The Passion Week Timeline [Infographic]

How can we make Good Friday and Easter something special? 

Depth of gratitude flows from connecting with an experience and its meaning… 

One mom I know makes birthdays special by reminding her kids of how excited she was on the day of their birth (leaving out certain painful parts).

Connecting with the suffering of Jesus only sweetens the celebration of His resurrection!

A powerful way of connecting is to IMAGINE WHERE THE PERSON WAS AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING.  And because most of us tend to process in terms of a schedule or calendar, imagine what it would be like to set reminders on your phone at each important hour.

GOOD FRIDAY

12:00-6:00 AM --Arrest, taken several places, condemned and mistreated by religious leaders

6:00-8:30 AM — Pilate, Herod, Pilate again, beating and scourging

8:30 AM — Final sentencing by Pilate

9:00 AM — Crucifixion

11:30 AM — Thief on the cross

12:00 PM — 3 hours to go

3:00 PM — Final words of Jesus and His death

Example of more in-depth reflection…

8:30-9:00 AM-- I remember at this time You were being led to Golgotha

Remembering...

• It must have been a cool, crisp morning, sun shining brightly, birds singing...
• You had been beaten and scourged to the point of death (remember “the Passion”), your body was so torn up and beaten beyond recognition
• You were alone carrying the cross, your closest friends had denied and abandoned you
• The procession was led by one who proclaimed the nature of the crime (which was written on a white, wooden board) "hail King of the Jews" which would have angered many of the people
• A group of people were following you, mourning and lamenting.  Jesus, you turned and said “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children…” (Luke 22:27-29)
• They enlisted the help of a foreigner, Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross the rest of the way, probably because you had collapsed under its weight.  I can only imagine you looking in his eyes with gratitude, marking him forever as your friend
• Some of the people who had shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David” a week before had just shouted “Crucify Him!"  Some were looking on with disgust, some with hate, some with confusion, some were weeping
• As you neared the place you would be crucified, you were probably remembering the verses about the Passover Lamb, how you were carrying the sin of the world and bearing our punishment

Prayer & Worship

I can only imagine the painful, nearly ½ mile walk, to the place you were crucified…

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice, for enduring the rejection, the physical and verbal assaults, the spiritual weight of our sin...

And I can only imagine what it was like to see faces of people who worshipped you who had turned on you and rejected your love...

Isaiah 53:7-8 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?  For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.

And finally, here is a great resource by Josh Byers. View it larger or print it out as a reference here: http://joshbyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-Passion-Week-Poster.jpg

The appearance of being helpful

"If you would like to complete a brief survey at the end of your call (after waiting 10 minutes and not being helped) please push the pound key now" 

"We're appreciate the opportunity to serve you!  We're emailing to ask you to please click on this link and take 10 minutes to complete the online satisfaction survey?"

"If you go to the website on the bottom of your receipt and complete the questionnaire you will be eligible for $100k in prizes..."

"Yes, I know someone in our office told you it could happen, but no, we can't pick up that item in your trash until next week.  Is there anything else I can help you with :-)?"

So I'm thinking at the end of the day-- what am I missing?  (no, at the moment I didn't think of these as "opportunities for patience")

3 musings...
1) It seems like the appearance of being helpful has taken the place of being helpful.  
2) Time is so valuable, and if I'm going to survive I have to say "no" a lot more often.  
3) Engagement person to person re: real life is at the top of the hierarchy of needs. 

Imagine hanging out with Jesus when He said:

“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. John 15:5-8 Message Version

It isn't real hard to spot a branch that isn't connected to the Vine.  If it snaps when you bend it, chances are it needs to be reconnected.  Sometimes I begin to hear the "snap, crackle and pop" in my own life.

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!  Romans 5:3-5 Message

This is the quest we are on at Smoky Hill Vineyard, for something beyond the appearance of being helpful!  And I'm so thankful to be on the journey together!

...About science and the book of Genesis

My guest blogger here is Greg Russell: worship leader/associate pastor at SHV, defender of the faith, MMA guy, artist, leader, good friend.  How's that for a combination?!
You can check out Greg's blog here: http://somethingtosay-gr.blogspot.com/

…about science and the book of Genesis.

Science has advanced at an astonishing rate over the last century.  We now know many things with a very high level of probability.  What implications do these findings have regarding the Christian faith?  Has science disproved the Bible?  What about the book of Genesis, which gives an account of creation? 

Below are brief summaries of some of the different beliefs that Christians hold concerning science and the claims laid out in the book of Genesis:

Theistic Evolution

Francis Collins is the scientist that headed up the team that decoded the human genome.  He is currently the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and he is a committed Christian.  Collins believes that the creation account in the book of Genesis is a poetic story, much like the Psalms and Song of Solomon.  He does not believe that we should look to it for any understanding of the origins of our universe or life on earth.  I recommend his book The Language of God for more on his views.

Young Earth Creationism

Ken Ham is the president of the Creation Museum and the Answers in Genesis organization.  He interprets the creation account in Genesis as a literal six days, and he believes that the universe and all of life was created in that time period less than 10,000 years ago.  I recommend his book The New Answers Book 1 for more on his views.

Old Earth Creationism

Hugh Ross is an accomplished astrophysicist and Christian apologist.  He, like Ken Ham, also believes in a literal understanding of Genesis.  However, he interprets the text differently than Ham does.  Ross believes that the bible is the only religious text that accurately describes the origin of life and the universe.  I recommend Ross’ book The Genesis Question for more on his views.

I purposely chose to personalize each of the views above by including the name of one of the people that embrace them.  I did that because we humans are typically quick to polarize and pick sides rather than research the evidence and engage in civil, intelligent conversation with people of differing views, and I thought that maybe it would help make the point that we can disagree on the nonessentials and still get along.  Would you reject Francis Collins as a sincere follower of Jesus because you disagree with him?  Would you question the authenticity of Ken Ham’s relationship with God because his views don’t fit your interpretation of origins?  Do Hugh Ross’ beliefs arouse anger or distress? (not that anyone has expressed these sentiments) There are things worth fighting for, but this isn’t one of them.  Let’s love and respect each other, keeping in mind that, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Cor. 13:12)

Followers of Jesus do not need to fear truth, what others believe or what science discovers. 


Post your questions about science and the book of Genesis in the comments below, or email them to church@SHVchurch.org.