Worship into the Week- Maundy Thursday 2026

Worship into the Week

Psalm 116: 12-19

For Christians this Psalm is often said 

to represent Christ's Passion.

The "cup of slavation" refers to the Eucharist 

and the institution of the Lord's Supper which

 is connected to events for Thursday of Holy Week.

These are words that Jesus sang 

before his own journey in Holy Week.

The Psalm recounts where the writer 

was saved from death and distress. 

The question then becomes:

"What can I give back to God for all this salvation?"

The way forward includes a heart of gratitude, 

worship, keeping vows, taking up the "cup of slavation"

 and living as a faithful servant of God.

This life becomes a public witness in a community.

God sees the people here and brings comfort when 

one of the faithful dies.

"The LORD cares deeply." NLT

The writer offers a free offering of praise

 rather than a fulfilling a mandatory obligation.

A reminder to us that God desires our 

free and heart-felt praise 

and not the rote repetition of words and actions.

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Worship Bulletin

Garden of Gethsemane from our Jan. 2026 Tour

This sign has been "touched" so many times

 the writing is getting hard to read.

The Last Supper- 

A gift from a family friend in 1990.

A wonderful reminder for Maundy Thursday.

The Garden of Gethsemane-

a gift from a family friend in 1995.

 

Worship into the Week- Message of Encouragement

 Worship into the Week-

 The Lord's Obedient Servant   Isaiah 50:4-9a

Here we have a faithful servant of God who has 

endured challenging abuse- both physical and emotional

This is known as the third "Servant Song" and shows

the determination of this servant to remain steadfast

in his commission of  bringing comfort to the weary.

He allows God to bring the justice and he carries out his goal.

God brings him daily strength and wisdom 

and allows him to to blessed 

with an understanding of God's will for him.

He moves forward with confidence 

that "the Sovereign LORD is on my side!"

That changes how he steps into the future and he trusts

that God will be his deliverer and vindication.

We can certainly learn that even in the hardships we face,

 there are still many people to bring 

hope and encouragement to each day.

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Worship into the Week- Spirit Within You

 

Worship into the Week-

Ezekiel 37:1-14

In this section of Scripture Ezekiel has a vision 

of a valley of dry bones that comes back to life

with the Spirit and God's Word.

We have the exiled, despondent and hopeless house 

of Israel who felt dead in their exile.

God comes back with a new story

 for these very dry bones.

God is able to resurrect what is "utterly dead".

God demonstrates His power and promises

 to restore His people back to their land, restore their nation, 

and put His Spirit within them.

Ezekiel must depend on God's power.

Then the bones rattle and come together with flesh.

There is a body but no breath.

Then Ezekiel speaks God orders and Breath-

 (Ruach - breath or wind)

as the Spirit enters and they come to life.

They stand as a large army.

This is the good reminder for us 

to listen to the word of the Lord!

It brings us to Life.

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Mount Precipice- Nazareth

 Mount Precipice in Nazareth is the Biblical site 

where the angered leaders attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff.

He had declared himself the Messiah in the synagogue.

 Luke 4:28-30

Mount Precipice is located on the southern 

outskirts of Nazareth. It overlooks the Jezreel Valley.

We were here on a beautiful sunny day in January 2026. 

We often have to delete Mount Precipice from our tour 

because it is often late in the day when we arrive.

Rush hour traffic in Nazareth often keeps us from this spot.

Nazareth was a very small village at the time of Jesus.

Today it is the largest Arab city in Israel 

and serves as a major cultural and economic center.

Today there are 81,000 residents 

with 69% Muslim and 31% Christian.

Most of the population of the nearby city 

of Nof HaGalil is Jewish.

They renamed it in 2019 to distinguish

 it from the Biblical city.

Cyclamen flowers bloom here in the wild along the rocks.

This sign was at the top of Mount Precipice.

We don't have the information that 

Jesus jumped from the mountain.

Luke states in

v.30 "but he passed right through

 the crowd and went on his way."

Jesus had read from the book of Isaiah 

and then told them that He 

was the fulfillment of the Scripture.

This was the beginning of the story that "no prophet 

is accepted in his own hometown."

This story shares the rejection of Jesus by his townspeople. 

