pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

Saturday The Garden Tomb

Tombs

Tombs, when they are closed, hold their secrets.
Stories are finished whether they had a chance to end or not. Voices are stilled, left only to the dubious recordings of memory and subject to alteration by pain and preference. Eyes are closed. The heart is still. If there is a journey of the spirit that sets sail at the moment of death, there is no evidence of it inside the closed tomb.

At the tomb of Jesus, even the angels could not know what was happening after the stone was rolled into place by the soldiers. The holy creatures had stood before the Son of God in heavenly majesty, their angel hearts bursting with worship. He had sent them on countless angelic missions to aid the people of God. They had also served by only standing and waiting. Some of them sang to the shepherds. An army of them stood at the ready during Jesus’ earthly ministry, ready to rescue Him were he to simply kick a rock as a signal for them to charge.

Guardian Angels
As a child and young man, Jesus never called them so they had to watch as those around Him

  • ignored Him,
  • did carpenter business with Him,
  • misunderstood Him, and
  • gave up on Him like His brothers and sisters must have done.

For the last three years, angels had traveled with Him throughout Galilee and down to Jerusalem. They stood by as those He came to save

  • underestimated Him,
  • took freely of His miracles,
  • suspected Him, unsure of His motives,
  • watched with amusement as He grappled with the religious leaders, and
  • went about their lives as if nothing important had happened.

Now angels wept, unable to see into the tomb, having confidence in God but sorrow for their Master.

The Women Who Loved Him
In other quarters, human tears flowed form sources deep within. Just when the women thought there could be no more tears, another torrent of grief would break. They wanted Him back. They wanted to finish the work of caring for Him, at least for His body, all they had left of Him. But it was not really all they had.

In a place in their hearts deeper than the well of their tears, a tender of flame of hope flickered in slight but promising light. Unlike the men, the women had really listened to Jesus. They remembered those strange things He said about three days. Their wounded hearts yearned for tomorrow, the third day.

His Chosen Men
Hiding for fear of their lives, the disciples did not dare gather all in one place. They had broken down into their little clumps of friendships perhaps all in some proximity just in case. Unlike the women who could allow their tears to flow unhindered, the men pushed their grief deeper into their hearts while their minds raced to process some sort of action plan. But with Jesus dead, there was certainly nothing any of them could do.

Meanwhile, the tomb was closed, hiding its secrets.

“He Descended to the Dead”
For centuries, theologians have discussed what Jesus might have been doing on this Holy Saturday. One ancient belief is based on an interpretation of a few verses. It is romantic and appealing to the believer: “Jesus entered the regions of hell, confronted Satan, wresting from him the keys of death, hell, and the grave. He then led the souls in the Bosom of Abraham, Paradise, out of their spiritual prison into the heavenly realms.” Some believe this ardently, others oppose it with equal ardor.

What we all can do as we relive this Holy Saturday and the closed tomb, is join our tears to those of the angels and the women and wonder with the men what we must do next.

Scriptures:
John 19:38-42
Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus… Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Luke 16:22-26
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.
Ephesians 4:7-8b 
“When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.”
Revelation 1:18 KJV
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I believe the words of the ancient creed! The stillness of the Garden Tomb hid Your deeds on that Saturday. You descended to the dead! You led captivity captive. You rescued the Old Covenant saints! The countless innocent lambs and goats and bulls counted at last for the redemption of the faithful when You, the Final Lamb, the Lamb of God, gave Your life! You hold the keys to death, hell and the grave! You are the Victor! You robbed death of its sting and plundered the grave of any victory. I will be silent today and weep with the angels, but I will weep in hope that tomorrow is the third day! Amen and Amen!

Song:
Were You There?
Traditional African-American Spiritual

1. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

3. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

Friday The Crucifixion

Calvary

Tools of the Trade
The Roman implements of torture and execution were tools of the trade for the soldiers of the Empire. Iron was expensive, whether the sharp bits lodged in the tentacles of the whip that tore the flesh of prisoners or the sharp pointed nails that split the hands and feet of their victims, precious iron had to be cared for and cleaned. A carefully maintained whip and supply of crucifixion nails could do their duty on many a criminal’s back and fasten many a rebel to the wood.

But the Roman soldier knew nothing of germs and microbiotic residue. Each new flogging carried with it all the ones who had gone before. Each fresh use of a set of nails was not at all fresh. But what did that matter? In a few days each one crucified would be just so much rotting meat, food for the birds, until whatever was left was taken down.

