Saturday, April 7 - Easter Vigil, The End of Lent

So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in 

the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a 

stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the 

mother of Joseph saw where He was laid.  (Mark 15:  46-47) 

How sad and fearful Mary Magdalene and Mary must have been 

seeing these things, not knowing what was about to be revealed to 

them. 

I remember when as a child in Sunday School how this part of the 

story always made me sad and fearful. How final, how lonely. 

Many of us have had these feelings before in our lives, the loss of a 

best friend, loved one or the end of a chapter in our life. These 

feelings can be so final, so sad. 

But as much as the sadness must have been overwhelming, so must 

have been the joy and light when Mary Magdalene says “Rabbouni” 

upon seeing Jesus in the garden. 

We, too, must feel the light of Jesus that enables us to carry on in 

times of despair. He wants to reach us with the light if we are only 

open to it.     

Pat Kinney

Friday, April 6 - Good Friday

Pilate was surprised to hear that He was already dead. Summoning 

the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he 

learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 

(Mark 15: 44-45) 

Pilate was surprised that He was already dead!   

Thank goodness Jesus did not have to suffer any longer. He had 

endured enough for us already. What a humiliating death.  How many 

Good Fridays have been black Fridays - with darkness encompassing 

the whole world, or so it seems, at 3:00 in the afternoon. Is it 

because God is still trying to get our attention so we will remember 

His son came to die for us? Many churches still have a three hour 

service, the Tre Ore, remembering the hours Jesus hung on the 

cross. How appropriate that it should end in darkness at the moment 

of His final breath. 

I remember such a Good Friday over fifty years ago. I was eight 

months pregnant with our son. Perry and I had attended the Good 

Friday service at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in 

Washington, D.C. where we were married and living in the area at 

the time. We went into church at noon, bright and sunny. At 3:00 

when we left, very sad from “living” the last three hours of Jesus’ life, 

I have never seen such a black sky before or since. The sky was 

totally covered with dark clouds, but not raining. It got my attention.  

In fact I was a little frightened. Was a tornado about to happen? I 

must have been more than a little frightened, as I went into labor 

shortly after that. I entered the hospital that night and gave birth the 

next morning. That was a Good Friday I will never forget, and what a 

wonderful Easter it was holding a new life. 

Jesus’ death. The miracle of giving birth. What do they have in 

common? He came to give each of us new life, a life for us to live so 

that He may live in us and through us. I see Him living in my son as 

he enjoys teaching a weekly Bible study at his church and in my 

daughter, a deacon and treasurer at her church. In our daily living we 

certainly encounter the dying-rising cycle in many different ways in 

this “circle of life.” We are reminded this day to simply notice this 

great mystery of death and resurrection in all of life.

May we be attentive to the dying and risings that we witness each 

day. As we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, may these 

events stir our hearts to deeper faith.  

Kaye White

Thursday, April 5 - Maundy Thursday

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as 

evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the 

Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly 

to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.  (Mark 15:  42-43) 

A retired reporter friend of mine commented during a recent trip that 

he likes Mark’s Gospel because it was written like a newspaper 

reporter would, like an AP story. Notice how Mark says “boldly.” And 

how he uses only the needed quotes along the way.   

That set me to thinking how to write my meditation. How might I 

have reported Joseph’s return from Pilate? Maybe, “Asked as he 

hurried down the street after leaving Pilate why he had taken this 

chance: ‘I had to! He was my friend, my mentor. I just had to! I 

couldn’t just leave him hanging there.’ He kept on walking, almost 

running back to Golgotha. ‘Tomorrow’s the Sabbath!’ Joseph had a 

purpose, he would complete it. He sped on.”  

But how many times have you “just had to?” How many times have 

I? For a friend; for just an acquaintance? Or even a stranger on the 

road to Jericho? 

Jesus said, “As you have done it for one of the least of these my 

brothers, you have done it for me.”  

But just do it for one? Do we often try to do more than that? Take 

care of the many instead of trying to really do for the one? Really 

care for one? Concentrate on the immediate need? Do what needs to 

be done now? For just the one? 

Joseph took care of what he saw as the immediate need. Now was 

the time to bury Jesus. It had to be done by sunset. The next day he 

could tend to something else. 

How about you? How about me?  

