Prayer

Praise God for Holy Week The Joy of Jesus

Lord we pray that the Holy Spirit will move all soul to the grace, love and joy of Jesus. Bless all of our followers in the name of Jesus we pray.

Visit our New Global Center for Peace Int.

The Joy of Jesus Church Rev. Dr. James A. Lee is pleased to announce the grand opening of our new Global Center for Peace & Non-Violence is help end violence globally http://thejoyofjesuschurchonline.blogspot.com/

It is our mission to promote peace in new and different ways. The news has been so over-run with stories of hate and violence. We need more information that promotes peace and human understanding. This so vital to our societal educational development.

The Joy of Jesus has many worth-while centers for social-economic development,i.e.: Centers for Jobs, Green Technology,Education, Business, Health-Services and Parenting as well.

Do give to The Joy of Jesus Church today. We also offer our Center for Research on World Poverty to help fight against starvation and ignorance. We need all the support we can get. We offer our free toolbar and sponsor program that raises money without cost to the participant. You mat also donate as little as one dollar to make a real difference. We hope you will join us to promote peace and proprietary to all. http://thejoyofjesuschurchonline.blogspot.com/

The 7 Last Words of Christ The Joy of Jesus

The last words of Christ.

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

Soldiers have just driven nails through his hands and feet and hoisted him up by those nails. He does not fear those who kill his body; he pities them and prays for them. If they knew how much this hurts, they could not do it to anyone. They are unwitting instruments of the higher purpose that brings him here.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)

But physical torment takes its toll. He suddenly discovers that he cannot hear the still, small voice; he has lost his two-way communication with God. His lifeline is not working, so he must face the the narrow gate of death alone.

He said to his mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" (John 19:26-27)

Not quite alone. He looks down. Which hurts worse: the pain of being crucified, or the pain of a mother watching her son be crucified, or the pain of a boy whose beloved teacher hangs bleeding before his eyes? He understands their pain in the midst of his own, and tells them to care for each other.

"I thirst!" (John 19:28)

Time passes slowly. His spring of living water runs dry. He reaches the end of his strength. This is the moment the Tempter has been waiting for: through the voices of cynical men, Satan tries again, as he did in the wilderness: "If you are the Christ, prove it! Save yourself and impress the people."

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)

But a dying thief says, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." What the cynical voices suggest is not the way to prove he is the Christ. His kingdom is not of this world. He ignores them and reassures the thief.

"It is finished!" (John 19:30)

He has defeated the Tempter again. Despite the agony, he has rejected temptation and cared for those around him. His temporary duty on earth is complete. He has shown the way God wants us to live. He has demonstrated the fact that faith and hope and love cannot be destroyed by anything men can say or do.

"Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)

Like a trusting child, he turns to the Father and takes the next step. He has bound himself by love, to both God and the human race. Soon he will begin his long-term ministry by demonstrating the fact that human beings survive physical death. Then he will continue to draw to himself, and thus to heaven, everyone he can ... for as long as it takes ... until whosoever will has come.

A Time for Prayer, Rev. Dr. James A. Lee

Dear God, we praise Thee for The Joy of Jesus Your Son and The Holy Spirit.
We Praise Thee for this Holy week. Jesus took the road of the cross for the sins of the world.

We humble ourselves for all sin by Your Grace and Love. We forgive all and pray for all in the blood of Christ Jesus.

Lord we thank you for all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.

Lord we give You all the power, honor and Glory, in Jesus Name.....

Holy Week for The Joy of Jesus

Please review the following infomation on Holy Week. We priase God for all spirutal blessings this week. The Rev. Dr. James A. Lee is praying for you and your family.

The History and Meaning of our Holy Week Observances

By Dr. Richard Bucher

What is this thing we call Holy Week and the special days within it? What is the history of the annual celebrations that happen in this leading to Easter? In other words, though we know that the events that we remember during Holy Week really happened to Jesus (e.g., the procession into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, His death on the cross, His resurrection), when did Christians begin to annually observe them as we do? And, what is the significance of our observances today? This article attempts to offer a brief introduction.

Holy Week

As we now practice it, Holy Week is the last week of the 40 day season of Lent and the week preceding Easter. In Holy Week we focus on the last week of Christ's life, remembering especially His passion and resurrection. Though calling this week "Holy Week" is more of a recent innovation, the annual observance of the festivals within it are of ancient origin.

Palm/Passion Sunday

Palm Sunday is the commemoration of our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem five days before His crucifixion. Scripture records this incident in Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1- 11, Luke 19:29-44, and John 12:12-19. This day takes it's name from the fact that as Jesus approached Jerusalem on a donkey (in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9), the huge crowd that followed carried palm branches as they praised Him. The people hailed Him as the long awaited "Son of David," that is, the Messiah.

Though not annually observed at first, by 600-1000 a.d. Palm Sunday was being given full treatment, especially by Christians aligned with Rome.1 This treatment was part of a growing emphasis at the time to imitate as closely as possible the last days of Christ's life.

Palm Sunday has a dual focus today. Our service begins with a joyful procession with palms to remember our Lord's jubilant entry into Jerusalem. The hymns, prayers, and lectionary Scripture readings also reflect this joy. A second focus on Palm Sunday is our Lord's Passion. When this second focus is observed, the entire passion story (Matthew, Mark, or Luke) is read (in place of the sermon).

