Holy Week: Tuesday

Jesus’ disciples see the withered fig tree on their return to Jerusalem from Bethany.

• Matthew 21:20-22
• Mark 11:20-21

Jesus engages in conflict with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.

• Matthew 21:23—23:39
• Mark 11:27—12:44
• Luke 20:1—21:4

The disciples marvel at the Temple. Jesus delivers the “Olivet discourse” on their return to Bethany from Jerusalem.

• Matthew 24:1—25:46
• Mark 13:1-37
• Luke 21:5-36

Source: Paul McCain, Cyberbrethren

Holy Week: Monday

On Monday morning Jesus and the Twelve leave Bethany to return to Jerusalem, and along the way Jesus curses the fig tree.

• Matthew 21:18-19
• Mark 11:12-14

Jesus enters Jerusalem and clears the temple.

• Matthew 21:12-13
• Mark 11:15-17
• Luke 19:45-46

In the evening Jesus and the Twelve leave Jerusalem (returning to Bethany).

• Mark 11:19

Source: Paul McCain, Cyberbrethren

The Annunciation of Our Lord

March 25 is the day the one holy Christian and apostolic Church commemorates the Annunciation of Our Lord.

The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and announces that God has shown her favor and will use her as the means for the Messiah’s birth. So Mary conceives Jesus when the angel says: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). This same Spirit who hovered over the waters and brought forth creation (Genesis 1:2) will now “hover over” the waters of Mary’s womb to conceive the creation’s Redeemer. As the Holy Spirit comes upon Mary, she conceives Jesus “through her ear” (as Martin Luther says). The one who is conceived is called Holy, the Son of God. This is the moment of the incarnation of our Lord. The date of the Annunciation falls on March 25, because the Ancient Church believed the crucifixion occurred on that date. In antiquity, people linked the day of a person’s conception with the day of his or her death. Thus, in the Annunciation, the Church joined together both the incarnation of Jesus and the atonement He accomplished. [Source: Treasury of Daily Prayer]

Prayer of the Day:
O Lord, as we have known the incarnation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, by the message of the angel to the virgin Mary, so by the message of His cross and passion bring us to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn:
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
With wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame:
“All hail to thee, O lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favored lady.” Gloria!

“For know a blessed mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee;
Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favored lady.” Gloria! [LSB 356, stanzas 1-2]

Faithfulness, Not Numbers

“Would you learn that it is the saints, not the numbers, which make the multitude? Lead out to war ten hundred thousand men, and one saint, and let us see who achieves the most? Joshua the son of Nun went out to war, and alone achieved all; the rest were of no use. Wouldest thou see, beloved, that the great multitude, when it does not the will of God, is no better than a thing of naught? I wish indeed, and desire, and with pleasure would be torn in pieces, to adorn the Church with a multitude, yea, but a select multitude; yet if this be impossible, that the few should be select, is my desire. Do you not see that it is better to possess one precious stone, than ten thousand farthing pieces? Do you not see that it is better to have the eye sound, than to be loaded with flesh, and yet deprived of sight?”

Saint John Chrysostom

Bishop of Constantinople, AD 397-407

Commentary on Acts, chapter 3

(thanks for passing this along, Chad!)

Saint Joseph, Guardian of Jesus

March 19 is the day the one holy Christian and apostolic Church commemorates Saint Joseph, Guardian of Jesus.

St. Joseph has been honored throughout the Christian centuries for his faithful devotion in helping Mary raise her Son. Matthew’s Gospel related that Joseph was a just man, who followed the angel’s instructions and took the already-pregnant Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24). In the Gospels according to Matthew and Mark, Jesus is referred to as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). This suggests that Joseph had building skills with which he supported his family. Joseph was an important figure in the early life of Jesus, safely escorting Mary and the child to Egypt (Matthew 2:14) and then settling them back in Nazareth once it was safe to do so (Matthew 2:22). The final mention of Joseph is at the time the twelve-year-old Jesus visits the temple in Jerusalem for the Passover (Luke 2:41-51). Joseph, the guardian of our Lord, has long been associated with caring parenthood as well as with skilled craftsmanship. [Source: Treasury of Daily Prayer]

Prayer of the Day:
Almighty God, from the house of Your servant David You raised up Joseph to be the guardian of Your incarnate Son and the husband of His mother, Mary. Grant us grace to follow the example of this faithful workman in heeding Your counsel and obeying Your commands; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn:
We sing our thanks for Joseph,
     The guardian of our Lord,
Who faithfully taught Jesus
     Through craft and deed and word.
Grant wisdom, Lord, and patience
     To parents ev’rywhere
Who guide and teach the children
     Entrusted to their care. [LSB 517, stanza 14]

Ignorance

“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

Saint Jerome

c. 347-420

Prologue to the Commentary on Isaiah: PL 24,17

Rest for the Restless

Saint Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, once wrote: “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they find their rest in You.”

Restless hearts. Weak and weary souls. That’s us!

Jesus often encountered people who were harassed and helpless, “like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). Are not we to be counted among them? After all, we “labor for the food that perishes” (John 6:27). We “worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34). We look inward to our own strength and our own determination and fail to cast all our cares upon the Lord, to live from every word that proceeds from His mouth, and to take the good gifts He gives us in Word and Sacrament out there into the real world with us.

There is only one cure for restless hearts. “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden,” says Jesus, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Rest here, O weary ones. Rest here…

in Jesus’ wounds,

in Jesus’ body,

in Jesus’ blood,

in Jesus’ house.

Rest here, O weary ones. Rest here…

in Jesus’ words,

in Jesus’ absolution,

in Jesus’ Gospel,

in Jesus’ body and blood.

These, and these alone, will sustain you on your journey to the Promised Land. So come to God’s house and make the sign of the cross in remembrance of the baptismal grace that is yours in Christ. Confess your sins. Be absolved. Listen and take to heart the words of everlasting life. Add your Amen to the church’s prayer. Eat and drink the fruits of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and hell. And then return home with Christ’s blessing. All of these are wrapped up in Jesus words: “Whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

Did you expect anything less? Jesus is here, in His house, in His Word and Sacrament, to serve you, to give you rest, to deliver His peace, to bind wounds, mend broken hearts, and comfort troubled consciences, to restore the joy of His salvation, to create in you a clean heart and renew in you a right spirit, to forgive sins and strengthen faith.

No wonder Saint Augustine found his rest in Jesus Christ and Him alone. “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they find their rest in You.” May we do the same!