Brick Presbyterian Church

Holy Week Devotional

2019

“God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of

his dear Son, who forgives our sins and sets us free.”

Colossians 1:13-14

We are not meant to live in darkness. We thrive in the light. We flourish and become

things of beauty.In these verses, we aren’t just being told what happens when we accept Jesus into

our lives but what God the Father has done for us. He gave his only begotten Son to suffer and die on the cross for our sins.

Reading these verses brings nothing but a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness. Who am I that the God of all creation would love me so much that he would give his Son up

to save me? I read once in a devotional about forgiveness that these verses sum up

the greatest blessing that God gave us, that in Christ, the Father has rescued us

from the domain of darkness and transferred us to Christ’s kingdom, where

we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

How wonderful, how amazing the love God has for us. He didn’t do just anything to

save us from darkness but took his most precious Son and offered him up in our

place. I couldn’t even imagine as a mother ever doing something like that. The love

God has for us is that amazing, that strong, that forgiving.

How amazing is it to know that we have a Heavenly Father that loves us so much that he rescued us from the darkness bringing

us into the light so that we can truly live? A Father who will always forgive us. Who will

hold us up when we stumble? How wonderful to know that all we have to do is

turn to our Heavenly Father, confess our sins and we will be forgiven. Then we can go out into the world bringing that love, that forgiveness, that light, with us and share it so that all of God’s children can

flourish and live in Christ’s kingdom.

Almighty God and Loving Father,I come before you today with heart full

of gratitude. I thank you for all you have given, the blessings you shower

on me daily. I thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice. For if not for you I

would still live in darkness and be a slave to sin. How it brings tears to my eyes when I think of what you suffered

for my sake. Heavenly Father, I ask that you help me be a shining light of

your love in this world, that all will know of the sacrifice made by your Son for them. In the name of Jesus

Christ my Lord and Savior, I offer up my praise. Amen.

Submitted by Sofia Seda-Thalheimer

To err is human; to forgive, divine“I will put my law in their minds and write it

on their hearts.I will be their God, and they will be my

people.No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will know me, from the least

of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord.“For I will forgive their wickedness and

remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-35)

Who amongst us has never uttered a harsh word, performed a spiteful act, or failed to

live up to a promise made? And what about those selfish deeds and hurtful words that surface unexpectedly in our daily lives.

As much as we try to live a life worthy of our calling, all too often we slip back into our former ways, doing what we know is

wrong and then offering up a few words of apology along with a plea for forgiveness.

Certainly, Not I.And just as every coin has two sides, who

amongst us has never been the recipient of someone else’s shortcomings? Perhaps you too have experienced words from a

close friend or family member that has pierced your heart or experienced profound disappointment when someone you trusted

promoted their self-interest at your expense. Certainly, I have.

In the words of the English Poet, Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744): “To err is humane; to

forgive, divine”. No - Pope did not intend to demonstrate his humanity by spelling

human as he did on Line 525 of his poem “An Essay of Criticism, Part II”. Rather, he was simply using the proper spelling of the time. What is important to take away from Pope’s words is that every human makes

mistakes, and that we should forgive those that do (including ourselves), just has God shows his divine mercy forgiving sinners.

Lord, we pray that we not only love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind

and strength, but that we love our neighbor as ourselves – forgiving their

transgressions against us as we earnestly seek your forgiveness for our sins and shortcomings. Amen.

Submitted by Ed Carlson

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.Psalm 130:3-4

Growing up, I received a weekly allowance. There were times when some pleasurable

purchase exceeded my funds, but I believed there was a place where I could get the extra money needed to satisfy my desire. Any pilfering on my part would go

unnoticed from the coffee can in the kitchen cabinet used to collect my Dad’s

loose change.After dinner one evening, I was summoned

to the dining room table for a discussion with my parents. Dad believed that

someone in the household was taking coins

from the can and my parents noticed that I periodically came into possession of items

and treats whose value seemingly exceeded my means. Confronted, I

confessed to my crime. I remember their anger and disappointment and we settled

on a fitting punishment. I clearly remember my shame in realizing that I’d let them down. I carried out my penance and

in time, our relationship was restored.I think of the many times that words escape

my mouth, thoughts float around in my head, and actions emanate from my being that are not in keeping with God’s direction

and will for my life. I am ashamed again and realize that I must confess my

transgression. I am so grateful that our God desires a relationship with us and is willing to forgive – over and over again.

Dear Lord,Thank you for being a God of first, second, third and so many extra

chances. I come before you as your child who has messed up yet again – in thought, in word, in deed. I pray for your divine forgiveness. I pray for a

spirit of mindfulness and your Spirit’s

guidance as I seek to be a witness of your love and care. Amen.

Submitted by Jean Reilly

Confess your sin to God and believe that the gift of forgiveness can be yours.

Psalm 103:10-14

We all have that recurring thought, prayer, or maybe more than one regret. Those

haunting feelings from our past, that jump out of our memory to pull us down. I bring them to God, because nobody else would understand. Again, the thoughts pop up,

and I think “God, I know I asked for forgiveness, but I just want to make sure

that you forgive me.”WAIT! What is that scripture? ‘As far as the

east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.’ Psalm

103:12God, Your word tells us that you have

removed our sins from us. But I feel really bad about it, and my thoughts debate the memories. Does God really forgive me? ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ Mark

9:24The song by Mercy Me is playing, “No

matter the bumps, no matter the bruises, no matter the hurts. The cross has made

me flawless.” Ahh, I feel lifted.

