Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

1 Corinthians 3:5-6 Think for a moment about the Christian leaders that you have known. I’ve been a Christian a long time and I could easily come up with a list of scores of leaders who have helped me to understand the Christian message. I am so grateful to God for them. I can remember very few words that they have spoken (even though I must have heard thousands of their sermons) but I can easily remember their sincerity, kindness, humour, love, compassion, thoughtfulness and their strength of faith. But, at the end of the day, they were all servants. The person who really matters is God himself, because he alone gives life and causes growth. It is important that we should love and support our Christian leaders, but it is vital that we don’t exaggerate their importance. Their role is simply to point to the God whom they serve. I say this because I have sometimes seen people become devastated when a leader moves on, or when a minister slips up. God doesn’t call us to worship and serve our leaders, but to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to him. All leaders are frail and vulnerable like the rest of us. They are on the same roller- coaster of life as us, so have their ups and down. We need to rejoice in their good days and forgive their bad ones, but ensure that our focus is continually and supremely on the One whom we all serve. Question What have you learned from the leaders that you have known? Prayer Loving Lord, thank you for all the leaders that you have used to teach and support me in my Christian faith. But most of all I thank you that you are the one who, by your Spirit, enables me to grow. Amen

1 Corinthians 2:1-3 I once heard about a church that regularly visited the houses nearby. They sent out people two by two. A young girl nervously agreed to join in. She went to one house and a large man came to the door asking in a gruff voice what she wanted. She struggled to speak and then, in a quivering voice, she blurted out: “I’ve come to tell you that Jesus loves you.” The man didn’t know what to say and so slammed the door in her face. He went inside and slumped into a chair weeping like a baby. His wife asked what was wrong and he told her that a young girl had just come to their front door and told him that Jesus loved him. He had never had an experience like this before and he was amazed by her bravery. He couldn’t get over it. The more he thought about the experience the more curious he became and, after a while, he plucked up courage to go to the church and made a commitment to follow Christ. I love that story. God often speaks through our weakness more easily than through our strength. That was certainly Paul’s experience. He remembered how he was when he first arrived in Corinth. It was a busy and noisy city, famous for its immorality. It’s not surprising that Paul felt overwhelmed by his weakness. But Paul knew that what mattered was that people heard that Jesus died on the cross for them. It didn’t matter that he was timid and trembling. Most of us feel unsure of ourselves when we are given the opportunity to speak about our faith. But the truth is that we are often at our most powerful when we are feeling nervous and weak. Question Can you think of a time when God used you particularly powerfully in a time of weakness? Prayer Lord help me to be willing to speak up for you, even when I am feeling weak and tongue-tied. Amen

1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul was absolutely sure that the cross of Jesus stood right at the heart of his life and ministry. It was the lens through which Paul saw everything. For him it was the most wonderful message, communicating God’s love and power and the way in which he longs to bring peace into the world. So, Paul was determined to take every opportunity to speak about it. However, Paul was more than aware that the message of the cross sounded like nonsense to many people. The Greeks were looking for wisdom. They were very happy to listen to carefully reasoned arguments and to enter into learned debate. But the idea of a man dying at the hands of the Romans, showing that he was totally powerless and completely beaten by his enemies, sounded like foolishness. To the Jews, Jesus’ own people, there was a fundamental problem. In Deuteronomy it was specifically stated that anyone who hung on a tree was cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:23). It looked to the average Jew that hanging on the cross couldn’t possibly be something that God would allow to happen to his own son. The cross, therefore, made belief almost impossible for Jews. Paul was well aware of how foolish and problematic his message appeared. But he didn’t try to change it to make it sound acceptable to his hearers. He simply declared that, for those who believe, it is the power and wisdom of God. It turns all our normal thinking upside down, but that’s how God works. For those who want to get to the heart of understanding what love is all about, or who want to live lives that are full of God’s power, there is only one place to look – to the cross of Jesus Christ. Question What does the cross mean to you personally? Prayer Thank you Lord that when you went to the cross you showed us the full extent of your love. Amen