Perry White

Wednesday, April 4

Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary 

Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and 

Salome.  In Galilee these women had followed Him and cared for His 

needs. Many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem 

were also there.   (Mark 15:  40-41) 

 Women watching, following, caring for His needs, what was it about 

this man that the women were moved by? Was He outrageously 

handsome (the Bible never really comments on His good looks)? 

Were they engaged by what He said? Maybe they had never met a 

man so gentle and compassionate and honest with women? Perhaps, 

they really understood the truth that Jesus spoke (not necessarily 

what the men of the Bible have interpreted as the truth) but the 

TRUTH that sets us free!  

I believe that the women knew with the eyes and ears of their heart. 

I think they got the message a lot faster and more clearly and I think 

some of the TRUTH got lost along the way. I believe, in my heart of 

hearts, there is much more truth for us to discover if we open our 

hearts and minds to the endless possibilities of God’s creation. 

Give thanks!  There is abundance in God’s realm, and He has made it 

available to all. 

Pat Wilson 

Tuesday, April 3

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And 

when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how He 

died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15: 38-39) 

 Sometimes the signs of the Son of God, of miracles, of eternal hope 

and of life are like the torn curtain. Sometimes they are so small, so 

quiet, that we pass them by without noticing. 

The small signs are more plentiful, seemingly less grand or dramatic.  

But they are no less wondrous. 

The proof of the Son of God was so blatant and undisputable to the 

centurion. But the smaller, more mundane things I see everyday are 

my proof. 

  

Gretchen W. Hargis

Monday, April 2

Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and 

offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave Him alone. Let’s see if Elijah 

comes to take Him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed His 

last.  (Mark 15:  36-37) 

 I have to admit that this is the first time that I have really looked into 

the meaning of these verses. I was quite surprised with what I found.  

Just thinking about giving someone wine vinegar, especially at a 

vulnerable time, is just plain cruel and nasty to me. I always looked at 

this passage as a negative act, a hurtful thing. Then, when I read the 

explanation in the bible for “wine vinegar,” I was surprised. It said, “A 

sour wine used by laborers and soldiers.” So, if it was a common drink, 

then maybe it was offered to Jesus as a kind gesture, a gesture of 

compassion and concern. Maybe even a gesture of love.   

Thinking of it this way just blew my mind. All these years I perceived 

this act to be terrible and awful. Now, I believe I have to rethink what 

was really going on when I hear these verses. Our perceptions are our 

reality. It goes without saying, so maybe we need to really look at how 

we perceive things to be sure we really have it right or really 

understand and get what is said or what is going on. You just might be 

surprised that what you perceive, your reality, really isn’t the reality of 

the situation.  

This Lenten season, look and search beyond your reality to truly 

understand what it is you are perceiving, no matter what the situation, 

before you make it your reality.  

Sandy Briggman 

  

  Lord Jesus Christ, be present now, 

  Our hearts in true devotion bow, 

  Thy Spirit send with grace divine, 

  And let Thy truth within us shine. 

    

                 German Hymn 

                 Cantionale Sacrum 1651 

Sunday, April 1 - Palm Sunday

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the 

afternoon.  And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud 

voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, 

why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near 

heard this, they said, “Listen, He’s calling Elijah.”  (Mark 15: 33-35) 

                       1963 

Sometimes I listen for the future 

Pause and wonder soul and ear 

Do I hear a silent answer 

Are there answers to my prayers? 

Why, when God so loved the sparrow, 

Does He know but nothing do? 

Lets me walk in chains of sorrow 

Locked in loneliness and woe 

Must we walk forever blinded? 

Knowing not what lies in wait 

Waiting with our quests unanswered 

Are our ears locked as a gate? 

He who holds my soul forever 

Will not let it crack and break 

Even when I cry in anguish 

Pleading death before it’s late 

Want to die before I’m twisted 

Pain is like the wind and rain 

Blanches the heart and dements 

All the souls along the way 

The day I wrote this poem in 1963 I lost my faith - that all would be 

okay - I then prayed and prayed myself out of my black hole. It took 

a while but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Jane Williams 

Saturday, March 31

In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked 

Him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but He can’t 

save Himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down now 

from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with 

Him also heaped insults on Him.  (Mark 15: 31-32) 

 I count myself among the blessed who, as Jesus said after His 

resurrection, didn’t see Him, yet believe. 

Not that some modern-day priests and scribes haven’t told me I’m 

mistaken and that one day, I’ll understand. I’ve devoted the last 15 

years of prayerful education to understanding, and 10 years of my 

youth, and all the life in between. And no matter how smart and 

mature I become, I can’t stop understanding that Jesus is the 

Messiah and King of all that is and ever shall be. 

