreached / least-reached people groups around the world, including those in “creative access” countries where traditional missions work is not allowed, and where risk of persecution is high.

If you know any missionaries, it would make a great Lenten discipline to use this list to shape your prayers for them during Lent.

Throughout Lent, we will routinely Tweet about people groups and countries needing prayer, the persecuted church, and issues of religous freedom.

A short Lent quote & prayer from today’s TSM devotional

Today’s first entry in the Lent 2015 devotional series by Trinity School for Ministry is very solid – a simple, but important reminder on the danger of trusting in our own efforts to please God through our penitence, fasting, or other spiritual disciplines. Here’s a quote I found very helpful, as well as the closing prayer

Repentance is the foundation of our joy. Our penitence is not for God’s sake. He doesn’t need it; we do. We do it to be reminded who we really are: sinners, undeserving of God’s mercy, yet – mysteriously and wonderfully – the recipients of it! 

Let us pray that God would give us a good and fruitful Lent, making known to us, in deeper and richer ways, the inexhaustible mystery of his mercy.

Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust for power and idle chatter. Rather grant to me, your servant, the Spirit of integrity, humility, patience, and love. Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not judge my brothers and sisters; for you are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. (St. Ephrem of Edessa)

A Prayer for Maundy Thursday

In his prayer for Maundy Thursday, Pastor Scotty Smith remembers that “Maundy” is the Latin word for “Mandate” – Christ’s command to us to love one another as He loved us….

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Now before Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. (John 13:1) A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

 Dear Lord Jesus, as I meditate and pray my way through these Scriptures, my heart is stunned, silenced and left in awe. What but the gift of faith can enable us to grasp the wonder of these words and the magnificence of this moment? What but the power of the gospel can free us, to believe and obey them? Grant us both, I pray, grant me both.

     On our Holy Week calendar we call today Maundy, or “Mandate” Thursday. It’s a day in the history of redemption brimming over with glory and grace. Passover will soon become the Lord’s Supper—your supper. The promises of the Old Covenant are about to be fulfilled by the blood of the New Covenant—your life given as a ransom for us on the cross.

     Having shared eternal glory with the Father, you now show measureless grace to your disciples. Having loved this ragtag bunch of broken men—who vied for positions of honor a few hours earlier (Mk. 10:35-45), and who would all scatter and deny you later that same evening—having loved them so well, you now show them the full extent of your love.

     Your disrobing to wash their feet was with a full view to your being stripped naked to wash their hearts, and our hearts. What wondrous love is this indeed! How wide, long, high, and deep! (Eph. 3:14-19)

      “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). This is the new and never-ending mandate you’ve given us as your disciples. The most obvious expression of our “getting” the gospel is our loving others as you have loved, and do love, us. Jesus, fill my heart with an even greater knowledge of your love, that I may love others, more spontaneously, sacrificially, and joyfully. So very Amen I pray, in your triumphant and tender name.

from here.

A Prayer for Wednesday in Holy Week

Kendall Harmon has this prayer posted at TitusOneNine tonight:

O God our heavenly Father, who to redeem the world didst deliver up thine only Son to be betrayed by one of his disciples and sold to his enemies: Take from us, we beseech thee, all covetousness and hypocrisy; and so strengthen us, that, loving thee above all things, we may remain steadfast in our faith unto the end; through him who gave his life for us, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

–the Rev. Lawrence Tuttiet (1825–1897)

 

Don’t miss all of Kendall’s posts in his Holy Week category.  He usually has some wonderful entries.

 

A Prayer for Holy Week

Don’t miss the lovely original prayer for Holy Week by Christine Sine posted at Godspace this week.  I really like the series of prayer cards Christine has designed and posted throughout Lent.

Pastor Scotty Smith: A prayer for Tuesday in Holy Week

I *REALLY* like Pastor Scotty Smith’s prayer today at Heavenward.  Yes.  How amazing that Jesus wept for those who would crucify Him, and how thankful I am that He shows the same love and compassion to me as marred and scarred and broken by sin as I am.

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 As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42

    Dear Jesus, everything about Holy Week reveals the depth of your compassion for sinful, broken people, like me. The tears you wept coming into Jerusalem, and even the passion you showed driving the moneychangers from the temple—every encounter, parable, and action gives staggering clarity to Paul’s words,

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8).

Paul was writing about me. I’m one of the powerless, ungodly sinners for whom you died—demonstrating God’s incomparable, irrepressible love for the ill deserving. I wasn’t an impassioned seeker; I was God’s enemy when I received the gift of reconciliation (Rom. 5:10). I have peace with God only because God made his peace with me, through you.