Such was the business of a place called Calvary.
This Place of the Skull warned of Roman justice to those who would take up arms, even if only treasonous words, against the Empire. Fear was the theme of this theatre. Guilt or innocence was not an issue; order was the point. Stay in your place, you wretched Jews. Worship your one God in your Temple and tend to your ancient ceremonies and chants. Speak against Rome and Calvary is your destiny.

The Cross of Christ
To this place an innocent Man came, condemned, bleeding from the whip, crowned with twisted branches from a thorn bush, carrying a heavy cross.

  • Soldiers forced Him up the stone-strewn trail to the summit with fresh lashes from their carefully maintained whips.
  • They forced Jesus to stretch out on the cross where the freshly washed nails were hammered through His hands and feet.
  • A mounted soldier backed his well-trained steed, pulling the cross and its prisoner from the ground. For a moment it remained poised against a sky where storm clouds were gathering. One more step backward by the horse and the cross plunged into the hole in the mountain that had been used countless times before.
  • Other soldiers went to work quickly to stabilize the cross with little regard for the blood splashing down on them.

The Gathering Storm
Their work done, the soldiers divided their spoils while enjoying the suffering of another rebel against Rome. They joined those in the crowd in their lame insults, each of which yielded more laughter that it deserved. They all pretended not to notice the dying of the light in the approach of the storm. This tempest was not coming from west to east but from all directions at once. It seemed to be linked to a storm deep within each witness of these events.

Jesus spoke from the cross, His voice lost in the abuse hurled at Him and heard only by those who were listening. Yet His words have lasted longer than any storm, piercing though all of the noisy crowds who still today relentlessly come to mock Him.

At last, with His last breath, He declared. “It is finished.”

And it was.

Salvation’s price had been paid.
All the whips and nails of a hostile humanity proved unable to still His voice or to stem the flow of His life-giving blood. The sin barrier was forever broken so there was no longer any need for God to separate Himself from the people He loved. The veil in the Temple ripped from top to bottom, opening a new and living way. And nothing can ever change this.

Indeed the whip and the nails were infected by all who had known them before and by all of us. They carried the disease of sin and the blood they spilled is the only cure.

Scriptures:
Matthew 26:57; 67-68; 27:1-2; 27-31-40; 45-46; Mark 15:36-38; John 19:30:
Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?” Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

For Fridays
The Book of Common Prayer
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first He suffered pain, and entered not into glory before He was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord. Amen.

Song:
The Day He Wore My Crown
Words and Music: Phil Johnson

The city was Jerusalem The time was long ago
The people called him Jesus
The crime was the love He showed
And I’m the one to blame I caused all the pain
He gave Himself, the day He wore my crown

He brought me love that only He could give
I brought Him cause to cry
And though He taught me how to live
I taught Him how to die
And I’m the one to blame I caused all the pain
He gave Himself, the day He wore my crown

He could have called His holy Father, and said,
“Take me away, please, take me away.”
He could have said, “I’m not guilty.
And I’m not going to stay I’m not going to pay.”

But He walked right through the gate
And then on up the hill
And as He fell beneath the weight
He cried, “Father, not My will.”
And I’m the one to blame I caused all His pain
He gave Himself, the day He wore my crown.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

Wednesday The Garden

Gethsemane

Alone
Like the full Passover moon overhead, an angel from heaven stood watch in Gethsemane.  The sleeping disciples were scattered throughout the grove of ancient olive trees using cloaks and outer garments to keep warm and to soften the hard ground.

Jesus was alone in a way that no one has ever been alone. Sensing the moment and the heaviness of the burden, the angel came near to Jesus as He agonized in prayer. He touched the Lord’s shoulder, imparting strength, a flow of energy as heaven touched earth and earth responded. The strength the moment required was quickly spent in prayer, prayer so deep the blood vessels in his scalp and forehead broke as sweat and blood mingled flowing down His face to drop heavily to the garden floor.

His prayer was the same as before, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me!” His voice was hoarse with the depth of His struggle.

The angel stood by, this time unable to assist his Lord.

The Decision
Jesus was doing what no one else could ever do; He was drinking a cup no one else could drink and He must drain it dry.

“Nevertheless, not my will but Your will, Father, is what I will do.”

In this garden with a watching angel and sleeping friends, the decision was made. Jesus had emptied Himself of heavenly majesty and traded His jeweled crown for one to be made of thorns. He was the only one who could drink from the cup containing the sins of the world, all of them, yours, mine, those of all history and of all the evil deeds yet to come.

