Lent Devotional 2015

Transcription

1 Lent Devotional 2015

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3 INTRODUCTION Dear Grace Church, What is Lent? The Lent tradition began in the early 3 rd and 4 th centuries of the early church. The practice derived from the biblical narrative of the people of Israel being tested in the wilderness for 40 years, as well as from Jesus 40-day fast in the wilderness. The church has adopted this 40- day period as a season of preparation and repentance in anticipation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter day (Sundays are not counted as a part of Lent.) The season serves as a time of reflection upon the sufferings of Christ, of surveying the cross, and traditionally it is a time when people choose to take up or give up something as a way of remembering Christ s sacrifice. It is a season of repentance and prayer, a time of dying to self that anticipates new life on the other side, just like the last days of winter anticipate the arrival of Spring. (The word Lent comes from the Old English word Lenten, which means spring.) This years Lent devotional has been adapted from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City Lenten devotional from a few years ago. The following is the outline of the scripture readings for each week of Lent. Week 1: Predictions and Prophecies Week 2: At Supper Week 3: In the Garden Week 4: In the Courtroom Week 5: On the Cross Week 6: Why the Cross Week 7: He is Risen My prayer is that we will experience the riches of the gospel through these readings & reflection questions for this season! In Christ. Rev. Scott Lowe Grace Church Presbyterian

4 First Week of Lent: Predictions and Prophecies February 18 - February 22, 2015 This Lent we begin by meditating on Jesus death as part of God s eternal plan to redeem his people. The predictions and prophecies remind us that though we are dust, God so love us that he planned our rescue! Wednesday, February 18 - Ash Wednesday Isaiah 58: 1-12 Isaiah 58 is a passage often associated with Ash Wednesday because of its emphasis on fasting. In this passage the Lord explains that if our fasting simply consists of going through all the right religious motions such as saying prayers, offering sacrifices, and so on but if the heart and spirit of the acts of worship are missing and they do not actually affect the way we treat our neighbors and the way we help the poor, then our fasting isn t real and God is not interested in it. God wants a different kind of fast a fast from injustice, from selfishness, from neglect of the poor and needy. Isaiah is telling us that God is passionately committed to justice, to peace and to caring for the last and the least and the lost, and he calls us to be passionate about the same things. Thursday, February 19 Psalm 22: 1-18 This psalm, written about a thousand years before Jesus was born, is astonishing in its detailed description of the exact circumstances of Jesus death. Friday, February 20 Luke 9:18-26 Jesus predicts his own death and resurrection. Saturday, February 21 Luke 9:43-48 Jesus predicts his death a second time. Sunday, February 22 Luke 18: Jesus predicts his death a third time. He also makes it clear that on the third day he will rise again.

5 HYMN OF REFLECTION GOING DEEPER WEEK ONE (choose a day in the week for you or your family to reflect and pray) Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past; safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last. Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on thee; leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me. All my trust on thee is stayed, all my help from thee I bring; cover my defenseless head, with the shadow of thy wing. Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in thee I find; raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is thy name, I am all unrighteousness; false and full of sin I am; thou art full of truth and grace. Plenteous grace with thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; let the healing streams abound, make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of thee; spring thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity. Charles Wesley, 1740 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION 1. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent a season for prayer and repentance and of remembering Jesus death and resurrection. What does Isaiah 58:1 12 tell us about how we should approach this season? 2. What can you do, or take up, or give up this Lent to help you draw closer to Christ? PRAYER Read aloud the hymn (or, if you can, sing it). Thank God that Jesus death was planned even before the foundation of the world. Ask God to help you to reflect on the cross, treasure it, and remember it through this season of Lent. Ask God to use you, your family, and your community group to care for the last, the least, and the lost this Lent. Pray that Grace Church would be a community not for ourselves but for serving others.

