Lake Deaton at Home

Read Today’s Passage – Mark 14

When we were in the Holy Land a few years ago, we saw many neat things; in fact, we saw awesome things from almost sun up to sundown.  It was a whirlwind of a trip and so much fun.  The trip ended in Jerusalem, and I have to tell you that we were a little on the sleepy side by the time we got there.  On the day we were going to see the Garden of Gethsemane, we were exhausted, so tired that almost the whole bus had a hard time staying awake.  As the bus driver drove us to our destination and our tour guide talked to us about Jesus in the garden. We all started to drift off to sleep one by one.  The tour guide would then wake us up and give us a hard time, and we would try to stay awake, but quickly, we would doze back off.  When we finally got off the bus at the garden, we all talked about how if we couldn’t stay awake and all we had been doing was taking a tour of the Holy Land, how much harder it must have been for the disciples.  They were experiencing so much in those final days, so much in that final eventing. They truly experienced a movement from peace to chaos.  

As we walked through the garden, we saw many olive trees and considered Jesus praying in the garden.  Then we came to one place where rocks were spelling out the word peace.  Without Jesus, there is no peace, but with Jesus, we have peace.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus comforts his disciples at the Last Supper with words about peace; he says… “I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid.”  The next few days would be trouble and fear for the disciples, but soon, that would all be in the past.    

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you ever had a hard time keeping the peace of Jesus in your life?  
2. Have you ever found it easier to “fall asleep” than to pay attention to what is happening around you with your faith?  

So What Activity: Plan now to attend Good Friday services at noon on Friday and one of our Easter Services. Peace will fade for a moment on Good Friday, but soon it will all be in the past.  

Blessings,