Ash Wednesday, February 17th—Good Friday, April 2nd
Dear Friends in Christ:
As we move through our church year calendar, we are nearing a season that is like no other. The 40 days of LENT are an invitation for us to once again embark on a spirtual journey with Jesus, and those who were with him during that first Holy Week before he died.
Here at Abiding Love we will again provide additional worship experiences on 6 Wednesdays, at 6:45 p.m. These services will be preceded by a meal in our Activity Center at 5:45 p.m.
The theme for these Wednesday evenings will be “Jerusalem Speaks: Voices in The Shadow of the Cross”. Each week you will hear from two biblical characters who played significant roles in the final days of Jesus Christ’s earthly life. We will be using members of our congregation to present these dramatic messages:
Week #1 — “A servant girl’s narration of Peter’s denial will introduce Peter’s own confession of turning his back on Jesus the night before his crucifixion.”
Week #2 — “Caiaphas the High Priest confesses his intentions to eliminate Jesus while Judas’ narration gives details of his betrayal orchestrated through the religious leaders.”
Week #3 — “Herod Antipas’ narration details the five individual Herods who are spoken of in Scripture and how each affected Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene shares her account of walking
beside Jesus Christ during his earthly life as well as being present to witness his death and resurrection.”
Week #4 — “Pontius Pilate shares the anguish of his political manipulation in sentencing Jesus Christ to death. Barabbas’ narration includes details of his release and his confusion over watching Jesus die in his stead.”
Week #5 — “A Roman soldier, present at the Crucifixion, shares his acknowledgment of Jesus as the Son of God following the events of Good Friday. Malchus, the high priest’s servant, who had his ear cut off by Peter the night of Jesus’ arrest in the Garden, ponders the happenings in Gethsemane.”
Week #6 — “John recalls the prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures, as well as the words of Jesus preparing his disciples for the coming crucifixion and resurrection, and pieces together the meaning of it all. Mary’s heartache and hope are intertwined in the story she shares of her Son — from his birth to his death to his eternal life.”
I hope that you will make this time a priority for you, your family, and friends as we take a deeper, inner look into our relationship with the One who alone has touched our lives forever with God’s grace, mercy, peace, hope, and love— Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior!
— Pastor David Fetter
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1 comment:
...Barabbas’ narration includes details of his release and his confusion over watching Jesus die in his stead.
And if I were to play the part of Barabbas... I would say exactly what was recorded of Him saying: nothing. Likewise, I would not appear to anyone and thus remain behind the scenes throughout.
And although vile accusations, -without evidence, much less proof, are recorded concerning my role in the affairs during those days, I follow the will of my Lord and Master, -in this case: that of John the Baptist... until such time as I appoint another to continue in my stead into the future... as it has always been in the past since the beginning... in an unbroken line. May the line continue forever.
It has been written concerning Me that My name is Jesus... in the original Greek Gospel according or attributed to Matthew (27:17) but that My name was omitted or removed from the Latin translation of the same text and most of the subsequent translations thereafter in 390 c. e.... leaving the later peoples with only "Barabbas" in stead. Please know that "Barabbas" is not a proper or surname of any man, -rather, it is an Aramaic appellation... it is what I was called. "Barabbas" means: Bar = Son + Abba = Father (as in 'the Father of us all' or, 'God', if you will).
Lest you be confused concerning both the identity of the crucified one (there were very many) and the reason for such a dastardly deed, allow me to speak now... His name was Judas the Galilean, he was truly 'a descendant of David and the Jewish messiah'. As far as the secular Jews and the Roman overlords were concerned, he was guilty of being the 'messiah' and was a legitimate threat to the stability to the secular governance of the realm. His and like issue was dealt with before... as in the days of Rehoboam. You might note that My and like issue was dealt with before also... as in the days immediately preceding the 'anointment' of Saul.
It never was then, neither is it now, that My intention is to concern Myself with politics or religion... everyman may come to Me personally and privately.
Roland, a reluctant iconoclast.
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