The Prayer Collect will follow at the close of this devotion.
23 And he said to them all,
If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but
whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole
world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For
whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man
be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of
the holy angels. (Luke 9:23-26)
Have you ever entertained the desire that Christ could have been spared the
torment and anguish He suffered for you and me on the cross? If so, I hope you
were not there on the Road to Calvary to play the devil's advocate, as did
Peter, in advocating that the pains of the cross was far beneath the dignity of
the Lord to suffer. Do you look to the life of joyous bliss to come with God in
Heaven, yet fear the Great Divide (Death) that looms in the dark valley
between? You, Christian Friend, have a cross to bear, and there can be no
reward without the cross. The cross is our Guidepost to life. Several years
ago, I read of travelers who were wandering the Alps of Switzerland between the
two World Wars. At every trun in the mountain trails, if they look up and
beyond, they would see a cross marking the way. Even if they looked back across
the valley, there the cross also marked their beginning. At every waypoint
another cross loomed in the distance to mark the safe way.
The precious young Maid of Orleans (Jean d'Arc) led the French to many
victories as a seventeen year-old maiden. (Any who can lead the French to
victory MUST have the help of God). She was captured, given a false trial, and
burned at the stake at Vieux-Marche' in Rouen, on May 30, 1431. Her only
request was that a cross be held before her perishing eyes as the flames
consumed her body. Thus she died with her eyes concentrated on that cross which
had made her free. What a wonderful legacy for her to have remained faithful to
the last breath. How wonderful that Jesus never turned back from being the best
of all Samaritans on going up to Jerusalem for the sacrifice that would make us
free in Him!
Does the season of Lent appear to you as a dark cloud of foreboding? Yes, we
may so consider Lent in that dark light; however, it is a darkness whose end is
not dark, but Light. The Light of the World must traverse the dark valley of
death before bursting forth from the Garden Tomb in the brilliance of a
thousand suns on Easter morning. Had He stopped short and lingered in the dark
valley, or retraced His steps back from that Jerusalem journey, you and I would
remain forever in the chains of our sins. BUT HE DID NOT! Remember now
thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the
sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds
return after the rain (Eccl 12:1-2) When the sky is blackened by the
clouds of the storm, on such a dark and cloudy day, can we not look forward to
the breaking forth of the sun in all its splendor. So far there has never been
a dark cloud that never dissipated. We have not seen the last of the dark cloud
even if the sun shines brightly, but it never lasts more than a fortnight.
And may I ask, if it is the cloud you dread, what is so awful about a cloud? Do
you remember how we last saw Christ? Was He not received up into a cloud? If
Christ is in the cloud, there may also be found joy unspeakable there. "…..while
they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."
(Acts 1:9) Though our Lenten colors are dark, white is our color for Easter –
spotless and without shadow of any darkness. Light may go unnoticed on a bright
sunny day, but in the darkness, it is astounding and brilliant. We have
also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as
unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star
arise in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19)
I have heard some, even good and respected theologians, argue that Jesus did
not know that He would die by means of crucifixion until the very end. I
adamantly disagree with that notion and believe it to be unscriptural. Christ
KNEW what awaited Him at Jerusalem, and so informed His disciples. Even after
hearing, it was His DISCIPLES that did not understand. Jesus was traveling up
the Jerusalem Road to seal our hopes of salvation. He was fully aware
that there could be no other way than by the means of the cross. He never debated
the issue in His Holy Mind, but was immovably resolved by His love for us to
proceed according to the decision of the Great Council of Heaven. And it
came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he
stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51)
During Lent, it is not the Hurt which our Lord suffered for which we mourn and
fast, but it is for our own sins that placed Jesus in the hurt of the cross for
which we must mourn and fast. Before He could redeem us of those sins, it was
necessary for Him to satisfy the justice of God and pay the wages of our sins
(not His) which is death. A good soldier, facing the dangers of battle, looks
straight ahead to the enemy's battle line and never casts a wavering glance back
at the reserve position. Christ was our good Soldier – our Battle Hero. He took
on all the darkness and pain that Satan had to offer, and walked away, three
days later, the Victor of Redemption. He left His enemy, and ours, crumpled on
the battlefield, never to taste the scent of victory - for all of the victory
was in Christ!
The Third Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
|
W
|
E beseech
thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and
stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our
enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday.
The
Collect.
|
A
|
LMIGHTY and
everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the
sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite
hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our
wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and
forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the
Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