6 Second Week of Lent: At Supper February 23 - March 1, 2015 Monday, February 23 Exodus 12: 1-13 The Lord gives Moses instructions for what the Israelites are to do so that the angel of death will pass over their houses. The only way to escape was for the Israelites to put their faith in God s sacrificial provision namely, they had to slay a lamb and put the blood on the doors as a sign of their faith. In every home that night, someone would die under the wrath of justice in every home there would either be a dead child or a dead lamb. Tuesday, February 24 Exodus 12:14-20 The Lord commands the Israelites to commemorate their deliverance by celebrating the Passover feast. It is to be a lasting ordinance. Hence we see Jesus celebrating this feast with his disciples. Wednesday, February 25 Exodus 12: The story of the first Passover. Thursday, February 26 John 1: When John the Baptist calls Jesus The Lamb of God, he is linking Jesus with the Passover lamb. The Israelites were rescued because the lambs at Passover were killed, so we are rescued from sin because Jesus is killed. The lambs died in the sons place. Jesus, the Lamb, died in our place. Friday, February 22 Luke 22:7-13 Jesus and his disciples make preparations for the Passover meal. Saturday, February 23 Luke 22: The Last Supper. Sunday, March 1 (Second Sunday of Lent) 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Paul explains the Lord s Supper

7 GOING DEEPER WEEK TWO (choose a day in the week for you or your family to reflect and pray) HYMN OF REFLECTION Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin? The blood of Jesus whispers peace within. Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed? To do the will of Jesus, this is rest. Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round? On Jesus bosom naught but calm is found. Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown? Jesus we know, and He is on the throne. Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours? Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers. It is enough: earth s struggles soon shall cease, And Jesus call us to heaven s perfect peace. Edward Henry Bickersteth, 1875 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION 1. How would you describe the meaning and significance of the Lord s Supper? As well as the meaning and significance described in the notes above, the Lord s Supper is a celebration of the presence of God in our midst; bringing us into communion with God and with one another; feeding and nourishing our souls. It also anticipates the day when we will eat and drink with Christ in his Father s kingdom. 2. Does the Lord s Supper add anything to Christ s atoning work? No, Christ died once for all. The Lord s Supper is a covenant meal celebrating Christ s atoning work; as it is also a means of strengthening our faith as we look to him, and a foretaste of the future feast. It is not a means either of justification or of conversion. 3. The Lord s Supper is a communal meal. We partake together as a community. It s a celebration of unity. During the Lord s Supper we are therefore not only to think about our relationship with God, but with others in the Body. Are you loving others sacrificially as you should be if you really believed you were saved by sacrificial love? What more can you do this Lent? PRAYER Read aloud the hymn (or, if you can, sing it). Pray that the Lord would help you to realize the great truths declared in the Lord s Supper. Ask him to help you through it to behold Christ giving himself for you, expiating your guilt, and obtaining the remission of your sins. Ask that it may fill you with joy and gratitude; and encourage your access to God. And that every time you partake you would look forward to the feast prepared for you in heaven. Pray for unity and reconciliation, and that Redeemer would be a church characterized by sacrificial love for others.

8 Third Week of Lent: In the Garden March 2 - March 8, 2015 Monday, March 2 Isaiah 51: In this prophecy of Isaiah given to God s people in exile, note that the cup is an Old Testament metaphor for the wrath of sin. Tuesday, March 3 Ezekiel 23: In this passage about the judgment of Jerusalem and Judah, the cup is again a metaphor for the wrath of God on sin. Wednesday, March 4 Psalm 41:9-13 The betrayal of the Messiah by one who had been his friends was no surprise, for it was prophetically seen in Psalm 41:9. Thursday, March 5 Zechariah 13:7-9 Verse 7 is the prophecy that Jesus will be forsaken by his disciples. Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 26:31 when he accurately predicts to his disciples that they will fall away. Friday, March 6 Luke 22: 1-6 Judas agrees to betray Jesus. Saturday, March 7 Luke 22:39-46 Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke does not name the place but we know from Matthew and Luke that it was called Gethsemane. Sunday, March 8 Luke 22:47-54 Jesus is betrayed by Judas and is arrested

