Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.
There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.
He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.
“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father – Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. Thy will be done… in me. In Jesus’ name, I ask it. Amen.
Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?”
“No,” they replied.
“But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.”
“Look, Lord,” they replied, “we have two swords among us.”
“That’s enough,” he said.
Prayer: Lord Jesus – I understand packing and getting ready to travel. And I understand the counter-culture threat your followers pose to prevailing societal norms. But I don’t understand arming myself… except with the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” So give me both wisdom and and innocence… that I might be a faithful bearer of your Good News – fully clothed in your heavenly armor… and prepared to go when you call. Amen.
So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty— but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Prayer: Lord Jesus – deliver me from evil and write my name in your Book of Life. For your name’s sake, I ask it. Amen.
The Farmer Winnowing Wheat, Wind separates the chaff from the seed.
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”
But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus – Sift me… my heart, my mind, my spirit. Keep what pleases you… and remove all else. And strengthen me… to keep me faithful to the end. For your name’s sake. Amen.
Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’
“Divine Servant” Max Griener Jr, 1986-1989
But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
“You have stayed with me in my time of trial. And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel….”
Prayer: Lord Jesus – The disciples seem silly arguing about who is the greatest among them. And yet – not so silly at all – when I begin to compare my life and work with that of others. Fill me with godly contentment. Give me a servant’s heart, that I might be with you in Kingdom come. And by your grace, reserve a place for me at your table. To God be the glory. Amen.
Hymn:“Servant Song” – Donna Marie McGargill, OSM
What do you want of me, Lord? Where do you want me to serve you? Where can I sing your praises. I am your song. Jesus, Jesus, you are the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way.
I hear you call my name, Lord, and I am moved within me. Your Spirit stirs my deepest self. Sing your songs in me. Jesus, Jesus, you are my Lord. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way.
Above, below, and around me. Before, behind and all through me, your Spirit burns deep within me. Fire my life with your love. Jesus, Jesus, be warmth of my heart. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way.
You are the light in my darkness. You are my strength when I’m weary. You give me sight when I’m blinded. Come see for me. Jesus, Jesus, you are my light. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way.
The Peanut Gallery 