Saturday, April 5—Day 32

And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Luke 23:46

Into Your Hands
The Lenten journey invites us to remember and walk with Jesus through the last days of His life, death, and resurrection. For many of us, the fullness of life and our hurried pace keeps us occupied and distracted from the centrality of Christ’s work on the cross. We intend to remember and return to the cross regularly, but we forget.

So for these few moments, I invite you to pause with me and visualize Jesus’ journey to the cross. On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, where he is greeted by people waving palms, proclaiming: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” On Monday, he challenges the religious leaders who permit business in the temple courts, and overturns tables in this place of worship and offering. As Tuesday approaches, he debates religious leaders and teaches his followers on the Mount of Olives. On Wednesday, Jesus was betrayed by Judas who withdrew to make arrangements with the Sanhedrin. Thursday evening, Jesus shares in the Last Supper, the Passover meal, where he takes the cup and gives thanks saying, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he takes the bread and gives thanks saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” That night, sometime after midnight, Jesus is tried in a Jewish court led by Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin, and later that day he is tried by a Roman court held before the people of Jerusalem. The verdicts result in Jesus being sentenced to death on the cross.

Let’s look upon the road to the cross that Jesus walked. Our King, Jesus, is beaten and the crown of thorns is placed upon His head. As the Roman soldiers mock Him, Jesus suffers by carrying his cross through the gravel and the dusty roads. Simon of Cyrene is forced to come alongside Him and help carry the cross. When they reach Golgotha, Jesus and the others are nailed to their crosses.  As they inhale and exhale, the weight of their body makes it difficult to breathe and the pressure on the nails multiplies pain as they hang on the cross. “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour…”

At this time, play Cathie Boyd’s Seven Last Words from the Cross (the art piece for today). For these next 8 minutes as you experience her work, I invite you to pause as you intentionally and prayerfully consider what Jesus has done for you on the cross.  On this Saturday, remember what he has saved you from, confessing and repenting of your sins of commission and omission.  God invites you to meet and dwell with Him now… As you do this, may you also receive God’s forgiveness of sins, His grace, care and abounding love.

When you are ready, read these words that Jesus said to the Father, yielding himself to God.  “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.’”  In the same way, I invite you to prayerfully commit yourself to God and His Kingdom will, just as Jesus did.

Prayer
Almighty God, we pray you graciously behold these truths to your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. We submit and offer ourselves to you and your kingdom will.  Amen.(Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer)
Lisa Ishihara, Director of Chapel Programs