“At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three In the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘ Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (which means, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?).” ~ Mark 15:33-34 NIV

Scarred, broken, brutalized, and scorned, He watched from the cross alone. With an agonized gaze, He looked upon the vicious mockery of ignorance that was born out of an illusion of lustful power, as they stood crazed by their crime, but their plight touched Him still. With lifted head in the midst of hurtling shouts of ridicule and contempt, he shouted “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani”. God turned His back on His Son who voluntarily became sin when He embraced God’s will and not His own. The earth fractured, the sun refused to shine, and time stood still as sobs were silenced, tears froze; minds were bewildered; hearts were assaulted: what has happened here? Blood mixed with water streamed down a pierced side moved a complicit infidel to become a converted believer amid the chaos and fear.

The death of hope mourned the living for three days while defeat lay wrapped in cloths too insubstantial to hold the power of life. Up from the grave He arose carrying the keys of death; riding on the wings of eternity, He ascended to the heavens to sit on the right hand of God Almighty, to judge the quick and the dead. Jesus, the One who came to save His people, all people, from the power of sin and death rose as the bright morning Star, our Horn of salvation who redeems the lost, our Deliver who comforts the downtrodden, the Bread of Life who feeds the hungry, the Vine who offers the water that forever satisfies.

Oh, King of glory, the victim turned Victor, the scorned turned Savior, the abused turned Abba, the ridiculed turned Redeemer, the resurrected One is the Divine; we worship You. Amen and Amen.

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I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27 NIV

A soft breeze. A gentle touch. A warm embrace. A heartfelt “I love you.” All of these give us a sense of peace, calm and comfort. Peace is something that can’t be overstated. It helps us to navigate through difficult waters. It sustains us through trying circumstances. It steadies us during times of loss and despair. And it surrounds us when living life on life’s terms becomes unsettling. It’s so good to know that, in times of turmoil and seasons of upheaval, the source of lasting peace, Jehovah-Shalom, is right there to dispense a measure of something that we can’t fully comprehend but we willingly embrace. So today, I invite you to enter into the cocoon of peace our loving Lord has prepared for each of you.

Let us pray:

God of all peace, we thank you for the space that You have provided for Your people – a space of tranquility in the midst of turbulence, calm in the face of confusion and stillness in the eye of the storm. Remind us, during times of trouble, that You are our peace and that we can resort to You at any time. This we pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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“They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” ~ Luke 19:44 NIV

Lenten lesson: Be Still

In a world filled with so many things competing for our attention: X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The latest posts, call us from a place of stillness, where we can “recognize the time of God’s coming”.

In our focus Scripture above the writer points to a punishment, “a dashing to the ground” and “no stone being left one on another” for failure to recognize. A remedy for this busyness is setting aside quiet reflection upon God’s word and prayer. In this place, we pull away from all the distractions of our day to spend time reading, reflecting, and listening for the move of God. In this Lenten season, we can become so focused on attending services, making sure we get right our “Lenten sacrifice” that we fail to just be still with God.

”He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NIV).

Let us pray:

Dear Lord during this holy season let us choose to be still so that we don’t miss you moving in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen

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