9 GOING DEEPER WEEK THREE (choose a day in the week for you or your family to reflect and pray) HYMN OF REFLECTION Go to dark Gethsemane, ye that feel the tempter s power; Your Redeemer s conflict see, watch with Him one bitter hour, Turn not from His griefs away; learn of Jesus Christ to pray. See Him at the judgment hall, beaten, bound, reviled, arraigned; O the wormwood and the gall! O the pangs His soul sustained! Shun not suffering, shame, or loss; learn of Christ to bear the cross. Calvary s mournful mountain climb; there, adoring at His feet, Mark that miracle of time, God s own sacrifice complete. It is finished! hear Him cry; learn of Jesus Christ to die. Early hasten to the tomb where they laid His breathless clay; All is solitude and gloom. Who has taken Him away? Christ is risen! He meets our eyes; Savior, teach us so to rise. James Montgomery, 1825 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION 1. What can we learn from the way Jesus prays in the garden? Among other things we notice that in his prayer Jesus is honest about his needs and feelings ( take this cup from me ) he lets his heart s desires be known. But, he shows that the goal of prayer is not to bend God s will to ours but to conform our will to God s. There is both honest pouring out of the heart and yet an unwavering spirit of submission. 2. In what other ways is Jesus example in the garden full of practical comfort and guidance for us? 3. Jesus knew his sacrifice would be costly and yet he trusted and obeyed God. When confronted with a drastic sacrifice how do you react? When you think about sacrificing for Jesus, what comes to mind? Is there anything (control of your life, career, your time, talents, possessions, and so on) that you are unwilling to sacrifice for Jesus and for his kingdom? How can you relinquish them this Lent? PRAYER Read aloud the hymn (or, if you can, sing it). Pray that you would be willing to lose everything for Jesus. Ask God to help you to understand what that means for your career, your relationships, your possessions. Pray for those you know who are suffering through bereavement, unemployment, disease, poverty, heartbreak, and so on. Pray that Redeemer as a community would serve the suffering with love and compassion.

10 Fourth Week of Lent: In the Courtroom March 9-15, 2015 Monday, March 9 Psalm 35:11-16 The fulfillment of this prophecy that Jesus would be accused by false witnesses is recorded in detail by Mark (see the reading for Wednesday). Tuesday, March 10 Luke 22: Jesus trial before the council of chief priests and teachers of the law. Wednesday, March 11 Mark 14:53-65 Mark s account of Jesus trial before the council. Thursday, March 12 Luke 23: 1-12 Jesus trials before Pilate and Herod. Friday, March 13 Luke 23: Jesus is sentenced to death. Saturday, March 14 Acts 4: 23:31 In their prayer in this passage the disciples acknowledge that Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the people of Israel had conspired against Jesus. They also acknowledge that they did what God s power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Sunday, March 15 Acts 2: In his address to the crowd, Peter explains that Jesus was handed over to you by God s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. He adds: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

11 GOING DEEPER WEEK FOUR (choose a day in the week for you or your family to reflect and pray) HYMN OF REFLECTION Throughout these Lenten days and nights we turn to walk the inward way, where, meeting Christ, our guide and light, we live in hope till Easter day. The pilgrim Christ, the Lamb of God, who found in weakness greater power, embraces us, though lost and flawed, and leads us to his rising hour. We bear the silence, cross and pain of human burdens, human strife, while sisters, brothers help sustain our courage till the feast of life. And though the road is hard and steep, the Spirit ever calls us on through Calvary s dying, dark and deep, until we see the coming dawn. So let us choose the path of one who wore for us the crown of thorn, and slept in death that we might wake to life on Resurrection Morn! Rejoice, O sons and daughters! Sing and shout hosannas! Raise the strain! For Christ, whose death Good Friday brings, on Easter day will live again! James Gertmenian, 1947 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION 1. Jesus is accused of blasphemy. Is he innocent or guilty of this charge? Blasphemy usually meant to make a mockery of God, and anyone who claimed to be divine was automatically guilty of it. Jesus claim was only blasphemy and mockery of God if it was untrue. If it was true, it was not blasphemous. 2. Who can be blamed for Jesus death? Think of the events leading up to his execution and of the passages you read from Acts. The Gospel accounts and the summaries in Acts show that both Jews and Gentiles contribute to the injustice and death of Jesus. Both Pilate and the religious leaders are spoken of as handing Jesus over to death. But every Christian reader can see from the Gospel narratives that Jesus had every opportunity to escape death, but that he had to die because of our sins. Thus believers know that ultimately we are the ones responsible for putting Jesus on the cross. Nevertheless, we

12 must remember that Jesus went to his death willingly. He says this explicitly in John 10:17-18: I lay down my life...no one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. 3. The just is suffering unjustly. The blameless is blamed so the blameworthy can go free. If you really believe Jesus Christ was the judge who was judged for you, how does that destroy any sense of superiority towards other people? How will that help you become a generous advocate for the poor, the powerless, and the oppressed? At the heart of the gospel is a man with infinite power who gives it up in sacrificial service, and loves and forgives those who are opposing and destroying him. We are not saved by our performance, but because Jesus Christ died in our place. That should destroy all self-righteousness and superiority. In this trial, Jesus identifies with the poor, the oppressed, and the powerless. Christianity is the only faith that says God experienced injustice, and he understands and cares about it and as followers of Christ we should too. PRAYER Read aloud the hymn (or, if you can, sing it). Pray, thanking God that Jesus Christ was the judge who was judged for you. Pray that God would work through you, your family and your community group to help the poor, the powerless, and the oppressed.