The Prize
He had won the struggle and this was the prize. He had been tempted to sin in all points as we have all been tempted yet not once had He yielded. Now, He had won the right to take all our sin upon Himself.  The decision was made that night in the Garden and tomorrow the deeds would be done: trials, beatings, scourging, abuse, insults, and finally a cross and just the right number of nails to pin Him there.

The Kiss
As Jesus prayed, Judas led Temple guards with torches, swords, and binding ropes. The disciples stirred from sleep and tried to fight the intruders but they were a sorry lot of warriors. One blow, that’s all, and a severed ear fell to the ground. Jesus rebuked the disciples and Peter, the one with the sword. His Kingdom did not advance by the sword. While still speaking, Jesus found the severed ear and replaced it to its rightful place as whole as the untouched one. Even a miracle could not prevent the events unfolding in a steel-blue moonlight of Gethsemane.

The disciples fled in terror as the guards led Jesus away. Soon the garden was quiet again with no one but the moon and the angel left to ponder these things.

Scriptures:
Luke 22:39-48
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have felt what it is like to be alone. In the depth of my isolation, You were with me. Your words were on my lips. Your presence was in my heart. Your hope was the song I heard, faint but unmistakable. I was not alone, really. In this week as we seek to somehow appropriate Your love for us, help us feel some of what You felt there in that garden alone, your friends sleeping, your enemies approaching while an angel touched your shoulder. I cannot know the agony of sweat turned to blood. I cannot feel the weight of the world’s sins, only mine. But even here in this garden I can still hear the angels singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy…” Amen.

Song:
Amazing Love
Words and Music: Chris Tomlin

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

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

You are my King.
Jesus You are my King.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January 18

January 3 “Kingdom”

Kingdom

Jesus emerged from the wilderness with great power and purpose.
He had a Kingdom to declare. “The time is fulfilled.” The way to keep up was to repent—“The Kingdom of God is at hand!” It was no longer a theme of history; it was the present reality. It was no longer the stuff of metaphor and imagination; the kingdom was now in flesh, to be seen and heard, touched and handled. This Kingdom had a King.

The bad news was that John had been arrested by Herod.
Now Jesus was alone in declaring the Kingdom and the need for repentance. He was in Galilee preaching the gospel when he saw two brothers attending to their family business—fishing. With a simple invitation they dropped their nets to follow Him. The invitation contained a promise. From now on Andrew and Peter would be fishers of men. Two more brothers, James and John, partners in their father Zebedee’s fishing business, were only steps away mending their nets. Another call and another set of abandoned nets and their father with his hired servants would have to carry on without them.

To Capernaum
His team now five in number, Jesus was no longer alone. He marveled at the ease of this calling process. It was as if the men He needed were planted in this path. Things like that happen in a Kingdom such as this. On the Sabbath at Capernaum they went to synagogue together. The two sets of brothers heard Jesus teach and were amazed. His authority stood in stark contrast to the normal mumblings of a village Rabbi or the theatrical monologues of the Jerusalem scribes. The ancient words came alive in His mouth. People were moved, impressed, intrigued.

Among them was a demon-possessed man. The demons residing in the man were more than intrigued; they panicked and screamed in protest. They knew who Jesus was and whatever His mission might be they knew it would be bad for them. Jesus shackled them and sent them away. In the ensuing silence people began to whisper to themselves and to each other what kind of man this might be. His authority went beyond the oratory of men to the hidden world of demons. These synagogue worshipers would be the ones to initiate the fame of Jesus throughout Galilee.

A Healing at Home
Seeing this display of authority prompted Peter to invite Jesus into the home of his wife’s mother. She was terribly ill with a fever. When He entered the home, Jesus could see that no one had taken up the woman’s work. He was sure the cluttered, dusty house was the result of her disabling illness. Embarrassed, people rushed to explain about her. Jesus and his four helpers went to her. Jesus took her by the hand and lifted her to her feet. Immediately the fever left her and strength returned. She looked for a long time into Jesus’ eyes. So this was the man her son-in-law would follow. She had been against the whole idea but now she could see that it must be done and would be a great honor. She shooed the people out of her house and starting cleaning the place.

