Daily Prayer

Take a moment before you begin this morning and just slowly and meaningfully pray this prayer.

Jesus,
Lord of self-emptying love,
Crucified and now exalted.
May all knees bend before you,
May all toungues confess you,
To the glory of God our Father.
Amen

Daily Scripture: Isaiah 50:4-9

Find the above scripture in your bible and read slowly – you might want to read it out loud. You can read it here.

Lenten Reflection

We are introduced to the suffering servant in Isaiah 50. It’s an image that we will be familiar with and see more of as we approach Good Friday. Christ who took on the very nature of a servant; who was beaten, humiliated, and who willingly went to the cross for us, so that God’s intention – reconciliation with mankind – could be fulfilled. These verses point prophetically towards the coming of Jesus, and they also speak prophetically to us as followers of Christ.

The suffering servant described in these verses is a tenaciously faithful servant of God, who has dedicated himself to the calling that God has given him, so that His purposes may be fulfilled. It is someone who doesn’t shun suffering; they willingly embrace it as a natural consequence of the “service” of following God.

Is the “suffering servant” someone we can identify with as followers of Christ? The servant reminds himself that “it is the Sovereign Lord who helps me” and so they are able to meet God in the midst of the suffering that comes with God’s calling. Could we see suffering in that way, as an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God?

Lenten Quotes

“The cross was the result of of Jesus’ opposition to the corruption of religion, the oppression of the poor, and the perversion of justice. It was precisely Jesus’ challenge to these evils and his identification with the outcast, the forgotten, and the oppressed that led the coalition of religious and political powers to put him to death. From this perspective, to take up the cross means to step forward, regardless of the sacrifice required, to join in the work of confrontation of the powers and identification with the excluded and persecuted.

Taking up the cross means being at work where God is at work in the world to relieve suffering and injustice, to rescue the weak, and to bring peace and justice to bear in the human community. Each person has a unique opportunity to participate in God’s redemptive work in the world–Jesus said not just ‘the cross’ but ‘his cross’ or ‘her cross’”.

| Culpepper

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it”.

| Jesus

Lenten Song: Servant King

Closing Blessing

May you discover,
As you trace the footsteps of the Christ,
And follow the bending river of the Spirit,
Down through the terrain of this age,
Down along faith’s hard paths,
And down towards the voice of Love,
May you discover the companionship
Of many fellow pilgrims.

May you receive,
As you are summoned by Christ
And invited by the Spirit,
Up towards the landscapes of the age to come,
Up across the highway of Hope,
And up towards the voice of Love,
May you receive a share in His exaltation
And honour,

To the glory of God, the Father,
Amen.

Evening Zoom Reflection at 9pm

We will be meeting tonight on Zoom to reflect on this together. You would be most welcome to join us. We start at 9pm and finish at 9:20pm. Maybe bring a Bible and a journal if you have them.

We are usually on a few moments before for a chat. Click here to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84743926286

We would love to make this a shared learning experience as much as possible so therefore please consider adding any thoughts, questions and insights that might arise for you in the comments section below. We would love to hear what God is up to in this time!