Devotion
Father, Forgive Us
David Jacobs
These final words of Jesus are a grim reminder of the cruelty of humanity. It is easy to picture yourself in this setting, and the verses are rushed and unsettling. It all seems surreal and like it is over so fast. In a way, the life of Jesus is surreal and ends so quickly. The people around seem to barely notice Jesus, because he is just another person to be executed. Two others joined him that day, and the soldiers silently did their duty.
What a fitting end to Jesus' life: a reminder of his humility, sacrifice, forgiveness, and selflessness. The soldiers seem to not even notice, spending the time casting lots, essentially gambling, to see who would take the victims' possessions. Jesus, the Son of God, could ask for ANYTHING in this moment. He could DO anything in this moment. That is not our Savior's way. Instead, he thinks of others, begging God to forgive them considering this grisly scene. From the beginning until the end, Jesus loved us, no matter how we treated him.
Some countries still execute criminals. In American popular culture, it is common to see these events depicted on TV or in movies, with the criminals given a chance to have their last words. What would your last words be? In my case, I think that I would be pleading for my own life, hoping to save my own skin until the very end.
Jesus is the way the truth and the life. In the Lord's prayer, we say: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). God does forgive. Jesus even asked for us. How lucky we are to have been created by Him.
Prayer
Merciful Jesus, thank you for shining as the light unto all the world. Your example is one that all should follow, and I pray that I can be ever slightly more in your image with each passing day. Forgive us, heavenly Father, for we have sinned: sinned against ourselves, sinned against your Son, sinned against you. As your only begotten said, we truly know not what we do. Thank you, O God, for trying to understand us even when we do not understand it ourselves. In the name of the Son, and the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Devotion
Abraham is Father of All
Frances Taylor
There are questions in every age about the importance of the Old Testament for Christians. Abraham is considered to be the Father of Faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims. We forget that it was Abraham who believed in the doctrine of only one God. It is through him and his descendants that this tradition comes down to us. Another fact that we can overlook is that Jesus was Jewish. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died, rose and ascended into heaven as a Jew. Because we believe that he was the Messiah, the Christ, and we follow him, we are called Christian. Without the Old Testament, we wouldn't understand the promise of salvation; we wouldn't understand why it was important for Jesus to be of the family of King David. We would not understand his teaching either, because Jesus quoted from Scripture – the Old Testament – frequently. He told us that he came to fulfill the Scriptures, not to abolish them. In the same way, we can ...
