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Gift For You

Lenten Devotions for 2005
Jesus in the Garden of
Gethsemane
 Introduction

These forty days otherwise known

of devotion are as a station, is
based on a form accompanied
known as the with a text for
“Stations of the meditation. The
Cross.” In this focus of each
form of devotion, station is Christ's
which is at least Passion for the
1600 years old, universe. Some
each central idea, of the most

famous versions of the stations use texts that are not found in the Bible.

This version uses the Gospel accounts of Jesus's walk to the Cross. Many of

the permanent stations of the Cross, which can be found in meditation
gardens or inside naves, have artwork associated with each station. This
devotion follows that tradition by having some form of art for each of the
forty days. We pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit these forty
devotions will give you a brief glimpse into the mysteries of Christ's Passion

and Death.
 Ash Wednesday,
February 9
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to
his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” Matthew 26:36.

We do not normally associate nicely trimmed trees, the well-

ashes with a garden since we tend mown grass, and the beautiful
to think of flowers. We do not
gardens as a wish to be reminded
place of life and of the death that was
vitality and not a required to achieve
place of death the garden's looks.
and destruction. In order to trim the
trees, wood was
Most of us hold removed. The grass
the Victorian has not been allowed
model of gardens in our minds to grow as it pleases but instead it
when we think of a garden. We has been cut down. The old
expect that all hint of death and flowers along with the weeds have
decay to be hidden from our view been pulled up and tossed away.
when we visit a Victorian style In each of these examples, some
garden. We only want to see the measure of death has come into
the garden in order to make it In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus
pleasant to our senses. went to go and pray about His
future. Throughout His life, we
Today on the start of Lent, we are have seen a man that has a
once again reminded that we are passion for living. He has learned
nothing more than dust and one
day we too will return to dust. All
through our lives, we have been
shaped by our encounters with God
and the world. We are just like
flowers; we only live a short time.
Even the trees one day too will die.
the Law with His entire being. He taught those who would listen
has lived the Law as God intended about how one does God's will.
it by loving God and others. He has

Heavenly Father I need to take time to be

still. I pray for the desire to
slow down and spend some
time with you. Help me to have
a set time that is just ours,
yours and mine together.
Thursday, February 10
He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to
death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” Matthew 26:37-38.
Jesus has a passion for life. We
often forget how much He loved to
live since we only focus on His pain
and suffering during His trial and
death. But the narrator tells us
once again that Jesus loves life
when the narrator
tells us that He
was “grieved and
agitated.”
Today, we really
do not talk about
being grieved
anymore and a
better translation
for us may be the
phrase “became sad.” Jesus is sad
that His life on earth will soon be
over. He has told the disciples that
He will be betrayed. This news has
made the disciples “sad.” And after
Jesus told the disciples that they
would all leave Him, Peter speaks
up and tells Jesus that he will not
leave Jesus. But Jesus tells Peter
that Peter will deny Jesus, not once
but three times. Anyone with any
feeling would “become sad” if their
closest friends left them in difficult
times,
denied
that
they
knew
Him in
front of
others,
and
handed
them
over to be put to death by torture.
The author of Matthew only uses
the Greek word, translated here as
“agitated,” this one time. This
single occurrence of the word
should alert us of the word’s
importance. It is essential for us to
notice that Jesus is “agitated”
about the developments in His life.
His passion for us is changing His
composure.
Another way to say that one is
“agitated” is to say that one is
“troubled.” Not only is Jesus “sad”
about what is happening to Him
but also He is also “troubled.”
These unsettling developments in
Christ’s passion have made Jesus
“sad.”
In times of stress, we often do not
want to be left alone. We want our
near and dear friends to be with us.
All that Jesus wants us to do in
times of trials and tribulations is
stay awake with Him and to
experience His passion for us. He
did not ask any more of the
disciples and He will not ask any
more from us either.

Dear Lord I know there are grieving times to come. Help me to be

a comfort to others, as you have been in my distresses.
 Friday, February 11
And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but
what you want.” Matthew 26:39.

We feel that we are in charge of a sin.

our life and
that we can do We sin because
what we want. we have moved
No one can tell ourselves in front
us to do of God. We do
anything that this action for
we do not want many different
to do. We think reasons but the
that we are our most common
own boss. reason seems to
be that we want
Jesus clearly to hide God from
tells us that we ourselves. We
cannot place feel that our being
ourselves in not only
the center of overshadows God
the universe because this action is but completely obliterates God
from the scene. We hope that if we
cannot see God, then God is not
present. And we bet that if God is
not seen, we can get away with
anything.
We also sin when we crowd God
out of our life because when we try
to move God, we also remove
those people around us from our
view. When we inflate our egos,
we push others away from us, and
we forget that we are to love them
as we love ourselves. We feel that
no one will hold us accountable for
our actions.
Jesus models for us a different
action. Instead of crowding out
God, Jesus let God stay where God
should be: in the center of life.
Jesus offers to God an alternative
view but He does not force His
image onto God. Jesus lets God
decide what to do.
What would the world look like if
we followed the lead of the Master?

My Father in heaven. Life has cups of blessings and woes. Help

me to realize that your plans for me are more supreme than I can
imagine. Bless me with the faith to trust and be guided by you.
 Saturday, February 12
Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter,
“So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and the spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41.

Jesus asks us just to stay awake
and to focus our vision on Him. Will
we be ready when God calls us?
Jesus warns us that we will never
know when we will run into God
because God is always with us. On
Ash Wednesday, we were invited to
work on seeing God through the
practice of: repenting, fasting,
praying, and working for others.
Each of these actions provides us
with new ways to see God.
When we ask God to forgive our
sin, we acknowledge to God that
our actions have not been true to
the way that God envisions the
world. We are not only asking God
to cover up our marks on the world
but we are also asking God to give
us another chance to see Him.
When we fast, we are training our
bodies to spend more time with
God. Instead of eating, we take the
time to encounter God through
prayer, worship, and service.
In our prayers, we are asking God
to change us into God's image of a
human. One that not only serves
God and neighbor, but also one
that walks with God in the cool of
the evening.
In our service for others, we are power. For some of us, it will take
doing the will of God. When we time before we realize that God
give of our time and talents to our was with us. We will be like Jacob
neighbors, we are seeing God's and remember our encounter with
image in them. God. For others of us, we will know
God immediately. We will be like
In addition to these Lenten Moses at the Burning Bush or like
disciplines, we also meet God in the psalmist who sees God in the
worship. Jesus has promised to House of the LORD. And for others
come when we are of us, we will not
gathered in His know that we
Name. God has gave Jesus food
promised to send the and water, gave
Holy Spirit to us in Him clothing,
the Sacrament of and visited Him
Baptism. Jesus is in prison and in
with us when we sickness until we
celebrate His meal. see Him in
Heaven.
The only way that we will know
when we see God is by God’s own

Dear God: It is my desire to be ``awake'' to your teachings. My

desire is hindered by my busy life and daily concerns. May the
Holy Spirit cause my desire to become action.
 Soli Deo Gloria
Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory
is above earth and heaven. Psalms 148:13.
 Ann Wofford -- Prayers

Elaine Lenz -- Crosses

Jody Winston -- Writing and Photos

Prayers
Prayers