Many people call the coming week “Holy Week” or “Passion Week.” It is a time when we reflect on the meaning of the cross and the hope we have in Christ. Though we celebrate the resurrection each Sunday, we celebrate in a different way this week as we reflect on the resurrection of our Lord.
To help you prepare for celebrating what Christ did for us, I will take this week to describe what Jesus did each day of this special week.
The Gospel of Mark seems to have the most explicit description of the last week of our Lord. Beginning in Mark 11, John Mark gives us a detailed description of what Jesus said and did each day of the week.
I would suggest you read Mark 11-16 this week, beginning with Mark 11 and the triumphal entry tomorrow and ending Easter Sunday with Mark 16. By reading about a chapter each day, you will have read the first written account of the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. As you read, I encourage you to pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Finally, spend a few moments of meditation reflecting on what Christ did and its meaning. By following this simple plan you will be better prepared for worshiping Christ this week.
I will be preaching my next two sermons from The Gospel of Mark. If you would like, you can watch a podcast of my sermon tomorrow (March 24) and Easter (March 31). You can access these through the website of First Baptist Church, Covington, Louisiana (www.fbccov.org). The sermons each week are available within 24 hours of their being delivered.
I pray God would give you an Easter to remember–remembering what God made possible by giving His Son.
Would you encourage others to also follow this plan? If you find this helpful, please forward this post to friends and family. If you are a subsciber to waylonbailey.com, you will receive an email each morning with a passage from Mark to read and a description of what Christ did each day. It’s easy to subscribe at the top right of this page, and it is free.
Tomorrow we will begin with Palm Sunday as found in Mark 11.
May God bless you this week.
2 Responses
So much Wisdom found in this instruction.
Thank you.
I take it as a reminder of How Important the Act of Passion Is. It is Truly All about The Father. Truly All about The Father’s Love for the centerpiece of His Creation, us.
I pray that when I read this week, as suggested, and opportunities comes up regarding “religion” I will focus on Christ and what this week means, not fussing over differences. It is all to easy to compare Bibles, methods of worship, and the interpretation of verses. All of these things are interesting indeed, but what is the purpose if not to draw others by equipping the Holy Spirit to continue the Work, He brought before us.
However, Southern Baptist are not in competition with any other religion. At least they should not be. I have tried with God’s help in Christ Jesus to live a life that is worthy of others to want to emulate my walk. It has been a hard lesson indeed to realize my walk will not win the Greatest Debate of Life if the walk is alone. My desire is to bring others to God’s Throne to be my Brothers & Sisters in Christ will not continue without the Body/Bride. When one is in the business of Living for Christ in the secular world, their actions will speak louder than any verbiage. One does not know how long the light of a single candle will shine. As it was said of St. Francis of Assisi’s instructions: go among the people daily and preach the Gospel; when necessary, speak. (Lived in the early 1200’s and was never ordained to the Catholic Priesthood.)
This instruction takes on many forms. I have learned that being displaced and putting others before self can make life very difficult; as others move on and their place is taken by those who had not been helped. There is no generally recognized title, office, or honor given to the servant who receives no monetary consideration. In fact, it has proven to be just the opposite. That servant is considered the “fool” by the very ones who may need help. Sad, perhaps, but what a reminder of what was said of our Christ Jesus by those who considered Him a treat to their “territory,” their influence and or money making.
Perhaps it would bode well for those who claim to be His to remind each other: Whose Territory we are; and are in. That our mission is not just to compliment our “own kind” but to complement each other in the Mission of Romans 12:5; Matthew 5: 13-16; 7:12; Praying for discernment in all things but especially to recognize together Matthew 7:6. Knowing always that together John 15:5 is the paradigm of fulfilling Romans 12:5 and Romans 12:5 the paradigm of fulfilling our Upmost for His Highest, Matthew 6:10.
For there will come a time that we will know, even as we are Known.
With a grateful heart I thank you again.
Blessings
I’ll be traveling this week to cover a cowboy revival story for our state convention,and then to visit family, but I’ll join this reading plan, and will check in on your updates. Thanks!