Day 085: A Loving Sacrifice

"But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.  And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'"  1 Peter 4:7-8

Holy Saturday is a very important day in Holy Week.

It is filled with both sadness and hope.  It is a day where we remember that some people gathered together in order to figure out what was next to do with Jesus' body.  It is a day where we gather together as well in order to proclaim our hope for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Although we miss Jesus on this day, for he is departed, he is not absent from us.  The neat thing about Holy Saturday is that it is the opportunity for us to show love for one another.  It's the time for us to start putting all of our learning to practice: to love one another.

On Holy Saturday, we recognize the full weight of Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross: it's the day where the body of Jesus does not take breaths.  It is now that we realize that Jesus made a full on sacrifice for us.  It is the ultimate sign of love.

Until Easter Sunday, remember that Jesus fulfilled every single one of his words he preached to us.  He taught us how to live, and he died so that we wouldn't have to.  Let the light of Jesus' love shine within you.

Day 080: A Ministry

"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"  Hebrews 9:13-14

This is a great explanation about the greatness of Jesus and his sacrifice for us.

Just on the surface, Jesus has made so much of a greater sacrifice than all the priests before, for he offered his life for all of us.  He took all of our sins and went to the cross so that we won't have to.

Going further with this, I like to think about what the blood of Christ really is.  As God says in the Old Testament, the life is in the blood.  Christ's life is in his blood.  But the neat thing is that the blood of Christ is so much more than just blood.  For communion, it is nourishment that sustains us, day by day, healing us and bringing us closer to one another.  I also like to think that the blood of Christ is his teachings, for he lives in all of us through his many teachings.

We have so much to learn from the Gospels.  We learn how to handle living on earth.  We learn how to live with one another.  We learn how to get closer to God.  We learn about what God really is.  We witness the glory of God through Jesus' earthly ministry.  And, through Jesus' earthly ministry, we have been gathered together.  Jesus has gone out in every direction to bring us together and prepare us as a worthy offering to God.

During this Holy Week, make it a point to read more about Jesus and to pray to Jesus.  Ask Jesus for guidance during this week.  Ask for revelations.  Ask for direction.  And praise God for the salvation that we receive through Jesus.