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14 Fifth Week of Lent: On the Cross March 16-22, 2015 Monday, March 16 Psalm 22:16-31 This psalm, written about a thousand years before Jesus was born, accurately predicts many of the details of Jesus death. Tuesday, March 17 Amos 8:9 The unusual darkness that covered the land during the crucifixion of Christ had been foretold in Amos 8:9. Wednesday, March 18 John 12:23-33 Jesus speaks of life coming through death, applying this to his own death. The cross will look like the defeat and the end of Jesus, but in fact, it will be his victory. Thursday, March 19 Luke 23:26-34 The crucifixion of Jesus. Friday, March 20 Luke 23:35-43 Jesus on the cross. Saturday, March 21 Luke 23:44-49 The death of Jesus. Sunday, March 22 Philippians 2:6-11 Paul s description of Jesus death is painfully beautiful: he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross!

15 GOING DEEPER WEEK FIVE (choose a day in the week for you or your family to reflect and pray) HYMN OF REFLECTION O come and mourn with me awhile; And tarry here the cross beside; O come, together let us mourn; Jesus, our Lord, is crucified. Have we no tears to shed for Him, While soldiers scoff and foes deride? Ah! look how patiently He hangs; Jesus, our Lord, is crucified. O break, O break, hard heart of mine, Thy weak self-love and guilty pride His Pilate and His Judas were: Jesus, our Lord, is crucified. O love of God! O sin of man! In this dread act Your strength is tried; And victory remains with love; For Thou our Lord, art crucified! Frederick William Faber, 1849 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION 1. In your own words, why was it necessary for Jesus to die? Since death is the punishment for sin, Jesus died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life. Colossians 1:21 22 reads: Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. 2. Why is it significant that the curtain ripped from top to bottom? What does it mean for you and your sins? Does Christ s death mean all our sins can be forgiven? When Jesus died on the cross, God tore the curtain in two that is why it ripped from top to bottom. It was as if God was saying: The way is now open for people to approach me. We now have access to God. Because Christ s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more. 2 Corinthians 5:21 reads: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

16 3. Christianity is the only religion with a God that suffers. What difference does it make to your life that Jesus is a suffering Savior rather than just a good teacher or an example of how to live? How can you in turn love and serve those who suffer? Only the Christian faith has a God who takes our misery and suffering so seriously that he is willing to get involved with it himself. If we look at the cross, it does not mean that we will understand the reason for suffering, but the cross can tell us what the reason for our suffering is not. It is not that God does not love us. It is not that he does not care. The problem we have when we suffer is that we feel like we are being abandoned, that God does not care. He abandoned Jesus so he would not have to abandon us. The darkness of this world, because Jesus Christ has received it and took it in himself, is temporary for those of us who believe in him. PRAYER Read aloud the hymn (or, if you can, sing it). Praise God for tearing the curtain so that everyone can have access to him through the blood of Christ shed on the cross. Pray that God would give you a yearning to know Christ as your teacher, Savior, and King. Ask God to give you a Christ-like ability to deny yourself and serve others. Pray for opportunities to sacrifice your time and resources by serving

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18 Sixth Week of Lent: Why the Cross? March 23-29, 2015 Monday, March 23 Isaiah 53: 1-12 This passage not only prophesies Jesus death but explains why he had to die: He took up our pain and bore our suffering, he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, he bore the sin of many, the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Tuesday, March 24 Colossians 1:15-23 Paul explains that we were alienated from God but that we have been reconciled by Jesus blood shed on the cross. Wednesday, March 25 1 John 4: 7-12 In this passage John defines love this way: This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Thursday, March 26 Romans 3:21-26 Paul makes clear that because God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood all who believe can be made righteous before God. Friday, March 27 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Paul argues that because God has reconciled us to himself through Christ we now ourselves have a ministry of reconciliation. We are Christ s ambassadors. And our message is that: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Saturday, March 28 Hebrews 9:11-14 The writer of Hebrews explains that the blood of Christ obtains eternal redemption and cleanses our consciences from acts that lead to death. Why? So that we may serve the living God. Sunday, March 29- Palm Sunday Luke 19:28-40 Jesus triumphal entry to Jerusalem is the traditional reading for Palm Sunday. As a symbol of triumph, the palms point us toward Christ s resurrection and remind us of the saints in heaven "holding palm branches in their hands" (Revelation 7:9).

