Holy Week - Maundy Thursday

Today’s Scriptures: Psalm 102, 142, 143 Lamentations 2:10-18 1 Corinthians 10:14-17, 11:27-32 Mark 14:12-25

Today’s Question: How can I find peace when everything around me is going wrong?

Today’s Reflection: The past week has been one of the most challenging weeks of my life. Due to state testing requirements, I worked fourteen or more hours most days to make sure everything was best for the testing environment. On top of it, one of my students, a classmate to those being tested passed away. Added to that, my childhood next-door neighbor and father to my childhood best friend suffered a massive stroke that will likely lead to his death in the next few day. My emotions are torn in more directions than I can begin to manage. As I read today’s passages, I wept uncontrollably at times, but came away with such an overwhelming sense of peace and holding a faith deeper than it was yesterday. In the Psalms, David requests demands God’s protection for himself as persecutors surround him. He is one of my favorite Bible personas because as much as I endeavor to do good, I fail. David’s flaws, and the challenges he faces because of them, are presented in the Scripture – no whitewashing there.   I try.   But I fail.   The theme fills today’s passages.   And then God is there to pull me from the abyss. It happens in Psalms, Lamentations, Corinthians, and Mark. No matter my trouble. No matter my grief. No matter my despair. No matter my sin. God is there for me. That is the message for this Maundy Thursday. Despite knowing the torture he would shortly face, Jesus continued his lessons with the disciples, demonstrating how real the love of God is for all who believe in him. Weeks like this week reinforce every part of my faith and deepen it. I am thankful these weeks do not happen very often, but can accept them, with a degree of grace when they do.

Today’s Prayer: Let us be comforted with your ever-present strength and assurance.