TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
God of love, God of courage, God who calls us,
meet us face to face this week.
Give us now the love and courage to grow into your image
and inspire us so to live
that others may see in us
the reflection of your glory.
It was two days before the Passover and the feast of the unleavened bread.
Mark 14:1
Parsley …….. spring of renewed hope
Bitter herbs ……..slavery, past, present, to come
The sweet mixture of fruit and nuts …..
The fabric of hopeful tradition, the cement holding people together.
The shank, the egg.
Did she prepare them for her son?
Did her heart sing and rejoice in the hosannas?
…. Or did she sense the sword about to pierce her heart?
The same moon still watches
The same yearning for the divine in our children fills our hearts.
The bitter is dipped into the sweet.
Silent reflection
The chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to kill Jesus.
Mark 14:1
The risk is too great
Too much to lose
Our temple, our people, our nation, our way.
History has taught us.
The same moon still watches
Has history taught us?
Sweet without bitter corrodes.
Silent reflection
Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.
Mark 14:10
Cursing fig trees, rage in the temple
Strange talk of death.
Strange talk of death?
I wanted to be part of something great!
Will I die too?
Not if I tell them!
My life and the silver.
They will not harm him? Perhaps he is crazy?
The same moon still watches
What would we sell for safety, security, fame?
After all he was one of the Twelve.
No sweetness can mask such bitterness.
Silent reflection
The disciples did not understand these things at first.
John 12 :16
Euphoric with the adulation of the crowds?
Basking in the reflected popularity.
Planning a role and place in the new scheme of things.
Confused.
Blind to that below the surface.
Deaf to the plea in his words.
The same moon still watches!
How far will we follow?
Follow the truth or our truth?
When the sweet is wasted the bitter remains.
Silent reflection
Loving God
Touch us and be touched by us,
Help us to remember the sweet and not forget the bitter,
Help us on our journey and through us, recreate the world.
Amen.
Holy Week with Children
Tuesday John 12.23-24
Read
Jesus told the people he was talking to that the time had now come for him to be glorified. What he said to them sounded a bit strange. He said that, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, then it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Think
What Jesus meant was that a seed has to be planted into the ground. For a while nothing seems to happen. It seems as if the seed has died. But then, after some time, it will grow. If you just leave the seed in the packet, it will not grow. It needs to be buried in the earth. Jesus was trying to explain to the people that he was about to die, but they shouldn’t be sad because it was going to have a good result.
Do
If you were a seed, what sort of plant would you become, do you think? Try to draw a picture of the plant that you think God would like you to be. Would you be very bright like a daffodil, or would you be a flower that smells really nice, like a rose bush, or would you be a great big tree like you see in parks, which people can climb or sit in the shade?
Cut out simple paper flowers. Then colour in the petals. In the middle write the name of somebody you want to pray for. Carefully fold over the petals, one by one, until the name of the person is covered over by the folded petals. Tuck the last one underneath the first petal. Get a small bowl of water ready and gently put the flowers into the water (petal side up). The petals will slowly open and you can pray for each person as their name appears.
Pray
Thank you, God, that you grow tiny little seeds into big flowers and trees.
Thank you that, even when it looks as though the seed has died and nothing is happening,
you are helping the plant on its way.
Please help me to become the plant that you want me to be.
Help me to grow stronger and stronger each day with your help.
Amen.