growing into your likeness

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​CompositeJesus via Wikimedia Commons
 
Spirit of Truth, direct our attention to the life of Jesus
    so that we might see what you would have us be.
Make us, like him, teachers of your good law.
Make us, like him, performers of miraculous cures.
Make us, like him, proclaimers of your kingdom.
Make us, like him, loving the poor, the outcast, the children.
Make us, like him, silent when the world tempts us
    to respond in the world’s terms.
Make us, like him, ready to suffer.
 
We know we cannot be like Jesus
    except as Jesus was unlike us, being your Son.
Make us cherish that unlikeness,
    that we may grow into the likeness
    made possible by Jesus’ resurrection.
Amen
 
Stanley Hauerwas, 1940- , American ethicist and theologian
 
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Romans 8:29-30
 
For God knew his people in advance, 
    and he chose them to become like his Son, 
    so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 
And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. 
And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. 
And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

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Questions

In which of the ways mentioned have you become more like Jesus?
Which of the ways presents the biggest challenge in becoming more like Jesus?

but not held

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The Resurrection, El Greco via Wikimedia Commons
 
Christ is Risen!
We watch this Jeremiah mired down in mud, in cistern,
    in fear and hostility
    all around him,
    finally extricated by watching friends who have done your work.
We watch this Jesus, set deep in the grip of death . . . but not held!
    held overnight,
        but not held;
    held two nights,
        but not held;
    because the power of death could not hold him.
We know ourselves to be held,
    over night, for two nights, too long,
    held by fear and anxiety,
    held by grudge and resentment,
    held by doubt and fatigue,
    held by too much stuff,
        by all manner of the forces of death.
Held powerless . .  but turned toward you.
You in your risenness, make Sundays even for us,
    even among us,
    even here,
    even now,
    no longer held. Amen.

Walter Brueggemann, 1933 – 2025,  American Protestant Old Testament theologian

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Jeremiah 37:6-11

So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.

But Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an important court official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate, so Ebed-melech rushed from the palace to speak with him. “My lord the king,” he said, “these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone.”

So the king told Ebed-melech, “Take thirty of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.”  So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace beneath the treasury, where he found some old rags and discarded clothing. He carried these to the cistern and lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope. Ebed-melech called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags under your armpits to protect you from the ropes.” Then when Jeremiah was ready, they pulled him out.

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Questions

How can each day be Sunday for you, 
    where Jesus can pull you up out of the struggles that hold you down?
 

I long for a firsthand touch

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The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio via Wikimedia Commons
 
How easily, O Christ,
   do I long for a firsthand touch
   from you, my friend and savior,
   risen and glorious, victorious over death,
   radiant with luminous life.
O, how easily does my yearning arise
   to have been one of those in the upper room
   when you returned in resurrected form.
I know that my faith would be strong
   if, like Mary in the garden,
   I had reached out to hug your living presence
   on Easter morning.
I do not doubt the quality of my zeal
   had I broken bread with you
   at the sunset inn on Emmaus road.
It’s not easy to be among the living faithful
   fed by second-hand accounts
   of your resurrection visits,
   even though they have been passed on with loving care
   for millennia mouth-to-mouth.
But I take hope today, in this Easter season,
   that I too can taste and feel
   your fulfilled promise:
   “I am with you always; even to the end.”
Every time I break bread with friends or strangers
   or encounter kindness on my daily byroads,
   when I am visited by you
   even though my inner doors are locked in fear,
   let my heart be as open as the horizon
   for the feast of an Easter visit
   from you, my Risen Savior.

Edward Hayes, 1931 – 2016, Catholic Priest, Kansas City

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Luke 24:30-32

When he was at table with them, 
    he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 
And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. 
And he vanished from their sight. 
They said to each other, 
    “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, 
     while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

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Questions

Do you ever hope for an intimate, Emmaus road kind of encounter with Jesus 
    when you participate in worship services?
During what parts of a worship service do you feel God’s presence most prevalently?

