Easter Devotional

Foot-Washing Love

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Over the years, I have heard many pastors elaborate on the various kinds of Greek words that can be translated as our English word, “love”, and that of all these, the love of God is “agape”, love. Agape is not a selfish human love, that loves only if it is reciprocated. Nor is it a familial exclusive love, as wonderful as that is, because Jesus tells us that God loves in a way that He sends the rain on both the good and the bad. Those who hate Him, receive the same sunshine, smell the same flowers and breath the same air. But Jesus knowing that we needed something more than just an accurate definition, showed us His love in a strange and unique way.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:2-4

Perhaps what impresses me most in this story, is that Jesus washed the feet of friends who would soon run away and hide. He washed the feet of Peter, who would deny Him, and of Thomas who would doubt Him and even of Judas who was about to betray Him. And when Jesus had finished showing us His foot-washing kind of love, He gave a command.

 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. John 13:14

So, though we should be doing this all year round, at least we could begin learning during Lent, this foot-washing kind of love. When we return from running away doubting and denying, and take towels and basins, and humbly kneel down, let’s begin washing the feet of all kinds of other people, just as Jesus has washed ours.

What Exactly is Lent

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With next Wednesday being Ash Wednesday, I thought it might be a good time to talk about Lent. Some Christians observe Lent every year, while others simply look on with curiosity. But very few of us actually know where the whole idea came from. So, you might ask, “What exactly is Lent?” That is a great question with more than one answer! The observance of Lent began sometime in the fourth century and in general, is a period of time from Ash Wednesday till Easter. The concept of forty days is meant to mirror the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. However, if you counted the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter, you would discover that there are actually forty-seven in all. The number of forty is arrived at by subtracting the Sundays and ending on the Wednesday of Holy week.

But, instead of getting lost in the math, think of Lent as a time to spiritually prepare for Easter. Some of us do this by abstaining from certain foods or activities others by committing to helping those in need. Though there is no requirement in the Bible for observing Lent, there is also nothing forbidding it. After all, it is never a bad idea to set aside time for seeking God’s will and purpose. The Bible calls times like these, “Waiting on the Lord.” This waiting is not about traditions but about hearts. When we wait God’s way, God promises to give us His strength and renewal. However, you choose to prepare for the Easter season, the most important thing is to focus on Jesus. For me personally Easter brings back the excitement of my coming to faith in Jesus on Easter Sunday! So, during Lent, I come to each morning, asking Jesus for a brand-new insight into His word and His will. Walking with Jesus will lead us along the path that He has chosen and following His path will lead us to the destination He has for our lives. My prayer is that together during Lent, we may remember again the miracles of Jesus, the Last Supper, His sacrifice of His life on the Cross, and most of all, meet with our Risen Lord as Mary did, right outside the empty tomb!

If you would like a devotional to help you along your own Lenten journey, you might consider a book which I wrote a few years ago, titled, “The Joy of Easter.” In this Lenten reader you will find meditations for the entire forty-seven-day period from Ash Wednesday till Easter Sunday. Each day includes a verse and short, simple devotional. The Joy of Easter is available both in an e-Book format as well as a large print paperback.

A Song for Holy Saturday

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 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 23:56

While many have debated as to what Jesus was doing on Holy Saturday, few have thought of what His friends were up to. Though some speculate they were fearfully hiding, overwhelmed by sorrow or confusion, among the gospel writers, only Luke, gives us even the smallest detail. They simply rested. We might wonder, since Jesus had told them so many times that He would rise again, why none of them believed. But I think most of us would have to confess that during times of grief, few of us operate along logical pathways. We feel as if we were stumbling around in a fog. Activity, decisions, and even eating all seem impossible tasks at the moment. What we need most is rest and Holy Saturday is the Sabbath which God has given us between the sorrows of Good Friday and the joy of Easter. Holy Saturday is walking through the valley of the shadow, with our Good Shepherd, protecting and guiding us when we are most vulnerable. Holy Saturday is the table of rest and refreshment in the wilderness, where we pause along our journey to the joys of the Father’s House, that waits for us at the end of the path.

I hope you will be blessed by this song which I sang during communion at Life Care Center on Good Friday. My friends in long-term care know better than most of us that our lives are in the hands of our Good Shepherd. And what time better than Easter is there to follow Him as close as His heart, for the way that leads home is the Old Rugged Cross!