He knows the challenge when we face the same sort 

of rejections by friends and family.

Worship into the Week- Unfamiliar Paths

 

Worship into the Week-

Isaiah 42:14-21

God has been silent for awhile.

He acts with a plan that is like a birthing.

It is time to deliver His people from the 

spiritual blindness that marks their 

days and keeps them captive.

They have seen and heard many things, 

but act like

 they are deaf and blind.

They don't pay any attention 

and can't see what He is doing in their lives.

They live out their days in darkness,

 but God promises to be with them, 

and to walk with them in the unfamiliar paths.

He will make the rough places smooth.

Blindness will turn to sight 

and they will once again live in the light.

The people will not be forsaken.

The Lord has been patient, 

but He is working out His plan of salvation.

They will sing a "new song."

Lord, help me to remember when I am fumbling

 in the dark to not be stubbornly blind,

 but to know and feel your leading. Amen

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A Wee Bit of Green

I went to Ireland in 2000 

and came back a bit Irish.

My family has indulged me and listened to 

Celtic music ever since that trip.

 St Patrick was a very real

 church man and saint. He was a man of faith.

Greenery is such a treat and very special after a long winter.

Mid-March has us waiting and waiting for the bright green 

outside and the sweet growth of spring. 

I have been collecting these vintage postcards

 for many years. Back when they were 2 for $1.

Many of these are from 1909-1912.

It is fun to gather the green things for Spring.

I made the  little Irish bunny

 30 years ago this year.

These postcards are very unique. 

They have a pull out section of very old photos- 

probably 100 plus years ago.

 One is of Irish country life 

and one has photos of County Mayo.

Ah, yes, time to plan another trip to Ireland.

Isaiah is 8

This young man turned eight this month.

We love his ready and easy smile.

Pizza always makes a celebration.

Add-ons to his Gravitrax!

He has become a wiz at this lately.

A fun new sweatshirt.

Some fun new things for Mr. Isaiah.

Gravitrax and he has got this figured out.

Eight! is Great!!!

Out and about with mom and brother Jonah.

We give thanks for you - Isaiah.

We pray that the Lord blesses you this next year 

with good health, safety and all of His good gifts.

We love you!

Worship into the Week- Don't Harden your Hearts

 Exodus 17:1-7

Water from the Rock

The Israelites are desperate and thirsty people 

on their journey to Rephidim. 

They were upset with Moses and doubted that God

 was listening or concerned about their predicament.

They whined, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt?"

God commands Moses to strike a rock 

with the staff that he used on the water of the Nile River.

 The action produced the miracle of water.

God was present there at Mount Sinai (Horeb).

Moses named the place Massah 

which means "test" 

and Meribah which mean "quarreling".

God's grace is evident here in this story

as He provides for those 

who are grumbling and unhappy.

The rock in this account is symbolic of Jesus Christ

 -the Rock-

who was smitten on the cross.

The rock produces life giving waters of

salvation for us.

Psalm 95

is another reading for March 8.

Here is the Rock of our salvation.

There is the warning to listen to His voice!

Do not harden your hearts 

like they did at Meribah and and Massah.

They saw, but still didn't listen and obey.

It is a reminder that we have a "memory problem."

We see God's provision for us all the time but 

in a time of challenge, or wilderness, we doubt.

It is a reminder for me to notice 

whose  voice I am listening to in my days.

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Worship into the Week- Be a Blessing

 

Worship into the Week-

Genesis 12:1-9   Be a Blessing

This reading is about God's call to Abram

 that begins a covenant relationship. 

Time to venture into an unknown land.

But, not without a great promise to Abram. 

God will make him a great nation that becomes

 a blessing to him and all the nations to come.

Not a young man, (75) Abram obeys and heads to

Canaan where his faith lifestyle leads him to build altars.

These are outward signs of his trust and worship to God.

When Abram arrives in Canaan, God promises the land 

to his offspring. Abraham build an altar at Shechem 

and between Bethel and Ai to set aside

 a worship spot for the Lord.

Here is the high place at Bethel 

on our visit in early Feb 2026.

A sacred spot to remember how important it is to heed

 the Lord's calling and follow him

 into unknown lands and territories.

