Devotion
A Declaration
Frances Taylor
Was Jesus confirming his divinity? Some will say yes and others, I don't know. What I know is that John was writing this long after Jesus death at a time when there were debates going on around this very question. Much of the debate centered on when Jesus became divine, or was he only divine and never really human. By that time, the majority of Christians accepted the doctrine of the Trinity and believed as the Prologue to John's Gospel states, that the Son of God – the Word – existed from all eternity and in the fullness of time, took on flesh through the Virgin Mary and became a man, the man Jesus. This statement of Jesus in this passage was not met well by the Jews as this was considered blasphemy. He was saying he was God and this was going against the commandments. For us, as Christians, the debate really doesn't raise the same questions. But how do we think of Jesus? Do we think that because Mary and Joseph must have told him of his origins, he understood what they meant? After all, Jesus had a human brain as we do. We are told by our baptism, that we are children of God, heirs with Christ of eternal life in heaven. Do we really understand what that means? Something to think about! We will never be able to understand the great mystery of the Trinity or the Incarnation, but we should try to understand how our baptism should make a difference in our lives.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we will never truly understand the mystery of the Trinity. Send the Holy Spirit to us to help us understand what it means to be your child. Amen.
Night Prayer
A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.
Inspiration
Bearing witness is no trivial matter. Even if we are not testifying in court under oath, our words have great power. When we speak truth about others, we honor their character and integrity. But spreading gossip, rumors, and lies only spreads damage and harm. As God’s children, we must be mindful to love our neighbors at all times, and that included being mindful of how we talk about them.
Prayer
Lord, You are the God of all truth. There is no deceit in You. Help me to abide in Your truth, and to speak only what is true, good, and right. Give me the words to speak so that I may build others up by Your truth, and give me the wisdom to know when to raise a defense, when to speak a word of correction, and when to remain silent. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Devotion
The Last Supper
Frances Taylor
I used to run a Bible School on Good Friday for children in Kindergarten through grade 5 and I would take them through all of Holy Week. We started by making palms and marching around the hall and finished with an Easter Celebration. Our celebration of the Last Supper became our snack break. I would have the kids who wanted to be the apostles or Jesus to line up and they were chosen at random to fill the spots. The one who got to be Jesus was very happy until he or she found out that he or she needed to wash the feet of the other twelve who were chosen to be the apostles. And, yes, it was sometimes a girl who got to play Jesus! We have been chosen to be disciples and this means that we are the face and hands and feet of Jesus on earth. Jesus depends on us to bring the Good News to others, and most of the time that is by giving example of how Jesus acted during his time on earth. And just like the boy or girl who got to play Jesus in our Bible ...
