Maundy Thursday

"Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
Psalm 55:22

I read those words a couple weeks ago, and just thought, thank you, Jesus for your sustenance. Thank you Jesus for your placation. Thank you Jesus for your undisturbed peace and calmness. Last night at Maundy Thursday service these words were sang by the choir.

A lasting gift Jesus gave His own.
To share His bread, His loving cup.
Whatever burdens may bow us down,
He by His cross shall lift us up.

As the year continues, I hope and pray that my response to God will look like Psalm 71:14, "But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more." God gave us Jesus to give us hope, now we need to grasp that hope for ourselves. It's not just a cute little statement or idea.

I strive to be like the psalmist in Psalm 73:28, "But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works."

What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the heavy cross for my soul for my soul
To bear the heavy cross for my soul!

When was the last time you heard someone describe God as blissful? According to the dictionary blissful means extremely happy, ecstatic, ecstatic of salvation. He lifts us up, by His cross. This seems like a huge oxymoron, but we know it's not.

One of the last hymns sang at Maundy Thursday service used the following words, "Heavy with weeping may the three days pass, To win the laughter of thine Easter day." Do you think of Easter as something you won, a holiday filled with joy and laughter? If not, maybe we need to rethink Easter and what it really means to each of us individually and to the world.

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. " Psalm 73:26