Scriptures:
Mark 1: 14-31 NKJV
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are — the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, like those four fishermen I have heard Your call. I have ordered my life around it and still today seek to hear Your call and obey. Make me a fisher of men. In Your name, I am healed. By Your authority demons cannot take up residence in my redeemed heart. I can sense Your authoritative voice when I read Your Word. Indeed, the Kingdom of Heaven is here! The time is fulfilled. I will rejoice in Your joyous Kingdom, here and now, and there in heaven to come. Rejoice the Lord is King! Amen.

Song:
Rejoice the Lord Is King!
Words: Charles Wesley; Music: John Darwall

1. Rejoice, the Lord is King: Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing, And triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

2. Jesus, the Savior, reigns, The God of truth and love;
When He has purged our stains, He took his seat above;
Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

3. His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and heav’n;
The keys of death and hell Are to our Jesus giv’n:
Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

4. Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord and judge shall come
And take His servants up To their eternal home:
Lift up your heart, Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2018 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

TheJesusStory Devotions are also available at KingdomWinds.com.

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, November

November 29, 2017: “Justice”

Justice

A two-way street, justice is.
We all need justice but are often neglectful of the needs of others. The power of any government to administer justice will always been mixed with the power of people to neglect or even to corrupt it. Justice is the result of true worship—the flow of redemption from the heart of God to the repentant hearts of people.

The Psalmist presents the impending judgement of God in terms of joy:

Psalm 96:10-13
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord. For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.

Joy in judgement—what a surprise! Joy in justice—what a delight!
In Jesus’ hands the scales of justice are filled with healing balm.

  • He is like the Good Samaritan who finds us beside the ruin of the road we have chosen and tends to our wounds while the self-righteous seek another lane to travel.
  • His medicine is grace ground from the dregs of the bitter cup he drank in the garden.
  • His innocence did little to dilute the rancid wine of our sin yet he drained that cup.
  • He stood before the courts of this world, innocent yet condemned to die.
  • He wore the thorny crown, bowed beneath the whip, carried the cross, and took the nails and the spear.
  • His Light split the darkness of the night before the third day for no tomb that man could ever build could ever hold Him.

This is the One Good Man who found us wounded and robbed by the side of the road. This is the One Good Man who treated our wounds and carried us to safety. He paid our expenses and promised to return.

This is the One Good Man who will come to judge the earth.

Justice and Mercy
Justice has a companion in the heart of God. He warns His people not to seek revenge and reserves any rights to vengeance to Himself alone. When we have been wronged, it is not for us to strike back, attempting in our own strength to makes things right through payback. We must follow the example of Jesus from the cross, forgiving those who have wronged us. It isn’t easy; it goes against human nature, but it is the Jesus way. We who have received mercy must also grant mercy to those who have wronged us. This is justice rooted in Calvary.

Today, let us walk the roads of this world with an eye toward the wounded and a heart that beats for justice.

Scriptures:
Psalm 98: 9
Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.
Amos 5:24 NKJV
But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Luke 10:29-37 NKJV
But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for accepting the penalty for my sins and those of the whole world. Through Your amazing grace I stand before God as if I had never sinned! Like the Good Samaritan, You found me and dressed my wounds. You cared for my wounded soul until I was well and fully recovered. Now You are with me every day in mercy and grace. Help me see the wounded ones on the roads I walk today so that I can show mercy and be a healer. This is justice, too. For Your Kingdom, Lord! Amen.

Song:
Let Me Touch Him
Words and Music: Vep Ellis

1. Let me touch Him, let me touch Jesus;
Let me touch Him as He passes by
So when I shall reach out to others
They shall know him They shall live and not die

Refrain:
Oh to be His hand extended,
Reaching out to the oppressed.
Let me touch Him, let me touch Jesus,
So that others may know and be blessed.

2. I was straying so far from Jesus
I was lonely, had no peace within
Then the hand of my savior touched me
Now I’m reaching to others in sin

Refrain

3. There’s a river, a river flowing
From within and to cleanse my soul
And the flow sets my heart to glowing
Holy spirit, more than silver or gold.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Uncategorized

November 26, 2017: “Gratitude”

Gratitude

If you want to go in, you have to find the gate.
There is a biblical way to approach Almighty God, a way He has commanded us to take.  Gratitude brings you before the King.

Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

As we seek to gain entrance to the presence of the Lord today, a day that He has made, let us do so with the most profound gratitude we can generate.

