The Wesleyan Way

John 19:17-20 in the Common English Bible (CEB) reads: Carrying his cross by himself, he [Jesus] went out to a place called Skull Place (in Aramaic, Golgotha ). That's where they crucified him--and two others with him, one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a public notice written and posted on the cross. It read "Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. Today is called Good Friday because it is the day that proclaims God's loving  and his purpose for redeeming the world through the cross of Jesus. We call it Good Friday because God was drawing the world to himself through Jesus. As verse 17 says "by himself," we see that Jesus was in control of his own death. He was not making the best of a bad situation. Jesus was fulfilling God's purpose: providing the way for all people to be saved. The ...

Let's start by addressing your first question: What is Maundy Thursday? The English word "Maundy" comes from the Latin  mandatum , which means "commandment." This comes from John 13:34, when Jesus says, "I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you must also love each other." John 13:12-15 in the Common English Bible (CEB) reads: After he [Jesus] washed the disciples' feet, he put on his robes and returned to his place at the table. He said to them, "Do you know what I've done for you? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you speak correctly, because I am. If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other's feet. I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do. This scene occurs right before Jesus' final meal. In these verses, Jesus lays down his robes and washes his disciples' feet. Washing the dusty feet of a guest wa...

This is the most unusual Holy Week I have ever experienced. Last Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, I attended the memorial service for my mentor and friend, Bishop Bev Jones. Serving on his staff while I was in seminary was an invaluable part of my training for ministry. I thank God for the sequence of events that made possible that opportunity. On Palm Sunday, Sherrill and I received word that her brother was hospitalized due to a sudden medical crisis related to his three-year battle with mantle cell lymphoma. We made the eight-hour drive to Punta Gorda, Florida. It's one day at a time for now. We are thankful for the compassionate medical team that is caring for him. Each of these experiences reminds me of the deeply personal significance of Holy Week. The Christian faith begins with the reality of the rejection, suffering, and death of Jesus. Christianity does not dodge these harsh realities, it embraces them. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." ...

Thank you President Pro Temp Butch Miller and Senator Ellis Black and all of you senators here today. It is an honor to be here today. Did you know that many of the first Christian churches were built in an octagonal shape to remember the eight days of Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday? Sunday, we celebrated Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. This week is Holy Week, and we remember the last week of Jesus’ life. Monday, we celebrated Mary anointing Jesus’ body. Today, we hear Jesus say his hour has come. Wednesday, Jesus will say he must leave so the Holy Spirit can come. Maundy Thursday we remember the Last Supper. Good Friday is the day Jesus died. Holy Saturday is the day Jesus spent in the tomb. And Easter is Resurrection Sunday. The reading for today comes from John 12:23-26 (NIV). Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, i...

John 12:1-3 in the Common English Bible reads: Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus' feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. In this scene, Mary anoints Jesus. With this expensive perfume, which had to be imported from the Himalayas, she is preparing her king for burial. Fred Craddock said that this scene includes "all the dark forebodings of death." Before we start asking, "What does this mean for me?" Let me remind you that in John, words and actions have meaning that extend far beyond the moment they happened. Mary is performing an act of gratitude. Little does she know...

In the Common English Bible (CEB), Mark 11:1-2 and 7-10 reads: When Jesus and his followers approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus gave two disciples a task, saying to them, "Go into the village over there. As soon as you enter it, you will find tied up there a colt that no one has ridden. Untie it and bring it here . . . They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes upon it, and he sat on it. Many people spread out their clothes on the road while others spread branches cut from the fields. Those in front of him and those following were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest!" These verses describe Jesus' triumphal entry, and are the fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, which says that a king unlike any other who has ever been will ride into Jerusalem on a colt. The point of this c...

John 3:14-21 in the Common English Bible (CEB) reads: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man* be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won't perish but will have eternal life. God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him isn't judged; whoever doesn't believe in him is already judged, because they don't believe in the name of God's only Son. This is the basis for judgment: The light came into the world, and people loved darkness more than the light, for their actions are evil. All who do wicked things hate the light and don't come to the light for fear that their actions will be exposed to the light. Whoever does the truth comes to the light so that it can be seen that their actions were done in God. In these ver...