Maundy Thursday Reflections

I hope you don't mind, I am recycling this post from last Maundy Thursday.  As I read over it the other day, it still captures my thoughts this year. 

Today is Maundy Thursday. As I have been preparing my heart for Easter and thinking of all that happened during Holy Week, I pause tonight to think about the Last Supper. Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover Feast, a meal amongst friends. It was to be the last meal they'd all have together.

"When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said, "You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It's the last one I'll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God." (Luke 22:14-16 The Message) What must it have been like for the disciples to hear that their friend and teacher would not be with them anymore? How would I feel if my dear friend, with whom I spent most of my time told me this would be our last meal together? I can feel the sadness, the fear of not knowing what would happen to him, what would happen to them. I imagine how they must have felt to hear Jesus tell them exactly how things would play out and then throughout the evening and into the next morning as it unfolded just as he said.
"Leaving there, he went, as he so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed him. When they arrived at the place, he said, "Pray that you don't give in to temptation." He pulled away from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?" At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face." Luke 22:40-44 The Message

My heart feels heavy when I think about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew the plan and he knew what he had to do but there was that moment when (as my 5 year old said it) "Jesus was scared so he prayed to ask God to help him but he had to die." I think Prince is right. Jesus, fully human and fully divine, had human emotions and this was a scary time. An angel came to give him strength. While he was dealing with these thoughts and emotions, where were the disciples? They were "asleep, drugged with grief." While Jesus was thinking of all humanity, the disciples were unable to be there for him or to even do the small thing he asked them to do, pray. Not that I am being hard on them or passing judgement, I'd be grieving too. It just reminds me that there are times in my own life when I am unable to get up out of my own wallowing,self-pity, and grief to do what Jesus asks me to do. Pray.

It should be easier for me. The disciples didn't have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story as I do. I know that come Sunday morning, Jesus is alive. Yet somehow, it's hard for me too. Tonight my heart is heavy because I know I am a sinner and that I don't do all that is asked of me. I know that Jesus suffered and died because I am a sinner and that he did this willingly. I also know that Jesus did this because of his great love for me. He loved me before I was ever a thought. He knew me and loved me and my name was written on his heart. That is so overwhelming and just awesome to think about. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us." I love The Message translation which says, "But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah! Romans 5:8-11

There is a popular worship song that has a special place in my heart, Amazing Love. Whenever I hear this song, it doesn't matter where I am. I just have to sing it. It is a reminder of Christ's Amazing Love for me and the peace that washes over me as I sing and enter into that true worship whether I am in the car or in a crowded room with other people. For those few moments, it's just Jesus and me as I sing this love song to Him and feel His presence and His unconditional love that holds me tight and keeps me going.

Amazing Love

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again.
Amazing love,
How can it be
That You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love,
I know it’s true.
It’s my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.
I do hope that I can live a life that brings honor to Christ. I hope that others will see Christ in me and that I can show his deep, unconditional love to them.

Valentine's Love

Saturday night Prince was visibly upset and I asked him what was wrong.  He said that he was afraid that he is growing up and that there might come a day when I won't sing his special song to him anymore because he would be too big for it.  As I tried to reassure him that this would never happen and that I will always sing his song, I remembered the book "Love You Forever."  I have had this book for quite some time and I tried to read it to the twins when they were younger.  There's one problem.  I can't get through this book without boo-hooing.  It is not a pretty sight.  Anywho, Prince asked if I would find the book when we got home from the in-law's on Sunday and read it to him.  Of course I said I would.  From the time we pulled into town on Sunday afternoon Prince kept asking me about the book.  I went right to the bookshelf where I knew the book would be and it wasn't there.  I searched every place I could think of and could not find this book.  So on our date last night I told Prince we would go to Wal-Mart and buy another copy of the book.  Wal-Mart did not have the book.  Prince was very upset about this.  How could they not have the book?!  They used to have it!  This afternoon Target saved the day.  Even though I think I used to have 2 copies of this book, I can't find any so I bought 2 more books, one for each of the kids.

Tonight after a marvelous Valentine's dinner, gifts, and homework, Prince and Princess were crawling into bed and as promised I read "Love You Forever" to them.  Yes, I boo-hooed.  My children were laughing at me, not understanding why I would cry at this book.  After I finished the story, I hugged them each a little tighter and said in their ears, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as you're living, My baby you'll be."  Prince then looked up at me and said, "Mom, I'll love you forever.  Will you sing my song?"  So with that, I sang to each of them and tucked them into bed.  What a fantastically sweet way to end our familyValentine's celebration.
Hubby and I have always chosen a family dinner and gathering for Valentine's Day as we all celebrate the love we have for each other.  During our blessing tonight, Hubby read my mind as he prayed that God would help us to love others as He is the ultimate example of what that love should be.  This day is much more than a card holiday, although the cards and flowers are certainly nice.  It is a day that reminds us of how we should feel and act every day, in a spirit of love toward those special people in our lives.  We should never take for granted the opportunity to say "I love you," for we never know what the future holds.  I was also reminded today that we are supposed to love even those people in our lives that are difficult to love.  That's a tough one, but, "we love because God first loved us." 

Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm off to spend what's left of it with my Valentine, who is NOT difficult to love at all.

Today's Reminder

When the Prince was a tiny baby, he was quite high maintenance. It doesn't look like it to look at this sweet face, does it?