  • Dire problems may weigh heavily upon our spirits; lay them down at the door.
  • Doubts may plague our minds; set them aside.
  • Divisions may exist among brothers and sisters; call a truce.
  • Dependencies of all sorts may inhibit our concentration; depend on the Holy Spirit.
  • Destitution may have driven every choice we made all week; choose gratitude today.

There is only one way in.
His Name is Jesus, forever the Door to the Kingdom of God.  He is the Gate of Thanksgiving.  When we can count nothing else in life as a blessing, we can always look to Him and find reason to give thanks.  The writer to the Hebrews said that Jesus opened up a “new and living way” by the destruction of His own earthly life and body.  In the face of this unspeakable sacrifice, the veil in the temple ripped from top to bottom and the way to the heart of God was declared “Open!”

Let us be thankful.

Because Jesus bore our sins far away, we can enter the presence of the Holy One without fear. Without the atonement of Christ, our sins would not only disqualify us to enter His presence, our guilt would consume us to our destruction.  Because of Jesus we can stand before God as if we had never sinned.  The indictment against us has been nailed to His cross.

Let us be thankful.

Through Jesus we were emptied of the guilt of sin.  Now we have been filled with the precious gift of His Spirit!  We are being regenerated to life new and unending.  Old things pass away as all things become new.  There is power in us now to defeat the old nature of sin, and even when we do not, the Lord Jesus is there to forgive us for all our sins as we confess them to Him.  By the Spirit we can hear the voice of God deep within us.  We can obey His instructions and we can watch His power work through our humanity to help heal the world.

Let us be thankful.

This is the day for it!
The joy and the power of the presence of the King are on the other side of the Gate of Thanksgiving.  As Isaiah said, “Go through the gates!” Gratitude brings you before the King.

Let us be thankful.

Scriptures:
Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Isaiah 62:10 NKJV
Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!
Mark 15:37-39 NKJV
And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Hebrews 10:19-24
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Romans 8:1-4
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,   because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Thank You for laying aside Your deity and becoming a human like us. Thank You for submitting to the facts of this life: infancy, childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood to show us how it should be done. Thank You for revealing God to us. We don’t have to wonder about God—all we need to do is look to You. Thank You for Your victorious walk through this life, conquering sin by the power of the Spirit. Thank You for submitting to betrayal and injustice, pain and death to win my forgiveness and redeem my life. Yes, I will enter Your gates with thanksgiving today—what else can I do? Amen.

Song:
Give Thanks
Words and Music: Don Moen
Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Give thanks to the Holy One.
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son.
(Repeat)

And now let the weak say, “I am strong.”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us.”
(Repeat)

Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Give thanks to the Holy One.
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son.

Give thanks.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, November

November 24, 2017: “Vision”

Vision

The Holy Spirit enables us to see with the eyes of our spirit. 
We “see” things undetectable by the natural eye, things that are more real than vision and more substantive than solids, things existing in a place unhindered by time, wear, decay, or corruption.

This is how the believer in Jesus becomes a witness to the cross.  Years ago, the great gospel songwriter, Bill Gaither, penned these words:

I’ve been to Calvary.  I can say I’ve seen the Lord.
I’ve been to Calvary, through the witness of His Word.
Each day at Calvary, what a thrill of love divine,
Just to know that the Savior is mine.

Believers since the 1960’s have embraced this song because it is a shared experience that produces an inner vision of the cross and our resurrected Savior.  The Holy Spirit can easily bridge the span of centuries, oceans, and continents between the worshiper and the actual hill called Calvary.

The Gift of Imagination
How is this possible? The Lord has equipped us with a marvelous gift—imagination.  As children, we drift in and out of the real world available to our developing senses and our inner world available to our imagination.  Child’s play is a rehearsal for adult creativity.

The gift of imagination is really the gift on internal vision.  Imagination enables us to open our hearts and minds to the revelation of the Holy Spirit.  This is much different from childhood play.  The cross, the resurrection, the ascension, the Day of Pentecost, the Throne of God and of the Lamb, the River of Life flowing from it to the healing of the nations are not figments of our imagination—they are spiritual realities.  When we envision spiritual realities we do not create them, we open our spirits to revelation from God.  Paul prayed that the Ephesian church would have such a “spirit of revelation.”  We should turn on the movie screen of our minds when we worship, read the Bible, and certainly when we intercede.

The Terrible Cost of a Missing Vision
The Book of Proverbs states that lack of vision (the NIV word is “revelation”) causes death on a large scale.  Our society is rushing toward disaster because so few people have “been to Calvary.”

