Hope Lost

 

Saturday, April 4, 2026
Hope lost, Tomb sealed! Matthew 27:62-66

Use your imagination as you think about Jesus’ friends huddled in a room the day after watching Him die and seeing His body taken down and hastily placed in a tomb. Matthew tells us a little bit about that day.

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

The religious leaders knew what Jesus had promised. Though they did not believe they were concerned enough to want a guard in place. But, the discouraged followers of Jesus were not so brave. Their Jesus was dead. Their hopes were dashed. All the wonderful miracles and amazing teaching was forgotten in their grief. What would they do now?

We know the WHOLE story and quickly skip over that ‘hopeless’ Saturday as we aim at Resurrection Sunday! They were not able to stretch faith enough to believe that a crucified Man could or would live again.

Friend, days like that will come. Your expectations will be crushed. Your prayers will seem to bounce off of the ceiling. Your heart will break and your faith will be tested. In those moments, we do well to look past the ‘obvious circumstances’ and to the Word of God. Yes, it is important to clarify our understanding of God’s Word and promise. Many silly things have been done in the Name of God by people who had the best of intentions and the poorest of Biblical understanding.

God’s promises are ‘yes and amen.’  
He promises us life eternal and we can face death with hope.
He promises that He will never leave us, never forsake us, and we can endure dark days.
He promises that He is always ‘at work’ on behalf of those who love Him to accomplish
               His purposes, so we can step out in faith.

If you are struggling with a situation that seems to defy the promise of God, soak yourself in the 73^rd Psalm. The writer struggles with faith, tested, and disappointed until he renewed his worship, humbly. Renewed faith leads him to this declaration.
“My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.
 Those who are far from you will perish;
    you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
    I will tell of all your deeds.”

Is a dark time? Hold onto Jesus. Cry. Tears are a language He understands. Do not abandon the fellowship of Christians. Faith will come again.

As the old saying goes  - “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin!”

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For reflection -
Am I authentic about my disappointments?
Do I continue to build strong relationships with other Christians that will strengthen my faith?
Is prayer a first priority even if the only thing I do is cry?

 

It's a Promise Unequaled!

 

Good Friday, April 3, 2026
Celebrate the Covenant- again and again! Mark 14:17-24

Christians through time have celebrated the sacrifice of Jesus with Bread and Cup, speaking to us of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus. On the night before He died, the Lord Jesus observed the Jewish Passover that marked the deliverance of the Jewish people from the judgment that fell on Egypt when the first-born of every household perished. He made it a moment for disciples through time. We read-  
When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. … 22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

At FDC, we close almost every Sunday worship gathering with the Lord’s Table, remembering the wonder of God’s gift to us. It is not just a ritual tacked onto the end of the service that we hurry through. It is a holy moment and has been part of Christian worship for 2 millennia.

The bread that we eat holds so much richness for us. Jesus spoke of Himself as the “Bread of Life.”  He promised that as we come to Him in faith and give our lives to His care, we will find the kind of deep satisfaction that a hungry person feels after a good meal. Bread comes from seeds that are ground and broken to provide sustenance. Jesus became our Bread only after allowing Himself to be broken. And, we learn that from His brokenness emerges our wholeness. Yes, when you take that bit of bread, remember the true Bread given in Him, and be fed not in your physical body but in your spirit!

As we take the Cup it is a wonder-filled moment of worship. Jesus spoke of the covenant written in love because of His spilled blood. The ancient practice before God was that sin demanded sacrifice. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” In the First Covenant, the blood of a lamb was shed to cover the sin of the people.

Christ Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  (John 1) Though we are sinners by nature, our guilt is removed, washed away by Christ who died in our place. He wrote a New Covenant, an agreement with God and humanity at the Cross. The result is that “we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus … (so) let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.” 

What a mystery that we are now at peace with a Holy God, not because we are good enough, not because we have made some great sacrifice, but because Christ has provided for us what we could never earn for ourselves. We need not live in shame, guilt, or fear because “the One who knows us best, loves us most.”

So next time we take that little cup with bread and juice, let’s truly worship giving thanks for the Bread of Life and the blood-sworn Covenant of which the Cup speaks.

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For reflection –
Have I received God’s grace gift for myself or am I still attempting to gain His favor?
When I worship in the time of Holy Communion, do I prepare my mind and heart for the Spirit’s work?
How can I give proper thanks to God for His great and precious promise?

 

If you would like to share your thoughts or prayer needs with me you may do by emailing me – JerScott55@gmail.com

For a video of this devotion go to https://www.youtube.com/@FaithDiscoveryChurch

 

Sleepy Saints

Thursday, April 2, 2026
Sleepy Saints  -Mark 14: 34-40

Since growing a bit older (seasoned, as our pastor would say) I find a warm, sunny spot in the afternoon in my house or while I’m driving to be an invitation to a nap! Being retired allows me the luxury of drowsy rest for about 20 to 30 minutes many days around 4 pm. Napping, for an old guy, is quite all right.

Spiritually, we cannot afford the luxury of becoming sleepy saints, though the temptation is often there. When life is going well, when we are getting along with our spouse and/or kids, when there is enough money, when our health is good – we may be tempted to let our prayers slip, to get casual about our worship commitments, to step back from active service.

After the Last Supper, Mark tells us about the failure in the disciple’s life brought on by their sleepiness. They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Peter urges us to remain awake and aware. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”  (1 Peter 5) Our vigilance is not fear-based nor should we allow ourselves to become filled with anxiety. Secure in God’s hand and sealed by the Holy Spirit will live in the confidence that God can care for us in every way.

The greater issue for the Christian is not external, but from within us. We can just become complacent, a sleepy saint. This warning tells us -“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”  (Hebrews 2)

Are you drowsy, lacking a faith that is alive and engaged? Take the challenge of the Revelation. “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”  (Revelation 3)
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For reflection –
Am I engaged actively in spiritual growth?
Is there any part of my Christian experience where I am currently adrift/aimless?
To what discipline should I commit myself to “stay alert” and awake spiritually?
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If you would like to share your thoughts or prayer needs with me you may do by emailing me – JerScott55@gmail.com

For a video of this devotion go to https://www.youtube.com/@FaithDiscoveryChurch