Originally, however, Passion Sunday was held two weeks before Easter (since the ninth century) and it began the two week period known as "Passiontide" in which special stress was placed on Christ's suffering and crucifixion. Actually, the two week Passiontide is older than Lent, having been observed since the third century. 2

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday and Green Thursday) remembers the events in the upper room the night before Jesus died. These upper room events are described in Matthew 26:20-30, Mark 14:17-26, Luke 22:14-35, and John 13 - 17. Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus on the institution of the Lord's Supper and the eating of the Passover meal. John focuses on the words of Jesus and His washing of the disciples feet.

The name "maundy" comes from the words of Jesus, "Mandatum novum" ("a new commandment," John 13:34). From the Fourth Century on, Maundy Thursday, was viewed as the last day of the Lenten fast and also as the day of reconciliation (i.e., when those excommunicated could repent and be reconciled to the Church).3

Since it was on this night that Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, that sacred meal has often been the chief emphasis of Maundy Thursday. The Lord's Supper is celebrated and often its meaning is rehearsed. At the end of the service, the altar is stripped, in preparation for Good Friday. This symbolizes Christ's being stripped by the Roman soldiers prior to His crucifixion. Psalm 22, a Messianic psalm which clearly prophesies the Messiah's death, is read while the altar is stripped.

From ancient times the Church in various places has also observed a ceremony of footwashing, in memory of our Lord washing his disciples feet on this night (see John 13). This liturgy of footwashing came to be called
mandatum
.

The Pascha -- Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter

As we would expect, Christ's crucifixion and resurrection have been annually observed from the earliest times. Christ's crucifixion and resurrection are described in detail in Matthew 27-28, Mark 15-16, Luke 23-24, and John 19-21. However, Christ's crucifixion and resurrection were not celebrated exactly as we do now. With texts such as John 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 in mind the first Christians celebrated Christ's crucifixion and resurrection in one festival, called the Pascha (Greek for "Passover").


The earliest evidence we possess points to the Pascha as the first of the annual Christian festivals. In fact, in the Second Century a. d. a church-wide split of staggering proportions almost occurred over the correct dating and meaning of the Pascha. The Christians in Asia Minor, citing the practice of the apostle John, bishop Polycarp and others, claimed that the Christian Pascha should be observed on the 14/15 of Nissan (the seventh day of the week), just as the Old Testament commanded (cf. Exodus 12). The rest of Christendom, including the bishop of Rome, Irenaeus, and the bishop of Jerusalem, held that the Pascha should culminate on the Sunday (since it was the day Jesus rose) after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. In the end the majority view won out.4 In recent years there has been a return in some quarters to a celebration of the Pascha, one festival celebrated over three days: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.

What about the Easter Vigil? Already in the Third Century a. d., Christians practiced a strict fast which ended after sundown on Saturday evening before Easter. After 313, the Vigil was the time for catechumens to be baptized. As such it also ushered in Christ's resurrection following Paul's linking of baptism with Christ's resurrection (cf. Romans 6:1-5). The theme of light conquering darkness is also prominent.5

Easter, the celebration of Christ's resurrection, is the queen of the Christian holy days. The word "easter" and the German "Ostern" come from common source, referring to the direction from which the sun rises. In other words, the word referred to the celebration of the spring sun, when all things returned to life. This symbolism was transferred to the resurrection of Christ who brings us new life. There is no evidence that the word "easter" was the name of a Anglo-Saxon goddess "Eostre." This is based on a passage in the writings of the Christian author, Bede, who in the eighth century erroneously ascribed the word to the goddess. To this day, no research has been able to find any mention of Eostre in Germanic mythology.6

As mentioned above, the earliest word for the annual celebration of Christ's resurrection was probably Pascha. As to the dating of Easter, this has been fixed ever since the Council of Nicea in 325. At Nicea it was decided that Easter would occur on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox, which occurs between March 22 and April 25.

Easter celebrates Christ's victory over sin, death, and the devil, as well as the promise of our justification and everlasting life. The season of Easter lasts 50 days until the day of Pentecost.

Holy Week is a marvelous opportunity for Christian growth. It offers incredible potential for satisfying spiritual hunger. It does this by exposing those who attend its services to God's Word and Sacrament. In other words, we grow in Holy Week not by imitating Christ's last days. We grow as the Holy Spirit works through the Gospel and Sacrament that we hear and receive during these days. This Holy Week, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Updated, January 2002



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1 . Herman A. J. Wegman, Christian Worship in East and West: A Study Guide to Liturgical History, trans. Gordon W. Lathrop (New York: Pueblo Publishing Company, 1985), 175-176. However, it is also true that Palm Sunday was celebrated in various places much earlier than this. For example, Weiser points out that in the fourth century, the faithful in Jerusalem renacted Christ's solemn entry into Jerusalem, processing with branches and singing "Hosanna." See Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1958), 188-189.

2. See Weiser, 179.

3 . Ibid., 100-102, 137-138. At this time Maundy Thursday was seen as occurring before the three holy days, not as part of it. Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter were viewed as the Triduum.


4 . We know so much about this Second Century controversy thanks to a Fourth Century father named Eusebius of Caesarea, who writes about in detail. See his Church History, V, 23-24. For a good discussion of the early Pascha, see Wegman, Christian Worship, 28-34.


5 . For a brief description of this service see James Brauer, "The Church Year," in Lutheran Worship: History and Practice, ed. Fred Precht (St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House, 1993), 169-170.

6. See Weiser, 211.

The Joy of Jesus is The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer Words

(traditional)



Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen
Commentary: We pray that you will be blessed by this prayer and ministry. Please share The Joy of Jesus with anyone that may need hope and opportunity. We love to share love. This is indeed a blessing for all in Christ Jesus.