It’s Friday…but Sunday’s Coming! 

View…with reverence Pastor S. M. Lockridge’s famous sermon It’s Friday…but Sunday’s Coming! This awe-inspiring video combines the words of the sermon with footage from The Passion of the Christ.

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How does this powerful reminder encourage you to worship Christ even when the hour seems darkest?

Five to Live By: Easter Edition

Linking you to the top 5 Christian blog posts of the week—posts that provide robust, rich, and relevant insights for living. Today’s Five to Live By highlight Holy Week, Good Friday, and Easter.

President Obama on Easter

Ed Stetzer quotes from and provides a video highlight of President Obama’s remarks about Holy Week at the National Prayer Breakfast. They include: “But then comes Holy Week. The triumph of Palm Sunday. The humility of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. His slow march up that hill, and the pain and the scorn and the shame of the cross. And we’re reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world—past, present and future—and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection.” Read and view more at President Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast.

Holy Week Timeline

Stephen Smith at Bible Gateway has created a fascinating Holy Week Timeline Visualization. 

Evidence for the Resurrection

Justin Taylor posts two videos of Dr. William Lane Craig’s presentation Is There Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus?

Jesus’ Resurrection and Yours

Pastor Steve DeWitt makes a great biblical case for the fact that after the resurrection you will still be you. Read about 15 characteristics of Christ’s resurrection body and yours in Resurrection Characteristics.

The Cross and Christ’s Love

Over at Desiring God, Michael Johnson offers an extended series of quotes from J. I. Packer in Packer, the Cross, and Christ’s Love.

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Which post impacted you the most? Why? What blog posts have you enjoyed this week that you want to share with others?

Good Friday: The Wonderful Cross 

Chris Tomlin’s The Wonderful Cross calls us to die to self as Christ died for us.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride 

See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown 

O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless Your name 

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all 

O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless Your name

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What is most wonderful about the cross for you? What is most amazing about grace for you?

Holy Week Timeline 

Stephen Smith at Bible Gateway has put together a fascinating Holy Week Timeline Visualization. As he describes it:

“Here’s a new visualization we created that harmonizes the four Gospel accounts of Holy Week and lets you examine the ‘who,’ ‘what,’ and ‘where’ of events leading up to and through Easter.

Follow the lines in the chart to see at a glance what people were doing, where they were, and whom they were with at any point during the week. The horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows space. Proximity of the lines shows who interacted with whom. Constructed from a harmony of the Gospels, this chart is an interpretation; the timing of some events in the Holy Week narrative is open to debate.”

Click on the chart/image below to enlarge.

Bible Gateway is releasing the visualization under a Creative Commons license, which means that you should feel free to print copies (they recommend printing the PDF) and share them with people at your church.

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As you reflect on Holy Week, which person in the narrative are you most like in terms of your response to Jesus?

Palm Sunday: “Hosanna—Save Now” 

Parallel Scripture References

• Matthew 21:1-11  

• Mark 11:1-11

• Luke 19:28-40

• John 12:12-19

• Revelation 19:11

Central Scripture Verse: Matthew 21:5      

“Say to the Daughter of Zion,

‘See, your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

Matthew 21:1-11

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion,

‘See, your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

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For meditation: Meditate on and compare/contrast Matthew 21:5 with Revelation 19:11.

Good Friday: The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross

One of the most powerful practices we can participate in during Good Friday is reflecting on the Seven Last Words of Christ on the cross.

I’ve arranged them below chronologically, as Jesus spoke them.

We can allow each word, each sentence, spoken by our Savior to pierce our hearts with awareness of our sin and of God’s great forgiving grace. “Where sin abounds, grace superabounds” (Romans 5:20).

The First Words

“Then said Jesus, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ And they parted his raiment, and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).

The Second Words

“And Jesus said unto him, ‘I say unto thee, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:43).

The Third Words

“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, ‘Woman, behold thy son!’” (John 19:26).

The Fourth Words

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which is, being interpreted, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:34).

The Fifth Words

‘After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, ‘I thirst’” (John 19:28).

The Sixth Words

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, ‘It is finished’”: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).

The Seventh Words

“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit’: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost” (Luke 23:46).

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How are the Seven Last Words of Christ, spoken nearly 2,000 years ago, impacting you today?