Jesus saved others, as the passage says. He saved Himself too, but 

those priests and scribes were so busy being religious they might 

have missed the memo: Jesus resurrected after His body died. It’s 

His nature to serve and save others before Himself, that’s all. That’s 

what a Savior does. 

To this day, there are bullies who mock and taunt the weak and 

different. Takers become angry when the formerly giving hands now 

appear to be bleeding dry. Jesus knows these sorrows and griefs first 

hand and it is in His dying that He proves His love saves everything. 

Lord, give me strength to pick up my cross daily and follow you. 

Sharon Keene 

Friday, March 30

They crucified two rebels with Him, one on His right and one on His 

left. Those who passed by hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads 

and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it 

in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!”   

(Mark 15: 27-30) 

 In contemplating this passage, I found myself singing “Faith” by 

George Michael, a song that was popular when I was a teenager. 

Although the lyrics are not based in religion, the resounding theme is 

to believe in a relationship of which you are not sure. Those who 

doubted Jesus did not have faith, and therefore did not believe in a 

relationship with Him and His Father. 

Although Jesus had done many things to prove that He was the son 

of God, countless people lacked the faith to believe Him. They needed 

more proof. If I were alive at this time, would I have had faith or 

would I have been asking Jesus to save Himself? 

My answer is dependent on what age I would have been. As a child, I 

found it easy to have faith, as many others did. We believed in God, 

Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. When the 

mystical characters’ truths were revealed, I guess I began to 

question my faith in God also. As I progressed through school, it 

became necessary to constantly “prove” my answers. I had to “show 

my work” in math and cite sources when writing research papers.  

There was no absolute proof that there was a God, so I was very 

unsure. I would have definitely been asking Jesus to come down from 

the cross. 

Thankfully, I have seen God’s work in my life since those days of 

doubt. He has proven to me that without Him in my life, I am lost.  

Today, having faith means believing in a relationship that I AM sure 

of. I commend those whose faith never falters, especially in youth, 

when there are so many unanswered questions and confusing, 

conflicting messages. I pray that we are able to nurture the youth of 

our community and help them to establish a constant and lasting 

faith in God. 

“Cause, I gotta have faith…faith…faith.”  

Jessica Lenhart

Thursday, March 29

And they crucified Him. Dividing up His clothes, they cast lots to see 

what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified 

Him. The written notice of the charge against Him read: THE KING OF 

THE JEWS.  (Mark 15:  24-26) 

 In the brevity for which Mark is known, he noted the time, the 

crucifixion, the lot casting and the crime.  Mark even omitted His 

name!! 

On this Thursday morning, let us with reverence and awe speak our 

Savior’s name - - JESUS - - the name to which every head shall bow, 

knee shall bend and every tongue confess - - JESUS. 

In this 21st century since Jesus walked this earth, we are called today 

to take seriously the responsibility of being HEIRS. Ours the task to 

be faithful messengers and transmitters of all that has been given to 

us and to “bring the Good News of Jesus Christ” to ALL. While this 

may seem to be a very daunting task, we are not without an 

example. 

In 2nd Corinthians the disciples asked Jesus, “Who could be saved?”  

His reply was “for mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all 

things are possible.” 

Even now, “Come Lord Jesus.” 

Joe Beckett 

Wednesday, March 28

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, 

was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to 

carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha 

(which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered Him wine 

mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.  (Mark 15:  21-23) 

Jesus has begun the journey to Jerusalem, carrying His own cross, 

but He was weakened from the flogging He had received from the 

Roman soldiers. Simon from Cyrene was on the road traveling to 

Jerusalem possibly to celebrate Passover with all the other Jews.  

Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time when the soldiers 

picked him to carry Jesus’ cross? Or was he the man God had chosen 

to carry out this segment of the crucifixion story? It seemed only 

fitting that someone comes to His aid. No one will ever know the real 

answer.  

How often have you been in very heavy traffic on a major highway, 

with the traffic moving at a snail’s pace, only to say “Why me?” All of 

a sudden the traffic clears and you see someone along the road in 

need of assistance, which you can easily give. I am sure Simon had 

the same feeling, “Why me?” and yet he carried the cross for Jesus 

because he could do it. When they arrived at Golgotha, Jesus was in 

a frail state so the soldiers offered Him a mixture of wine and myrrh 

to deaden the pain and allow Him to temporarily suffer less. Jesus 

refused this drink so that He could not avoid any of the pain and 

agony that He must suffer. He knew that part of the unfolding of 

God’s story was the pain that He must endure. 

