Got Victory?
PALM SUNDAY
SUNDAY, March 24
Mark 11:1-11
At the beginning of Holy Week, we see Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem like a trumpet announcing victory for the Israelites. They believed the Messiah would bring the resurrection of the kingdom of David and salvation from Gentile oppression. Instead, this moment was the beginning of a week that would turn their dreams upside down and their faith to wrath.
We all want victory. We anticipate good things, a turning point, healing, recognition, or relief. But when the crushing disappointment or disabling loss comes instead, we too may be tempted to turn on Jesus.
When victory is the prerequisite for faith, we fall. This Holy Week let us re-examine what victory looks like and use Christ as our model. Resurrection cannot happen without crucifixion. Jesus shows us that victory only comes through perseverance, and perseverance requires faith.
Lord, reach me this week. Profoundly impact me by your example of faith. AMEN.
PRAYER FOCUS: GENEROSITY IN GIVING TO OTHERS
Alabaster Jars
MONDAY, March 25 (Annunciation)
Mark 14:1-9
When I became a mom, I felt called to leave my career as a television news anchor and stay home. My decision was an unanticipated shock. Viewers, family, and friends questioned me, saying I had squandered a career so many people would covet. But I knew staying in my field would force me into uncomfortable choices that could damage my walk with Jesus. I had been praying and sitting at Jesus’s feet like Mary, sister of Martha, the woman in today’s passage.
Mary’s “beautiful thing” reminds me we all have alabaster jars. I chose to break open my alabaster jar in worship and devotion. I’ve never regretted it.
Mary’s act was not for others. It was an answer to a private calling. When you love Jesus, he may move you in unexpected ways. He will receive your lavish gestures warmly, and the contents of your poured-out heart will not go to waste.
Lord, help me to be open to your movement, and give me the courage to act lavishly without holding back. AMEN.
The Turning Point
TUESDAY, March 26
Mark 14:10-11
Today, the turning point in the life and the impending death of Jesus lays before us in black and white. Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, whom Jesus knew would betray him, fulfills his sinister role in the Passion of Christ. We knew the moment would come. Still, reading it stings. I hear the voices of the chief priests celebrating in delight. I shield myself. My spine tenses as I read Judas’s promise to turn Jesus over.
Jesus chose Judas as a disciple, knowing he would turn against him. He desires us too. Jesus gives us the freedom to reciprocate. Do our actions betray Jesus’s love for us? Big or small, our choices show God and others to whom we belong.
Today’s passage allows us to reflect on our intentions and actions.
Do we act in openness to Christ’s love, or are we holding secrets and turning away?
Lord, assure me today: I want to turn toward you instead of letting shame or fear turn me away. AMEN.
PRAYER FOCUS: FAIRNESS IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM
Table Grace
WEDNESDAY, March 27
Mark 14:12-25
There are few scenes in the Bible as familiar as the Last Supper. Leonardo Da Vinci’s artwork depicts it, and the words of our communion sacrament retell it. But moments before Jesus declares the body and blood, he makes a different foreboding declaration. He announces that a disciple dipping bread with him would be his betrayer. When you see these moments sequentially, you see the magnanimity, or generosity, of Jesus. Jesus proceeded to serve Judas, offering his betrayer his own body and blood.
The invitation to receive Jesus’s love is open. It is not withheld even in the presence of evil. His grace is freely given, unrestricted, unrestrained. We only need to take and eat: this is the body and blood of Jesus.
Lord, help me understand your teachings and illustrations and use them to become closer to you. AMEN.
My Gethsemane
THURSDAY, March 28 (Maundy Thursday)
Mark 14:26-42
Gethsemane. I slip in and out of that anguishing place. I drop to my knees as I pray over my medically complex child. I beg God to fix things. Gethsemane, for me, is not a location. It’s a space. It’s where I know pain is coming, but there’s no use in running; where I need rescue, but that isn’t the plan. It’s where I plead with God even when I know he will say, “No.”
The more we meditate upon Jesus at Gethsemane, the more it becomes an opportunity for compassion. Someone you know may be living through their Gethsemane: a diagnosis, a broken relationship with a child, divorce, loss, addiction, or depression. Could we be a disciple who shares the night and holds space for someone who is enduring instead of falling asleep? God’s plan may unfold, but Gethsemane doesn’t need to be spent alone.
Lord, you endured the night, and you know my pain. Please help me to hold steady in your sovereignty and to reach out to those who are also suffering. AMEN.
PRAYER FOCUS: COURAGE TO TURN TO GOD
Among the Scoffers
FRIDAY, March 29 (Good Friday)
Mark 15:1-39
“How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,” by Stuart Townend, is a simple Good Friday hymn. However, the second verse is worth a moment of pause: “Behold the man upon a cross, / my sin upon his shoulders; / Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice / call out among the scoffers.”
Today, we see Christianity on the cross, mocked, and even crucified in the public sphere. Fewer people identify as Christians. Our faith is misconstrued and misused for various agendas.
As we hear of Jesus’s crucifixion, we must decipher who we are in the story as it relates to the future of God’s message. Perhaps we are part of a modern Sanhedrin, standing in judgment. Perhaps we play the role of Peter, who believes but also publicly denies Jesus. Maybe we are Simon helping to carry the cross or John firm at Jesus’s feet. Or maybe we’re like other disciples who run in fear.
Lord, your death is not final. Please help me be part of the resurrection of faith and not let our story end in the crucifixion of your authentic truth and redemption. AMEN.
Fearful or Faithful
SATURDAY, March 30 (Holy Saturday)
John 19:38-42
My aunt inspires many people. She is an oncologist, master gardener, painter, and delicious home cook. She approaches tasks with precision and efficiency. When illness suddenly paralyzed my uncle, she advocated for him to doctors and physical therapists. His path ahead was uncertain, but that did not stop her. She was determined to get on with the work! She made homemade meals, tended to chores, and picked up all the extra details of life.
As my aunt waited for my uncle’s muscles to awaken and strengthen, not knowing if they would, she taught me there is a difference between fearful waiting and faithful waiting. Faithful waiting stirs action.
Similarly, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus got on with caring for Jesus’s body after crucifixion. Both men promptly arrived, bringing expensive oils and spices. They did not know resurrection would come in the morning. Yet they did not let grief cause inaction.
Lord, I find myself again in the waiting room of life. Please move me out of my fear and help me trust your perfect plan. AMEN.
PRAYER FOCUS: THOSE WHO ARE WAITING