Also a great reminder that we are to 

be a blessing to others

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Calendar Journaling- February 2026

 Calendar Journaling - February 2026

The journey continues with Streams in the Desert.

Interesting phrases and connections this month.

Adding the Word Log again this month.

Working to keep up with the Bible reading.

Has been a good thing to just read through the Gospels.

Thankful for seeing the weaving of the words 

this month.

Four colored pencils and a Micron pen.

Thank you for the days and the ways

 to settle in for a valuable take away-

 to remember.

Bethel

 

The place for Biblical Bethel is generally connected 

to the modern Palestinian village of Beitin.

It is in the West Bank 

and about 10-12 miles north of Jerusalem.

It is in the hill country of Samaria. 

It is near the ancient Canaanite city of Ai

 and sits on a ridge.

It was a rainy day in Israel 

for our stop at Bethel this year- 

our first in 9 trips to the Holy Land.

There are connections

 to a number of Biblical stories here. 

Jacob's dream- Genesis 28:10-22.

When he was running from Esau,

he was at Bethel and had a dream of 

a stairway or ladder resting on earth 

and reaching to heaven.

In the dream, God promised Jacob the land,

many descendants and protection.

In order to set the place apart, Jacob

 named the place Bethel- "house of God."

A flat stone area is in the highest place.

We listened to our guide, Yossi, talk 

about the significance of the place.

We couldn't see very far out 

with the dense fog and reduced visibility.

Not much to see as we tried to

 imagine a stairway to heaven.

We were cold, wet and a bit miserable. 

Yossi asked John to say a prayer in this spot.

Shortly into the prayer, I opened my eyes.

And stared....

The fog had lifted. The sky opened up.

The clouds parted and there was the sun.

The hair on my arms stood up.

I had no words and couldn't move.

                                                                                                                          Photo by Corey Brooks

Pastor Corey Brooks managed 

to take a photo of the moment.

The rest of us just stood 

and stared and shook our heads.

This site is also connected to the story 

of Jeroboam and the idolatry of golden calves.

We had visited the Dan high place earlier on this trip.

Jeroboam I was the first king of the northern kingdom

-(c931-911 BC) established a rival cult center 

in Bethel ( and Dan) to prevent his subjects

 from worshipping in Jerusalem. 

He wanted to retain control over them

 and feared a return to the line of David.

Good things did not happen here

 at this site in the eyes of the Lord.

This map helps to give some perspective

 for the locations for these places.

Sometimes it is hard to picture the events

 at these sites and

 think through the Biblical stories for a

piece of ground on earth.

Thousands of years ago.

But, after the experience I had at Bethel,

I will remember the silence, 

the beauty and the feeling of sacred

when the light broke through from heaven.

A divine personal encounter.

 

Emmaus- Nicopolis

Church of the Breaking of the Bread.

A 1500 year old Byzantine cathedral is the remnant of

the ancient building in Nicopolis.

Emmaus, also known as Hazmat or Nicopolis, 

was a large city from the 

Hellenistic period through the Byzantine period.

This site is on the main road from the plains road 

to Jerusalem and is near Latrun.

We have visited a number of possible locations

 for the Biblical site of the Luke 24 story 

after the Resurrection.

This one is located 19 miles from Jerusalem,

 so it differs from the seven miles out of Jerusalem text.

This Emmaus- Nicopolis site is also found on the floor

 of the 6th century Madaba map in Jordan. 

The map states- Nikopolis, 

which is the Greek name for the city.

 Nothing changes in the story of the Risen Lord 

and the conversation with Cleopas, 

if we don't know the exact location of the town of

Emmaus.

Biblical text is Luke 24:13-35

Poppies blooming in the fields.

A first century AD family tomb in the area.

Some art from collections around the world are at the site

 depicting the time with Jesus after the Resurrection.

These photos help to visualize the meeting 

that took place after the Resurrection of Jesus.

A new Emmaus trail is from Abu Ghosh to Nicopolis.

 This trail allows people to walk the 12.5 miles

 as pilgrims "walking in the footsteps of Jesus."

We have been to the Abu Ghosh "site"

  of Emmaus and there is very little

 archeological evidence there.

So we continue to seek out the possible sites of Emmaus.

Yet, we know this is a real story,

 no matter where the precise location is situated.