I would still be blind to what alone brings us peace, if you hadn’t opened my eyes to see my need and your provision. The gospel would still remain hidden from my eyes unless you had given me sight to behold you as the Lamb of God, who took away my sin. I have no claim to salvation… no boast, no hope, no assurance of sins forgiven and righteousness received, apart from sovereign grace.

How I long for the Day when I will no longer even be tempted to look for peace anywhere else, but in you, Lord Jesus. I yearn for the Day when we will see you as you are and we will be made like you (1 John 3:1-3).

This is my great hope—until that Day, keep healing the eyes of my heart of all spiritual myopia, astigmatism, or anything else that keeps me from seeing the magnificence of your glory and the full measure of your grace. So very Amen I pray, in your tenacious and tender name.

A Prayer for Palm Sunday: May Christ ever Triumph in our Hearts

My friend, the Rev. Kendall Harmon posted this wonderful prayer at TitusOneNine today.  Thanks Kendall.  That’s a keeper!

A Prayer for Palm Sunday (II)

As on this day we keep the special memory of our Redeemer’s entry into the city, so grant, O Lord, that now and ever he may triumph in our hearts. Let the King of grace and glory enter in, and let us lay ourselves and all we are in full and joyful homage before him; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Handley Moule

 

Here’s an additional Palm Sunday prayer from the Anglican Church of South India, also posted by Kendall today:

A Prayer for Palm Sunday (I)

O Christ, the King of glory, who didst enter the holy city in meekness to be made perfect through the suffering of death: Give us grace, we beseech thee, in all our life here to take up our cross daily and follow thee, that hereafter we may rejoice with thee in thy heavenly kingdom; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.

–Church of South India

An Excellent Overview of Holy Week (from an Anglican perspective)

Many of our regular readers will be familiar with Patrick Comerford’s blog which I link with some regularity.  He is a priest in the Church of Ireland (Anglican), Lecturer in Anglicanism and Liturgy in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, Adjunct Assistant Professor in the University of Dublin (Trinity College Dublin) and a Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.   He typically posts good series of devotionals and blog entries in Advent and Lent.  I first discovered his blog through his Lenten poems series a few years ago.

While reviewing that Lenten poetry series in putting together my compilations of Holy Week poems and Good Friday poems, I came across a post he wrote in 2010 which gives an excellent overview of Holy Week history and observance from an Anglican perspective,  I highly recommend it!

A journey together through Holy Week

Here’s his section on Palm Sunday:

Sunday of Holy Week (Palm Sunday):

Holy Week begins with the Sixth and last Sunday in Lent, Palm Sunday, which recalls Christ’s Triumphant entry into Jerusalem of Christ on the Sunday before his Passion and death (see Matthew 21: 1-11; Mark 11: 1-11; Luke 19: 28-44; John 12: 12-19).

In many churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves, often tied in the shape of crosses, and by dramatised readings of the Passion Narrative in one of the Four Gospels. In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, on Sunday morning, we began with the Blessing of the Palms in the Cloister Garth, along with the Gospel reading (Luke 19: 28-40). Then, back inside the cathedral, instead of a sermon we had and a dramatised reading of the Passion Narrative (Luke 22: 14 – 23: 56) from the pulpit.

The Gospels tell us that, before entering Jerusalem, Christ was staying at Bethany and Bethphage. The Gospel according to Saint John adds that he had dinner with Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha.

While he was there, he sent two disciples to the neighbouring village to retrieve a donkey that was tied up but had never been ridden. Christ then rode the donkey into Jerusalem. As he rode into Jerusalem, the people lay down their cloaks in front of him, and also lay down the small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm 118: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118: 26; Matthew 21: 9; Mark 11: 9; Luke 19: 38; John 12: 13).

On Palm Sunday, in many Anglican churches, palm fronds and palm substitutes – or sometimes substitutes, such as yew cuttings – are blessed outside the church, and the blessing is followed by a procession into the church. In some churches, children are given palms and then walk in procession around the inside of the church while the adults remain seated.

The palm leaves or palm crosses are often saved to be burned the following year to use as ashes used on Ash Wednesday.

The liturgical colour has changed from violet to red, indicating the supreme redemptive sacrifice Christ was entering into as he entered the city of his Passion and Resurrection.

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty and everlasting God,
who, in your tender love towards the human race,
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
Grant that we may follow the example
of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ,
you humbled yourself in taking the form of a servant
and in obedience died on the cross for our salvation.
Give us the mind to follow you
and to proclaim you as Lord and King,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Go read the full entry.    There are entries for each day of the week including the readings, and the daily collects (prayers).