Stay with us Lord

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The Pilgrims of Emmaus on the Road, James Tissot, via Wikimedia Commons
 
 
Stay with us, Lord
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet recognized your face
in each of our brothers and sisters.

Stay with us, Lord
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet shared your bread
in grace with our brothers and sisters.

Stay with us, Lord
for the day is far spent
and we have not yet listened to your Word
on the lips of our brothers and sisters.

Stay with us, Lord
because our very night becomes day
when you are there.

prayer from Korea
 
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Luke 24:28-29

So they drew near to the village to which they were going.
He acted as if he were going farther,
but they urged him strongly, saying,
“Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.”
So he went in to stay with them.

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Question

Have you ever felt the presence of God intimately 
    and echoed the request of the Emmaus disciples, 
    asking Jesus to stay with you for a while longer?

Resurrect us with resurrection power

/ Eric Mathews / 1 Comment

Icon of the Resurrection, Bulgarian Icon, via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0

 
We pray that this Easter there will be a brand new beginning for all of us.
Grant that our ugly pasts will be buried
  and that we might arise in the newness of life
  as new people who are making a fresh and a genuine new commitment
  to walk with the risen Christ.
May the risen Christ save lost souls, convert us sinners, and teach us
  that we are no longer captives to the sins which bind and blind us.
Have mercy on the sick and suffering.
Heal those who are physically, mentally, and spiritually sick.
Comfort the bereaved and grief-stricken.
Empty out tombs of despair, discouragement, and defeat.
Resurrect us with resurrection power.
Raise us to new levels of powerful and victorious living.
Bless the preaching of your Holy Word.
Burn our altars of prayer with the fire of the Holy Ghost.
Give us the boldness to tell the world that Jesus, our savior, is not dead
  but the living Lord of history.
In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

J. Alfred Smith, Sr, 1931-2025, African American Pastor in California

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Romans 6:8-11

And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 
We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, 
    and he will never die again. 
Death no longer has any power over him.  
When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. 
But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 
So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin 
    and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
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Question

How can the resurrection of Jesus give you power to face your everyday challenges?

Easter Prayer of Gregory the Great

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Resurrection, Luca Giordano via Wikimedia Commons

 
It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind,
    to praise You Father and Your Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, by Your wondrous condescension of Loving-Kindness
    toward us, Your servants, You gave up Your Son.
Dear Jesus You paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father
    by Your Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness.
You cleared away the darkness of sin
    by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
You reconciled Heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
    restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!

We pray You, Lord, to preserve Your servants
    in the peaceful enjoyment of this Easter happiness.
We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
    Who lives and reigns with God The Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    forever and ever.

Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540 – 604) of Rome, Patron Saint of Teachers
source
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1 Peter 1:3-4
 
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again
    to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 
    to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, 
    kept in heaven for you.
 
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Questions

What significance does the resurrection of Jesus make in your life?
What difference does Jesus’ resurrection make in your relationships?

Jesus, remember me

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
​The Thieves Legs Are Broken, James Tissot, Wikimedia Commons
 
Jesus, each of us is both the thief who blasphemes
    and the one who believes.
I have faith, Lord, help my lack of faith.
I am nailed to death, there is nothing I can do
    but cry out: ‘Jesus, remember me
        when you come with your kingdom.’

Jesus, I know nothing, I understand nothing,
    in this horrific world.
But you, you come to me, with open arms,
    with open heart,
    and your presence alone is my paradise.
Ah, remember me
    when you come with your kingdom.

Glory and praise to you, you who welcome
    not the healthy but the sick,
you whose unexpected friend is a criminal
    cut off by the justice of men.
Already you are going down to hell and setting free
    those who cry out to you:
“Remember us, Lord,
    when you come with your kingdom.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, b. 1940, Archbishop of Constantinople
Prayers Encircling the World: An International Anthology
 
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Luke 23:39-43 

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed,
    “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—
      and us, too, while you’re at it!”
But the other criminal protested, 
    “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 
     We deserve to die for our crimes, 
    but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
And Jesus replied, 
    “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

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Question

In what ways are you like both thieves who were crucified alongside Jesus?