1 Corinthians 1:4-5 If you know anything at all about the church in Corinth you will know that it was a disaster area. Everything seemed to be going wrong. They were divided. They had a case of incest in the church and nothing had been done to sort it out. Their times of worship were an embarrassment. They totally misunderstood what the gifts of the Spirit were for, and viewed them competitively. It’s hard to find anything to celebrate. But look how Paul starts this letter. He could have kicked it off with a long list of moans, but he doesn’t. He begins with encouragement. My junior school was tiny and so I found my huge secondary school a very bewildering place. I had never been a part of anything like it before. I struggled with the work and didn’t do very well at first. But I will never forget the piece of work that I did for a Geography teacher when I was twelve, which he marked as “excellent”. Nobody had ever told me that I had done anything excellent before, and his words changed everything. I saw myself in a new light. It’s so important to use words of encouragement, particularly when we need to say something that is critical. Before we dare to say a single negative word, we need to think of all the genuinely encouraging things that we can say. Words of encouragement don’t normally need to be long, but they can be life-changing. I wonder what you might be able to say today which will give solid encouragement to someone else. Question What was the most significant encouragement that you have ever received and what did you learn from the experience? Prayer Thank you, loving Lord, that you are the supreme encourager. Help me to become more encouraging day by day. Amen

Ephesians 6:10-11 Just imagine if someone were to walk on to a battlefield wearing casual clothes. The thought is absurd. If you knew that you were heading into battle, you would go fully equipped. Paul made it absolutely clear to his readers that the resurrection power of God was at work in their lives. But, at the same time, he reminded them that they were involved in a daily struggle with the powers of evil. Paul’s conclusion, as he drew this letter to an end, was that they should go into every day fully equipped for the battles that they would face. The wonderful truth that Paul shares is that God perfectly equips us for the challenges that we might face. He gives us truth, which is like a belt. It keeps everything firmly in place. He gives us a breastplate of righteousness; because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross our spiritual vital organs are totally protected. Our feet are equipped with the gospel of peace and he gives us a shield that can protect us from all the flaming arrows of the evil one (vv13-17). We can step forward with confidence in God. Whatever the devil might throw at us, we know that we are fully protected. That isn’t to deny the reality of the battle or to suggest that it won’t hurt us at times. But we can be sure that, at the end of the day, however hot and fierce the battle might be, we will still be standing when it ends. Question What part of the armour do you need to put more firmly in place in your life? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you have perfectly equipped me to face every challenge that the devil might throw at me. Help me to put on every piece of the armour that you have lovingly provided for me. Amen

Ephesians 4:22-24 Do you like change? If I’m honest I have a love/hate relationship with change. There is much about life that is comfortable and congenial and I would be happy if it stayed the way it is. There are other things that I would be happy to change in an instant. In these verses Paul tells us we need to get used to the fact that God is looking for revolutionary change in our lives. He wants that because his desire is for our lives to be completely blessed; not merely an improvement on what they used to be. This process of change is so radical that it has to start in our thoughts. Only as we allow God to renew our thinking will any real change take place in our actions. I know that this could sound scary. But God is motivated by perfect love and his intentions are that we should reach our true potential, so we can be completely confident as we place ourselves in his hands. God’s intention is that our new nature should be just like his. We have no need to be fearful about the changes that God wants to see in our lives. Since God is holy and perfectly loving it might seem sensible if he were to impose his changes on us. But God
is always unwilling to do that. The decision lies with us. That’s why Paul uses the language of changing clothes. God looks to us to throw off the old suit of clothes. He wants us to make the deliberate decision to change our way of life before he will give us a wonderful new suit of clothes to put on. In his love, he lets us decide. Question Are you willing to let God change your attitudes and thoughts? Prayer Dear Lord, thank you that you only ever ask me to change because of your perfect love for me. Amen

Ephesians 3:20-21 The resurrection of Jesus is so completely amazing that it needs to challenge every aspect of our thinking about life. If God was like us then it would be understandable if we expected only ordinary and predictable things to happen in life. But he isn’t like us. He was able to bring his son Jesus back to life again, and so we need to stop expecting just the ordinary and predictable things to happen. William Carey was a Baptist and the founder of the modern missionary movement. He lived in Northamptonshire and worked as a shoemaker at the end of the 18th century. Carey was overwhelmed by the greatness of God and, in order to become more useful to the Lord, he learned many languages alongside running his shoe business. He taught himself Hebrew, Italian, Dutch and French. He famously once said: “Expect great things of God; attempt great things for God.” His amazing life changed the course of mission work throughout the world. It happened because his faith in a great God was matched by his willingness to work incredibly hard for God. As we continue to thank God for the privilege of being an Easter people let’s allow God to give us a much bigger vision of what he wants to do in the world. And at the same time let’s work hard at whatever God has called us to do. Question What great things are you expecting God to do? Prayer God our Father, thank you that you are such a great God. By your Spirit help me to expect you to do great things and give me the willingness to attempt great things for you. Amen

