As we enter into Holy Week, here is a reading schedule that follows John’s narrative of Jesus’ last days:

Monday (4/10): John 17 (the whole chapter)

This chapter can be read as a last will and testament of sorts. It expresses Jesus’ final wishes in the form of a prayer. He prays for those he will soon leave behind and not only for them, but also for those who will one day believe because of their witness. In other words, Jesus lifts us up in prayer as well.

In pondering this passage it may be helpful to do some deep work on the things that Jesus hopes for his disciples (which includes us). In doing so, may what Jesus wants for us reorder our disordered wants and loves.

Tuesday (4/11): John 18:1-27

These verses are filled with betrayal. There is Judas, of course, who (in)famously betrays Jesus with a kiss (Matthew 26.48, Mark 14:44, Luke 22:47). Then there is Peter, who denies Jesus not once, not twice, but thrice. Both fail to remain true to Jesus, but they do so for different reasons under different circumstances. In spending time in this passage, we might consider how we are vulnerable to the same pressures that pushed Judas and Peter to turn their backs on the one they both called Lord.

Wednesday (4/12): John 18:28-19:16a

As we continue on in John 18, we find Jesus being interrogated by Pilate. If Peter’s denial of Jesus shows us a certain kind of cowardice, we are confronted with another kind in Pilate. It is a kind that is able to hide behind power and security so as to put off making a decision on the truth Jesus testifies to. Is it possible that there is a little Pilate in us, refusing to accept or putting off the truth that confronts us in Jesus?

The other character that finds a prominent place in the narrative is the mob who cries, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (John 19:6). Pilate’s failure stems from a fear of upsetting popular opinion. Those who demand crucifixion seem to be enraged by the audacity of this poor carpenter from Nazareth who would dare upend and uproot their expectations of what a Savior should be and do. At least they understood that’s what Jesus was up to. The question we might put to ourselves is, “Are we as perceptive as they?”

Thursday (4/13): John 19:16b-42

Here we come to the crucifixion. Jesus is lifted up on a Roman cross between two criminals. John also tells us that some soldiers took his clothes and divided it among themselves. So there hangs the King of the Jews, bloodied and beaten and naked for all to see. And there at the foot of his cross there is a new family forming, of those who come to mourn the death of the crucified King. In reading this portion of Scripture, may we count ourselves among those gathered there and may we spend some time reflecting on just what is meant when Jesus breathed his last and said, “It is finished.”

Good Friday Service (4/14): The Seven Last Words of Christ

Our hope is that our journey through John 18-19 will prepare us well for Good Friday. If you’re in the area Christ Kaleidoscope will be holding a service from 7PM to 9PM at Rancho Senior Center (3 Ethel Coplen Way, Irvine, CA 92612). We will be designing prayer stations based on the 7 last words from Christ.

May we blessed by the reading of God’s Word this Holy Week.

Grace and Peace.

Luke 15:11-32 (MSG)

Then he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’

“So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

“That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father.

“When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

“But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time.

“All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’

“The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

“His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’”

Human – Jon Bellion

Merciful Father,

you have created us in your image

and called us, your creatures,

to live out your love, hope, and desires in your world.

Absolve your people from their offences, 

that through your bountiful goodness

we may be delivered from the chains of those sins. 

Give us peace from our fears and frailty

and give us hope in our struggle with being human.

Remind us that we are more than the sum of our failures and fleshly desires.

This week, instead of 3 readings, there’s just one. And the reason is, its a little long, at just over 2,000 words.

The article is about reading the Bible…or better yet, about letting the Bible read us. I think there is a lot in it that can help us broaden (and maybe even simplify) how we read the Bible. And if you read closely, you’ll find a lot that connects with the talk Esther gave this past Sunday on hearing from God.

Here’s a quote from the article:

Go back and read [the] passage again. But this time, be open to receive whatever God has for you. Don’t manipulate God; just receive. Communion with him isn’t something you institute. It’s like sleep. You can’t make yourself sleep, but you can create the conditions that allow sleep to happen. All I want you to do is create the conditions: Open your Bible, read it slowly, listen to it, and reflect on it.

If you didn’t know Lent starts this Wednesday, Mar. 1. Lent is a season where we subtract something so that we can add something new. One thing we could try is to get rid of something we know is a time-waster so we can carve out some space in our lives to create the conditions that will allow us to receive what God might be saying to us.

Happy Reading!

1. James Bryan Smith: Who’s Reading Whom?

P.S. If you would like a passage to contemplate, try Matthew 25:14-30 or Matthew 25:31-46.

Here is this week’s Three to Read. The first is a Q&A interview with Old Testament scholar, Walter Bruegemann. He is asked some difficult questions about some pressing questions facing the church today. His responses may be a bit provocative and bring up more questions than answers. By doing so, hopefully, it will spark some good conversation.

The second article, takes us back to a recurring topic we have been discussing as a community: Noise and Distraction. And it asks: What is it costing us spiritually? (You’ll hear more about this in the coming weeks as we head into the season of Lent.)

The last article is a kind of devotional commentary on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). It would be worthwhile to take some to read this post alongside the passage in Luke to help you reflect more deeply on a familiar story (and our current political climate).

1. “It’s Not a Matter of Obeying the Bible”
2. The Spiritual Cost of Distraction
3. Does Your Heart Break Like a Samaritan?

Each week I’d like to try and give three hand-picked blog posts or articles that I found interesting or informative from my explorations around the web.

For this week, the first two articles are related to some of the things we talked about on Sunday – namely, sleep and reading as basic spiritual disciplines we ought to try and incorporate into our daily routines.

The third article is an insightful (somewhat academic) exploration of what it means to have “the mind of Christ,” a phrase the Apostle Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 2:16. It’s written by my New Testament professor from Fuller seminary, Marianne Meye Thompson (loved her!). It’s a bit long, but well worth the read.

1. God Wants You to Get Some Sleep
2. 8 Ways to Read a Lot More Books This Year
3. The Mind of Christ in the Gospels

Happy Reading!