On Thursday of Holy Week, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples. They gathered together in an upper room to share one of the ancient Jewish feasts called The Passover. When they arrived, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, even Judas Iscariot, who would betray him a few hours later. In what we now call the "Last Supper," Jesus gave his final message to his disciples, parting thoughts for his inner circle.  After the meal, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane to

They call it Silent Wednesday, because after a flurry of activity, Jesus does nothing of interest on the Wednesday of Holy Week. He had made three consecutive trips to the Temple to provoke the leadership. First on Sunday, he went to the Temple as the grand marshal of a triumphant parade. On Monday, he returned as a passionate reformer, overturning tables and making room for the poor and the lame where once there had only been commerce and greed. Tuesday had been the day of r

Lent and Advent are two of my favorite times of the year because we have such a rich heritage of Christian hymns regarding Jesus’ birth and the atoning sacrifice of his blood. I’ve written posts about Lenten hymns before, but this year I wanted to draw your attention to a few texts that may be unfamiliar to you. Lenten hymns that have stood the test of time have a rare beauty about them. Their texts and tunes are matched so well that publishers have married them for posterity

“They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’”  – John 12:13 NIV Have you ever been so sure you knew what you needed, only to realize it wasn’t what you needed at all?  That’s exactly what happened on Palm Sunday.  A crowd gathered, filled with hope and anticipation. They waved palm branches, shouting “Hosanna,” and welcoming Jesus as their long-awaited King. In their