Ephesians 2:8-9 I remember my first pay packet as a teenager. It was a small brown envelope and it contained what, at the time, seemed to me like a considerable amount of money. It wasn’t really very much but I had never had a job before, and it compared favourably with pocket money! I had received that money because I had done many days of hard physical work in a warehouse. And it may well be that you can see a clear connection between all that you own and the hard work that you have put in. For this very reason it can be very difficult to accept that our salvation is completely unlike this. Because however hard we work, and however nice we are, we will never be able to earn salvation. The problem is that we are all sinners. We have all fallen short of God’s standards. The fact that some people seem to be much worse than others is neither here nor there. No amount of hard work will earn us salvation. All we can do is to accept the gift of God, which Paul describes as grace. Grace is the totally undeserved gift of new life, which God gives to those who are willing to receive it. And because it is entirely the result of God’s generosity, and nothing to do with our good actions, we never have any reason to boast about what we have done. All we can do is accept the gift, give thanks to God and then boast about how brilliant he is. Question In what ways are you able to boast of what God has done in your life? Prayer Loving Father, thank you for the amazing generosity that you have shown me. Help me today to find opportunities to boast about what you have done for me. Amen

Ephesians 1:19-20 I love everything about Easter. Winter has gone and we can see evidence of new life springing up all around us. It is as if creation is joining in the celebrations of Easter and confirming the promise of new life in Jesus. Easter is a happy time to share with other Christians and the services are full of confidence and hope. We are absolutely right to enjoy this wonderful time of the year, but we need to be careful that we don’t leave it behind us and move on to something else, because we are always an Easter people. What happened when Jesus rose from death is an ongoing reality. It is hard to imagine a greater miracle than Jesus’ resurrection! There is an absolute finality about death and from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion there is no doubt that he died on the cross. The Romans were experienced executioners but to make doubly sure that he was dead one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side, causing a sudden flow of blood and water. Humanly speaking that was surely the end of the matter. But not when God is at work. God is the source of all life and, when he decided to raise Jesus from death, that’s what happened. Every day we face situations of struggle, confusion and brokenness and, as we do so, we need to remind ourselves that God is a God of resurrection. He loves bringing new life, not just on Easter day but every day as we put our trust in him. Question In what situation are you going to pray for new life today? Prayer Loving God, I worship you because you are the God of resurrection. Help me to welcome the new life that you want to give me today. Amen

John 21:20-22 Having received his commission from Jesus to care for his sheep and been given an insight into his future, Peter then became curious about others. He asked about how it was going to be for the disciple whom Jesus loved, who we assume to be John. Jesus’ response was sharp and definite. Effectively Jesus said: “Mind your own business”. It was nothing to do with Peter. All he needed to know was that he was called to follow Jesus. Let’s face it, we are all curious about the people around us. We would be fascinated to know what their future will be. But Jesus’ words remind us all that our responsibility is for ourselves; we don’t need to know what will happen to other people. That is in God’s hands. As John drew his Gospel to a close, he wanted his readers to know that their greatest need was for each one of them to keep their eyes fixed on following Jesus. In our busy, noisy world we face endless demands on our time and attention, and it is very easy for us to lose our focus on following Jesus. We can so easily get distracted by things that are not bad in themselves, but which lure us away from giving first place to Jesus. We need to work hard to ensure that we are tuned in to his voice. When I lived in India a key moment in my day was when I listened to the news on BBC World Service. The task of tuning in our old radio sounds simple enough but it never was! I often had to work for some minutes to get a proper signal. We need that kind of determination to keep our focus on listening to Jesus and following in his ways. Question What do you need to do to guard against becoming distracted from following Jesus? Prayer Lord help me always to make following you the priority of my life. Amen

