Clay in the Hands

This morning I woke up wanting to hear some Josh Garrels.  Does that ever happen to you?  So on my way to the office, I put in my earbuds and clicked on my music app.

The first song I played was from his Love & War & The Sea Between album.  Farther Along was the song I chose.  As I listened I had to ask myself if I am farther along in my walk with Christ than I was at this time last year.

You see, our relationship with Jesus is a journey – a process.  That is why the New Testament occasionally referred to believers as followers of The Way.

Being transformed to the image of Christ does not happen over night.  It is a process – a progression.  Along the journey of life and the following in The Way we will experience turns and ups and downs.  But our desire should always be to push forward, to always be progressing.

So my question for you today is this:  Are you farther along in your journey today than this time last year?

If so, why?

If not, why not?

I would love to hear your story.

We have arrived at that fateful day.  The darkest day in human history.  The day we killed Jesus.

By this point in the week, the tension was beginning to mount.  Followers were falling away.  What had seemed like a good idea when Jesus rode the colt into the city – the praising and celebration – began to look more like a mistake.

If this man was going to overthrow Rome, then why is he turning the religious leaders against him?  Didn’t he know that he would need this group to lead the new Israel?

Confusion.  Frustration.  Tension.

In the midst of the swirling emotions, Jesus pulled his disciples together for one final Passover meal.  With full knowledge of what would happen in just a few short hours, he took a basin and towel and gave the disciples one of the most powerful lessons of his ministry.  He explained that he would not be with them much longer but they must carry on by serving and and loving one another.

Can you sense the anxiousness in the hearts of the disciples.  They knew something was about to happen.  But what could it be?

After that supper, the group headed into the garden to pray.  Some stayed with him longer than others, but one by one they all dropped out.  By the end of the night, even Jesus’ most vigilant follower would turn and run.

Will you stay with him?  Will you walk with him to the cross?

Jesus was in and out of the city that week.  He spent some time in the Temple courts observing, teaching and calling the leaders to account.

One of the most vivid stories from this week is the story of Jesus running the money changers out of the Temple courts.  The Jewish religious system had become a business in many ways.  People didn’t have to come to the Temple with sacrifice in hand any more.  Now, they could simply walk into the outer Temple court and step up to a sacrifice “vending machine” and select the sacrifice that fit their need for forgiveness – and, for a surcharge, viola, they could have their sacrifice to carry to the priest.

This sacrificial system had become big business.  So Jesus called the religious leaders onto the finely woven Persian rug.  He got their attention by turning over the tables and running the people out of the Temple.

All of the sudden, the people who shouted “Hosanna” a few days before became very confused.  Was this the same man who was supposed to come to town to rally the people to overthrow Rome?  Why is he jumping all over the religious leaders?  Doesn’t he know that this is how we do things?  His focus should be on the Roman soldiers and Caesar, not the priests and Pharisees!

Things began to turn.

And all along . . . Jesus saw the cross coming ever so quickly.

Stay with him a few more days.  Walk with him along the path to the cross.