Daily Lenten Offering

Jesus said “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was there. They put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

—John 19:28-30

Sometimes It Just Seems To Be Too Much

by Ted Loder


Sometimes, Lord,

it just seems to be too much:

too much violence, too much fear;

too much of demands and problems;

too much of broken dreams and broken lives;

too much of war and slums and dying;

too much of greed and squishy fatness

and the sounds of people

devouring each other

and the earth;

too much of stale routines and quarrels,

unpaid bills and dead ends;

too much of words lobbed in to explode

and leaving shredded hearts and lacerated souls;

too much of turned-away backs and yellow silence,

red rage and the bitter taste of ashes in my mouth.


Sometimes the very air seems scorched

by threats and rejection and decay

until there is nothing

but to inhale pain

and exhale confusion.

Too much of darkness, Lord,

too much of cruelty

and selfishness

and indifference…


Too much, Lord,

too much,

too bloody,

bruising

brain-washing much.


Or is it too little,

too little of compassion,

too little of courage,

of daring,

of persistence

of sacrifice;

too little of music

and laughter

and celebration?


O God,

make of me some nourishment

for these starved times,

some food for my siblings

who are hungry for gladness and hope,

that, being bread for them,

I may also be fed

and full.


Guerillas of Grace, 66-67.

Seven Stations of JesusDeath

Join us at 12:00pm in the Sanctuary to pray and read the scriptures of Jesus’ last day. Can’t make it in person? Settle into your sacred space and pray these seven stations at home on YouTube.

A Message for All Ages


The next three eggs in our exploration of Holy Week! Find out what three elements of the story we find. How might they help us remember and celebrate Jesus' final week of ministry on earth?

If you have a Spark Story Bible follow along on page 476.

Palm Sunday's Message for All Ages when we opened the first three eggs!


And yesterday's Message when we opened three more eggs on Maundy Thursday.