19 GOING DEEPER WEEK SIX (choose a day in the week for you or your family to reflect and pray) HYMN OF REFLECTION Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adores his sacred name. Come, Christians, follow where our Savior led, our King victorious, Jesus Christ, our Head. Refrain All newborn servants of the Crucified bear on their brows the seal of him who died. Refrain From north and south, from east and west we raise in growing unison our song of praise. Refrain O Lord, once lifted on the tree of pain, draw all the world to seek you once again. Refrain Let every race and every language tell of him who saves our lives from death and hell. Refrain Set up your throne, that earth's despair may cease beneath the shadow of its healing peace. Refrain So shall our song of triumph ever be: praise to the Crucified for victory! Refrain George W. Kitchin, 1887 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION 1. According to the passages you read and in your own words how would you answer the question: How can we be saved, forgiven, and reconciled to God? Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in him. Ephesians 2:8 9 reads: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. 2. What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith? At the day of judgment they will receive the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. They will be cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever. John 3:17 18 and 36 read: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God s one and only Son. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God s wrath remains on them. When Jesus died on the cross, God tore the curtain in two that is why it ripped from top to bottom. It was as if God was saying: The way is now open for people to approach me. We now have access to God. Because Christ s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more. 2 Corinthians 5:21 reads: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

20 3. Since we are redeemed by grace alone, through Christ alone, must we still do good works and obey God s Word? Yes, because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, also renews us by his Spirit; so that our lives may show love and gratitude to God; so that we may be assured of our faith by the fruits; and so that by our godly behavior others may be won to Christ. PRAYER Read aloud the hymn (or, if you can, sing it). Pray for deep understanding, joy, and gratitude for the cross of Jesus Christ. Pray that the Lord would give all the people around you who do not know him a desire to seek him, to hear his Word, and to begin to think upon eternal things. Pray that God would open blind eyes so that people would see Christ and would know the true and living God. Pray for opportunities to invite your friends, colleagues, and neighbors to serve at with an organization like Restoration Now Pray for opportunities to sacrifice your time and resources by serving

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22 Seventh Week of Lent - Holy Week He is Risen March 30-April 5, 2015 Monday, March 30 - Holy Week Psalm 16:5-11 In verse 10, David prophesied the resurrection of the Christ. Peter, preaching his first sermon in Acts 2:31, quotes this verse and applies it to the resurrection. Tuesday, March 31 - Holy Week Romans 6:1-14 Paul spells out some of the implications for us of Jesus death and resurrection. Wednesday, April 1 - Holy Week Ephesians 2:1-9 Paul explains that we are saved only by faith in Jesus Christ and that God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in him. All as a result of Christ s death and resurrection. Thursday, April 2 - Maundy Thursday John 13:1-17 Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus washed his disciples feet before sharing the Passover meal with them. Friday, April 3 - Good Friday Luke 23:50-56 The burial of Jesus. Saturday, April 4 - Holy Saturday 1 Corinthians 15:12-23 In this passage Paul states that: If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. He then emphasizes: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead we will read about Christ s resurrection tomorrow. Sunday, April 5- Easter Luke 24:1-12 The tomb is empty. Jesus Christ has risen!

23 GOING DEEPER WEEK SEVEN (choose a day in the week for you or your family to reflect and pray) HYMN OF REFLECTION When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. Isaac Watts, 1707 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION 1. Where is Christ now? Christ rose bodily from the grave on the third day after his death and is seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling his kingdom and interceding for us, until he returns to judge and renew the whole world. 2. What does Christ s resurrection mean for us? Christ triumphed over sin and death by being physically resurrected, so that all who trust in him are raised to new life in this world and to everlasting life in the world to come. Just as we will one day be resurrected, so this world will one day be restored. One day we will live with and enjoy God forever in the new heaven and the new earth, where we will be fully and forever freed from all sin and will inhabit renewed, resurrection bodies in a renewed, restored creation. 3. Do you see yourself and others in the light of the resurrection life of Christ? How can this truth change the way you treat others? PRAYER Read aloud the hymn (or, if you can, sing it). Pray for resurrection joy and hope to pervade your life. Pray that you would see Jesus as he truly is in all his glory, but also in the humanity around us. Pray for renewal. Pray for Fort Collins!

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