Why have you forsaken me?

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Crucifixion, by Graham Sutherland, London 1963
 
Lord,
you were not only tempted for forty days down by the Jordan
but constantly all through your ministry.
 
Not to obvious blatant sins
but to the subtler deflections from the Father’s will;
to cunning compromise which would defeat the Father’s purpose.
 
As when the presence of the seeking Greeks
suggested the possibility of a wider mission
in which you might have been listened to and welcomed,
without the necessity of the cross.
 
As when in the Garden of Olives across the valley,
you wrestled with the doubt that death could be the Father’s will.
 
Or when, in the presence of Pilate
you might have pleaded your case with your accusers;
or in those fiercest moments of pain,
acquiesced to the mocking cry of the crowd to
    ‘Come down from the cross and we will believe,’
 
Until one temptation remained –
the final test, the last claim of love,
the fiercest attack of evil –
more subtle and shattering than the rest,
when, cloaked in a blanket of darkness
came the whispering doubt:
    What if God too has forsaken you?
 
And at last, the battle done, the last temptation met,
faith complete, the task finished, evil defeated,
love triumphant, you said:
    ‘Father into your hands I commend my spirit –
    the rest lies with you, Father, dear Father.’
 
And then it was that by the cross with its limp body
there must surely have sounded the voice from heaven
    once more:
    ‘This is my beloved Son.’
    Son in call,
    Son in obedience,
    Son in love
    Son in death and in triumphant life.
 
George Appleton, 1902 – 1993, Anglican Bishop in England and Jerusalem
The Oxford Book of Prayer

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Luke 23:44-46 
 
It was now about noon,
    and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,
    for the sun stopped shining.
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Jesus called out with a loud voice,
    “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
When he had said this, he breathed his last.


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Questions

How can you see the crucifixion of Jesus as his ultimate triumph?

The New Commandment

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Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples, Unknown author c. 1210, Wikimedia Commons
 
Jesus, you gave us the new command to love each other
    just as you loved your disciples.
We are eager to imitate you in loving our brothers and sisters, but like Peter,
    our efforts are often more words and good intentions
        than action and sacrifice…
We want to offer ourselves fully in friendship
    but when the relationship becomes costly we disengage.
We want to reach out to those different from ourselves
    but tend to stay within our safe routines.
And when relationships lead to hurt or betrayal
    we withdraw to protect ourselves
    and fail to keep your commandment.
You know this about us.
You know that we are weak and made of dust.
 
Oh, pour out an extra measure of faith upon us!
Empower us with the supernatural ability to love 
    just as you loved.
 
But more than that, bless our flawed, timid expressions
    and communicate them through your Holy Spirit,
    so that those who we begin to love,
    know that, in fact, they are loved
    completely
    by you
just as you loved your disciples, and us, unto the end.
 
Eric Mathews
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John 13:1, 34
 
It was just before the Passover Festival.
Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.
Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
 
A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  
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Questions

When have you experienced the love of Jesus through another person?
Who is someone you can show the love of Jesus to?

Come and wash my feet

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The Washing of the Feet, Pierre-Paul Rubens, via Wikimedia Commons
 
​Jesus, my feet are dirty.

Come and slave for me;
  pour your water into your basin
  and come and wash my feet.

I am overbold, I know, in asking this,
but I dread what you threatened when you said:
  ‘If I do not wash your feet,
  it means you have no companionship with me.’

Wash my feet, then, because I do want to have
  companionship with you.

Origen, c.185—254, Alexandrian Theologian
2000 Years of Prayer

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John 13:5-8

He poured water into a basin.
Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet,
  drying them with the towel he had around him.
When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him,
  “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
“No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”

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Question

 
What are some of the heart attitudes you’ve had 
    where you needed to be forgiven 
    and restored to a right relationship with God?