Is it really possible that in just a few short days we will be celebrating the start of Holy Week? Knowing that this Sunday we celebrate Palm Sunday brings a cornucopia of feelings. Can you imagine being present on that road coming down from the Mount of Olives? So many people worshiping Jesus! Declaring that He is the Son of God! And, to know that the Pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke His disciples and Jesus answered, "'I tell you, he replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.'" WOW! Just WOW! How amazing is our God?!
We pray and hope that during this next week you will take the time to think and meditate on what happened to Jesus every day of the week so many years ago. We encourage you to take this week to praise and worship the Lord for all He has done and for His incomparable mercy He has shown us.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Mark 15:38 [NIV]
THE VIA CRUSIS
There is a common expression you hear a lot in the Christian world – “The Via Crusis” [the way of the cross] – during the time leading up to Holy Week. In Spanish we call it, the painful way or path. It is found in Mark 15:17-38:
They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The last verse, verse 38, is meaningful because since the curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, we now have free access to the Father. This means we can come to him any time we want and come to him in repentance for our sins. May The Via Crusis and the celebration of Easter, allow you to meditate on what Jesus did for us.
HUNDER, LIGHTNING, AND HAIL
We have 3 churches in Coban which is in the northern Guatemala. Our staff prays daily for these churches, and we stay in constant communication with them. The three pastors and a few of their church members attend our virtual Bible Institute every Monday.
A couple of weeks ago the village of Chibarron (Coban) experienced a big storm. They saw hail that was almost as big as golf balls! Pastor Aroldo and 5 other church families [pictured above] had their tin roofs perforated by the hail [pictured below]! We praise God that no one was hurt and they were able to find refuge, however, their houses are now susceptible to the weather as their roofs are filled with holes.
We would love to help the pastor and his congregation with new tin for their roofs to feel safe and protected in their homes. The cost to provide all that is needed for these families is US$8,000. If you would like to help with these repairs, please make donations to Impacto Ministry, Inc.’s “COMPASSION MINISTRIES – Coban Roofs.” Please click the DONATE NOW to see how to make your donation. Thank you.