This kid would scream and cry every day as I was trying to cook dinner and it was time for Hubby to walk in the door from work. I called it the 5:00 Fussies. Well, I only found one remedy for the 5:00 Fussies and believe me, I tried everything I could think of. The only thing that would work was to put him in his bouncy seat to watch...get ready for it....the Bill Gaither Gospel Hour. Can you believe it? Let's just say that listening to the gospel hour over and over was much better than listening to a screaming baby and I got to know some of the songs quite well. The in-laws got Prince a DVD so we could listen to it any time he wanted. Had it been a VHS, we would have worn it out long ago.

Anyway, it's been a while since I've listened to the music from this show, but I have the songs on my i-pod and sometimes I play a song or two from it and relive memories of having little babies. Today was one of those days and although I have heard this song a million times, it struck me in a whole new way. It's Ivan Parker singing "When I Get Carried Away."

Good ol' Ivan has a great message in this song. The first verse says, "Well, I don't know why I become a little shy when I get around a whole lot of people. And I can't figure out why I never can shout about the love that floods my soul. I must confess, I can't express the feelings deep inside me, The things I know and cannot show one day will overflow." This got me to thinking...why is it that I get shy around people and can't always share the joy that Jesus puts in my heart? I love Jesus so much that I want to shout it from the rooftops, so why don't I? In a world where we have become so politically correct, it is sometimes hard to openly share with others if you don't know what they believe. Then there's the whole thing about being seen as one of those overly zealous Bible thumpers. What's really so wrong with that? When you are in love with someone you want to tell everyone about it, don't you? This afternoon I was not only reminded of my sweet little baby Prince and how much I love him, but also of the fullness in my heart with the amazing love I have for Jesus.

Be Imitators of Christ

Ephesians 5:1 “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.” - New International Version

Children naturally mimic their parents in words and actions. It’s how they learn about how the world works and they do it from the minute they are born. As the mother of 5 year old twins, I often hear them say things that I have said in the exact intonation with which I’ve said it. When they are spouting words of wisdom from some lesson they have learned, I smile and feel proud that they are learning from me. There are many times, however, that I hear my own words and cringe. That sounded so ugly coming out of their mouths. How must it have sounded coming out of mine?
The Message version of Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.”

Loving others with Christ’s extravagant love…I want to do that! How does God feel when He hears my words? Is he beaming with pride or does He cringe? I try to share Christ’s love in all I do, but I often fall short. The scripture says by watching what God does and keeping company with Him, I can learn how to love. Spending time in prayer, reading my Bible, and surrounding myself with other Christians who radiate such extravagant love are all things I can do to learn to love others. I pray that others will see Christ radiate through me and that when I speak, I sound exactly like my Father.

Maundy Thursday Thoughts ~ Preparing my Heart for Easter

Today is Maundy Thursday. As I have been preparing my heart for Easter and thinking of all that happened during Holy Week, I pause tonight to think about the Last Supper. Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover Feast, a meal amongst friends. It was to be the last meal they'd all have together.
"When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said, "You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It's the last one I'll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God." (Luke 22:14-16 The Message) What must it have been like for the disciples to hear that their friend and teacher would not be with them anymore? How would I feel if my dear friend, with whom I spent most of my time told me this would be our last meal together? I can feel the sadness, the fear of not knowing what would happen to him, what would happen to them. I imagine how they must have felt to hear Jesus tell them exactly how things would play out and then throughout the evening and into the next morning as it unfolded just as he said.

"Leaving there, he went, as he so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed him. When they arrived at the place, he said, "Pray that you don't give in to temptation." He pulled away from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?" At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face." Luke 22:40-44 The Message

My heart feels heavy when I think about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew the plan and he knew what he had to do but there was that moment when (as my 5 year old said it) "Jesus was scared so he prayed to ask God to help him but he had to die." I think Prince is right. Jesus, fully human and fully divine, had human emotions and this was a scary time. An angel came to give him strength. While he was dealing with these thoughts and emotions, where were the disciples? They were "asleep, drugged with grief." While Jesus was thinking of all humanity, the disciples were unable to be there for him or to even do the small thing he asked them to do, pray. Not that I am being hard on them or passing judgement, I'd be grieving too. It just reminds me that there are times in my own life when I am unable to get up out of my own wallowing,self-pity, and grief to do what Jesus asks me to do. Pray.

It should be easier for me. The disciples didn't have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story as I do. I know that come Sunday morning, Jesus is alive. Yet somehow, it's hard for me too. Tonight my heart is heavy because I know I am a sinner and that I don't do all that is asked of me. I know that Jesus suffered and died because I am a sinner and that he did this willingly. I also know that Jesus did this because of his great love for me. He loved me before I was ever a thought. He knew me and loved me and my name was written on his heart. That is so overwhelming and just awesome to think about. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us." I love The Message translation which says, "But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah! Romans 5:8-11

There is a popular worship song that has a special place in my heart, Amazing Love. Whenever I hear this song, it doesn't matter where I am. I just have to sing it. It is a reminder of Christ's Amazing Love for me and the peace that washes over me as I sing and enter into that true worship whether I am in the car or in a crowded room with other people. For those few moments, it's just Jesus and me as I sing this love song to Him and feel His presence and His unconditional love that holds me tight and keeps me going.

Amazing Love

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love,
How can it be
That You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love,
I know it’s true.
It’s my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.


I do hope that I can live a life that brings honor to Christ. I hope that others will see Christ in me and that I can show his deep, unconditional love to them.