Today as we meditate on the cross, let us lift our inner eyes beyond that terrible day, to  the resurrection, and to the ascension of Jesus to His Throne in Heaven.  A vision of the victorious One is the message of the church.  Peter preached it  for the first time at Pentecost.  The early church occupied a world filled with frightening, confusing visual images  They reached that world because of a shared vision of Jesus the Victor.

Scriptures:
Proverbs 29:18 KJV; NIV
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Ephesians 1:16-17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Luke 2:28-32
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Acts 2:22-25; 32-34
“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him…. and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
Psalm 85:10 NKJV
Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.
Colossians 3:1-4
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Prayer:
From The Book of Common Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, You stretched out Your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of Your saving embrace: So clothe us in Your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know You to the knowledge and love of You; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give me insight into Calvary. I know this is more than the tragic tale of a young man misunderstood and struck down too soon. This is not a tragedy; it is a triumph! Open my eyes that I may see the congruence of Your great love and justice in these painful events: the perfect sacrifice that makes it possible for sins to be forgiven, bodies to be healed from disease, and tortured minds to be restored. In one sweeping vision, let me see Your great love to send Jesus to us as our Redeemer and Your great wrath against evil. Help this vision propel me forward to do Your will so that more people may come to know You. Lord Jesus, give me insight into Calvary.

Song:
Open My Eyes that I Might See
Words and Music: Clara H. Scott

1. Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee, ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes; illumine me, Spirit divine!

2. Open my ears, that I may hear voices of truth thou sendest clear.
And while the wave notes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for thee, ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my ears; illumine me, Spirit divine!

3. Open my mouth, and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere.
Open my heart, and let me prepare love with thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for thee, ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my heart; illumine me, Spirit divine!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, October

October 30, 2017: “Productivity”

Productivity

Created to Produce
Just as peace is not passive, productivity is not optional; we were created to produce.  Adam and Eve were commissioned to be fruitful, to multiply, and to manage the life systems and resources of the earth.  When they fell into sin, God did not rescind this commission from Adam and Eve, and therefore, from us.  The result of sin was that the processes of productivity became work:

  • Women would become mothers through pain.
  • The earth would become fruitful by the sweat of the human brow.

The need to create and the drive to produce remain in the human heart, though the means of this productivity has become a thing of pain.

Spiritual Productivity
As necessary as productivity is to life, there is also a spiritual dimension to it.  Just as we are called to be productive in material things, we are intended to produce spiritual fruit.  “Bearing fruit” is the most common biblical image for personal productivity.  Jesus introduced the vivid metaphor of the Vine and the branches.  He said He was the Vine and we were the branches.  In order to bear much fruit we must remain connected to Him, just a branches must have a functioning connection to the vine if they are to bear fruit.  “Fruit” in this context means more than winning souls; it means producing what God made us to produce.  Writers write.  Teachers teach.  Builders build.  Designers design, and so on.

Facing this Week
You face this week of work with a deep desire to be productive and most likely, a pressing need to do well on the job.

  • Job assessments are a measure of the worker’s effectiveness, his/her productivity.
  • Fathers and mothers work hard to provide for their families by the value of their productivity.
  • The mechanized, computerized fields the modern worker plows still depend on the willingness of the worker to sweat—to do the work!
  • Visionaries bring new businesses into the world and the pangs of this kind of birth can last for years of 90 hour weeks before the business grows up and becomes profitable.

The good news is this:  We were made to be productive!
The same Lord who saved us from sin and hell stands ready to empower us to produce in our daily lives.  The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells within us, to give us the wisdom, the creativity and the grace we need to succeed.  When we begin to understand the theology of work as worship, we open ourselves to the continuing enablement of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of life.

More than an inborn need and a daily requirement, productivity is a spiritual responsibility.  The scriptures have wonderful things to say about productivity:

  • Each of us has a productive path to walk, one laid down for us by the Lord Himself long before the wondrous week of creation. (Eph 2:10)
  • Being fruitful brings glory to God. (John 15:1-8)
  • Each of us has been hand chosen and ordained by the Lord Jesus to bear much fruit and fruit that lasts. (John 10:15,16)

Hard work is still hard work.
Bringing new life into the world is still a thing of pain.  Wringing a harvest from the earth still demands the sweat of the brow.  Hard work is the order of the day for most of us   Yet, the one who believes in Jesus is not alone in the delivery room, behind the plow, or at the office or workstation.  Jesus holds us close in each new venture.  He guides the plow and helps us pull the load as His Spirit gives us strength and wisdom, rest and refreshment as we work.

