Essential 100

Essential 100

Week Fourteen: The Cross of Christ

[To listen to an audio recording,  click here]

66.    The Last Supper (Luke 22:1-46)

Imagine that you were around the table at this “first communion."

Describe what you might have thought and felt.   

What causes you to “remember Jesus” today?

67.    Arrest and Trial (John 18:1-40)

Explain the motivations and actions of the three key players in this passage—Caiaphas, Pilot and Peter. 

What was their attitude towards Jesus?

Do you believe there is such a thing as “absolute truth”? Why?

68.    The Crucifixion (John 19:1-42)

Why did so many people seem to hate Jesus? Do people still feel that way about Jesus today? Why?

For you, what is the significance of Jesus’ death on the Cross?

69.    The Resurrection (John 20:1—21:25)

For you, what is the most convincing evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Some people say that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the “linchpin” of the Christian faith?

Do you agree? Why?

70.    The Ascension (Acts 1:1-11)

Imagine that you witnessed Jesus’ ascension into heaven.     How would you have felt?

Do you think Jesus will return to earth someday? How does that affect your beliefs and actions today?

Pastor's Meditation for the Week:

A Chalice of Thorns

One of the presenters at the Transforming Culture Symposium in Austin that Pastor Douglas and I attended had a handout that shared works of art that were used in churches in their worship.  One  of them was this Communion chalice. Pastor Douglas and I were overwhelmed by the power of this piece. What an awesome visual picture of this week’s E100 readings. It presents the cup of suffering that the Lord Jesus experienced on our behalf in a tactile physical way. I can imagine what it must be like to share communion from this cup in a worship service.  It brings together the emotion of the Last Supper with the pain of the Cross in an image that says more than words could ever say. How could you serve and be served from this cup without the possibility of being marked emotionally, spiritually, and perhaps physically? I am reminded again how the church through the ages has been given new and unique ways to experience anew our Lord’s last days of His Passion.  May your meditation on the Scriptures this week and perhaps this image draw you ever closer to the Lord Jesus who gave His life for you!

Blessings in Christ, Pastor Jim