Holy Week Readings - Maundy Thursday

We hope these readings allow you to engage with what was going on with Jesus in what is traditionally known as "Holy Week", the week leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

REMINDER:
Tomorrow from 11AM - 2PM the auditorium will be open
for prayer, reflection and Scripture in observance of Good Friday.

Read:
Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 - First Passover

¹The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ² "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. ³Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. ⁴And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, ⁶and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

⁷"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. ¹⁰And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – Last Supper

²³For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

John 13:1-17, 31b-35 – Jesus washes feet of disciples

¹²When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. ¹⁶Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. ¹⁸ I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' ¹⁹ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. ²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."

²¹After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." ²² The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. ²³ One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, ²⁴so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. ²⁵ So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, "Lord, who is it?" ²⁶Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." ²⁸Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. ²⁹Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. ³⁰So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

³¹When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. ³²If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Week Readings - Wednesday

We hope this reading allows you to engage with what was going on with Jesus in what is traditionally known as "Holy Week", the week leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

Read John 13:12-32 – The Last Supper

¹²When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. ¹⁶Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. ¹⁸ I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' ¹⁹ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. ²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."

²¹After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." ²² The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. ²³ One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, ²⁴so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. ²⁵ So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, "Lord, who is it?" ²⁶Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." ²⁸Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. ²⁹Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. ³⁰So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

³¹When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. ³²If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

REMINDER:
Be sure to attend The Gathering tonight!

Holy Week Readings - Tuesday

We hope this reading allows you to engage with what was going on with Jesus in what is traditionally known as "Holy Week", the week leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

Read John 12:20-36– Jesus teaches of his impending death

²⁰Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. ²¹So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." ²²Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

²⁷ "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." ²⁹The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." ³⁰Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not mine. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." ³³He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. ³⁴So the crowd answered him, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" ³⁵So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."

When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

REMINDER:
Make plans to attend the special Holy Week service at The Gathering, including The Lord's Supper

Holy Week Readings - Monday

We hope this reading allows you to engage with what was going on with Jesus in what is traditionally known as "Holy Week", the week leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

Read John 12:1-11 – Jesus anointed

¹Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. ³ Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ⁵"Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" ⁶He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. ⁷Jesus said, "Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

⁹When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, ¹¹because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Week Readings - Sunday

We hope this reading allows you to engage with what was going on with Jesus in what is traditionally known as "Holy Week", the week leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

Read John 12:12-16 – Palm Sunday

¹²The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" ¹⁴And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
¹⁵ "Fear not, daughter of Zion;behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!"
¹⁶ His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Readings and Holy Week

Beginning Sunday, April 5th, we will be posting selected biblical readings that will allow you to engage with what is traditionally known in the Church as "Holy Week", the days leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. For some this isn't new at all because you come from traditions where scheduled readings every Sunday (often an Old Testament reading, a Psalm and a New Testament reading) were par for the course. These pre-selected Scripture readings used in worship are known as the lectionary. Lectionaries aren't new, in fact, they have been used for thousands of years (image is of a lectionary written in Greek used by the Church around 1100 A.D.). Indeed, before Christianity arrived the Jews used a lectionary in their worship services. For example, Jesus likely read from a Jewish lectionary when he read in the synagogue from Isaiah 61:1-2 as recorded in Luke 4:16-21.

Today different churches use different lectionaries but the intent is still the same - to walk the church in an orderly and strategic path through the Bible emphasizing specific subjects, ideas or themes. Most churches around the world will focus the next handful of days on Holy Week which highlights the Passion of Jesus. Thus their lectionaries will lead their readers through Bible passages that describe the circumstances and events that lead up to the Cross and empty tomb. We will join them in that endeavor by reading along as well. And in doing so, we join not only with the Church around the world but also through the ages who have read the same or similar passages during this week reminding ourselves of what God has done for us in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So enjoy the journey that is Holy Week and may the readings which begin this Sunday gloriously point to the greatness of God and his Gospel in Jesus!

Getting Higher

Higher is a series about the glory of God. The series was born out of my struggle with how we (CCCC) appealed to people’s lower motivations to encourage them in following Christ. For example, when encouraging people to serve, we explained, “Serving helps you grow.” But is serving others primarily about growing? “Community is the best atmosphere for personal growth,” we say. And I believe the statement is true, but is that the reason we should live in community? The questions sent me on a journey of meditation and Bible study that resulted in this series. Intuitively, I knew that we serve and live in community and give and share our faith for reasons grander than ourselves, and I knew that the ultimate reason is the glory of God. But what does that mean? I’ll unpack my thoughts in Higher.

Two voices were powerful in the journey. John Piper wrote Desiring God. I read the book five years ago, but the message resonates with me still. The first two chapters include foundational thoughts that have made their way into the series. Listen to Piper’s thoughts (below) about how God does everything for his own glory.

The other dominant voice in the journey is Tim Keller. My small group is studying Gospel Christianity, a Bible Study written by Tim Keller. His thoughts on the glory of God were the most compelling influence for my renewed awareness that God’s glory is the ultimate end in the universe.

These messages might be a little more “heady.” Understanding glory is elusive, mysterious and spiritual sounding. But somehow I know that if we “get it” regarding God’s glory, we will see everything else about God more clearly. If we see God more clearly, the rest of our life is a piece of cake.

Don’t wimp out on me. This is the good stuff.