Scriptures:
Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”…Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 3:17-19 NKJV
“Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life… In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener… Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing… This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Colossians 1:10
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…
Ephesians 2:9-10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
John 15:16-17
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are The True Vine and I am only a branch, but I am a branch that can bear much fruit. You have promised me this. As You said in John’s gospel, You have chosen me and ordained me that I should go and bear much fruit and that my fruit should remain. Without You I can do nothing but with You I can do much—great things! Extend Your Kingdom through the life I live each day. I want to tell Your story with my life and work. I want to share Your love with the whole world, starting with those I meet today. Thank You, Lord.

Song:
We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations
Words and Music: H. Ernest Nichol

1 We’ve a story to tell to the nations,
that shall turn their hearts to the right,
a story of truth and mercy,
a story of peace and light,
a story of peace and light.

Refrain:
For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
and the dawning to noonday bright,
and Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth,
the kingdom of love and light.

2 We’ve a song to be sung to the nations,
that shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
a song that shall conquer evil
and shatter the spear and sword,
and shatter the spear and sword.

Refrain

3 We’ve a message to give to the nations,
that the Lord who reigneth above
has sent us His Son to save us,
and show us that God is love,
and show us that God is love.

Refrain

4 We’ve a Savior to show to the nations,
who the path of sorrow has trod,
that all of the world’s great peoples
may come to the truth of God,
may come to the truth of God.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, October

October 28, 2017: “Contemplation”

Contemplation

Stillness–a Way to Pray
It may be a walk in the quiet woods or a season by the sea or a session on a secluded mountaintop or a stillness in the secret place of prayer, but contemplation is an important way to pray.

Contemplation, also known as meditation, observation, or deep consideration, takes us to places in the heart of God we cannot reach with speed. Stillness is the requirement, stillness and solitude. We do not contemplate aloud; it is not a conversation with other people. Contemplation is an inner dialogue with our own heart, the heart of God, the marvels of His creation, and the wonders of His Word. In contemplation mysteries are not solved. Instead they are adored in anticipation of revelation someday. The tension between two opposite truths is not relaxed as we contemplate them. On the contrary, as we listen to the dissonance we hear two stirring tunes instead of one.

“To Know”
Another synonym for contemplation is the verb, “to know.” The knowledge gained from spiritual contemplation goes far beyond cognition, merely adding new volumes to our internal library. To “know” something by the force of contemplation is to experience it in spiritual sense. This contemplation is a process of revelation through which the Word of God is written in our hearts. This spiritual inscription by the hand of God is the first promise of the New Covenant.

Hebrews 8:10
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.

How does this happen?

  • When we read the Bible, the hand of God writes it in our minds.
  • When we memorize verses, the hand of God writes them in our hearts.
  • When we contemplate scriptural themes and doctrines, the Holy Spirit writes them on the deepest pages in our book connecting verse with verse, truth with truth, and promise with expectation.

On this day of rest, take time to contemplate the

  • The sermons in the sky and sea,
  • The carols in all of creation,
  • The beauty of the Bright and Morning Star,
  • The calamity of the cross,
  • The reality of the resurrection, and
  • The King and His Kingdom.

Such time is time well spent, for when we are finally still, then we will finally know.

Scriptures:
Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV
… the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.
Psalm 46:8-10
Come and see the works of the LORD…”Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 119:8-16 NKJV
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes … I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
Psalm 143:5-6
I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NKJV
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding (contemplating) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I pause at the beginning of this day to contemplate Your goodness, to think deeply about Your mercy, and to remember Your faithfulness to me. Help me find a place of stillness so that I can know the things that only stillness reveals. Send Your enabling Spirit to quicken my mind to understand more about You and about Your lovingkindness. People today say terrible things about You, Lord: You are dead; You don’t exist; You don’t love us and other terrible lies. As I walk and run through everyday, I know You are really there, that You are alive and that You love all of us. Now, as I attempt stillness in order to contemplate You, take me deeper still. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Song:
Be Still and Know
Words and Music: Stephen Phifer

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.
And I will be exalted, exalted among the nations.
Yes, I will be exalted in all the earth!
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, October

October 20, 2017 “Listening”

Listening

Imagine for a moment that the events that Friday had somehow been recorded.
The contemplation of the Cross of Christ, calls for us to listen to the sounds of the world’s most infamous scene of execution.

