Maundy Thursday

Ok just to start this off, duncan's going to kill me (sorry duncan =P) cos I still haven't finished the blog about us teehee but this is kinda important.. well I just feel that I need to share..
Well, before the clock struck 12am tonight it was Maundy Thursday and I'm just going to give a quick undate of tonight. Well, in the late afternoon I was with duncan and we basically went over the commandments and embarrassingly enough I didn't remember all of them but I messaged them to him bla bla and oh my I've broken so many. Well, you see, even looking at someone with lust means that you've 'commited adultery' (ie breaking the 7th one) and even putting stuff like, I don't know, studying/shopping/gaming/sex/drugs/food etc before God is breaking the 1st and 2nd.. I'm such a sinner =/

Exodus 20:3-17 (the cooler version =P ..)

1- nothing comes before God
2- don't worship anything but God
3- treat God's name with respect
4- keep the Lord's day holy
4- honour your parents
6- murder is not an option
7- save sex for marriage
8- don't take what's not yours
9- quit saying things that aren't true
10- don't be jealous of other people's stuff

oh oh and Jesus said, "if you love Me you'll keep My commandments" John 14:15

Luckily Jesus loves us so damn much that He died for our sins!
Ok so, at around 9pm I met paula and we went to mc donalds with elaine, maria angela and fran and we just laughed around a bit. Then we walked up to the church and joined the adoration.. opps.. The first things that tutzi told me when I went to speak to her was "rache, did you sleep?" and I told her the truth- yes. Her reply was so shocking, "you're just like an apostle!". And you know what, it's true! We all betray Jesus just like they did..
Before I start quoting scripture and stuff, here's the rest of the night. Rob, amy and I went to mc donalds ant sat upstairs (it was empty haha) and we just laughed and laughed. But these are the two highlights; amy, "it's not diet coke, it's diet carton!" (the diet coke tasted like CRAP!) and amy, "we can go to comino and there's this really beautiful place, the sea is really nice and all blue" rob and I, "blue lagoon!?" hahahaha what a bunch of losers XD. Well, here it goes..

John 13:2-17

The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

That is humility at it's best. The Messiah, the Son of man, bowing down to wash dirty, dusty feet- incredible! Absolutely NOBODY would have ever done that (unless they were servants)- only Jesus That my friends, is LOVE.

John 13:21-27

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."

His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."

Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"

Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

How great a man is Jesus, to know that judas was about to betray him yet still accept him with His love? That's what He does with us guys, He just loves, holds and cares whilst we kick, bite and spit back at Him..

Matthew 26:26-29

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

This is such a gift, a privilege! To be able to receive Christ, have Him inside of us.. What an awesome God!! This is what really makes God so tangeble, the sacrament of communion. The feeling of having Jesus inside of me really warms me up, as if I'm being born again everytime. It's just so powerful. I really think that we need to take the oppurtunity to receive the eucharist more often, after all, you can NEVER have too much of Jesus =)

Matthew 26:36-46

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

I fell asleep, and I wasn't the only one (even in the church tonight). Jesus' apostles did, they fell for the temptation of letting everything go and sleeping. Maybe it was to get their minds off things, you never know, but they disobeyed Him. He could have stopped what was coming, but He didn't, He knew it was God's will so He held on, just like He did all throughout the torture He had to endure soon after. He knew everything that was about to happen, but He didn't step down out of sheer love for us!

Matthew 26:47-56

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Do we flee from God when things get too big for us to handle? I think we all do. It's quite stupid really, He's the only way to salvation yet we flee from Him. Actually, He IS salvation and salvation is only found in Him. So why do we run?
And then how often is it that we deny Christ in our lives? Too often..

Matthew 26:33-35

Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."

But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.

Matthew 26:69-75

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said.

But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth."

He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"

After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."

Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"

Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

I'm going to leave you all to hopefully think about everything and to pray and ask for forgiveness for all the times that you're sinned and broken His heart together with thanks for His sacrifice of His brutal death on the cross. I'll be back tomorrow with posts on Good Friday.. (now I shall go and continue the blog, ok duncan =P?.. or sleep XD it's 2:14am and I've had a long day)
Good night and God bless you guys, I really mean it!
pray pray pray!!