John 21:17 We cannot be sure why Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved him. Many people have suggested that it mirrored Peter’s three denials before Jesus’ crucifixion. It is suggested that this was Jesus’ way of helping Peter to find cleansing from that time of abject failure. There is great encouragement for us all in the fact that Jesus was willing to forgive someone who had let him down so comprehensively. Peter had a hugely significant ministry ahead of him, but it couldn’t begin until he knew that he had been released from the burden of his failure. Every time Peter affirmed his love, Jesus told him that he was giving him a job. Peter was instructed to take care of Jesus’ sheep and feed them. Whenever someone follows Jesus, they are also given responsibilities to serve others. The idea of Christian faith being a private matter that simply gives a person a warm relationship with God and a secure future for all eternity is foreign to the New Testament’s teaching. Every follower of Christ becomes a part of the body of Christ and has the responsibility to support and care for the other members. We will all do that differently according to our gifts, abilities and opportunities, but none of us can dodge the privileged responsibility of supporting our Christian brothers and sisters. Peter is then warned how tough it will be to be a follower of Jesus. He is told that his obedience to Christ will lead
to his death (vv18-19). Having informed him of this, Jesus challenges him: “Follow me” (v19). In this Gospel we learn that following Jesus is the path to life in all its fulness, but he never disguised the cost of following him. He promised his followers that they would be hated by the world and rejected. And it is this same risen Lord Jesus Christ who comes to us today and says: “Follow me.” Question In what ways does this story of Jesus commissioning Peter encourage and challenge you? Prayer Loving Lord, help me as I seek to follow you and to serve you faithfully wherever you call me to go. Amen

John 21:4-6 I was brought up by the sea and so it isn’t surprising that I started fishing when I was a boy. We always set out with huge expectations of what we would catch. If you have ever gone fishing you will know that, whenever someone walks by, they are bound to ask: “Have you caught anything?” It’s the obvious question but the last thing that you want to admit is that you have caught nothing. You feel a complete failure – an experience I often had! In this account, Jesus asked the predictable question. Even though he spoke to them, it seems, at first, that the disciples didn’t recognise him. He then advised them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. Another thing that people who walk by you when you are fishing like to do is give advice. Jesus duly gave his advice and, interestingly, since they didn’t know it was him or that their newfound adviser knew anything about fishing, they did as he said. The result was that they brought in an enormous catch. Most people don’t love change. We get used to organising our lives in a way that suits us, and we have powerful reasons for doing things in the way that we do. Churches are particularly fond of sticking to a particular way of organising themselves, and that sometimes stays unchanged for years and even decades. It isn’t wrong to get into a settled pattern of life, but it is essential for us to listen to the voice of Jesus, who will sometimes invite us to do things completely differently. And, when we are obedient to him, blessing is sure to follow. Question When have you seen radical change in the life of your church, and what did you learn from the experience? Prayer Loving Lord Jesus help me to listen carefully for your voice. I ask you to give me courage to be obedient. Amen

John 20:25 I suspect that we all have some sympathy for Thomas and are not inclined to blame him for his reluctance to believe that Jesus had risen from death. We know that there was often a competitive spirit among the disciples, and they were no doubt happy to brag that they had seen the Lord. I am sure Thomas desperately wanted to believe that they were right, but he needed to be sure and so he asserted that he needed evidence. More than a week later, Jesus came to the disciples who, once again, were meeting behind locked doors. He invited Thomas to see the evidence and to put his hand into the wound in his side. John doesn’t record whether Thomas took Jesus up on this offer or not. Thomas simply exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” (v28). He was absolutely convinced. Jesus observed that Thomas believed because he had seen him and added: “blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (v29). Clearly, we don’t have the opportunity to check the evidence in the way that Thomas did. So, what are we supposed to do with our doubts? Firstly, we should accept that doubts are a normal part of life. I don’t believe that God calls us to take a leap in the dark, which is what many people think faith is all about. He has, in fact, given us a huge amount of evidence. He invites us to look at his amazing creation, to see the way in which he reveals himself in the Bible, to listen to the testimony of people who have followed him over the past 2,000 years and to learn from the experience of the Christians around us. Yes, God calls us to take a leap of faith – but it’s a leap in the light. Question What do you do when you face doubts? Prayer Lord God, when I face doubts help me to open my eyes to the evidence of yourself in creation, history and in the Christians around me. Amen

John 20:19-20 John records three occasions when Jesus met with his disciples after his resurrection. Here is the first of them and it occurred on Easter day itself, the day of resurrection. The disciples were understandably nervous. The authorities had organised the crucifixion of Jesus and so, logically, they were quite likely to come after his disciples next. The disciples had heard from some of the women that they had met the risen Lord but it would seem that they were unsure what to make of this incredible news. Into this nervous, fearful situation came the risen Jesus. Suddenly and miraculously he was standing there with them. One can hardly begin to imagine the riot of emotions that they must have experienced in that moment. On the one hand it was everything that they most wanted. The death of Jesus was devastating for them so the thought that he was alive again was absolutely wonderful. But then they had to deal with the fact that dead people don’t rise from death. Into this amazing situation Jesus came and pronounced peace. He then showed them the wounds in his hands and his side, and they realised that the humanly impossible had actually happened. Jesus
had risen from death. They were overjoyed, records John, drawing on his own personal experience of that amazing evening. This historic account is important for us today because Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, promises to be with us whenever we meet in his name. There will be many occasions when we also face times of challenge and disappointment and, amazingly and miraculously, Jesus comes and stands in the midst of us. Question In what way have you experienced Jesus’ presence with you as you have met with Christian brothers and sisters? Prayer Thank you, living Lord Jesus, that you promise to be with us when we meet together. Amen

Luke 24:30-32 As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognised him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” Isn’t it a great moment when the penny drops? Suddenly everything makes sense. This was the experience of these two followers of Jesus. The stranger whom they had met as they trudged wearily home to Emmaus had given them a long explanation from the scriptures, but it was only as he broke bread that, suddenly, everything became clear. Their mysterious stranger was none other than Jesus himself! In my experience, it can take a long while for the penny to drop in our Christian lives. It is perfectly possible to hear about God’s love, forgiveness, patience and generosity for years without them really making much sense. It is often only in the rough and tumble of life that deep spiritual truths become real for us. The Holy Spirit takes hold of the teaching that we have received and shines his light on it. It’s a wonderful and liberating experience, and through it we grow in strength and maturity. It is clearly very significant that the moment of revelation was as Jesus broke bread. As followers of Jesus, he invites us all to remember his death through breaking bread and drinking wine together. I believe that we should approach this with huge expectations. As we remember his death, we meet the risen Jesus who is present with us as we gather. Through his Spirit we should expect him to reveal more of himself to us…and we shouldn’t be surprised when another penny drops! Question What spiritual truths has God made real for you recently? Prayer Thank you, loving God, for giving me your Spirit so that I can learn more each day about living for you. Amen

Luke 24:13-16 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from him. It was getting towards the end of Easter Day and the light was fading as these two people trudged back home. It had been an incredibly strange time for them. Their hero Jesus had died in horrifying circumstances two days previously. They had heard some women report that Jesus had risen from death, but they didn’t know what to make of it. Suddenly a stranger started walking alongside them – they had no idea that it was Jesus. Even when the stranger accepted their invitation to go back to their home, they still didn’t realise that it was him. This beautiful account will strike a chord with most of us. There have probably been many times when we have felt alone, but in fact Jesus was walking alongside us all the time. For some reason we didn’t realise that he was there. Perhaps we were distracted, tired, confused or angry. Or perhaps life was just too busy, and we couldn’t spot Jesus amidst the busyness. Isaiah addressed a similar situation in chapter 40 of his prophecy. The people were in exile and felt that God had abandoned them. But Isaiah put them right. God was constantly with them. In fact, unlike them, God never went to sleep. He was always on the job, giving strength to his people. “Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Whatever you are going through today you can be sure of this: whether you recognise him or not, Jesus is walking beside you. Question Have you ever been surprised to discover that Jesus is walking with you? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank you that you never leave my side. Open my eyes to your presence with me today. Amen

Luke 24:1–3 Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As dawn broke on Sunday morning the women were determined to get to the tomb as early as possible to anoint Jesus’ body. Imagine the shock when they got there to find that it was empty. Their astonishment and surprise was then magnified many times when they met two men in dazzling robes. They questioned the women as to why they were looking for Jesus in the tomb, because he had risen from death. We cannot be exactly sure where the tomb that Jesus’ body was laid was. In Jerusalem there are two main places that are identified as the possible site of Jesus’ tomb and one of them is in a beautiful garden, called the Garden Tomb. I have been there many times, and the guides always take pleasure in telling the visitors that the one completely authentic fact about the tomb is that it is empty! And that’s what matters before anything else. Everything in the Christian faith turns on the fact that Jesus rose from death. The apostle Paul spoke very plainly in his first letter to the Corinthians about the importance of the resurrection. He wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17) In short, if Jesus didn’t rise from death then Christianity is pointless. Paul staked his life on the fact that Jesus was the Son of God and that through his death and resurrection Jesus broke the power of sin and death. As we thank God for the blessing of Easter let us praise him that through these amazing historical events we are able to live a new life, not just now but for eternity. Question How would you explain to a non-Christian friend the importance of Jesus’ resurrection? Prayer Living Lord Jesus, help me to live each day in the light of your resurrection. Amen

Luke 23:55–56 As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law. There is something beautifully impressive about these verses. The women must have been totally devastated by the death of their Lord. I would imagine that they were experiencing a mixture of devastation and anger mingled with fear that the Romans might be coming after them next. But, amid all of this, they were concerned to do the right thing and anoint the body of Jesus. On the Friday itself there was very little time to do anything. Jesus had died at 3pm and the Jewish Sabbath began at about 6pm. Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus – he probably did so to avoid the corpse being left to the dogs and vultures, which was normal practice with the bodies of criminals. Joseph was a member of the Jewish Council but clearly thought well of Jesus. He was, we are told, waiting for the kingdom of God. He had a lot of work to do to remove the body from the cross and place it in his family tomb before dusk. The women had no time to anoint Jesus’ body, but they found out where the body had been laid so that they could return early on Sunday morning, once the Sabbath was over. They scurried home to prepare the spices and ointments. I find it deeply moving that, amid their deep grief, we see their devotion to Jesus. When a crisis hits us, it is very easy for us to turn in on ourselves and do nothing. But they didn’t. They turned to those practical things that they could do to show their love for the Lord. Tragic as the circumstances were, preparing for Jesus’ burial was the very best that they could do. Question What do you learn from the devotion of the women? Prayer Loving God, I thank you for the simple, practical devotion of these women. Help me to keep serving you, however tough the circumstances. Amen

Luke 23: 44–46 By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. These incredible words take us to the heart of Good Friday. This is the most incredibly, amazing, wonderful day that has ever happened, in which God showed us just how much he loved us. Anyone can use words of love, but words can be cheap and easily said. It’s only when we see actions that we know that love is real, and when we consider how Jesus died on the cross we discover the full extent of God’s love for us in sending his own Son to give everything for us. Jesus’ death on the cross changed everything. As he died, the thick curtain in the Temple was torn in two. That curtain was the barrier that ensured that people were kept out of the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest was able to go into that holiest place, and he could only do so once a year. Nothing could have been more significant than the tearing of the curtain, and it proclaimed to the world that through the death of Jesus everyone was welcome into the holy presence of God. This Easter millions of Christians around the world will celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection. But this good news belongs to the world, not just to us. As we give thanks for God’s amazing generosity to us let us pray for our families, neighbours and communities and all those for whom the life, death and resurrection of Jesus mean nothing at all. Let’s keep in mind the torn curtain and remind ourselves that Jesus came to show his complete love for them just as much as for us. Question What does Good Friday tell you about God’s love for you personally, and for your community? Prayer Lord God, thank you that you have shown me complete love through the death of Jesus on the Cross. Help me to live in the light of that love and be constantly eager to pass it on to others. Amen

Luke 22:19–20 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” I am glad that meals were so important in Jesus’ ministry. He loved spending time with people in the relaxed atmosphere of a meal and so it is very significant that, on the night before he died, we find him having supper with his disciples. Jesus knows that his death is only hours away, but he doesn’t want to miss the opportunity to have one final meal with those who had walked with him throughout his ministry. They had no idea what Jesus’ words meant as he took the bread and wine and said that they represented his body and blood. Only later would it all fall into place for them. People often tell me that their church is particularly gifted in catering. I’m delighted! It seems to me that any true follower of Jesus should enjoy eating with others and it’s great that churches feel their responsibility for making it happen. So often it is the relaxed conversation that happens over a meal that enables relationships to deepen. Eating a meal together is completely inclusive because everyone needs to eat. Jesus was often criticised for the people with whom he had meals, but he clearly used mealtimes as a way to reach out to the most ungodly people in the community. Food and drink broke down barriers and enabled him to show that he welcomed every kind of person. It’s interesting that Jesus only told us to hold one particular service. He never mentioned family, morning or evening services, wonderful as they may be. He only told us to meet for a meal in remembrance of his death for us. What an incredible privilege it is to do what the disciples did 2,000 years ago as we meet over a meal with the Lord Jesus Christ. Question Why is it so important for us to keep remembering Jesus’ death? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you were willing to give your body and blood so that I can be free. Amen