The sounds of the approaching parade of pain were still distant, locked within the city walls, the sounds at the Place of the Skull were those typically heard there:

  • Two criminals writhing against the pain of nails freshly driven into their hands and feet,
  • Cursing soldiers waiting another job of killing,
  • Wind sweeping over the hill called Calvary, as it had done for ages, slowing smoothing the rock face and floor of the summit, scattering trash and dust,
  • The distant cries of circling scavenger birds, high in the clear sky, riding thermals and biding their time,
  • Heavy breathing from the two criminals drooping on the crosses, their weight pulling at rusty nails, their lungs collapsing a little with each effort to inhale, and
  • Moans from these guilty men still clinging to life while hoping for death.

All in all, not a noisy scene, the atmosphere was heavy with hopelessness, the weight of the seeming inevitable triumph of evil.

Gradually the distant noise of the crowd following Jesus became clear. 
Such hostility impressed the cynical soldiers waiting for the next victim.  Whoever he was, he must have been an enemy of the people, a deceiver, a cruel man reaping what he had sowed, a self-centered charlatan whose many misdeeds had caught up with him at last.  The weeping of the few who loved him was lost in the din of those who reviled him.  This was going to be easy work, untroubled by claims of innocence and cries of injustice.  This evil man deserved the nails.

The soldiers saw something different in this procession, a man from the crowd was carrying the condemned man’s cross.  As the spectacle drew nearer, the reason was clear.  The criminal was already near death; he had collapsed beneath the cross.  His body was shredded, bleeding, and his pale skin gave a sickly glow as fresh blood flowed in little rivers of  red from so many, many wounds.  The Roman soldiers at the top of the hill shifted their hammers from one hand to the other, knowing the signs—the wrath of Rome—the whip filled with sharp objects and hooks designed to tear flesh and inflect pain beyond imagining.  This evil man had not only offended the people, he had offended Rome itself.  Between the Roman whip and the Roman cross, this will be short work, hopefully the last one of the day.

All was routine as the noise of the crowd broke the serene savagery of the mountain of death.  Like spectators in the arena, every blow of the hammer brought cheers from the crown and wails from the mourners, mostly women, the soldiers noted.  Their practiced hands made quick work of this execution.  Through the wall of noise they heard the voice of the criminal and they tried not to think that this was no voice of evil.  There was no anger, no cursing, and no cries of injustice.  His words were like arrows through the night. The soldiers heard words of compassion and concern for others, words of comfort for one of the criminals beside him and even words of forgiveness for all them.  They did not notice that the clear sky had grown dark.  The light breeze had become the blast of a storm.  Just crazy weather, they thought.

The earthquake, however could not be ignored.
The three crosses shook with the trembling earth, but they did not fall.  The sun seemed to have fled, leaving the incessant lightning to provide the only illumination.

More prayers from the man on the center cross and suddenly he slumped in death.  The soldiers knew that it was more than the loss of blood or than the depth of the wounds.  They knew that even as he died, it was more his decision than their work.  This was a life, not taken, but given.

  • Perhaps instead of a liar, this was a man of truth?
  • What if he was a revealer and not a deceiver?
  • Could it be that he was a healer instead of man of cruelty?
  • Is it possible that it was not for his own misdeeds, but those of others who were truly guilty that he went to the cross?
  • Could this be a monstrous injustice rather than an act of legal justice?
  • Could this be the triumph of good over evil

A Soldier’s Witness
At least one of the soldiers had questions like these swirling through his pagan mind.  Surely the gods were offended at this execution. The whole world was reeling in protest.  One voice sounded in the midst of the storm and darkness, a soldier’s voice, “Surely, he was the son of God!”

Scriptures:
Mark 15:25
It was the third hour when they crucified him.
Matthew 27:54
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
Revelation 5:11-14
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in my spirit today I wish to survey Your wondrous cross. Help me feel the tragic wind on that barren hill. Help me hear the angry shouts of the mob, the curses of the soldiers, and the weeping of those who loved You. Above all let me hear Your voice: “Father, forgive them.” “I thirst.” “It is finished.” “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.” I want to sense the silence that followed your death and then the terrible storm. I want to feel the darkness in the middle of the day. Let me share the quiet tears of the women who love You. Why do I desire these things? So that I may never forget. Amen.

Song:
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Words: Isaac Watts; Music: Lowell Mason

1 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.

2 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 through his blood.

3 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?

4 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.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved