2013 Lenten Readings

image ::  A Friendly Call, William Merritt Chase (American, 1895)

sound  :: Where the Road Meets the Sun, Katie Herzig, with Matthew Perryman Jones (2009)

I crafted these simple Lenten Readings for my local church, but this year’s response to the blog has been truly overwhelming.  You are one of over 20,000 individuals from countries all over the world  have enjoyed the posts, and your many messages to me have been deeply encouraging.

So many of you took time to acknowledge how the Lord challenged and spurred you on through the daily reading of the Scripture, as well as the other aspects of the posts.  I wish I could respond t you all individually.   Please know that I am so encouraged by you, and I am very glad that the Lord has blessed you.  God is good.

Thank you for joining  in these last 40+ days.  Trust in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Lord is risen, indeed.

Kevin Greene

Richmond, VA

United States

To view this reading in its proper format with audio, go to lentreading.wordpress.com

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 15:50-57 

image  :: Sunrise with a Boat between Headlands, William Turner (English,1840)

Let no one fear death,

for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh….

Hell took a Body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?

John Chrysostom, 4^th century

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And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Mark 15:42-47

image  :: By the Deathbed, Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1893)

Batter my heart, three-personed God, for You
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o’er throw me; and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

John Donne, 17^th century

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And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Mark 15:33-39

image  ::  The Crucifixion (Sketch), Thomas Eakins (American, 1880)

And couldst Thou be delighted
With creatures such as we,
Who, when we saw Thee, slighted
And nail’d Thee to a tree?
Unfathomable wonder,
And mystery divine!
The Voice that speaks in thunder,
Says, “Sinner, I am thine!

John Newton, 18^th century

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And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Mark 14:17-25

image  :: Temple Garden, Paul Klee (Swiss, 1920)

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

Edward Shillito, 20^th century

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Man who is born of a woman
    is few of days and full of trouble.
He comes out like a flower and withers;
    he flees like a shadow and continues not.
And do you open your eyes on such a one
    and bring me into judgment with you?
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
    There is not one.
Since his days are determined,
    and the number of his months is with you,
    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
look away from him and leave him alone,
    that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.

For there is hope for a tree,
    if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
    and that its shoots will not cease.
Though its root grow old in the earth,
    and its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put out branches like a young plant.
But a man dies and is laid low;
    man breathes his last, and where is he?
As waters fail from a lake
    and a river wastes away and dries up,
so a man lies down and rises not again;
    till the heavens are no more he will not awake
    or be roused out of his sleep.
Oh that you would hide me in Sheol,
    that you would conceal me until your wrath be past,
    that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
If a man dies, shall he live again?
    All the days of my service I would wait,
    till my renewal should come.

Job 14:1-14 

image  :: Adrift, Andrew Wyeth (American, 1982)

Of what unmeasurable love
Art Thou possest, who, when Thou couldst not die,
Wert fain to take our flesh and curse,
And for our sakes in Person sinne reprove ;
That by destroying that which ty’d Thy purse,
Thou mightst make way for liberalitie!

George Herbert, 17^th century

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 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

Mark 13:24-31

image  :: Cloud #27, Ambera Wellmann (Nova Scotia, 2010)

O my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You, where and how to find You.

You are my God and You are my all and I have never seen You. 

You have made me and remade me….

Let me seek You in my desire, let me desire You in my seeking.

Let me find You by loving You, let me love You when I find You.

Anselm of Canterbury, 11^th century

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And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

Mark 11:15-17

image  ::  Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple, Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1626)

Holy Spirit, powerful Consoler,
sacred Bond of the Father and the Son,
Hope of the afflicted,
descend into my heart
and establish in it Your loving dominion.
Enkindle in my tepid soul the fire of Your Love.

Augustine of Hippo, 4^th century

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As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

Luke 19:37-42

image  ::  Peace, William Turner (British, c.1842)

Lord God: You are Three and You are One,
You are Goodness, all Goodness,
You are the highest Good, Lord God, living and true.

You are Love and Charity, You are Wisdom,
You are Humility, You are Patience,
You are Beauty, You are Sweetness,
You are Safety, You are Rest, You are Joy,
You are our Hope and our Delight,
You are Justice, You are Moderation
You are all our Wealth and Riches overflowing.

You are Perfect, You are Gentleness,
You are our Shelter, our Guard and our Defender,
You are Strength, You are Refreshment,
You are our Future You are our Faith. You are our Love,
You are our complete Consolation,
You are our Life everlasting, great and wonderful Lord,
all powerful God, merciful Savior! Amen.

Francis  of Assisi, 13^th century

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 O Lord, you have deceived me,
    and I was deceived;
you are stronger than I,
    and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
    everyone mocks me.
For whenever I speak, I cry out,
    I shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
    a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, “I will not mention him,
    or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
    shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
    and I cannot.
For I hear many whispering.
    Terror is on every side!
“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
    say all my close friends,
    watching for my fall.
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
    then we can overcome him
    and take our revenge on him.”
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
    therefore my persecutors will stumble;
    they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
    for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
    will never be forgotten.
O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous,
    who sees the heart and the mind,
let me see your vengeance upon them,
    for to you have I committed my cause.

Sing to the Lord;
    praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
    from the hand of evildoers.

Jeremiah 20:7-13

image  ::  Varoom, Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1963)

By Your first coming,

make us righteous;

At Your second coming,

set us free.

Anonymous, 10^th century