EASTER PREPARATION ISRAEL LENT 2019 (Day trip to Jerusalem, following Jesus’ route from the Last Supper Room, the Cenacle, to Calvary in the Holy Sepulchre, with the Volunteers from Magdala, led by Fabio, Tour Leader) Cenacle In this place Lord Jesus, I see You. I am sitting at the table, sharing the bread and wine. Your eyes are love; rays of glory cover us all, lighting our way; saturating us in truth. We eat Your flesh; we drink Your blood – gifts of bread and wine; life from Life; love from Love; light from Light. Today in the Cenacle, the Upper Room, powerful tourist voices resonate - they disturb the peace, for they bring the world in. And yet, animated, inadvertently, they preach You - for they are here because of You… In ignorance and denial or love and hope? You know - You know their hearts. All people are gathering, to search for their Creator – for YOU! And You read all hearts, perfectly, with mercy and love. Thank You! Bless You! Praise You! Gethsemane Olive trees are broken and some massive trunks lay withering or dead on stony earth. Gethsemane basks in the sun of Your love and passion - broken are we; fragile and vulnerable! A soft breeze blows. The storms of life break us; the thirst for living water fills our searching hearts. Oh, Jesus – pour over us Your precious blood - for the blood which fell on stony ground is still here for us. Drench us and restore us; cleanse us and anoint us and heal us, with the oil of gladness. Oh, God, we pray. Caiaphas’ House We are here at the site of Caiaphas’ home, the man who passed judgement on You! Here, too, the unholy cock crew. And Peter heard Your voice in his heart. Death to truth; blind to reason, we distributed a lie and sentenced our King. But Holy Truth cannot die. We sit now with You in the underground pit of imprisonment - Oh, Innocent One, Who committed no lie! Your body, already torn and lacerated, bled on lonely earth. Oh blessed earth, on which You stood, and fell! Today, darkness tries to overwhelm us; but Your Light is greater still! You were alone in the blackness, chained, like a criminal - an enemy of the world, because You proclaimed love, not hate. Your heart offered mercy – and that mercy is still open to us! Jesus – You knew the pain of our sin and denial and yet, still, You offer us forgiveness and love. Oh Blessed One, bless us now - for surely, we are still in the ‘Year of the Lord’s favour’? (Luke 4; Isaiah 61) Pilate’s Palace – the Praetorium - now on the Via Dolorosa, Old City, Jerusalem The man with power ‘given from above’, tried to free You (John 19:11) but how weak is false strength against the enemy of Christ! By the Chapel of Flagellation, You were scourged. Already Your skin and flesh were split and torn; precious bone, exposed, having been dragged from Gethsemane to Caiaphas’s home. How we allow the Serpent to twist the truth and spill his venom on our Pride, Fear and Ego! Today, we continue to pierce You, twisting thorns into Your wounded head. And yet You wait for us, allowing free will to reign – will we choose life...or death?! Your pierced hands and pierced feet, try to pierce our frozen hearts. Oh, cold hearts of men, open the door and invite in the King - the Ancient of Days, Who existed before ever the world was formed (John 8). We pray: Son of Man, rain down Your healing blood and quench our thirsting spirits. Split our ice-like pride to pieces, like an earthquake; a hurricane; a tempest! Destroy the harm we’ve done – make all things new (Isaiah 43 & Revelation 21). Give us ‘centurion faith’ (Matthew 8) to recognise You and, so, be saved by Love. Split our hearts of stone in the thunderstorm of our lives; so when our earthly dust has settled, You will raise us up, Heaven-bound, in You! Thank You. Thank You. Thank You – for Your unbearable suffering, offered for us. Written in the Holy Sepulchre, Calvary 27.3. 2019 Julie Hughes © 2019