Then I contemplate how with God’s help I have changed. I reflect on this scripture ‘…open their eyes, in order to turn them from

darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive

forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in

Me.’ Acts 26:18YES! I have faith in the Lord, and He has

compassion on me. I have hope in the Lord, and He forgives me.

Dear Lord, Thank you for Your gift of forgiveness. I will not let those memories pull me down, because I have you and Your

promises to pick me up. AMEN

‘He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to

our iniquities.For as high as the heavens are above

the earth, so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him.As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions

from us.

Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion

on those who fear Him.For He Himself knows our frame; He is

mindful that we are but dust.’ Psalm 103:10-14

Submitted by Lorrie Haluza

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”

Matthew 6:12

When I pray, I always begin with praise and thankfulness for God’s love and grace

throughout my life. I have been blessed beyond measure, so I have always had a thankful heart for God’s loving goodness.As I grew, I learned that the world is sinful and that “God so loved the world that He

gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have

everlasting life.” (John 3:16”)My mother taught and practiced

forgiveness, so I learned to do likewise. My early definition of sin was violation of the Ten Commandments. This allowed me to

rate my own sin against other sins like murder, robbery, etc. Then I found out that

Jesus expects so much more. “You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) So the goal

is not to be less sinful, it is to strive to imitate God’s perfection. That is a tall

order. “Love God with your whole mind and heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

I know that I am a sinner and always need to confess my sin in thought, word and

deed. I always need forgiveness and ask God for it. This act and the knowledge of

His great love draws me closer to Him, my Lord and Savior.

Lamb of god, you take away the sin of the world. Have mercy on us and grant

us your peace.Amen

Submitted by Phyllis Baker

Forgiveness in the real world….

When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with

the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing Luke 23:33-34.

Have any of you noticed a disconnect between what we claim to believe and our daily reality? Each year on Good Friday we reread the passion of our Lord. The story of the crucifixion is always so difficult to hear and evokes deep and powerful emotions. Jesus’ words of love and compassion as

nails were driven into his hands and feet, entreating God’s forgiveness for those

perpetrating the crime are an awe-inspiring modeling of true forgiveness. It always

moves me deeply. I weep at the inequity of this ancient violence against our beloved Jesus who was sinless, blameless and yet laid bare in so gruesome and torturous a way. I feel a kinship with my Savior that somehow His graciousness and love are mine. I want to be forgiving of the whole

world for all of their potential trespasses against me.

I leave the church in this blessed, introspective state, musing about this life-changing experience as I head for home. Pulling out of the church parking lot onto

the highway, someone barely misses hitting my car, blowing their horn aggressively at

me…I am startled, my anger flares, and my mouth starts going. The entire ride home I relive the moment, focusing on the utter

carelessness of the awful driver and cursing them with my thoughts and sorry to admit a few of my words. I am seething that this nameless person has ruined my perfectly

holy Good Friday! Then those words replay in my head…” Father forgive them for they know not what they do” Nails were piercing his skin, creating utter agony and yet Jesus sought forgiveness for the perpetrators and I lose my mind over a potential automobile

mishap as if the world were ending.As a sense of shame and sorrow washes

over me, I realize how enormous a disconnect there is between who I am and who I am called to be. I offer thanks that

God who knows how enormous that chasm is still calls me, offering me His love and

grace and inviting me to allow Him to

bridge the gap. How do I lift my head in the presence of such love and grace?

Heavenly Father,I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from

this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!(Romans 7:15, 24-25) Amen Submitted by Christy Tompkins

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The

good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10:10b-11a NRSV

As children we are taught to apologize when we do something wrong or make a

mistake and with that apology, we usually expect something in return akin to, “It’s

okay, I forgive you.” This is how we teach our children to practice admitting when

they do something wrong, this is how we let them know that it is okay to make

mistakes, this is how they learn to ask for forgiveness and to give forgiveness in

return. As we get older however, forgiveness gets a bit more complex, and a simple, “It’s okay, I forgive you,” no longer

bodes well with us, it feels “cheap,” and because of this we write off forgiveness and

self-forgiveness all together.

Juliana Breines, Ph.D., in her article “The Healthy Way to Forgive Yourself” writes,

“Self-forgiveness is critical to well-being—but it needs to be balanced with

responsibility-taking, when appropriate.”

Many of us, if not all of us, know what it feels like to carry around the burden of past mistakes and how detrimental that can be

to our physical, emotional and spiritual health. Something in us however keeps us from practicing self-forgiveness, perhaps it’s because we have grown comfortable

with the shame of past mistakes, or because we know if we forgive ourselves for past wrongs, then we will also have to forgive others and we are not ready to tell

ourselves or others that, “It’s okay.”The forgiveness Juliana Breines writes

about however is far from “cheap.” This practice of self-forgiveness requires

reflecting on past mistakes realistically, it requires us to take responsibility for the things that we have done, admitting that

they in fact were not and are not okay, it is through this deep reflection on the past

that we can truly allow ourselves to begin the journey of self-forgiveness.

In John 10:10b, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it

abundantly.” Living in the shame of past mistakes keeps us from experiencing

abundant life and sharing that abundant life with others. Practicing self-forgiveness is one way in which we can work towards experiencing the abundant life for which

Jesus laid down his life. As we reflect on and give thanks for the forgiveness, we have through Jesus Christ this Lenten

season, may it lead us to forgive ourselves and to offer forgiveness to others.

Holy and Eternal God, your grace abounds and yet we are often

unwilling to accept it. Give us the courage to confront our past mistakes,

help us to practice self-forgiveness and then enable us to see ourselves

and others as you see us, as your beloved children. Thank you, God, for

the gift of Jesus Christ and the abundant life he offers us today and

every day. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Submitted by Ashia Stoess