Let’s remember to think of Simon when we are presented with a task 

we may wish to avoid. Is it part of God’s plan? Or perhaps it is 

something that we can do. 

Tom Secules 

Tuesday, March 27

Again and again they struck Him on the head with a staff and spit on 

Him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to Him.  And when they 

had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own 

clothes on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.  

(Mark 15: 19-20) 

 This scripture passage gives me chills every time I hear it or read it.  

This scenario would be my worst nightmare.  Sometimes, it seems 

like we become numb to the violence and torture we see on TV, in 

the movies, or hear on the news. Most of us in our little part of the 

world have not encountered violence first hand, except for those who 

are involved in police work or the military during a war, so we keep 

our feeling about violence at bay. 

We know Jesus was a man on earth who suffered as we would and 

endured not a private agony, but public torture and humiliation. We 

think that as the Son of God, Jesus could have chosen not to endure 

the savagery, but He chose to obey His Father’s will  and accept all 

that happened to Him. He was willing  to be taken off to die for our 

sins.  What would you have done? I’m awestruck by Jesus’ sacrifice. 

Ellen Strickland

Monday, March 26

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) 

and called together the whole company of soldiers.  They put a purple 

robe on Him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on 

Him. And they began to call out to Him, “Hail, King of the 

Jews!”  (Mark 15: 16-18) 

 In these passages, we can get a sense of the atmosphere of the time.  

The soldiers, mostly non-Jewish, took Jesus to their headquarters and 

put a purple cloak and thorns on his head. Purple was a color of 

royalty and the crown was most likely made of a common brier in the 

area. I suppose they wanted to poke fun at Him, so why not have 

even more fun and dress Jesus up as royalty and then mock Him by 

yelling, “Hail, king of the Jews!” What great fun and sport the soldiers 

must have had. 

So, how can this relate to our lives today? Thinking about the purple 

cloak and its meaning of royalty, do we dress differently for different 

things? We are taught from a young age what clothing is acceptable 

for school, church, sports, business, etc. The interesting thing is that 

this sense of “acceptable” changes from generation to generation and 

from community to community. We dress to fit in, we dress for 

success, and we dress for identity (for example a particular white 

collar is a dead giveaway for a priest). We clothe ourselves almost 

automatically in a manner that we won’t be subject to ridicule or 

thought ill of. How do you act when your eyes take in an individual 

that does not meet your expectations of the “dress code?” Do you 

treat them differently? Do you secretly make fun of them to yourself 

or whisper to a family member or best friend, “Did you see what so 

and so is wearing today?” Can you really judge what is happening 

with a person by what they put on their body? Can you read the joy 

or pain they may be experiencing? Is it right to “judge a book by its 

cover” without even opening a page and reading a chapter? We all do 

it even if we won’t admit it. Therefore, I challenge everyone this 

Lenten season to be honest with yourself, recognize when you pass 

judgment before opening that book, and then pray to God at that 

very moment to give you the guidance and strength to change. You 

may really like the person you become.   

Sandy Briggman

Sunday, March 25 - Fifth Sunday in Lent, Passion Sunday

Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He 

had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified. (Mark 15: 15) 

How many times have you done something, which you did not feel 

was right, in order to satisfy friends?  Parents? Your boss? Your 

“significant other?” Your enemies? How did you feel as a result?  

Happy and fulfilled, or guilty, ill-at-ease, empty? 

Think about how Pilate must have felt when he handed Jesus over to 

be crucified. 

Our actions, even if they are wrong, will seldom have world-changing 

consequences—except in our own minds. Perhaps conscience will 

take over, making us aware of our mistakes in a most uncomfortable 

way. 

Could God be speaking to us at times like these? Are we ready to 

listen? 

        

Helen van Laer 

                        Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow 

                       Where the blood of Christ was shed, 

                       Perfect man on thee did suffer, 

                       Perfect God on thee has bled! 

                       Here the King of all the ages, 

                       Throned in light ere worlds could be, 

                       Robed in mortal flesh is dying, 

                       Crucified by sin for me. 

                                     Hymn by William John Sparrow-Simpson